NBA Thread

[jimmy olsen]

If the Clippers are healthy they should make it to the conference finals at least.

[Valmy]

If the Clippers are healthy they should make it to the conference finals at least.

Ah yeah. Making to the finals in the Western Conference is easy, so little competition.

[jimmy olsen]

If the Clippers are healthy they should make it to the conference finals at least.

Ah yeah. Making to the finals in the Western Conference is easy, so little competition.

They just missed it by one game last year, they're a team on the rise.

[Valmy]

They just missed it by one game last year, they're a team on the rise.

Lots of teams on the rise in the West. They might make it to the conference finals but should? No that is no easy task.

[sbr]

Yep, I would put the Clippers as #3 in the West but that makes them #4 in the entire league.  They could make the WC Finals and a run to the NBA Finals wouldn't be shocking, but two of the very best teams are in their conference as well.

[The Larch]

Yep, I would put the Clippers as #3 in the West but that makes them #4 in the entire league.  They could make the WC Finals and a run to the NBA Finals wouldn't be shocking, but two of the very best teams are in their conference as well.

The West is going to be a bloodbath again next year. Not only do you have the Warriors, the current champions, but you also have the Spurs with LaMarcus Aldridge, which might be a juggernaut, a hopefully healthy Oklahoma, Houston basically intact, the ascendant Pelicans with Anthony Davis who is a fucking beast and Memphis ready to inflict pain on any frountcourt that sets in front of them, without even starting to take the Clippers into account. Expecting to reach the conference finals by default is a very tall order.

[crazy canuck]

Yep, I would put the Clippers as #3 in the West but that makes them #4 in the entire league.  They could make the WC Finals and a run to the NBA Finals wouldn't be shocking, but two of the very best teams are in their conference as well.

The West is going to be a bloodbath again next year. Not only do you have the Warriors, the current champions, but you also have the Spurs with LaMarcus Aldridge, which might be a juggernaut, a hopefully healthy Oklahoma, Houston basically intact, the ascendant Pelicans with Anthony Davis who is a fucking beast and Memphis ready to inflict pain on any frountcourt that sets in front of them, without even starting to take the Clippers into account. Expecting to reach the conference finals by default is a very tall order.

Yep.  The Clippers had a good run this year but they may end up fighting for the last playoff spot next year.

[derspiess]

The father of a good friend of mine passed away this week.  His name was Bob MacKinnon and he coached Canisius from 1959 to 1972.  He's probably best known for his ABA & NBA coaching-- he coached the ABA Spirits of St. Louis in 1975 when they upset Julius Erving's Nets in the playoffs, then went on to coach the Buffalo Braves and had a couple stints coaching the Nets in the 80s.

Dude lived a pretty full life.  Here's a short NBA tribute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DIc2jR4nnE

They should've disabled comments

[alfred russel]

What does the rest of the team have to do with Lebron shooting such a poor percentage.  Are you suggesting that in past finals Jordan wasn't closely guarded?

Maybe LeBron shot poorly because he was embarrassed about the video of his penis getting out. The rest of the team shot poorly because of demoralization about the size of their leader's member.

[sbr]

Anyone else see 52 year old Hakeem with one last Dream Shake?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/hakeem-olajuwon--playing-in-africa--gives-us-one-more-dream-shake--video-114149447.html

[sbr]

Moses Malone has died at 60 years old

The first to go straight from high school to the NBA. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/sports/basketball/moses-malone-76ers-star-and-a-ferocious-rebounder-dies-at-60.html

Moses Malone, 76ers Star and a Ferocious Rebounder, Dies at 60

Moses Malone, the Hall of Fame basketball player who helped carry the Philadelphia 76ers to a championship in 1983, and whose dominance in the paint earned him the nickname "Chairman of the Boards," has died. He was 60.

His death was announced by the Philadelphia 76ers. A cause was not given.

Malone was one of the first players to go straight from high school to professional basketball, where he played for 10 teams over a 21-year career before retiring in 1995. He played 19 seasons in the N.B.A., won the league most valuable player award three times and was a 12-time All-Star.

Tall and slender, he was known for his ferocious defense under the backboard. In his first season with the 76ers, the team swept the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1983 championships and he was named the most valuable player of the finals.

"It is with a deep sense of sadness that the Sixers family mourns the sudden loss of Moses Malone," the 76ers said in a statement. "Moses holds a special place in our hearts and will forever be remembered as a genuine icon and pillar of the most storied era in the history of Philadelphia 76ers basketball."

He was born Moses Eugene Malone on March 23, 1955 in Petersburg, Va. After graduating high school in 1974, he became one of the first players to go straight to the pros after signing with the American Basketball Association's Utah Stars. He retired in 1995, after a single season with the San Antonio Spurs.

[katmai]

How about that first Canadian ever drafted #1!

Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, passed through waivers without a claim on Friday and will become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Toronto Raptors are a strong frontrunner to sign Bennett, a native of the city, to a deal, league sources said.

Bennett's reps pushed for a buyout with Minnesota and tried to dissuade teams from claiming him on waivers, league sources said. His agents had a destination in mind for Bennett, league sources said.

All passed, allowing Bennett to become a free agent.

Minnesota acquired Bennett as part of the Kevin Love deal that brought the Wolves 2014 No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins.

Bennett, 22, has struggled with weight and health as an NBA player, but did show progress playing for the Canadian National team this summer in international competitions. A 6-foot-8 forward, he was an unlikely No. 1 overall pick who had almost no chance to live up to that burden. In two seasons, Bennett has averaged 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

[Admiral Yi]

There's a team called the Pelicans? 

[katmai]

There's a team called the Pelicans? 

Yes formally New Orleans Hornets (because team was moved from Charlotte)

[MadBurgerMaker]

They have a surprisingly good angry basketball bird logo.