If you are true leaders, last night doesn't happen.
http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2206415

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Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.

.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

as i'm aware.

-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.

like Ricky Manning Jr.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.

>like Ricky Manning Jr.

couldn't have played out more perfectly

-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.

Almost a year ago he reached out to me because he ***thought*** I'd bet him about his "Dubs are never going anywhere important" statement; I hadn't, but he still want to make he made good.

Bomb's probably just doing other shit these days.

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

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

he hit me off in a timely fashion. Only reason I know his govt. name...from Paypal, lol.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

I'd let Bomb come back and tell it if he wants to, but he had a lot of personal shit go down and just hasn't come back. I assume he will, eventually. But I know that dude doesn't dodge Ls or welch on bets.

I'd break my addiction to this place if I could too - but I'd hate to go through what he has recently.

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17x NBA Champions

I think he'd still be MIA without the negatives.

i'd assumed it was something else

why is it hidden?

________________________________
There are dozens of us! Dozens!

Happy to do so. Fuck Dwight.

And I still don't understand why that post is hidden. Why, Cy?

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17x NBA Champions

Is that a topic worth its own post?

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

Even their fans, like myself, knew their limitations. I, like pretty much everyone this year, thought they'd be a lot better with Ty Lawson, but it turns out he drunk himself bad and now his bummy little ass is tanking Paul George's all-timer series.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

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'cause that bet about to be lost.

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17x NBA Champions

out in these OKS streets!

Bomb = $200
Frank = $100 with an injury provision LOL
Concrete = $100

*Can I get a 15% accountants fee? lmao

____________

that as a W.

-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.

Heartless, brainless, and gutless.

I was surprised when I saw them on the court for a good chunk of the fourth quarter last night. Bickerstaff told the press it was because Howard wanted to be out there as long as possible. I'm willing to bet it was really because Bickerstaff wanted to punish them. On some, "If not escaping this shit, neither can you two motherfuckas."

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

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

Afraid y'all are gonna be 73-9 with a second-round loss to the Blazers, telling everyone for years how y'all actually had the best team ever if not for that sweaty Lithuanian as Curry's joints keep disintegrating?

Just take your L. And that you never should have opened your mouth to talk that shit.

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

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

Like you guys were when you tried to trade all of your first-rounders to sign Dwight Howard a few years ago and got turned down. You got lucky. Enjoy.

folks were willing to wager hard earned cash on Dwight Howard after his disaster of a stint with the Lakers.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

And they need to blow it up before it gets any worse. So you win on that call. You correctly called that he'd only be there three years too-- that's a major league W.

I put more of the blame on Howard than Harden, btw. Harden is bad on defense but is doing everything on offense. Howard has been pretty much bad everywhere. I didn't see him getting even *worse* on this Rockets team than he was on the Lakers... but he's much worse. He seems cooked.

If they could have just maintained the fire with which they played those last couple of games against the Clippers last year... it's insane how this much talent can look *this* bad when playing together.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

His game isn't condusive to playing well with others at all. Needs the ball 90% of the time, just so he could sit on the outisde and try to draw contact while shooting, or take it to the rim and try to draw contact. And doesn't play defense. At all. At least Howard does that.

>If they could have just maintained the fire with which they
>played those last couple of games against the Clippers last
>year... it's insane how this much talent can look *this* bad
>when playing together.

They over-achieved last year and got exposed in the WCF. Then predictably fell apart this season and got even more exposed. Break it all up.

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

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

Came into the season fat, didn't build chemistry with his big man, doesn't move off-ball unless there's a dunk on the other end of it for him, doesn't pay attention defensively, acts like an ass when he doesn't get a call or blows an assignment.

However, if all of that were true, everything I said earlier would be too. No coach worth a shit made him change his game, instead making everyone else try to fix his bad habits instead of getting him to change, I don't know, any of em. And the talent around him is just obviously subpar, particularly based on the Rockets' offensive scheme. Chuck is sitting here talking about how Ariza needs to feel the ball in his hand before he shoots while guys like Chandler Parsons and Carlos Delfino were hitting 40% from 3 on the same shots. These guys can't shoot or defend, yet they're supposed to be perfect complementary pieces to a player who creates open shots for his teammates and is a bad defender. Sure, blow it up, but don't trade your top 10 talent for pieces when you're just going to be trying to get one back like him.

Get a new coach, revamp the role players, trade Brewer and Ariza to contenders who need wings and will give up picks and young talent, play your talented young guys like Capela and McDaniels. Also, hire a new shooting coach.

http://www.sbnation.com/2016/4/28/11525780/houston-rockets-eliminated-nba-playoffs-2016-james-harden-dwight-howard-goodbye

Regarding Harden, I more or less agree with what is said here: "That immense offensive load is not at all optional; have you seen Patrick Beverley or Corey Brewer try to create off the dribble or Dwight Howard post up lately? The maximal offensive output from Harden is a necessity. We note that he came into the season out of shape. He also nursed an injured ankle in the offseason, after playing 3,500 minutes in 2014-15. He still played 3,000 minutes this year, more than anyone in the league."

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

>http://www.sbnation.com/2016/4/28/11525780/houston-rockets-eliminated-nba-playoffs-2016-james-harden-dwight-howard-goodbye
>
>Regarding Harden, I more or less agree with what is said here:
>"That immense offensive load is not at all optional; have you
>seen Patrick Beverley or Corey Brewer try to create off the
>dribble or Dwight Howard post up lately? The maximal offensive
>output from Harden is a necessity. We note that he came into
>the season out of shape. He also nursed an injured ankle in
>the offseason, after playing 3,500 minutes in 2014-15. He
>still played 3,000 minutes this year, more than anyone in the
>league."
First, that whole piece was copping pleas for Haren (spelled "Haren" because he has no D)

Carrying the whole load was SOMEWHAT optional. I'm not gonna deny that they DO rely on his scoring, but part of that is bad coaching (from McHale to Bickerstaff), and part of that is his REFUSAL to pass the ball. There have been plenty of times he could've dumped it in to D12 on a mis-match or rather than try to cross someone and play for the whistle, kick it out for the open shot (because that's Morey's design - 3's, drives and FT's...no 2's)...but Harden has tunnel vision.

This is mostly on Harden, with Morey deserving a chunk of blame too

Who else on this team is a plus offensive option besides fucking Beasley? The offense's failure is partly Harden's fault because he'll initiate the action way too late into shot clocks, but it's not his fault that Dwight in the post is a losing proposition, that no one else on his team can create a goddamn bucket or do anything off the dribble, like, at all. Harden's offensive load is without a doubt the largest in the league. Wall has SOME guys who can do their own thing. Westbrook has KD. What in the flying fuck does Harden have? Dwight just has not been an efficient option this year when he wasn't finishing off the roll, and other teams just drop extra defenders on that since none of our shooters can fucking shoot.

>Who else on this team is a plus offensive option besides
>fucking Beasley? The offense's failure is partly Harden's
>fault because he'll initiate the action way too late into shot
>clocks, but it's not his fault that Dwight in the post is a
>losing proposition, that no one else on his team can create a
>goddamn bucket or do anything off the dribble, like, at all.
I don't want to hear that dumb shit. PARTLY Harden's fault? He HANDLES THE BALL ALL THE TIME...it's on HIM to get the offense started.

I'll agree that PART of that is TERRIBLE coaching. But to say it's on Dwight because Harden DOESN'T EVEN LOOK at him? That's that garbage

It's crazy to say anything about D12 because he doesn't even get a chance to look bad, because he BARELY gets TOUCHES when he posts and reposts. If it's not a lob or an offensive rebound, they don't even look at him...and Harden has the ball in his hands MOST of the time.

>Harden's offensive load is without a doubt the largest in the
>league. Wall has SOME guys who can do their own thing.
>Westbrook has KD. What in the flying fuck does Harden have?
>Dwight just has not been an efficient option this year when he
>wasn't finishing off the roll, and other teams just drop extra
>defenders on that since none of our shooters can fucking
>shoot.
I can agree with some of this. Capela looked better when they ran PNR at times. However, they don't look to post, and they don't look to shoot mid-range shots. That's bad coaching. But to say that Ariza and Brewer are terrible isn't true. They aren't #2 options, but they can definitely play better than they did...and part of that is because they don't get the ball in sweet spots for 3...after Harden keeps dribbling the ball over and over.

I'm not gonna deny that Harden has the offensive weight on his shoulders, but to say that he SHOULD be playing the way he's playing? Nah, he's played like a ball-jocking bum this season.

Abdul Jabbar, Muggsy Malone you
I don't know what that means but you know what I meant when I told you (c) Sean Price

#NeverForget

>I put more of the blame on Howard than Harden, btw. Harden is
>bad on defense but is doing everything on offense. Howard has
>been pretty much bad everywhere.

NOPE! HARDEN AN EMBARRASSMENT ON D, PLAYS ON A TEAM WITH TALENT AND STILL A LOSER! SAME 'TENSITY!

___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

As for the "same 'tensity" thing... I don't really know what that is in reference to.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

your time's almost up though so no worries.

>As for the "same 'tensity" thing... I don't really know what
>that is in reference to.

really? you're giving Harden a pass for being great on offense while being terrible on defense and losing in the playoffs while playing with talent around him. not sure how I could have made any clearer of a reference for you.

___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

Harden dragged a team full of defensive fool's gold into last year's playoffs, benefitted from a really bad first round opponent and the choking-ass Clippers, then lost to a better team with significantly more talent.

This is a team that's supposed to shoot endless threes without shooters, is supposed to defend with pressure from defenders who can't actually stay in front of guys (Brewer, Beverley, shit, Howard at this point, and obviously Harden), and is built around two stars when it really only has one.

Talk all the shit about Harden you want, but he had 18 of our first 20 points and basically functioned as the entire offense all year. Given that our defense was ranked bottom 10 all year, that should tell you what you need to know about the rest of the talent.

We'll spend money and blow it up this offseason, and I'll gladly say bye to the Dwight experiment.

as the HC was the worst type of situation for him in terms of actually developing into a winning superstar. Been saying that to anyone who would listen for years now...Harden's first taste of freedom and superstardom coincided with going to a run and gun team where there was zero defensive accountability or accountability in general. Any surprise those habits have carried over?

---------------------------------
<--The drought is over

"have fun reveling in your pettiness tho" (C) Dula summing up 98% of OKS

"I didnt finish a damn thing...matter of fact I jerked off after she left."
-Kobe speaking to investigators

L D E A

What a stroke of fortune that he ended up bouncing from LA, phew. Thank you Kobe lol.

---------------------------------
<--The drought is over

"have fun reveling in your pettiness tho" (C) Dula summing up 98% of OKS

"I didnt finish a damn thing...matter of fact I jerked off after she left."
-Kobe speaking to investigators

L D E A

Especially considering how great these three years he would have been under contract for y'all could have been. I mean, you might have missed out on all these can't miss prospects you have. Y'all could get Ben Simmons (or no one and go into next year with same roster sans Kobe, but whatever. Teams never move up in the lottery)!

Much better than paying Dwight to do what he's been doing and making bad teams slightly less bad meaning you're picking late lottery and not getting anyone to build around.

I agree that this year's lottery looms large, but with another top pick this situation is looking very promising. Randle and Russell are both very much on track, and Clarkson is proving to be a great find in round 2. If you get a couple lottery picks that pan out, and find a good player in round 2, that's a very good start in rebuilding.

I'm just frustrated everyone's acting like they knew Howard was this broken physically; the Lakers, Warriors, and half the league was still tryna sign dude three years ago.

They said "phew".

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17x NBA Champions

-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.

Oh, Kobe had been looking at his medical records, or are y'all just continuing to try to justify the last three years of Goof Troop basketball and Iggy Azalea news and 60 on 50 being the highlight of a season?

Kobe ain't know shit about Dwight except that they didn't get along and that Dwight wasn't playing well enough to try and challenge Kobe as the guy. He sure as hell didn't know Dwight was never gonna be Dwight again.

Because you said an awful lot that had zero to do with what he was getting at. If you think Dwight's problems in Houston are solely due to his health then you've got blinders on.

It's a mentality and personality thing with Dwight.
It's an approach to the game issue with Dwight.
Frankly, Dwight doesn't have a winners DNA.
He's can't be an Alpha dog in a pack with another Alpha.

In fact he's done some of the same things in Houston that he's done in LA.

Case in point? You've pointed out his health issues.

He bitches and moans about not being more involved in the offense. If his health is SO BAD, as bad as you’ve said, then he shouldn’t be relied upon all that heavily in the offense.

So either he’s super hurt or he’s just fine and should be given a much bigger role in the offense. You- and Dwight- simply can’t have it both ways.

Still, that wasn’t what he was getting at when he said Kobe was right. D12 is SOFT. Point blank. Soft. Not in a street sense, but in terms of the game. In terms of his approach, his demeanor, his incessant desire to clown around as his performance isn’t up to snuff.

Shaq was a clown off the court but when he got in the game he wanted to destroy the other and played like it.

Or run. Or move. Cause he's soft. You dunces.

It's about his mentality. Kobe (and confirmed by many other people inside the organization) constantly harped on Dwight's unwillingness to be uncomfortable and take/give honest criticism. Kobe never once said anything about Dwight's long-term health, it was always about his lack of edge. He said it at the time and as I said, he was right.

The fact that both Nash and Pau (consummate teammates by all regards) were relieved when he left should was even further referendum on dude. All this happened at the time, it's not 20/20.

---------------------------------
<--The drought is over

"have fun reveling in your pettiness tho" (C) Dula summing up 98% of OKS

"I didnt finish a damn thing...matter of fact I jerked off after she left."
-Kobe speaking to investigators

L D E A

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17x NBA Champions

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

17x NBA Champions

---------------------------------
<--The drought is over

"have fun reveling in your pettiness tho" (C) Dula summing up 98% of OKS

"I didnt finish a damn thing...matter of fact I jerked off after she left."
-Kobe speaking to investigators

L D E A

Right today?

In what way has the last three years been better for Houston than for us?

Fun fact: while everyone is roasting the Lakers for failing to land free agents over the last few years on a rebuilding team with a declining Kobe whose health was in serious question ….
EVERYONE ALSO PASSED ON THE ROCKETS.

They passed on James Harden, who is in his prime, and Dwight, who should have been in his prime.

It makes perfect sense for players to pass on the combination of circumstances surrounding the Lakers and says very little other than the organization from top to bottom is in a state that isn’t really in the best interest of other superstars.

It makes considerably less sense to see those same superstars pass on a Rockets team that should have been just about the most attractive destination at the time and it says a hell of a lot more about Harden and Dwight than it does to pass on the Lakers.

Houston has Harden which is a hell of a head start, but are they really in a great position going forward?

Is their current state of mediocrity really better than the relatively blank slate the Lakers have with a massive amount of money to spend and four very good young players AND a potential top three pick on the wings? Much as people want to shit on the Lakers situation and talk about what a mess we are, we’re actually in as close to an ideal situation for a rebuilding team as you can get. Good young prospects who show significant promise, 2/3 of the salary cap available to spend, and the possibility of a top three draft pick. Yeah, we’re really in disarray. Lol. Every rebuilding team in the league would kill for our positioning and timing.

We could (COULD, let’s be clear) conceivably land the #1, flip it for an established star, (Jimmy Butler perhaps?) and suddenly it’s not a huge stretch to land someone like Durant. Add a guy like Pau and we’d have ourselves a team once you consider Russell and Randle should definitely be better next year.

Or, hey… just draft Ingram, resign JC, and sign whatever quality veterans we can to 1-2 year deals while the kids develop and in three years we’d have a real NBA team through the draft and flipping pieces.

Or, for those of you who will be dense and act like we're unaware of the possibility that things could potentially implode, we lose the pick, nobody signs in the off season, and none of our young players pan out and we’re in the dark ages for the next decade.

The point is we’re in a healthy position despite our front office issues.

We are, along with the Sixers, arguably in the best position in the NBA outside of the Warriors, Spurs, or Cavs because it’s better to be at the bottom with a blank slate if you’re not at the top. Meanwhile Houston is mired in mediocrity and aren’t exactly teaming with attractive assets, which is an unenviable position in the NBA.

Even tho that really only happened when 23 y/o Tobias Harris was brought in. Main reason I say that is that we already have the one thing you guys are hoping to have (an All Star 22 y/o), but dont yet. Ill say it definitively if we can convince JC to be our 3rd guard lol.

But the rest of that rings pretty true. Houston had the shortest fakest window of any "contender" Ive seen since the millenial Blazers.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

I loved Dwight in Orlando (as a player, sort of as a comedic dude). He was awesome to watch defensively and I do think he grew offensively in the limited ways he tried to.


But once that back went, and he became exposed as a guy people don't much enjoy playing with (we all knew Rashard, Jameer and Hedo made that Orlando team click) he should've been exiled from "Big Three" status forever. On the EXACT RIGHT TEAM I'll still take Howard, but I'm not sure that team exists anywhere other than Golden State where he can be Bogut 5.0 (and even then, in a pinch I'll take Bogut's defense over Dwight's these days).


I was watching this Rockets series the other day at a bar and remarked to the dude I randomly watch these games with how I remember when Dwight looked monstrous on the court, like I just didn't understand how people were dealing with that dude on a fundamental level. Nowadays he just becomes part of the background, not only is he a role player in Houston but he just doesn't stand out physically any more.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

are folks confident Howard will get a max deal somewhere else? Outside of getting top dollars, I wonder if teams will want to give him a long team contact at this point.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

Especially a full max with all the years. If he gets the max, it'll be a short deal or one with an early team option.

The cap is going up so much that everyone will have cap space and desperate GMs have done stupider things so I wouldn't be stunned if Grunfeld in Washington threw a shitload of money at him but given his health, age, the Rox disaster this year, and the move towards small ball, giving him a max contract seems like an awful deal that most GMs would be smart enough to avoid.

----
NBA MOCK DRAFT #1 - https://thecourierclass.com/whole-shebang/2017/5/18/2017-nba-mock-draft-1-just-lotto-and-lotta-trades

.

-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.

will pull the trigger and give him the full four-year max deal. I mean, I can just feel Mike ready to push his chips all in in Charlotte if they get to the second round and look half-assedly respectable.

And it might actually be worth it to Portland, if they still have space to upgrade elsewhere (and I think they do since they were one of the only teams that could have straight up traded Dwight into space this season).

sigh