mike woodson job search tracking thread, plus triangle offense knowledge assessment quiz (nba offseason news 2014)

rip coach, maybe you can get that raptors superfan guy to take you out for a consoling steakhouse dinner

I've been fired from three jobs. Woodson, if you're reading this, you're in good company.

he'll land somewhere else i'm sure
what i wonder is - how long has the rest of the coaching staff been there? since the D'Antoni days?

i'm gonna be really pissed if steve kerr takes that job

me too! i guess it could result in a promotion for c-webb which i would welcome.

also rick adelman is retiring to nobody's surprise.

sad adelman's going out without a ring

Adelman may have a ring from his assistant coach stint with the Blazers under Dr. Jack Ramsey (who is very vain about that "Dr." thang) in 1977. Not sure if assistant coaches get rings, tho.

Kerr needs to be there to help Phil figure out how to GM

Corbin out in Utah

Free agency opens on July 1, and, the source said, Anthony would like, “the Dwight Howard treatment.”

kill me

please give him the Dwight treatment! i want him to leave NY

i reeeeeeaally hope melo goes to the lakers so they can keep missing the playoffs and suck for a long time.

i really hope melo flirts with other teams

i'm not even sure what the dwight howard treatment actually is -- dwight's free agency was pretty drama free as far as i recall

he wants a mark cuban made animated video obv

i remember teams doing stupid stuff (like that video) to try to get him to come

yeah. i guess it looks like he met with lakers, mavs, rockets, golden state and the hawks. but i feel like it was a pretty expedient, private process.

Melo wants to be courted, coaxed, flattered, told he's extra special and adored, is all that means.

and then take 23 mill per so he can handcuff a franchise for the next 4-5 years. dude is worth like 14 mill maybe

Sure he wants $23 million per, but he also wants interested teams to say it with flowers.

"I think the season has been a huge success," 76ers owner Josh Harris said.

i bet

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/source-dolan-stop-jackson-knick-staff-firings-article-1.1765645

now THIS is going to be FUN

omg

DOLAAAAAAN

god, i love the knicks

hahahaaaaa

Mr Jackson, in return for the umpteen million dollars I am paying you, and despite any disclaimers I may have made to the contrary in the past, I retain the right to put your balls into this vise.

sigh

Of course, Dolan also lied about giving Donnie Walsh full autonomy when he hijacked the Carmelo Anthony trade negotiations from the long-time and respected basketball executive. Although Walsh wanted to acquire Anthony, his advice to Dolan was to wait until the trading deadline to strike a better deal with the Denver Nuggets. Dolan ignored Walsh and eventually gave the Nuggets a promising young center in Timofey Mozgov and the Knicks’ 2014 first-round pick, which is now a lottery pick.

This is kind of nitpicky, but while I agree with the general thrust of this point, Timofey Mozgov was really not the piece that people upset about that trade were focused on at the time.

I guess, but Mozgov was the guy the Knicks had been refusing to trade until they relented.

The proposal, which was first reported by CBS Sports, will send Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and the Knicks’ 2014 first-round pick to Denver. The Knicks would also trade Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry’s expiring contract to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who would send Corey Brewer to the Nuggets. The Knicks would receive Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams and Renaldo Balkman.

The Knicks aren’t willing to include center Timofey Mozgov in the deal, the source said.

Centers are enough of a rarity and develop so much more slowly than guards and forwards that it makes sense to take time and know what you've got in a young center before using him as a throw-in on a trade.

Dolan is so great, I bet Phil is the f out of there and back on his ranch by next all star break

The only part that makes me mad is that he's going to hire Kerr and leave him stranded with that mess instead of on tv where he belongs

I wonder if Woodson ever gets hired again after what happened this year

Seems like with spoelstra's success and Hornacek this year teams are way more comfortable trying new younger guys (joerger too) instead of a retread

Woodson and Mike Brown should chill together, maybe become cops or something

"Glasses & the Goat" this fall on fxx

ha yes exactly

i had to google to check whether brown had been fired yet. i'll say this, he has a lot of really nice neckties.

i think a good organization will still remember that Woodson had one really good season with the Knicks; don't see why he can't be an assistant coach again

he lucked into that season more than anything else

it's still an accomplishment, post-Linsanity and what-not. he actually made JR Smith into a playable guard!

eh he was doing well with d'antoni idk, looking at his stats he's actually been pretty consistent over the years, even after taking on more minutes as a starter in nyc

consistent's not what i meant, i mean i don't think the knicks org had any effect on jr whatsoever

besides playing more minutes obviously, but he never started in denver anyway so there's nothing to compare it to really.

yeah i mean woodson didn't turn smith into a good player and then into a bad player. he's been clueless with his lineups from the get-go. he was forced into a smallball scheme that worked but he was never really comfortable with

my impression of JR Smith has always been that he's way-above-average talented and a complete uncoachable shithead.

it's frustrating to see talented dudes like that just coast but can't blame him, worked out pretty well

money wise

it could've been the minutes, but i remember JR's shittiness on the knicks that season more than him doing good; the next season he was hitting game winners left and right

100% agreed that he's clearly both talented, and a shithead

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BmfzudWIYAAsf5J.jpg

phil and melo, having an intimate dinner, discussing philosophy. #KnicksDynasty

d'antoni euthanized in los angeles much to the joy of lakers fans who will find another scapegoat when their old ass team wins 30 games next year

Magic's gleeful reaction to it was a pretty bad look I thought.

laker management did him so dirty.. as they did mike brown and phil to an extent. fuck the lakers.

xp yeah that was weird

yeah nagl

d'antoni euthanized in los angeles much to the joy of lakers fans who will find another scapegoat when their old ass team wins 30 games next year

― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Thursday, May 1, 2014 10:26 AM (45 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

they have 5 guys on the roster for next year and one of those (swaggy) will probably opt out.

and nash may wiggle his way out

they have 5 guys on the roster for next year

Hello, Melo!

chuck otm

“Magic Johnson is bigger than that. Mike D”Antoni is a good coach. They didn’t give him a lot to work with," Barkley said on TNT, via Mark Medina of the LA Daily News. “The Lakers weren’t to win with Phil Jackson either. They don’t have good players. We know Phil Jackson is arguably the greatest coach ever. The Lakers don’t have players. They’re not a good team. I don’t even know if Phil Jackson wanted that job. The Lakers stink and they’re going to stink."

if you could get through that agonization conversation about "pressure" they had, he did eventually get around to this statement, it's otm

listening to laker fans fantasy gm on the radio is a tedious exercise. they also pillory jim buss and compare him to his dad who they forget was working under an entirely different set of rules and they could just buy their way out of all their problems.

what's fantasy about it? next year la will be westbrook, kobe, lebron, love, and chris kaman.

c'mon: CHRIS KAMAN. get excited, people.

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 14m
I feel good about this prediction: Thibs becomes this summer's Doc (traded for a future 1st round pick), then Chicago hires Fred Hoiberg.

alrighty then

bill simmons also felt good about his prediction that the bulls would be the nba's best team this year.

well to be fair their best player did blow his knee out

can't see forman/paxson letting thibs go like that

for the right first round pick i would trade just about any coach in the league, pop aside

i mean shoutout to thibs but the guy has never figured out a way to build an offense that would have a real shot at winning the title. i would take a lottery pick for him.

76ers should trade their 8 second round picks for Thibs

the sixers had one of the worst offenses ever this year. thibs is probably the last guy they'd want

he's had his star offensive player get injured, and the guy they brought in to be 2nd offensive option is fucking Carlos Boozer.
I wouldn't swap a known top coach for an unknown top draft pick.

problem is that management has been overly focused on "character guys" to such an extent (it's worked well for them for the most part, turned around the team from Eddie Robinson/Eddy Curry days) that they have 13 "character guys" who can't create their own shot to save their life. Their starting 2 guard recently said he often forgets that he's an offensive player too. I don't think Thibs has helped steer them away from this mindset tho obv.

sixers are adding Noel and a top 5 pick minimum next year so they'll be better than the historic garbage they were this year

the sixers had one of the worst offenses ever this year. thibs is probably the last guy they'd want

― k3vin k., Thursday, May 1, 2014 8:33 PM (48 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

they had many of the worst things ever this year

I'm pretty sure the only pick the lakers can trade right now is the 2014 pick (after they make it) which is way too fucking much to give for a coach

but a pick way in the future? yeah why not.

lol looks like it would be the 2019 pick

woj has an article today suggesting the lakers should go after derrick fisher which, like, yessssssss embrace the madness

lmao pleeeeease

i just read that article and that would probably be the most suicidal move the lakers could make. what the hell does fisher's history with kobe matter? kobe is under contract, he's not going anywhere

I kinda like the idea of Fisher as coach.

1) It means he can't play anymore.
2) Other reasons.

ha otm and if he was lakers coach then like double kill. more reasons to pile on

the only reason to bring fisher in is because kobe's said in the past the only person on gods green earth he'd defer to is fisher.

plz make this happen

Just as Bryant managed to get in Fisher's ear during contract negotiations, Bryant shared during the NBA Finals that Fisher's the only player on the team that he'll truly listen to at all times. No one questions Bryant's desire to win, his skill-set and work ethic, but few have the credibility to privately and publicly question Bryant (just ask Shaq). No one questions Fisher's leadership credentials and professional attitude, but not everyone would go out of his way and emphasize how highly important Fisher has been to the team like Bryant did during free agency.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/12/news/lat-fisher-bryant-sl

The knots that franchise is tying itself into to placate a guy who is probably going to play 45 games a year for two years and retire, it's so baffling

Sure hire that great leader who got his ass handed to him in the new CBA during the lockout

well to be fair their best player did blow his knee out

― le goon (J0rdan S.), Thursday, May 1, 2014

details details.

(I'm sure that was more billy hunters fault but I'll take shots at fish where I can)

http://www.nbapicshow.com/nba_picture/nba-big-picture/Kobe-Bryant-And-Derek-Fisher-Wallpaper-The-Best-Friends-And-Brothers.jpg

too big to embed but really, really worth your attention on this day of days

thank you

hire kobe's friend to be lakers coach, all problems are solved

lakers front office seems to think that treating kobe well will help them recruit free agents.. nevermind that the worlds biggest asshole is on your team RIGHT NOW and nobody wants to play with his ass.

i just don't get the derek fisher idea. nothing against fisher, but there's been this oddly high number of people moving or rumored to be moving straight into head-coaching jobs lately, without any coaching background (e.g., kidd; kerr; mark jackson (i think he was a novice?); now fisher). seems like coaching is a distinct set of responsibilities, and being a great player, analyst, generally smart, articulate person doesn't necessarily qualify you.

my friend insists that kobe is woj's source and he's trying to build up support for fish

I don't see why Fisher is a bad choice. Not something people in our position could really judge. He's a smart player, just wildly cheap.

do you think he would play himself if he were scott brooks?

haha maybe

you know I think signing fisher was even worse than playing him

"not a bad choice" dude there must be dozens of qualified coaches out there who actually know what they're doing and have some experience, why would the lakers, of all franchises, roll the dice on kobe's buddy?

I don't think players have to necessarily do an apprenticeship before coaching. He could be a legit coaching talent, we just don't know. Wasn't Doc Rivers just a broadcaster before getting his first NBA coaching gig?

Lakers have much more info on what kind of basketball mind Fisher has than we message board goons do.

true

i guess i'm just going off of woj's rationale which is that him being friends with kobe and durant somehow makes him an attractive candidate. if the guy can coach, fine

Yeah I mean for all the shit we've given them mark jackson and kidd have their teams in the playoffs

d fish could be a really good coach, i just love the idea of d fish coaching in LA with old Kobe

yes, i need this opportunity to focus my hatred

yeah I don't have any pretensions to knowledge of fish's quality as a coach, I just want to rag on him for years and years

there must be dozens of qualified coaches out there who actually know what they're doing and have some experience

totally hear ya on this, but I'm thinking people like Fisher, Jackson, Kidd paradoxically have more instant credibility to players? or a kind of cache? "guys your new coach is Derek Fisher" 'oh Fish ok cool' vs "guys your new coach is Mike Budenholzer" 'da fuck??? *googles Mike Budenholzer*'.
also maybe Lakers are more willing to play a risk v reward game, snatch up a possible good-to-great coach before he hits the open market and if it doesn't work out oh well they can afford to fire him, pay out his contract, and hire another big name coach.
and it's m/l working out with Jackson and Kidd so it's trendy, NBA is a pretty trendy-heavy league.

Lakers have much more info on what kind of basketball mind Fisher has than we message board goons do.

― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, May 1, 2014 11:15 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

based on their recent history if they hire him then hes prob not qualified, if they dont hire him then maybe he is

lakers are gonna be bad next year regardless tho

Hey I know the lakers are trying to glom on to any big name out there but if OKC wipes out and fires brooks they have to look hard at Kevin Ollie right?

as soon as uconn started making their run i thought ollie was the frontrunner if brooks was out, if only for 'how do we keep durant' reasons.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/camron-harlem-mase-and-high-school-basketball-lies/

Nick Young ‏@NickSwagyPYoung 3h -- I'll be the new coach

lol why not?

Mark Heisler ‏@MarkHeisler 1h -- Scratch my Steve Kerr to #Knicks over #Warriors tab. Insider tells me it's likelier to be Warriors with daughter at Berkeley, fam in SDiego

it's all so confusing. i thought GSW didn't want to go for two consecutive "tv analyst to head coach" experiments?

Where did you hear that?

a twitter feed of one of those "nba insiders." of course, there is a wide swing in credibility from one "insider" to the next. just can't recall which one said that.

I haven't read that they don't want another tv analyst anywhere, and Kerr's name has been discussed wrt this story from the beginning due to his ties to Rick Welts and Kirk Lacob.

i'll see if i can track down that tweet.

yeah lacob wants kerr first havent heard anything about tv thing

I personally would rather they pick someone with coaching experience.

yeah totally agree. was really hoping for stan van

I didn't like how Stan handled the Dwight stuff.

Kerr is also a former GM so he's not just a tv guy fwiw

i loved it xp

Kerr's GM experience is part of what troubles me about him.

I personally would rather they pick someone with coaching experience.

Same.

No Dwights on the Warriors roster, I don't think?

loved the way stan van gundy handled the D12 situation, but i'm biased, cuz i think dwight howard is a clown.

No Dwights on the Warriors roster, I don't think?

Well, it depends on what you mean by "a Dwight". If you're talking about a disgruntled guy who feels like his opinions aren't valued by the management, you may have a whole roster of Dwights right now.

Yeah I dont think SVG should be judged on how he dealt with a sub moronic 300lb child

^^ What I was getting at, minus the delightfully pungent color.

I *do* think he should be judged in those terms. Managing egos is unfortunately part of the job, and the coach often has less power than the sub moronic 300lb children they ostensibly supervise. If they're lucky management will provide them with a bunch of classy dudes who are also good at basketball, but that isn't always the case.

I mean, I love that Van Gundy was like fuck it I'm going to talk shit about my best player's childishness in front of the press, but I don't think that's an especially good way to lead in today's NBA.

Doc strikes me as a guy who gets potential problem children to behave better

poly otm

it wasn't as prolonged or magnified but doc did similar stuff with rondo and glen davis.

my highly unscientific review of twitter a moment ago, and for :35, suggests that stan van's name is being thrown around a lot more today than, say, yesterday, for the golden state job. this concludes my findings.

e.g.,

Ethan Strauss ‏@SherwoodStrauss 1h -- Thing nobody's cared about till this week: Stan Van Gundy grew up rooting for the Warriors

I really don't get the point of speculating abt this stuff unless you're a huge fan or h8r. Like, we'll know when we know.

it did command my attention for all of that :35 span.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/thompson/2014/05/08/warriors-mark-jackson-and-the-question-of-race/

parts of this are good

Something I haven't thought all the way through yet is that you'd think a former PG would have the tactical knowledge you'd expect in an NBA-level coach. Or is this (and other similar axioms in other sports, e.g. catchers in MLB) specious to begin with?

Well, most coaches who were players were point guards, so you're not wrong. But a point guard isn't necessarily equipped to teach the nuances of post play, for example.

i don't think there are any data that could possibly prove or disprove that, but it makes sense to me. being a point guard is like being a coach on the floor. another thing that i've always thought is that smaller players who make it far enough are usually smarter (and better) relative to their peers since they had so much more competition to beat out to get where they are. if you're 6'10'', you probably had a basketball put in your hands at a young age whether you liked it or not -- that's why whenever you see issues of motor/determination/interest (take bynum, for an obvious example), it's usually in reference to a big guy.

Stan Van really only went nuclear once he knew he had completely lost Dwight and knew management was going to give him the boot in a few weeks in a desperate attempt to please the corniest person to ever play in the league

He's also still an incredible basketball mind who has survived two horrible situations (Riley knifing him in the back to step in and snag one more ring with the heat being the other) which I'd imagine would make him tough enough to step into a potentially awkward situation in GS and immediately get things straightened out

Kerr seems super smart and will probably be great but I know if I owned a team I'd be going hard after svg because he's totally proven and probably hungry to get back in the league now and do well

http://www.mercurynews.com/warriors/ci_25719151/warriors-may-interview-steve-kerr-coaching-job?source=rss

Hope this doesn't diminish the chances of my team hiring a Mario Brother as coach.

@franblinebury
Anybody missing a scapegoat? Rockets bringing back head coach Kevin McHale, have fired assistant Dean Cooper, citing problems with defense.

Kevin McHale was the first white coach who came to my mind in the discussion of whether race affected the mark jackson firing.

why? i'm a big mchale fan, from his days with the 80s celtics dynasty (tho i have very conflicted feelings toward him and bird now, because of their current team-affiliations).

Cavaliers announce firing of Mike Brown as head coach.

:l
o
l:

between cavs and lakers that dude's gonna make like $40 mill off not coaching

why did they even hire Brown back in the first place?

they are dumb

https://mobile.twitter.com/Probballdraft/status/465941519313408002

they are dumb

― call all destroyer, Monday, May 12, 2014

dumb? this firing all but assures that lebron james will return to cleveland this off-season.

A pretty good case for Stan Van Gundy (and George Karl) here:

https://twitter.com/johnschuhmann/status/465967722925654016/photo/1

Per source Dan Gilbert had the paperwork filled out to give Mike Brown an extension but decided to fire him instead w 10 seconds left

Tim KawakamiVerified account
‏@timkawakami
NBA source: Stan Van Gundy told the Warriors he wanted total control of basketball decisions. They declined. He could get that in DET.

STAN!

oh no

staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan

i would consider giving him total control, of course the current warriors leadership would never do that

yeah that was the whole thing w Jax

well i wouldn't give mark jackson team control

of course not

basketball decisions that doesn't mean GM stuff, does it? It just means control of his staff? Or am I wrong?

Detroit making Van Gundy the GM would be pretty ballsy.

Maybe that was a deliberate poison pill request?

i think it means final say on personnel

I read something recently where Van Gundy said (paraphrasing) "People keeping connecting me with the GSW job because I'm from the Bay Area, I guess" which suggested to me that he was not interested.

well he was clearly interested enough to get into negotiations with them.

woj:

Stan Van Gundy and Detroit are negotiating on a five-year, $35M deal, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

good for stan, was hoping he'd go to a cool franchise though

people are saying he could turn drummond into dwight but idk if drummond really has that in him + that roster is just a mess

Dang, spurned by Kerr and SVG, at least I'm used to this feeling.

Hey, I hear that one Mark Jackson is available.

hubie brown is, too.

just sayin'.

Can't wait for the coach Scalabrine era

haha

5 for 35 mill is huge

does he want full control of bball decisions so he can decide to blast josh smith and brandon jennings to the moon I'm assuming

he doesn't want to be abruptly fired yet again, and needs better ammunition for the inevitable blow-up

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/thompson/2014/05/13/looks-like-warriors-will-miss-on-steve-kerr-stan-van-gundy-next-up-lionel-hollins/#more-223

To that end, I’m told Hollins is going to bring on a respected offensive mind as an assistant. No doubt, the Warriors would want to approve, but one name being linked to Hollins as an offensive-guru assistant is Paul Westphal.

Dang, I remember him when he was a HC. Dunno how he'd feel about becoming an assistant.

well this has been pretty disastrous for the warriors

Hollins and Westphal do not seem compatible to me.

smh

i've been wondering where hollins would end up but gs seems like the wrongest place

yeah that's a bad idea

id rather they go for one of the college coaches but man i really wanted van gundy

bringing this over from accidental misplaced post but
Stan Van just confirmed to Detroit on TNT

:(

why the fuck would anyone want to coach or live in detroit

35 million dollars

and complete control, and detroit is kinda cheap

and really no pressure where in GS he woulda had immediate high expectations

SVG would just live in one of Detroit's ritzy suburbs

tbh I kinda thought he wouldn't ever come back but will be b glad to have him in the L

god, 35 million dollars is so much money

warriors should trade harrison/lee/cash/picks for hornacek

this new age of coach trading is frightening to my aging mind

if the warriors can beat out the knicks for kerr that would be a coup imo

thought kerr already passed on gsw?

SportsCenter ‏@SportsCenter 3 min
Jazz plan to reach out to John Stockton about interest in head coaching vacancy. He played 19 years in Utah.

good for stan van, thrilled he's back. also a faint glimmer of hope for josh smith's career imo.

whoa stockton good move

i never heard that stockton wanted to coach, but it sure seems like he would be good at it.

stockton also has no coaching experience, right? smart guy, i'm sure, but crazy.

(crazy ideas, everyone bringing in inexperienced first year coaches. john stockton isn't crazy. as far as i know.)

That Stockton idea was probably based on Hornacek's success.

karl malone next y'all

That Stockton idea was probably based on Hornacek's success.

― epoxy fule (Aimless), Wednesday, May 14, 2014 11:37 AM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is actually probably right

bulls should trade thibs for the great fortune he's worth and hire John Paxson as head coach

oh wait they already hired John Paxson. good job everyone.

NOTE TO CHICAGO: BULLS LEGEND DENNIS RODMAN IS AVAILABLE FOR A HEAD-COACHING POSITION.

Warriors get Kerr

good for the warriors! i guess. is kerr any good?

WAHT. 0.0

really just have no clue

Knicks should go for mike brown

http://sportsgif.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Mike-Dantoni-GIF.gif

also available!

didn't see that coming

Kerr was a shooter and a 3 specialist, not a PG, so I suppose the theory is he'll bond well with Curry. He was court aware and a smart player. I'm not sure if he's much of a guy for drawing up plays or schematizing his team offense or defense.

why didn't people see this coming? warriors heavily wooed kerr, they're in a great position, and new york's in a terrible position (except for having the greatest basketball mind ever running the tightest ship in the nba).

well i didnt ever hear kerr linked to coaching jobs until jackson joined the knicks so it's odd that another team got him

Any online sources confirming this? Don't see anything in Google News.

espn has it

who else can coach the triangle? Oh God not Kurt Rambis

PHIL JACKSON

man if phil cant get his first choice coach what exactly can he do

he needs to start by cleaning up that roster. i'm guessing that, plus the terrible cap situation, is what turned kerr away (cuz all signs pointed to kerr joining jackson in new-york until better options began dotting the landscape).

Cronyism works!

I'll never complain about it again!

honestly, i think jackson's performance as knicks' basketball czar has been a failed experiment, and i hope james dolan comes down to run the team. new york needs him.

it would be pretty impressive if Phil had the gravitas to convince Dolan to let him tear down the roster and rebuild

Google is not a fan of the NBA:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/14185938292_003fe655ce_o.jpg

We never Kerr

Even if it were possible for Phil to coach the knicks, it's hard for me to imagine him taking the job before they have a better roster in place.

I guess I will just have to settle for another season of moderate success from the generic-ass Brooklyn Basketballs.

story coming out is he preferred to stay near home and gsw gave him a fifth year

Zach Lowe ‏@ZachLowe_NBA 1h -- Knicks are stunned by Kerr's decision. So am I, honestly. Expected the lure of Phil to be too strong.

there goes the "phil's mere presence will turn it all around" theory.

the lure of curry

the lure of not being a 6-hour plane ride from your family

the "lure of phil" is apparently weaker than the "repelling factor of the knicks organization and roster."

Kerr getting a reported 5 yrs & $25M to coach GSW. Mark Jackson, who also had no experience, got 3 yrs & $6M to coach the Warriors.
10:02pm - 14 May 14

that's pretty weird. i guess if you're a billionaire who cares

algerian goalkeeper otm

xp hmm.

from a Knicks blog:

"Good - now we'll get Mark Jackson instead of a guy who's never coached before"

cryptic andre

https://twitter.com/andre/status/466784448269524992

guess this means kerr won't be doing the rest of the playoffs for tnt, hope c-webb gets the bump up to the first string

Iguodala is really weird

def

well he was a snake when he was in Denver so

ha true

I must have missed his Denver snake phase

he was the guy who told Jackson that Karl "put a hit out" on Curry or whatever the fuck it was that Jackson said

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/12/1/5162790/andre-iguodala-mole-nuggets-warriors-george-karl-playoffs

Kerr getting a reported 5 yrs & $25M to coach GSW. Mark Jackson, who also had no experience, got 3 yrs & $6M to coach the Warriors.
10:02pm - 14 May 14

that's pretty weird. i guess if you're a billionaire who cares
--k3vin k.

well golden state also had to outbid the richest team in the NBA

i'm optimistic about the kerr thing.

there's some potential for it to blow up in golden state's face because of how much the players seemed to like jackson, but on the other hand kerr seems likable and that's a good foundation to build on

i just hope he doesn't try and force the triangle on them

I don't think he will without p jax standing ominously over his shoulder

Might use some principles but frankly the triangle is just a subset of various motion sets most teams use nowadays anyway esp those with 2/3 players that handle the ball a lot

Anyways seems like a smart move by Kerr lotsa money Cali and probably the best open roster at the moment

I imagine he looked at the Knicks and couldn't figure out how even Phil is going to unfuck that situation

Cons for Kerr:
High expectations -- this is going to be WCF or bust for next season, practically.
Possibly overbearing and/or difficult management.
He will be close to his kids.

‏@ESPNSteinLine
Brian Shaw told @DempseyPost he wants to stay put but exploring feasibility of getting him out of Denver is option NYK said to be exploring

I just realized it doesn't really matter who coaches the Knicks next year, because they'll suck regardless. Build a better roster, then bring in a better coach.

Just give me like 500K/year and I'll coach the Knicks for a season, then take full responsibility for their failure to make the playoffs.

What kind of offense would you run, dude?

Eh you know, wheel-and-spokes offense with a little modified trapezoid mixed in.

Nothin too crazy.

knicks wanna hire luke walton, why not i'm down

what if no one coaches the knicks

Like a co-op?

I think they'd at least win 37 games again.

i'm very, very down for the knicks doing something experimental and absurd

yeah sorta like a co-op, like they just chill and chandler gets pissed if you're not rotating on defense and ray felton is like "sorry guys I'm tired I gotta sit for the rest of the quarter" and they're like "cool I understand" I mean how many more games do they win or lose than with Mike Woodson on board

draw up plays consensus-style, a la occupy

Cons for Kerr: High expectations -- this is going to be WCF or bust for next season, practically.

― Call the Doctorb, the B is for Brownstein (Leee), Thursday, May 15, 2014

not sure about this. west is too loaded to expect that deep a run into the playoffs.

http://www.mercurynews.com/tim-kawakami/ci_25768495/kawakami-10-conclusions-from-warriors-hiring-steve-kerr

11. Three-point contests at team practices just got a whole lot more real.

Daniel, WCF may be a slight stretch, but I think that anything short of the second round is going to get people started mumbling.

probably right, since they got to the first round under jackson (but he was fired for other reasons, i guess).

got to the second round under jax last year

Also they gave the Spurs a pretty good scare in the second round.

yeah the manu shot still haunts me

oops! you are right.

i will probably live to regret my glee over this article when phil jackson builds a 70-win roster in a year or two, but omg, today i love this: kerr choosing golden state chips-away at the phil jackson aura.

Steve Kerr as head coach of the New York Knicks passed away last night, after a lingering courtship. It is survived by Knicks president Phil Jackson and whatever remains of his Zen aura.

i'm sure phil jackson's ego will survive the one time a guy who has never coached before said no to him to go work for a team with actual talent.

blazers extended stotts for an additional three years btw so that's good

keep seeing derek fisher named as phil's next target ;)

or kurt rambis. those names would really chip-away at the phil jackson aura (only cuz they're such a step down from nabbing the next "hot coaching prospect")

and ray felton is like "sorry guys I'm tired I gotta sit for the rest of the quarter" and they're like "cool I understand"

lol'd hard at this

me too

I'd be surprised if the Warriors underperform next season, don't think the coaching will make much of a difference. W's play-by-play guy pointed out today that the Clippers won exactly 1 more game in Doc's first season than in Vinnie's last.

of course, when the playoffs come, stuff changes

fuck it, i'll put it here - http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/this-man-has-worked-for-the-nba-for-the-leagues-entire-history/

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24564133/report-marv-albert-told-steve-kerr-it-never-ends-well-with-knicks

lollllllllllllllll

i'm way behind but i watched kevin durant's mvp speech while eating lunch at my desk, wow...crying like a fuckin' baby w/the door closed over here

tried to get through it, but i admit it's hard to watch someone who's crying for so long, tearing up myself

all right i did it. it's like every sports movie cliche rolled up into one speech BUT GODDAMNIT, I'M NOT MADE OF STONE, I'M A HUMAN BEING
ok, enough manly tears
http://i.minus.com/jpBQ3oO0u2uIa.jpg
http://i.minus.com/jbhQvfeWlNpbFq.jpg

http://i.minus.com/ipBQ3oO0u2uIa.gif
http://i.minus.com/ibhQvfeWlNpbFq.gif

ha no idea what he's even on about and not sure i care

he was riffing on san antonio women

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZPC0j-f2tU

John Hollinger ‏@johnhollinger May 14
G'morning, just woke up in Germany. Anything happen?

You plan on keeping Will Barton?

Olshey: I'm sure we are. Someone has to lead the Twitter brigade. How do you get rid of someone who sends a text to his coach complimenting him on a great year, congratulating him on his extension, and then signs it "The Thrill?" How can you possibly not want that to be a part of your organization?

Plus, Barton is still dirt cheap next year.

i loved the barton pick they should totally hang onto him

http://deadspin.com/report-nba-to-overhaul-replay-system-1578381786

well thank fucking god

HOLLINGER NOOOO

https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/468457289918058499

i mean i would feel bad for him but if he gets axed i hope he comes back to espn

MEMPHIS

RE-HIRED

CHRIS WALLACE

WHAT

https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/status/468475195179548672

even on a temporary basis

WHAT

wooooow

anything is possible

wtf robert pera

Brian WindhorstVerified account
‏@WindhorstESPN
Grizz have complex owner structure where 14 different people own at least 3%. Controlling owner Robert Pera has just 25%. Lots of voices.

this sounds like a good way to run a franchise

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 10m
Hearing that, if the Grizz totally clean house, the Memphis owner will look to trade for Tom Thibodeau + give him an SVG/Pistons-type deal.

.......................

this is insane

Brian WindhorstVerified account
‏@WindhorstESPN
Grizz have complex owner structure where 14 different people own at least 3%. Controlling owner Robert Pera has just 25%. Lots of voices.

this sounds like a good way to run a franchise

― le goon (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, May 20, 2014 3:49 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark

T/S: Grizzlies plurality vs. Knicks & James Dolan

who made the 'offs in the west v. missed em in the easst case closed

in retrospect Heisley wasn't so bad huh

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/10952520/new-york-knicks-want-coaching-search-begin-talking-derek-fisher

Knicks want coaching search begin talking derek fisher.

they deserve each other

god yes

omg what if scotty brooks has been relying on derek fisher to coach in spurts this whole time think abt it

can't wait for the two ny coaches to be jason kidd and derek fisher

the dream of the 00s is alive in ny

the knicks hiring fisher would be beyond my wildest dreams

*** The Nuggets get this pick thanks to the Carmelo Anthony trade.

if i ever write a novel about human futility i may end up using this quote as the epigram.

wait wait wait how does that espn article get posted with no mention of this gem?

ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard confirmed over the weekend that Jackson has discussed the vacancy with veteran NBA coach Mike Dunleavy.

i guess this is a reminder that the knicks traded lamarcus aldridge and joakim noah for eddy curry, and gordon hayward for stephon marbury http://sulia.com/channel/new-york-knicks/f/df10779d-e134-404d-b5b0-70c1b2d1b4ba/?action=prop&source=tw&form_factor=desktop

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24568645/report-warriors-could-make-play-for-melo-if-they-miss-on-love

please no no no

i have no idea how that would work salary-wise but melo is a baller

melo could work but its def high risk considering his age huge ass third max contract level salary and infamous ball stopping ways

like can u seem him being a second option, if not then dont get him cause hes def not as good a scorer as steph

The idea of Curry playing with a forward who can actually shift defensive focus instead of a bunch of spot shooters is pretty intriguing to me.

I think I might rather have Melo than Love tbh

ur nuts man

I know

love is five years younger five years better and five years cheaper

love and steph would be an insanely good fit as long as kerr was committed to running PNR every play and they figured out a way to get rid of david lee

love on the warriors would be so fn rad

yeah melo/afflalo >>>>> lee/thompson on paper but i don't see it working irl

melo could work but its def high risk considering his age huge ass third max contract level salary and infamous ball stopping ways

― lag∞n, Wednesday, May 21, 2014 1:51 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

i sorta feel like if you're GSW you almost have to roll the dice on an opportunity like that? melo did just have his best year ever pretty much so he won't slip for another 2 or 3 years at least

yeah you would have to find new never before seen ways to defend the steph/love pnr like theres never been a big/small combo who can shoot that good and they can also both score in many other ways

i don't know what golden state can offer teams though to get those deals done. klay is good but not a franchise changer. barnes might suck for all we know. and they have no good picks.

yeah it all seems very unlikely

love is five years younger five years better and five years cheaper

All of these things are true and I don't dispute them. I just like Melo.

cmon no one likes melo

We both hate snitches.

I'd rather have Lebron or maybe 2005 Paul Pierce though.

the only way to get anything like this would be for the other team to believe Lee is worth his contract.

i'm hearing no one wants love and the timberwolves get to keep him ;_;

aw

but yeah agreed that theres no way the dubs can put together the best package for love its all a pipe dream

i mean
kahn did a lot of things to us
but his judgment that ricky rubio would be more worthy of a max contract than love
is like
one of the worst decisions a GM every made
period

like
max players are a big deal
rubio
who i like
but there are a significant number of teams in the league on which he would be a bench player

altogether his campaign to alienate kevin love the 2nd best player the franchise has ever seen was just a masterwork

Looking at rosters on Hoopshype is so addictive.

The only player with a guaranteed contract on the 2015/16 Houston Rockets other than Harden/Howard is ... Isaiah Canaan.

The only player with a guaranteed contract on the 2014/15 Los Angeles Lakers other than Kobe/Nash is... Robert Sacre.

Kobe/Nash/Sacre is a very solid foundation imo lol

yeah u can really build around that

They are just setting up for Kobe/Nash/Sacre/Lebron, FYI.

Kobe Bryant made THIRTY MIL last year.

His 23.5 this year is a relative bargain.

lakers lmao no one wants to play there til kobe leaves

Sacre might be the best of those three players next year, what with his ability to stand upright and all.

otm

bean needs to do the honorable thing and retire

Kobe needs to do us all a favor and continue to pull the Lakers down with him.

honestly i was thinking last night how much i miss kobe

im v much looking forward to the completely washed up and pitiful but refuses to admit it to himself stage of his career

like doing the chin jut thing after hitting a big shots during a month where hes averaging 31% fg

wasn't that his whole career?

seems like if houston is willing to move harden they have to be the front runners

Houston Rockets

Trade bait: James Harden, Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, Terrence Jones, Troy Daniels

Pitch: Houston will sell the Wolves on Harden being the only All-NBA player dangled in an offer, along with an elite defensive big in Asik and any other selection from the end of the roster. Like Golden State, the Rockets' strength is they can give up proven talent to help Minnesota win in the present. Unlike Golden State, Houston can throw in a combination of first-rounders moving forward. In this scenario, Love plays alongside a dominant defensive big in Howard and plays for the man who drafted and coached him in Kevin McHale.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10963899/examining-every-team-chances-trading-kevin-love-nba

Love-Howard would be a terrifying combo for sure, wow

yeah thats the front court platonic ideal

altogether his campaign to alienate kevin love the 2nd best player the franchise has ever seen was just a masterwork

― lag∞n, Wednesday, May 21, 2014 6:31 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I could write 10000 words about it.

He started dissing Kevin Love ONE WEEK AFTER BEING HIRED.

hed been hating him from afar

the most mindblowing thing was probably when it was reported multiple places that the front office felt Darko was the best player on the team

"only NBA starter" in fact

darko has power over general managers

http://i.imgur.com/7fuqOKu.png

my only regret is asiks first name isnt james

xp And Blogger-era writers.

tho not sure what minny wld even want w asik as they have dieng and pek already might have to adjust that

I think the Bulls offers could be really good if Mirotic is everything we're told he is. I wonder if he has a relationship with Rubio?

terrified of howard/love

guess that goes with kahn comparing cwebb to darko in that amazing summer league commentary

the most mindblowing thing was probably when it was reported multiple places that the front office felt Darko was the best player on the team

― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, May 22, 2014 6:58 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"only NBA starter" in fact

― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, May 22, 2014 6:58 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

Lol Matt you still salty about this

seems like if houston is willing to move harden they have to be the front runners

Houston Rockets

Trade bait: James Harden, Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, Terrence Jones, Troy Daniels

Pitch: Houston will sell the Wolves on Harden being the only All-NBA player dangled in an offer, along with an elite defensive big in Asik and any other selection from the end of the roster. Like Golden State, the Rockets' strength is they can give up proven talent to help Minnesota win in the present. Unlike Golden State, Houston can throw in a combination of first-rounders moving forward. In this scenario, Love plays alongside a dominant defensive big in Howard and plays for the man who drafted and coached him in Kevin McHale.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10963899/examining-every-team-chances-trading-kevin-love-nba
--lag∞n

this deal is nuts

love and harden are roughly equal players who give you about the exact same thing (elite offense and no defense) AND the rockets would have to throw in two starters plus a dead eye three shooter on a dirt cheap contract?

there's no way the gulf between love and harden is that large if it even exists at all

thats not a deal its just a list of assets

love is better than harden tho

you could make the argument that he is but what he gives you that harden doesn't (rebounding, floor spacing from a big man) is worth only marginal further assets

yeah i think hes better but not like in another league, imo the trade i suggested upthread w martin and asik thrown in wld be p fair except that minny has no use for asik

howard and love are obviously just about the ideal backcourt but i don't think i'd give up harden for love if i was the rockets only because you'd have to completely rebuild your backcourt

er ideal frontcourt

cool thing from a roster perspective about that trade is lin wld go from miscast in his current role to completely in his element, cld have the ball in his hands a ton run the pnr with both love and howard all day

yeah that's true

i mean... lin-daniels-parsons-love-howard would still get you in the playoffs without a doubt but i'm not sure it really raises their ceiling any

obvs its a pretty fn weak backcourt but if you have parsons/love/howard maybe u can make it work

or maybe the rockets can make a deal w their drafts picks to bring in another dude

How much say does McHale have on roster moves in Houston? He has always loved Love, and did that draft day trade to get him when everyone in MN wanted to lynch him for treating Mayo. His assessment of Love vs. Harden could be a lot different than yours, J0rd

imo love is better and fills a more important role and im just starting to get worried re hardens lack of discipline, he def has plenty of time to mature and pull it together but damn he really does not look like he fully gives a shit out there, loves seems like hes got more of the fire in the belly so i feel a lot better about his continued development

like its not even just the league worst D, in the portland series he just didnt look at all like he was ready for the increased intensity or physicality of the playoff, he was out there doin his usual routine getting really befuddled when it didnt work

yeah aside from the whole "let's try and look even 1% engaged on defense" thing, it def seems like he'll also have to adjust his game to getting less calls in the playoffs, especially on the road

yeah i don't think there's a person in the world who wouldn't trade harden for love straight up in a heartbeat, and like lagoon said the backcourt while lacking in stars would be pretty ideal for their system. plus with the draft picks they have they can probably swing a quality guard their way if need be

well if i was the rockets i wouldn't make that trade

Harden seemed like an important piece of the current Rockets when they acquired him, he's pretty far from being bad enough to get traded IMO. but weirder things have happened

there's zero percent chance harden gets traded

He already has a winter beard

le goon (J0rdan S.)
Posted: May 22, 2014 at 3:26:29 PM
there's zero percent chance harden gets traded

lol wut u have the most trade happy exec in the league and a superior player available there is def a none zero chance

Nhex
Posted: May 22, 2014 at 3:25:40 PM
Harden seemed like an important piece of the current Rockets when they acquired him, he's pretty far from being bad enough to get traded IMO. but weirder things have happened

hes bad enough to be traded for a better player

When was the last time two top 10 guys got traded for each other

lol wut u have the most trade happy exec in the league and a superior player available there is def a none zero chance

― lag∞n, Thursday, May 22, 2014 11:47 AM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark

i think this goes in the "NBA franchises aren't fantasy teams" category

the promise of the statistical revolution is that they are now tho, like i agree this trade wouldve been impossible ten years ago but now ehh not so sure, i am sure that morley will try to lowball minny but what happens when they call him back ready to take the bulls superior offer unless he puts harden in, its def possible and shd prob happen tbh, both players deserve it lol

Harden in Minneapolis? This would be like a blow to the heads of Wolves' fans with a blunt object.

why? that would be an incredible trade for minnesota

harden is exactly what they need

yeah its like 1000x more than they will get otherwise, of course it wont end well but thats just cause nothing ends well with bad organizations

I bet at least half of the gms in the league are just personally sick of morey pestering them trying to get their best player a couple #1 picks and whatever else for Asik

polyphonic
Posted: May 22, 2014 at 3:56:58 PM
When was the last time two top 10 guys got traded for each other

been thinking abt this and i have no idea feel like matt knows tho

has it ever happened

...penny for c webb? ...mcgrady for francis?

it was mitch richmond not penny fwiw but yeah that one maybe

Francis and McGrady were both all-stars the previous year and both in their prime. That's probably the best example of the three you're talking about. But Francis fell off so fast after that it's easy to forget how good he was as a Rocket. He had one good year with the Magic and then the next year he got traded to the Knicks. And even in his final Rocket season before the trade he wasn't among the league leaders in scoring or assists.

Webber for Penny was interesting because they were both draft picks. You knew you were getting good players but they weren't established stars like Love and Harden. Neither guy finished in the top 30 in points scored that year. In retrospect it was a huge trade. I'd compare it maybe to the Jamison/Carter trade?

Webber/Richmond is closer since they were both top twenty scorers, but I think it would be hard to say either of them were top ten guys that year. I feel like Webber didn't really get to that point until he was on the Kings. Richmond was a top 11 scorer but at age 32 he was on the way down.

The list of players who were traded after being all stars is a very short list, and usually they're traded for a bunch of guys rather than one dude.

it just doesn't really make sense to flip all stars

either you have an all star and it isn't working out so you try and rebuild w/ a bunch of players or you have an all star you like and you build off that

that makes no sense

what if there's another all star who's a better fit?

sure that makes sense in theory but basketball teams and franchises are not video games which is why nobody can seem to remember an example of it ever happening?

Players will think you have no loyalty as an organization. If you're trying to foster a strong team it's hard to do that if no one feels like they're safe.

sure that makes sense in theory but basketball teams and franchises are not video games which is why nobody can seem to remember an example of it ever happening?

― le goon (J0rdan S.), Thursday, May 22, 2014 3:36 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

history isn't the most reliable guide though -- with the new CBAs, contracts are shorter and players change franchises more often. it's not often you have a team with a disgruntled top-5 player who's going to be moved one way or another. houston has the leverage here -- if they want to make harden available, minnesota would be crazy not to take the deal

of course minnesota would be crazy not to make that deal, but morey would never do that

if houston traded harden for love they'd have to completely reboot their roster and system, figure out an entire new on-court chemistry, and for what? it's not a realistic scenario. you can't do that to franchises/teams, it's unsettling and possibly counterproductive in reality.

my friend who is a beat reporter for memphis said that he like joerger and that he wishes they would keep him and that the grizz organization is basically a dumpster fire right now

joerger seems like a fine coach but i think t wolves would be crazy to trade anything for him, he can't be that good

Joerger for Kevin Love straight up

all rookie teams
1st team
michael carter-williams, oladipo, trey burke, plumlee, hardaway jr

2nd team
kelly olynuk, giannis, dieng, zeller, adams

yeesh

sure that makes sense in theory but basketball teams and franchises are not video games which is why nobody can seem to remember an example of it ever happening?

― le goon (J0rdan S.), Thursday, May 22, 2014 3:36 PM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

imo the reason you havent seen it happen more is teams overvalue their own players, moneybasketball is supposed to fix that but idk

yr point that teams are built around stars and trading them require reshuffling the whole team is good tho, but sometimes i think itd still make sense, like in the case of love for harden

the all-rookie votes were the first that were just outrageously bad I think

Giannis should not be on there.

also re penny for webber if were talking abt guys who became stars being traded the gasol bros trade cld work almost, maybe not top ten but you know

idk if harden is really top ten, top ten is always really hard to define theres a lot of guys hanging around there, top five is easier, except theres usually like seven guys in the top five

the all-rookie votes were the first that were just outrageously bad I think

― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, May 22, 2014 10:38 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

voting for 10 rookie is kinda ridiculous like thats a good % of all the rookies

haha otm. "hey guys great job still being in the nba for a whole year"

also like this is the worst youll be at basketball for years lets make some teams about it

that 2nd team will be better pros than the 1st imho

i could see that

if houston traded harden for love they'd have to completely reboot their roster and system, figure out an entire new on-court chemistry, and for what? it's not a realistic scenario. you can't do that to franchises/teams, it's unsettling and possibly counterproductive in reality.

― le goon (J0rdan S.), Thursday, May 22, 2014 7:48 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm not a big fan of their on-court chemistry as it is. Idk, you gotta go with what you think the best lineup is, it's not like James Harden is the heart and soul of the team.

the rookie teams actually aren't that bad, but really weird people got votes, like robert covington. And Anthony Bennett and Alex Len got votes. It's like people are doing a redraft instead of who actually played well.

as crazy as it sounds, the best rookie last year was probably Dieng, he just didn't get enough minutes to conclusively prove it.

i thought the series with portland kind of exposed that houston doesn't really have a system on offense so much

who the hell is robert covington

yeah dieng killed it and agreed that houston changing up their scheme prob wouldnt be the worst thing in the world

idk if harden is really top ten, top ten is always really hard to define theres a lot of guys hanging around there, top five is easier, except theres usually like seven guys in the top five

― lag∞n, Thursday, May 22, 2014 10:40 PM (Yesterday)

hahahaha this is so true

i thought the series with portland kind of exposed that houston doesn't really have a system on offense so much
--Clay

i guess for most teams i sort of see the idea of a "system" as a multi-year process, which is even less incentive to blow up your team. i think of, like, how different the heat looked from year 1 to year 2, and how they tailored their personnel.

i mean not every team will be like that of course but there is something to he said for building a team year over year.

also like if harden-love was a 1-to-1 flip it would be defensible but it's not like you could definitely say the rockets would have made it out of the first round this year it they had love instead.

there would still be a decent chance of them going out in 6

Part of why I think Harden is top 10 is because of fantasy basketball tbh. He's a monster in fantasy.

only trades comparable to a love-harden trade i can think of are the wilkins-manning trade (wilkins was probably just past being top ten players in the league and manning never was though alot of ppl at the time, including lenny wilkens obv, thought he was about to make the leap into olajuwon-robinson-ewing level) and maybe the dantley-aguirre trade, dantley being a couple of seasons past being one of the top ten players in the league and aguirre never really making it but dantley being the top scorer on a team that made the finals the year before and was the favorite that season and aguirre being the big star on a mavs team that made the western conference finals the year before. neither top ten but both leading scorers and big names on teams right at but not quite championship level, plus the trade happened in the middle of the season. worked out for the pistons, didn't work out for the mavs at all - they'd miss the playoffs that season, make it the next, and then not see the postseason again until the next century w/ dirk and nash.

also as far as durant having the best freshman season college basketball has ever seen: chris jackson

also like if harden-love was a 1-to-1 flip it would be defensible but it's not like you could definitely say the rockets would have made it out of the first round this year it they had love instead.
― le goon (J0rdan S.), Friday, May 23, 2014 5:05 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Other than Asik there's not really much that I'd lose sleep over.

Since that Blazers series was essentially a draw they wouldn't have to be much better and imho they would be.

it was basically a draw and if they replayed the series with the same players it's highly possible the rockets would win. and they'd lose to the spurs regardless of harden or love.

this column is so insane http://grantland.com/features/the-nba-simmons-self-mailbag/

Could you compete in the East with a starting five of Love, Rajon Rondo, Asik, Jeff Green and Free Agent 2-Guard TBA

lol

Your 2014-15 Cavs (potentially): LeBron, Love, Kyrie, Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Jarrett Jack, Dion Waiters and their choice of three ring-chasing veterans who would commit murder to play on that team. A little more palatable than that 2014-15 Heat roster … right?

this is beyond a fantasy of a fantasy

his way of getting love on the rockets involves them keeping harden and a three team trade involving the lakers who totally would be in on a deal that sends love to the rockets

They can accommodate ANY Kevin Love trade. Oh, and they have Brad Stevens and one of the league’s most respected organizations, as well as the team that keeps celebrating its players and welcoming them home even after they retire. That too.

lol @ convincing yourself that the celtics "celebrating its players" and "welcoming them home after they retire" is something that kevin love actually gives a fuck about

i mean i could totally see love in boston - he's white, and 'acquire a lot of pieces to use in a potential deal for minnesota's best player' is ainge's mo - and it's a competent franchise w/ a high media profile, it's more attractive than the lakers and knicks in that regard. as much as i actually do like that simmons is a fan/homer (esp in comparison to yr rick reillys and cowherds that proudly don't actually like sports that much, have no favorite teams or players, just wanted to be a writer/on the radio) between this and that karma column it's getting to be really stupid, like he's believing he has some sort of magic basketball powers and he's trying to will another championship in boston by just declaring 'make it so' over and over.

sorta feel like he's transcended the homerism appeal at this point and when he's doing actual reporting (like the thibs/memphis + bulls/hoiberg thing in that piece) it's embarrassing for him to slip in these bits about boston's imperial greatness. play one side or the other, imo

this is also one of the most insane things i've ever heard

What if Orlando traded no. 12 for Rubio, then drafted Exum and went with the Exum-Oladipo-Rubio backcourt?

even typing these words out should preclude simmons from making fun of david khan for at least a year

Their emotional investment in Rubio is waaaay too high for Minnesota's front office to casually trade him away.

The pre-draft trade machine Simmons is the most insane person on the planet

I don't think any fake trade he has every come up with has even remotely come close to happening

He used to come up with much better fake trades when he cared enough to write his annual trade value column (always his best thing of the year) I think because he would think about real values and team situations for months and also ask for input from other people

Versus firing off a column full of rando trade thoughts mostly generated by the self-perpetuating "doesn't Lebron want to go back to Cleveland" craziness that is hanging around the sportswriter ether

i know! it's not even a case of 'well change a couple of names...' or 'well he guessed what type of trade would happen he just got the other team wrong'. it's maybe (maaaaaybe) not insanely pointless when he tosses these hairbrained daydreams out in a podcast and ask lowe or stein or whoever 'tell me why that wouldn't work' cuz then maybe they can go into something about the dynamics or makeup of the team that you might not arrive at otherwise (maybe?). but in print good lord.

might need u guys to create a baller relationship thread which i can lurk on cuz im amazed that klove is dating cody horn and that is info i need to know. almost as crazy as when i learned kyle korver is married to so, that juliet album i got in the mail sounds like an album that american labels SHOULD have put out when electronica was supposed to be the future of whatever. don't you think? it even sounds like

it's maybe (maaaaaybe) not insanely pointless when he tosses these hairbrained daydreams out in a podcast and ask lowe or stein or whoever 'tell me why that wouldn't work' cuz then maybe they can go into something about the dynamics or makeup of the team that you might not arrive at otherwise (maybe?). but in print good lord.

― balls, Friday, May 23, 2014 1:04 PM (32 seconds ago) Bookmark

^^

it's also just... he can still be a very good writer about the nba when he wants to be. that he spends so much of his time writing about things that will never ever ever ever ever happen is pretty frustrating.

yeah he didn't do a trade value column this year did he? the one he did last year came in really late also. there's that thing tony kornheiser told him about having an expiration date as a writer or whatever that he brings up alot and at this point i'd guess he's done being a sportswriter except out of obligation to his brand and his site (i mean i read grantland primarily cuz of other stuff but i'm not sure how many other ppl do or would if he was gone). he mentioned that he could see himself leaving espn if they lost basketball and if he did somehow jump to nbc or fox as a result i could see him just giving up writing entirely, or maybe penning something when the urge struck him. writing seems pretty far down the list of priorities for him.

i was thinking the other day if simmons ever feels this, like, crushing weight because he knows no espn nba studio show will ever be 1/100th as good as "inside the nba". and then i remembered that thing he said about leaving nba if they lost basketball, and whether or not he'd try and jump to turner or something. which led me to imagining simmons writing for bleacher report, which is funny.

leaving espn*

GiannisAntetokounmpo ‏@G_ante34 4m

I just saw the tweet that I wrote about the smoothies and 4.000 people retweeted that.#Wow

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10983956/dave-joerger-remain-memphis-grizzlies-coach-owner-michael-pera-tweets

michael pera seems like a horrible owner

i'm on my phone right now but that chris mannix story that says he wanted to play tony allen one on one and wanted joeger to wear a headset on the bench is, like, worse than dolan

lol whaaat

yeah I'm gonna need more on that

Haha, wow, the Mannix story is nuts.

a headset so what he cld talk to him

if i ever get a billion dollars u guy stop me from buying the celtics cause i wld be like that

also i wld make trades every day

I hope that if Pera and Allen played one-on-one that Allen would have completely locked him down and not even let him get to the three point line.

At least with the Celtics you could just be weird with Rondo and have like Connect Four tourneys or something. Nothing too crazy.

ha whoa i read that post as meaning he wanted to use tony allen more in games in one on one situations even tho it was perfectly clearly phrased i just cldnt comprehend the depravity xp

i wld prob trade rondo by the end of my first day tbh not cause i dont love him I've just thought abt it way too much for it not to happen

like i wldnt even have a front office itd just be me txting teams trade machine screenshots 24/7

haha

Wtf a headset that's bizarre

Yo owners if you wanted to be a coach there is a career available to you...it's called coaching basketball

pera sounds like a legit crazy person, god bless

his twitter avatar is a close up shot of his upper body as he shoots a jumper wearing a shooting sleeve on his off arm

sounds like a very chill individual

this sleeve is just comfortable i can wear it however i want

lol smh i just read the article what a world

lol the wolves wanna hire vinny del negro

maybe they want to hire del negro so that kevin love will just quit basketball instead of asking to be traded

Adrian WojnarowskiVerified account
‏@WojYahooNBA
Del Negro's candidacy isn't so much about selling K-Love, as it's developing Ricky Rubio, sources say. He had Rose and Paul in CHI and LA.

the t-wolves actively hate their fans, it's the only explanation

haha vinny is so bad

absolutely dying at the idea of vinny getting credit for the success of either of paul and rose

Jesus fuck

ladies and gentleman, your seattle t-wolves sonics

i can't take it anymore

kinda weird that wolves aren't a more common mascot

the wolfpack at nc state....is there a WNBA team the Lobos or am I just thinking of Rebecca Lobo?

lobos are univ of new mexico

call all destroyer
Posted: May 29, 2014 at 6:16:17 PM
absolutely dying at the idea of vinny getting credit for the success of either of paul and rose

especially paul! how many all star appearances did he have pre clips ffs

clippers to ballmer, clippers to seattle then

two billion btw lol

sixers sold for $300m 3 years ago

Soon to be renamed the Los Angeles Clippys

lmao nice

lolllll

hahaha just got that

http://www.sonydefenseforce.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2404063_o.gif

A+

^ 3-point bench celebration.

I thought Simmons was cracked out when he immediately said the clips would go for 2B-plus since he regularly inflates numbers like crazy (like when he "projected" that durant could average like 50ppg on 50-45-99 shooting or whatever) but it seems like he was totally right

I mean, it's not crazy that a good clippers team suddenly free of the sterling funk and catching the lakers on a likely multi-year down cycle might be four times as valuable as the freaking Milwaukee bucks

call all destroyer
Posted: May 29, 2014 at 6:16:17 PM
absolutely dying at the idea of vinny getting credit for the success of either of paul and rose

especially paul! how many all star appearances did he have pre clips ffs

― lag∞n, Thursday, May 29, 2014 4:12 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah this is incredible VDN is a totally mediocre coach who randomly rode two top ten point guards to 50 win seasons and first round exits and he had basically nothing to do with any of it

chris paul was also m/l coaching the clippers for the couple of years he was under vdn

Correct-- I watched a lot of the clips from the dunleavy to VDN era and Paul 100% called all the plays in anything resembling crunch time

clippers will get a D-league affiliate

z-time champion (agent hibachi)
Posted: May 30, 2014 at 12:26:39 AM

I mean, it's not crazy that a good clippers team suddenly free of the sterling funk and catching the lakers on a likely multi-year down cycle might be four times as valuable as the freaking Milwaukee bucks

yeah but the bucks are also not "worth" 400m

its p funny considering hell move them to seattle where theyll be worth even less but hey local hero more power 2u maybe he will even pay for the stadium

the lakers so own LA the clips shd prob be elsewhere

guy has $20 billion in personal wealth he probably could give a fuck about actual valuations

clearly

it really doesn't matter because by the time he sells the team it'll be worth like 8 billion

http://i.imgur.com/U3hYaC7.png

ballmer has said he won't move the team to seattle but i guess the shitheels that run the thunder did the same thing

maybe he will even pay for the stadium

That's a nice thing to dream about, sigh.

ballmer has said he won't move the team to seattle but i guess the shitheels that run the thunder did the same thing

― Clay, Thursday, May 29, 2014 9:32 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i think i heard their lease @ staples runs 9 more years, if the team sucks when that lease is up look out

nba will never let an LA team leave LA

Opposite of the NFL?

nba owners can move their teams where ever they want is m/l the unspoken rule

it seems weird to pay three times what the last smallish market team sold for just b/c the team you bought is in LA and then turn around and move them to a smallish market though? also i am pretty sure zero people who work for the organization would be cool with that.

but then steve ballmer brought the microsoft surface to market so what do i know

its weird for sure, steve ballmer is really weird tho, also he just got fired and is prob just freaking out abt what to do

The Clippers could be the dominant team in LA for quite a while.

the clippers stealing LAs heart from the lakers wld be a thing of beauty but itd prob take like 20 years of reversed fortunes

ballmer and paul alien shd both move their teams to seattle lol sry clay

the lakers so own LA the clips shd prob be elsewhere

― lag∞n, Friday, May 30, 2014 1:18 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

there should be 3 LA teams, 3 NY teams and 2 Chicago teams

that's cool i am of the opinion the league should move the celtics to london and let the queen be the owner and change the name to the london redcoats and also rondo becomes a uk citizen xp

thats really insensitive to the celtics heritage smh

yeah move the team to glasgow, call em celtic bc

what can i say i am a true patriot

The laker stench runs so deep here guys you don't even know

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/517013/nbalakersfan.gif

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/article/media_slots/photos/001/031/990/original_original.gif

lakers fans. roasted-out coke heads and their sons/aspirants.

https://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/584308572.gif?1337660468

meanwhile in reality

the third act

Omg who is that Lakers gold chain guy?

i've gained a lot of respect for that first "lakersssss" dude since the original gif a year or two ago. the guy's at a lot of games, he's prob a legit fan

http://media.giphy.com/media/2XskdWQJubfAwrbq4qA/giphy.gif

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine 3m
RT @IanBegley: Phil says he's talked to Carmelo about opting in next year. Phil said Carmelo told him he'd think about it. #Knicks

hahahaha

getting somewhere!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5jNnDMfxA&feature=kp

Report: Carmelo Delayed Friday Night Meeting With Jackson, Said He Was "Washing His Hair"

The laker stench runs so deep here guys you don't even know

― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Friday, May 30, 2014 1:24 AM (19 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's really incredible the car flags alone

I only ever met one (1) lakers fan who was actually somewhat well informed about hoops and could talk rationally about basketball in general without devolving into sheer foaming at the mouth Kobe fandom

The clips have always had some combo hipster-contrarian and working class combo fan base tho and in la that's enough to sell out the building most nights if they're decent and score a good size tv deal

billy crystal: hipster-contrarian or working class?

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2014/06/kevin_love_and_rajon_rondo_meet_up_at_fenway_park.html

so not gonna happen

http://www.newsweek.com/2014/06/06/birdmans-vengeful-ghost-252517.html?utm_content=buffer9cdaa&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

whoa, the details of bird man's legal case from a couple years ago are astonishing

Crazy. Sad that it changed him so much too.

le goon (J0rdan S.)
Posted: June 2, 2014 at 1:56:02 AM
so not gonna happen
:(

It's really incredible the car flags alone

I only ever met one (1) lakers fan who was actually somewhat well informed about hoops and could talk rationally about basketball in general without devolving into sheer foaming at the mouth Kobe fandom

The clips have always had some combo hipster-contrarian and working class combo fan base tho and in la that's enough to sell out the building most nights if they're decent and score a good size tv deal

― z-time champion (agent hibachi), Saturday, May 31, 2014 12:39 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

laker fans are so terrible. any criticism of the team is met with 'kiss the ringzzzzz' and their undying love for a sociopath creep like kobe bothers me so much.

jingle otm, and I say that knowing you're a Dodgers guy.

the sad thing is that jordan is probably not a better personality to throw undying love at. even worse, lebron seems to be the best combo of talent and personality, but he plays for 'the heat'.

I was raised a Dodger fan so Im biased as hell wrt to them =)

.. didnt really watch much NBA growing up but I know a fucking Yankees fanbase in disguise when I see one.

xp and yeah the jordan hagiography is weird. it makes all the sports talk cogniscenti demand that an ubermensch run the nba with an iron hand and every player to fit this exact same mold in order to succeed. its weird.

man the knicks are the greatest

‏@ESPNSteinLine
ESPN has learned that Knicks president Phil Jackson has been fined $25,000 for tampering with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Derek Fisher

: )

The last several posts have each brought a smile to my face, gj ILH.

off to a brilliant start

dude is gonna be the white isiah thomas, i can feel it

lol tampering!

derek fisher is a computer database

he is your 10th grade report card

dude is gonna be the white isiah thomas, i can feel it

― le goon (J0rdan S.), Monday, June 2, 2014 7:46 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Isiah had draft picks

all defensive teams:
1st: Noah, pg, ibaka, iggy, cp3
2nd: Hibbertcoin, bron, kawhi, jimmy butler, pat bev

Harden received two all-defensive team votes btw

gotta be kidding me

NBA version of voting for Donald Duck

What the hell man

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2014-06-02/taj-gibson-cousin-murdered-butcher-knife-stabbed-brooklyn-double-stabbing

wtf

man, thats the worst thing you can think of

https://soundcloud.com/hipholic-1/javale-mcgee-sway-freestyle

that story is fucking horrible and is developing:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/nyregion/boy-dies-brooklyn-stabbing-boulevard-housing-project.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8qvf6c1LSk

swag

http://www.nba.com/media/060414-2013-14-All-NBA-Voting.pdf

great job alphabetizing by first name

I'm blaming Nene.

PDF? give me a fuckin' break, NBA!

harden making the first team over curry is borderline ludicrous imo

srsly he was borderline awful for the first two months of the season

yeah but he was much better than curry for the rest of the season

idk much id take curry

lol phrasing

hahaha qed

harden_plays_defense_lol.gif

yeah i feel like they put up similar numbers but theres no way curry is as bad on D as harden since harden is the worst defender who every played, and while theyre both very good from a bending defense to their will perspective curry is imo better

Nash did one of those reddit ask me anything things
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/27bf5u/its_steve_nash_former_phoenix_sun_current_la/

probably boring

scanning through it yeah it's really boring. almost entirely canned one-line athlete answers.

probably more about the world cup than anything yeah?

also unsurprisingly the questions themselves are just as canned, really.

Xp he said he's an England fan but would be cool to see Brazil win at home.

i think he's gonna be a lot more interesting when he's really retired
unless he wants to be management
which he will
so never mind

O
M
G

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/1105/dirk.nowitzki.rare.photos/images/dirk-nash-mavs.jpg

frosted tips bruv

diff times

I couldn't in good conscience embed the image, I finally have something to wash away the image from the last Game of Thrones.

Hah are you seeing that pic for the first time Leee?

It's a k-classik

I only pay attention to hoops when the Warriors are good, so I may have missed a few seasons here and there.

understandable, that's like a 20 year hiatus you had there

one of the best running things about ILH is leee and forks posting months- or years-old pictures or articles

Surely I'm winning?

oh no, late posting on the internets

http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/53890a996bb3f76361fedae5-800-/01-357.png

pretty sure if i owned an nba franchise i'd put that shit up for sale asap

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpZZeTQCEAAslxl.jpg

dwights screenname, dwights behavior

haha what's that from?

idk its not real but he was apparently dating a 16 y/o

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11037928/oklahoma-city-thunder-general-manager-sam-presti-backs-coach-scott-brooks

saw that earlier and was just too depressed to comment

smh off

What can even be said at this point.

i wonder how much money they'll give reggie jackson, i seriously have no idea what that dude is worth at all

id offer him $10m a year right now easy, thats how the celtics got rondo cheap, locked him up early

idk why more nba teams dont do that seems like players wld be willing to trade dollars for security, they do it all the time in baseball

guess they've got perk coming off the books soon enough so they can prob afford that sure

Yeah but they'll just give Perk a max contract once his current one ends

so no one wanted to coach the wolves, hi flip

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11044243/quin-snyder-soon-named-utah-jazz-coach

http://i.imgur.com/4DVUBj9.png

Tortured concert pianist to coach Jazz next season

david bowie?

Kinda also reminds me of a more intense Fichtner in Heat