2005-06 NBA Season Discussion Thread

[a6m5]

Blazers got spanked(really hard) by the Sixers. I was actually really happy for Coach Cheeks though, what a great guy!. Here's a interview/article of him, if you were interested.

On another interview, he tells the local writer that the Blazers Management wants to trade Travis Outlaw. Outlaw is considered a future key player by the Blazer insiders and fans, even the writer couldn't belive it:

And keep on eye on this: When talking about how he always had to talk to the media when a player got in trouble, Cheeks said "Well, they won't have those problems anymore. Well, they've got to be careful with Zach, but Sebastian's a good kid, Travis is a great kid,... hey, how is Travis doing?"

When told that Outlaw is progressing well, Cheeks chimed in, saying "They want to trade him.''

No way, I said. They like Travis.

"Nah, they want to trade him,'' Cheeks insisted.

Here in Portland, Blazers has a false reputation for trading young talent away. I always say to them, "Alright, they traded away Jamaine O'Neal, who else?". Most get confused that point, some say "Brian Grant!", to which I tell them that he was starting to miss wide open lay ups by the time we traded him. He was done. However, if Blazers trade Outlaw away, it could make it true!

 

[Saleen Man]

It would be quite interesting if the Blazers traded Outlaw. I'd like it if they traded him to Toronto though. If they did I'm sure Outlaw would just ask to be traded away again, heh. But anyway, I think it'd be a terrible move to trade him. He's another one of those young up-and-comers from high school (right?), and like most of them he's a high-flyer but I'm sure he will/is develop(ing) the rest of his game. I mean, Jermaine O'neal should be reason enough not to trade him.

 

[a6m5]

It would be quite interesting if the Blazers traded Outlaw. I'd like it if they traded him to Toronto though. If they did I'm sure Outlaw would just ask to be traded away again, heh. But anyway, I think it'd be a terrible move to trade him. He's another one of those young up-and-comers from high school (right?), and like most of them he's a high-flyer but I'm sure he will/is develop(ing) the rest of his game. I mean, Jermaine O'neal should be reason enough not to trade him.

Exactly. Like Mo Cheeks says in the interview, Travis is a great kid. He is the type of the character we need on this team to rebuild. His weaknesses right now is the lack of toughness and defense, but he's only 21 now(Yes, he was drafted out of high school).

Let's say he was in Toronto(I hope it'll never happen). If Travis asked for a trade, it will be because of the problem with the team or the organization. He is so unlike any of the spoiled NBA stars, it's very refreshing. None of that selfish crap.

P.S. Hey! Houston won! How did that happen? Oh, yeah.... Atlanta. (sorry, rollazn)

 

[Giancarlo]

Anyone see Alonzo Mourning last week? He had one game with 21 rebounds, then the next with 9 blocks..

 

[a6m5]

Anyone see Alonzo Mourning last week? He had one game with 21 rebounds, then the next with 9 blocks..

He's been pretty solid, hasn't he? He's getting the second wind in his career or something. He used to be my favorite center.....

 

[a6m5]

Good: I got to go to the Blazers/Pacers game, complete with the buffet and everything.

Bad: Pacers didn't play that well, but still toyed around the Blazers.

I'm still glad I got to go though. Two games I really wanted to go to this year was the Pacers(my top 3 favorite team) and the Sixers game. I've seen Freddy Jones and Jermaine O'Neal play, but it was the first time I got to see my second favorite player from Lithuania, Sarunas Jasikevicius(real mouthful!). He was awesome, Ron Artest played fairly well.

On the Blazers end, nobody really played great. Our 7-3 Korean Center, Ha Seung-Jin got major minutes, probably because the game was over by the late second quater. I can't tell if this guy is going to be a starter or a bust. During the shootaround, he can bank the shots like no other(maybe even better than me ), but once the game starts, instead of shooting over people using his height, he throws up the ugliest brick since the Shaq free throws. If I had his frame, I'll bank minimum of 18 points a night without breaking a sweat. Oh, well. Hopefully, he'll blossom into a great player in the near future.

 

[Saleen Man]

I've never seen this Ha Seung-Jin play before. I didn't even know they had him. If it's like you say, I guess you should just hope he was nervous. Players that size should have absolutely no problem dropping 15 points a game, purely off of offensive rebounds and shooting over defenders. That is one of the reasons I don't think Yao is very good. But that's a different story.

 

[a6m5]

And I thought Yao was going to be better than Shaq, at least by looking at Yao's first couple of seasons. Ha is a second year player, so he's been nervous for while. But in his defense, I think he's like 20. I'll try to fetch a picture of him, he - is - huge! Once he learns that these little people around him, no matter how intimidating they may seem, there is no way they can stop him from pushing them around!

P.S. Go Raptors!(had to be against N.J.) Oh yeah, rollazn, you have been cleared to panic now.

 

[VIPFREAK]

Go Atlanta!

 

[Saleen Man]

And I thought Yao was going to be better than Shaq, at least by looking at Yao's first couple of seasons. Ha is a second year player, so he's been nervous for while. But in his defense, I think he's like 20. I'll try to fetch a picture of him, he - is - huge! Once he learns that these little people around him, no matter how intimidating they may seem, there is no way they can stop him from pushing them around!

Ha, no doubt. Some of these guys are so huge, but get intimidated by guys that are 5 inches shorter. I don't understand it.

P.S. Go Raptors!(had to be against N.J.) Oh yeah, rollazn, you have been cleared to panic now.

Well at least they won a game. Maybe they'll get to 10 wins this year.

P.S. I guess I won't mention the Jazz/Blazers game tonight.

 

[a6m5]

Go Atlanta!

DAMN IT, VIPFREAK! I didn't know what you meant, so I went to check the score and saw that Blazers lost again! To the lowly Jazz!

Saleen: I couldn't find a pic that demostrate his size, but here he is:

Looks like that's Wade in the pic. As you can see, Ha is not skinny like Yao.

Edit:
I just saw this:

P.S. I guess I won't mention the Jazz/Blazers game tonight.

Thanks a lot!

 

[VIPFREAK]

DAMN IT, VIPFREAK! I didn't know what you meant, so I went to check the score and saw that Blazers lost again! To the lowly Jazz!

Ha ha... and I bet the Warriors have a better record too?

they are!

 

[Saleen Man]

Saleen: I couldn't find a pic that demostrate his size, but here he is:

Looks like that's Wade in the pic. As you can see, Ha is not skinny like Yao.

Yeah, it looks like the guy has some bulk to him. Not a stick like Yao. If guys that size were as aggressive as Shaq....

Thanks a lot!

Yes, I must apologize. That was low. But when your "home" team is as bad as the Raptors, I think you're allowed to make fun of other teams sometimes.

 

[VIPFREAK]

Saleen: I couldn't find a pic that demostrate his size, but here he is:

[image]

 

[a6m5]

Yes, I must apologize. That was low. But when your "home" team is as bad as the Raptors, I think you're allowed to make fun of other teams sometimes.

No need, I was just kidding! I'm a baller too, remember? If I can't handle some friendly trash talk, I got no business talking about basketball. In Oregon, everybody is making fun of the Blazers. Very very few loyal fans, rest are the "fair weather" fans. In that Pacers game I went to, I swear there were only about six thousand people at the game. Smallest crowd I've ever seen, including the preseason games. If this keeps up, Blazers will be playing in a different city in a few years.

 

[fasj6418]

the sonics beat the cavs... and then the pacers!!!



rashard is playing great, i have to get of his back now... this season he is an legit all star...

bench play, so important...

back to .500

 

[Saleen Man]

No need, I was just kidding! I'm a baller too, remember? If I can't handle some friendly trash talk, I got no business talking about basketball.
In Oregon, everybody is making fun of the Blazers. Very very few loyal fans, rest are the "fair weather" fans. In that Pacers game I went to, I swear there were only about six thousand people at the game. Smallest crowd I've ever seen, including the preseason games. If this keeps up, Blazers will be playing in a different city in a few years.

I wouldn't worry about Portland moving to another city. They're in a major re-building stage right now, they've got to be given at least a few years to become competitive again. They had their days a few years back, it's just too bad that the Lakers were around at the same time. I'm sure they'll be back in the playoff mix in a season or two. Or three.

 

[a6m5]

Or three.

Actually, in Portland, it's not just about the poor record. During the 80's, Blazers went through poor records, but still the Coliseum(12,000 capacity) sold out every night. People are fed up with arrogant attitude of NBA and its' players. If you go to a lot of NBA games, you know that it's mostly 'corporate' business. I mean to go see a game as a family(say four people), it will cost at least 200 bucks for the tickets alone(for high - lower level seats). With concessions and parking on top of that, it's just not worth it for most people. Many of the seats(maybe the most) are purchased by companies. I'm a huge fan of the Portland Trail Blazers, but I could never afford the types of tickets my work gets me. Tickets alone are $80 - $100 each, I don't even want to know how much they are paying for the "Rose Room" buffet tickets.

I hope it'll never happen, but when you see the size of the crowd at WAY less than 50% of what it used to be, it worries me. Actually, when the Rose Garden(Portland's arena) was built, capacity I think was over 21,000. This season so far, I guess we're averaging under 8,000 - 9,000 people a game. People who actually show up should be even less. I'm sure many of nights, it's been around 7,000. That's about 33% of what it used to be. It's very scary to me.

 

[a6m5]

I got to go to the Blazers vs. Timber Wolves game tonight. Blazers had double digit lead going into the 4th quarter, but they blew it. I'm not sure what was going through the coach's mind when he took the best players out of the game, and put three guards in there, most of them cold. Right there and then, Wolves just took control and the lead away. KG's so awesome, if they are going to trade him, I hope it'd be to the Blazers.

P.S. Blazers were actually giving away Nate McMillan bobble head doll(full size and everything) at the game tonight. Yessssssssss! When they are giving away Sebastian Telfair one, I'm going back!

 

[fasj6418]

attendence is real low in the NBA... i don´t know the local reality, because i don´t live in the USA, but looks like nobody cares about NBA right now...

so sad 👎

well i love it but i can´t watch or follow. that´s what do you get for living in a fu 🤬 soccer crazy country.

ESPN here is a crap, full of soccer. we get to see one game per week, on fridays, nad then when they move to the second game of the doubleheader, they cut to a spanish fu 🤬 sportscenter...

TNT does not have NBA here... they stop broadcasting in 2001 for us...

i have directv, but NBA league pass was cancelled back in 2002... we had 2 games each night with a poor version of the league pass. now i have nothing...

i only wish i could be in a game... what i can do is sometimes listen to the radio online when they don´t cut the streaming...

anyway, it sucks living here, i wish i had at least the possibility of watching NBA on tv...

sorry for the rant, i just hate ESPN latin america and Directv latin america, i wish i had my own sattelite to get a direct signal from the US...

 

[TwinTurboJay]

The raptors make me very very sad....

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

Not bad for me...
Philly leading the Atlantic and GS doing great.

 

[fasj6418]

i read insidehoops everyday.

man, i´m tired of that dress code thing.

i mean, the rule on shorts.

its so ridiculous i can even imagine what you guys talk about about this in bars and stuff.

might be one of the biggest jokes ever. "can´t have a short 0.1 inch bellow the knee" but reebok is the one to blema on this, according to players.

well, the question for david stern is: who cares about the lenght of the shorts? ron artest will not be a role model, iverson is not going to be a nice guy, even in a tuxedo.

i just don´t care about this, as long as good basketball is played. THAT should be david stren´s biggest concern... don´t know what do you guys think...

i used to think that he was a great commissioner, but some actions late, makes me wonder if he had anything to do with the growth of NBA... maybe was just MJ, bird and magic...

anyway, am i the only one amazed by how stupid this short rule is???

 

[a6m5]

i read insidehoops everyday.

man, i´m tired of that dress code thing.

i mean, the rule on shorts.

its so ridiculous i can even imagine what you guys talk about about this in bars and stuff.

might be one of the biggest jokes ever. "can´t have a short 0.1 inch bellow the knee" but reebok is the one to blema on this, according to players.

well, the question for david stern is: who cares about the lenght of the shorts? ron artest will not be a role model, iverson is not going to be a nice guy, even in a tuxedo.

i just don´t care about this, as long as good basketball is played. THAT should be david stren´s biggest concern... don´t know what do you guys think...

i used to think that he was a great commissioner, but some actions late, makes me wonder if he had anything to do with the growth of NBA... maybe was just MJ, bird and magic...

anyway, am i the only one amazed by how stupid this short rule is???

I welcomed the new rule. I think it will help bring back unity and teamwork in basketball. NBA these days is full of "me, me, me, me, me" and one-on-one moves. Also, if you are NBA player, you work for the team and the league. I think you should abide by the dress-code of your employer. Just my opinion.

On David Stern, I've always hated him(pretty strong opinion, I know). Everything wrong with today's NBA, I think, is Stern's fault. Heart of the problem is the officiating. They are the most inconsistent of all major league sports. Super Star treatment? You touch the star? foul! Star foul you offensively? your defensive foul! Star drew contact while shooting? your blocking foul! Star traveled? what travel? What I hate the most is the "makeup" call. That shows us the type of professional officiating we're witnessing. Anyways, that's it for now. Sorry for ranting(it was bottled up for very long time!).

P.S. I got to go to the Blazers vs. Hornets game tonight. Overtime, Blazers finally won! 👍

 

[a6m5]

I found an interesting interview of one of my favorite players, Scottie Pippen. http://www.suntimes.com/output/bulls/cst-spt-pip09.html

He said that his biggest regret in his player carreer was when he and the Blazers blew the 15 points lead in the Conference Finals in 2000. He says 15 points with 7 minutes to go, but I could swear that they still had around 10 minutes to go. Anyways, at that point, I was dancing in front of my TV set, screaming like a giddy school girl. I thought for sure that the Blazers had clinched the NBA Championship(just for the second time in its' history).

Scottie also touched on the new dress code:

''Great. I always respected the game, gave it my all and dressed like a professional when I came to work because I had one of the best jobs in the world. But a lot of the younger guys were coming to games and sitting on the bench dressed in all kinds of sloppy attire -- sweats and stuff. It's showing disrespect to the team, the league and the game.''

My man, Scottie.

 

[fasj6418]

yes, its not much about the whole dress code, just the shorts rule i think its a bit too much...

speacially since its reebok´s fault most of the times...

yes, dick bavetta and his friends suck, maybe replay would be welcome (wouldn´t hurt much, since hoops games are already filled with timeouts). players these days don´t even know what´s a travelling...

the diesel is back, looking a bit more to a eletric car or something... i´ve said this 2 years ago, shaq is not shaq anymore... too bad, it was fun to watch...

and my sonics still suck... and now they want out of seattle...WTF???

oh, i miss nate... those damn $$$ from paul allen...

 

[Giancarlo]

Anybody see that Stan Van Gundy resigned as the Heat coach, and that now Pat Riley is at the helm?

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

^Heard. Why'd he leave?

 

[Giancarlo]

He said it was because he wanted to spend more time with his family.

 

[a6m5]

the diesel is back, looking a bit more to a eletric car or something... i´ve said this 2 years ago, shaq is not shaq anymore... too bad, it was fun to watch...

and my sonics still suck... and now they want out of seattle...WTF???

oh, i miss nate... those damn $$$ from paul allen...

👍

Anybody see that Stan Van Gundy resigned as the Heat coach, and that now Pat Riley is at the helm?

I thought for sure you said Jeff Van Gundy. Were Heat struggling this season? or maybe he couldn't stand his players or the management?