[BIRD33]

Larry Bird is going a good job in Indiana.

[Anhil8tor]

Better than Jordan...

[BIRD33]

Sixers are done.Not won't make the playoffs done or beat the Celtics straight up in the playoffs done but the rest of the league has caught up to them as far as being in shape.They used to run teams but now everyone has games under their belt and a little wind so its an even playing field and we are back to our 6th man coming in and chucking shots up when we are down.Fuck Spencer Hawes aka Todd McCullough.

[BIRD33]

Hilarious article on the Lakers.I never thought Kobe could leave there but now I have my doubts.




Joey Buss, another son of the owner who runs the team's D-League franchise, has moved into Jackson's old office. Jesse Buss, 23, who was arrested for alcohol intoxication in Lexington, Ky., on a "scouting" trip in December, has moved into Lester's former office.

Not that anyone supposedly doing scouting or other basketball work is seen much around the team's facilities these days. Jim Buss, who supposedly is the team's director of player personnel, is virtually unreachable -- including by me. He didn't respond to my request for comment through the team's media relations department, and his direct number is not listed in the Lakers directory that is distributed to teams. Even people who work in the basketball operations department have "no clue who's on the staff," said a person with direct knowledge of the organization's structure.

"It would be interesting to find out who's doing the scouting," the person said.


The advance pro scout, Clay Moser, was brought on board by coach Mike Brown. Of the three college scouts listed in the Lakers' media guide, Ryan West -- Jerry's son -- is the only one with a résumé and a workload. The others are Jesse Buss, who's currently unable to travel due to an injured leg, and a guy known throughout the organization simply as "Chaz." His name in the media guide is Charles Osborne, and supposedly he's a nice guy.

"A good guy," said a person who has dealt with the Lakers' front-office dysfunction in various management roles with other teams. "Great bartender."

That's right, the book on Chaz is that he's a former bartender who also happens to be longtime friends with Jim Buss from their days in the horseracing business. But if you're looking in bars and racetracks, you're much more likely to find a sports writer to chronicle this circus than a viable trade option for Gasol.


http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/17362...ont-office

[Anhil8tor]

http://www.csnphilly.com/blog/sixers-tal...ce=message

[BIRD33]

sixers are who I thought they were.Lou Williams is there go to guy in the clutch.He sucks.

Spencer Hawes is Todd Macullough 2.0.



Remember some asshole saying Ray Allen was a hot trade piece with a lot of teams wanting him?Havent heard shit on that front.I love how they threatened Rondo with a trade being that he is their best player.I would have said go ahead.

[Anhil8tor]

sixers are who I thought they were.Lou Williams is there go to guy in the clutch.He sucks.

Spencer Hawes is Todd Macullough 2.0.



Remember some asshole saying Ray Allen was a hot trade piece with a lot of teams wanting him?Havent heard shit on that front.I love how they threatened Rondo with a trade being that he is their best player.I would have said go ahead.

Boston is a mess. Rondo is a system PG so he can only go to a few teams... those teams don't want him. KG and Allen are done. Pierce is on his last leg and over paid. Good luck coming back Boston. At least you have that one title to hold onto.

[BIRD33]

They are fucked because they can't trade their best player(Rondo) or Pierce because he's an "all time Celt" in some peoples view.Unless shit gets real bad and Pierce requests a trade they are in limbo for a bit.Thats why I said if I was Rondo I would be fine with being on the trade block.I'm hot and cold with Rondo in general.I hate the way he can't shoot because you can almost play a zone against him but if he's on a team that can run he's pretty hard to stop.He would be averaging 17 assists a night on the heat.

If I was the sixers GM I would trade Elton Brand and Evan Turner to the Celts for KG and Ray Allen.Believe it or not the Celts are getting the better of that deal.

[BIRD33]

I love Larry Bird.This interview with him and Magic is great.

Reilly: Have you ever thought about what your rivalry and friendship has done for race relations?

Larry: I never got into that. I don't care nothin' about that.

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/76519...bird-magic

[BIRD33]

It was sad watching Paul Pierce try to cover Evan Turner over the weekend.Half way through the game Turner realized he could get anywhere on the court with Pierce guarding him.You could see the confidence in his eyes when he was squaring him up to go by him.I was surprised they didnt take him out back and shoot him after the game.

[WoolyGoat]

I've barely watched more than a quarter of Celtics basketball this season. Or the NBA in general.

[BIRD33]

Being that you are white and under 5'7" tall this is no shock.

[WoolyGoat]

the lockout really damaged my relationship with the league. they might not win me back.

[BIRD33]

Yea.When does hockey start?Seriously what would it take for a "Linsanity" type hysteria to break out for a hockey player and resonate nationally like that asian baller did?4 goals and 4 assists a game for like 3 months straight?

[BIRD33]

Speaking of linsanity...If D'antoni is going to get fired why not call out Carmello for being a dick?I've watched a lot of knicks games since Lin came on and they don't play the same offense pre Carmello coming back.They walk it up a lot more than before.A new coach isnt going to change shit.Carmello is about getting his numbers and thats it.

Management, the coaching staff and the players know Anthony is hurting the offense and in turn, the defensive morale, according to the sources. While D'Antoni's offense calls for Anthony to plant himself on the wing at the 3-point line, he often creeps in to his favorite spot in the floor -- the area between the elbow, the arc and the post. That kills the Knicks' ability to run the high pick-and-roll and ruins the spacing that is so critical to D'Antoni's offense.


"That's at the very core of our problem," one person close to the situation said. "That messes up the fluidity of the offense. Melo could do it, but he's got to trust the offense."


When Anthony first returned -- and it still appears to be the case -- Lin would bring the ball upcourt and try to run D'Antoni's system. When Anthony would abandon the offense, Lin would not pass him the ball, which irritated Anthony, sources said. So when Lin tried to talk to Anthony on the court, Anthony would turn his back to the point guard and tune him out. The two never had heated exchanges, though, and the players tried to come to a compromise, agreeing to run D'Antoni's system while also mixing in post-ups for Anthony.


"But it's just a mess because D'Antoni's system is not designed for that," one source said.


Despite his often poor body language, many of the players believe Anthony is trying to adjust and sincerely wants to win. He has told people close to him that he is being asked to do things he's never done, saying that throughout his career he has always had plenty of post-up opportunities and that he is uncomfortable standing on the wing spacing the floor.


"Half the team is trying to do what coach says and the other half is doing something different," one source said. "Then it spills over to the defensive end because players are (ticked) off about somebody taking a bad shot."


With Anthony sapping the energy from the offense, the players often lose their incentive to play defense. But even when he's trying to play defense, Amare Stoudemire struggles. Having spent almost his entire career in D'Antoni's non-defensive system, Stoudemire has trouble making defensive reads and rotations. Anthony knows what to do defensively, but simply refuses to do it consistently, the sources said.


Some players believe D'Antoni had the leverage to force Anthony to adjust to his system when he first returned from injury. The Knicks were rolling, showing they could win without Anthony, and their fan base was believing in D'Antoni's system. If D'Antoni had checked Anthony, perhaps even benching him, when he strayed from the offense, the players and fans would have been behind the coach and Anthony would have had no choice but to conform. But D'Antoni, ever the one to avoid confrontation with his players, would not do it, and now it's too late. That's when he lost the locker room for good.


Now, the players believe they need a coach who will hold players, especially the stars like Anthony and Stoudemire, accountable, the sources said. They do not believe D'Antoni is willing or able to do it.

[BIRD33]

And he quit.The Knicks will never win anything with Melo.

[BIRD33]

Jeremy Lin's game is like a type of food that tastes really good but 2 hours later you realize that it wasnt that filling.Hi yo.

I heard on the radio that the Knicks withheld the final verdict that Lin was out for the season until after playoff and season ticket money was due to keep people from jumping ship.Kept saying he was day to day.Thats some dirty shit.

[BIRD33]

I have a lot of respect for Stan Van Gundy being upfront about Dwight Howard trying to get him fired.He's killing Dwight with this.Howard comes in and tries to put his arm around SVG and he gets the cold shoulder literally.Howard is possibly the dumbest athlete around right now.He was threatening to leave Orlando to take advantage of a bigger markets marketing opportunities and all he did was make himself look like a bitch and ruined his reputation and marketing power.

[video=youtube;y08gvGpGCwA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y08gvGpGCwA[/video]

[BIRD33]

The Van Gundy video is my favorite moment in sports in a while.The look on Dwights face is fucking priceless and the childish way he responds to reporters is perfect.

Anywho, sixers are done.They are like guys who run the 50 yard dash competing in a marathon.Trade Igudala for picks, amnesty Elton Brand and start the rebuilding process around Dru Holliday, Thad Young and Evan Turner.Shoot Spencer Hawes.Doug Collins is the perfect coach for rebuilding mode.

[Anhil8tor]

I have alot of respect for SVG... I think Dwight will find the grass isn't always greener on the other side....