[NotAJerry]

Is there a better way to kick off a season than to get the news that Rasheed Wallace is un-retiring the crazy and joining the Knicks? That'll teach the Nets their place in back page headline grabbing right away. I may have to go to a Wizards game just to see if Sheed can get ejected in his old stomping grounds.

[jcmanson]

/thread

[NotAJerry]

If Ray Allen stays healthy, that's pretty much unbeatable unless OKC has a great series against them.

[adam42381]

I wouldn't count out the Lakers. I know they're old, but a combination of Kobe, Howard and Nash is hard to contain.

[NotAJerry]

I wouldn't count out the Lakers. I know they're old, but a combination of Kobe, Howard and Nash is hard to contain.

Nash can't play defense, Howard can't make FTs, and Kobe is 97 years old. Throw in the role players being the incredibly disappearing Pau Gasol and 8 beers short of a 6 pack Metta World Peace, and I just don't see them being good enough to contend with OKC.

[adam42381]

All of those are valid points. As a Celtics fan, I hope you're right.

[lynchburgwildcats]

New York Knicks: Oldest Team in NBA History
http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/201 ... a-history/

[TDDance234]

I think the Knicks goofed big time by letting Fields go. He probably wasn't worth the deal that the Raptors gave him, but he was a good fit for New York. He didn't need the ball in his hands to be effective, and was an above-average defender. Having to start Kidd at the two is going to come back and haunt them.

Kurt Thomas probably won't make the roster, and I'd be surprised if Wallace lasted half a season. Camby still has some game left and playing 15-20 minutes a night will be perfect for him.

[Sly Fox]

Here in Houston, I have no clue who will be playing alongside Jeremy Lin. The team released practically everybody I knew in their efforts to snag Howard. Whoops.

[lynchburgwildcats]

Here in Houston, I have no clue who will be playing alongside Jeremy Lin. The team released practically everybody I knew in their efforts to snag Howard. Whoops.

Maybe they will start one of their 87 power forwards at every other position?

[lynchburgwildcats]

I think the Knicks goofed big time by letting Fields go. He probably wasn't worth the deal that the Raptors gave him, but he was a good fit for New York. He didn't need the ball in his hands to be effective, and was an above-average defender. Having to start Kidd at the two is going to come back and haunt them.

Kurt Thomas probably won't make the roster, and I'd be surprised if Wallace lasted half a season. Camby still has some game left and playing 15-20 minutes a night will be perfect for him.

Landry Fields production will be easily replaced. They have Ronnie Brewer - a much better defender than Fields - JR Smith, and Iman Shumpert.

[TDDance234]

I think the Knicks goofed big time by letting Fields go. He probably wasn't worth the deal that the Raptors gave him, but he was a good fit for New York. He didn't need the ball in his hands to be effective, and was an above-average defender. Having to start Kidd at the two is going to come back and haunt them.

Kurt Thomas probably won't make the roster, and I'd be surprised if Wallace lasted half a season. Camby still has some game left and playing 15-20 minutes a night will be perfect for him.

Landry Fields production will be easily replaced. They have Ronnie Brewer - a much better defender than Fields - JR Smith, and Iman Shumpert.

J.R. Smith is so hot or cold, and his defense has always been non-existent. Iman is paper thin and couldn't find the basket with a GPS. I would be surprised to see Brewer make it to the regular season on the roster.

Fields held tremendous value for the Knicks. He was the perfect compliment to what they had, and now, being the oldest team in the league, are going to struggle big time. Lucky for them, Orlando is going back to the cellar, the Bulls will be average until Rose comes back, and the Celtics will be hard pressed to repeat the same success they had last year as another year older. Other than Miami, the East is wide open.

[lynchburgwildcats]

J.R. Smith is so hot or cold, and his defense has always been non-existent. Iman is paper thin and couldn't find the basket with a GPS. I would be surprised to see Brewer make it to the regular season on the roster.

Fields held tremendous value for the Knicks. He was the perfect compliment to what they had, and now, being the oldest team in the league, are going to struggle big time. Lucky for them, Orlando is going back to the cellar, the Bulls will be average until Rose comes back, and the Celtics will be hard pressed to repeat the same success they had last year as another year older. Other than Miami, the East is wide open.

JR Smith's defense has always been non-existent?
Iman Shumpert is paper thin and couldn't find the basket with a GPS?
Ronnie Brewer won't make the roster?
The Celtics will be hard pressed to repeat their success of alst year?

Do you know anything about the NBA?

JR Smith isn't a consistently good defender, but does have his moments. So much so that in 2009 he got a first-place vote for All-Defense. And of course he is one of the better sixth men in the game.

Iman Shumpert established himself as an elite level defender. He even got four first-place votes and 13 points for All-Defense, that's 13 points more than Fields has ever gotten. That means Shumpert got the 13th most points for All-Defense last year, more than noted defensive players like Paul George, Westbrook, Josh Smith, Wade, Sefolosha, Duncan, and Avery Bradley to name a few. His value right now is his defense, to think any other way is pure, unadulterated nonsense.

Ronnie Brewer is one of the better perimeter defenders in the game. Every team he has been on has been a better defensive team with him on the floor. In fact, back in 2009 he got five points for All-Defense, including one first-team vote, the last year in which he got consistent starters minutes. He just can't shoot which is the main thing - along with health - that has held back his career as far as playing time goes. If healthy, He'll likely be starting at SG to start the season while the Knicks continue to using JR in his usual sixth man role.

ANd lastly, the Celtics vastly improved their roster withou a shadow of a doubt. They added Jason Terry, who is without a doubt better than Ray Allen right now. They added Courtney Lee who will fill in very admirably at SG and at SF in smallball lineups. They actually added some healthy backup post players in Sullinger, Fab Melo, Chris Wilcox, and Jason Collins so that KG can actually get some rest. Jeff Green is back so now Pierce actually has a backup to spell him some minutes, and if he doesn't work out, they got a rookie in Kris Joseph who looked mighty fine in summer league. They'll have a healthy Avery Bradley come playoff time, assuming he doesn't get injured again. Anyone who knows anything about the NBA knows that the Celtics did a very find job of improving the team in the offseason.

[lynchburgwildcats]

I would be surprised to see [Ronnie] Brewer make it to the regular season on the roster.

You must be completely floored and shocked beyond belief, guy started for the Knicks in their opening game in place of the departed Landry Fields. I do believe I said he would replace what Fields brought to the table along with JR Smith and Iman Shumpert.

[NotAJerry]

Here in Houston, I have no clue who will be playing alongside Jeremy Lin. The team released practically everybody I knew in their efforts to snag Howard. Whoops.

Think that might be working out pretty well.

[NotAJerry]

The Spurs are 4-0 for the first time ever? I'm surprised that the Robinson/Duncan era didn't produce at least one long undefeated start to a season.

[lynchburgwildcats]

What's the deal with the Lakers? I know Steve Nash is out, but they relied on Steve Blake to run the point a lot last year before they got Sessions and they were still winning a lot of games then. Now they are just bad with an even better roster than last year even sans Nash.

[lynchburgwildcats]

Well Mike Brown has been fired, after only five games.

[jbock13]

Mike Brown fired.

This reminds me of the Yankees every year. They go 8-8 to start the year, and all the sudden, Yankees are terrible! Who cares if there's 146 games left!

But then again that's the NBA. Win a championship every year or you're fired.

[thepostman]

Watching the Magic struggling this season because Dwight had stars in his eyes makes the lakers' hardships that much sweeter.

Sadly it won't last

[lynchburgwildcats]

I don't know if firing him this early was the right thing to do or not, but the Lakers were sucking at everything this year. The Princeton offense gets all the pub because it's the "sexy" thing to criticize, but Mike Brown was supposed to be a defensive coach and the Lakers have been a complete trainwreck defensively. They rank just 22nd in the NBA in defensive efficiency, on the other hand, they ranked 5th in offensive efficiency.

The offense hasn't been the issue despite people complaining about it, it's been the complete lack of defense. The offense hasn't been great, but that was hardly their downfall. Offense isn't the problem when you are allowing 98.8 points a game. And let's be honest here, that 98.8 is deflated quite a bit by having played the moribund Pistons team that's 24th in the NBA in points per game. Take out that one outlier of a game, and they gave up 103.8 points a game in their other 4 games.

[thepostman]

I think it is interesting that everybody credited Orlando's good defense to Dwight Howard and gave no credit to Stan Van Gundy but now he goes to the Lakers who have an average coach at best and their defense is what their weakness is. Stan is a loudmouth but he is a hell of a coach and Dwight should've shut up and listened instead of becoming a whining little itch.

I wish I wasn't so bitter but I think the person Dwight was when he came to Orlando would be sick of the thought of the man he was when he left Orlando

[lynchburgwildcats]

Anyone following this ROyce White situation? Sounds like he is doing just about everything possible to ruin his NBA career.

Royce White says he’s prepared to walk away from NBA over dispute with Rockets

The situation between Royce White and the Houston Rockets appears to getting worse before it gets better. And that’s if it gets better at all, a prospect that’s becoming less likely with each passing tweet and interview that White stubbornly continues to put out there.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... h-rockets/

I've even heard that someone in upper management with the Rockets has already said "off the record" that they wasted the #16 pick on him and that Royce told the team his problems would be alleviated if he played. Sorry kid, playing time is earned, you don't get it for being a nutcase! At the bare minimum, you've got to actually show up to practice, games, and various team-arranged therapy sessions for you to even stay on the team!

At this point, he should count himself lucky he is still on an NBA team. A lot of other teams wouldn't have made all these special rules of exceptions or put up with all this crap out of a bench warmer regardless of his potential or where he was just drafted. This isn't college where he is one of the best in the game and the best player by far on his team, Iowa State pandered to his every need and want because the team would have been nothing without him. Houston shouldn't and won't do that for a bench warmer they can't count on to be around for every game because he is mentally unstable.

[adam42381]

At first, I felt bad for the guy because of the anxiety issues. At this point, it's on him. He's not doing what needs to be done on his end. Skipping the therapy sessions the team set up is inexcusable, in my opinion.

[lynchburgwildcats]

At first, I felt bad for the guy because of the anxiety issues. At this point, it's on him. He's not doing what needs to be done on his end. Skipping the therapy sessions the team set up is inexcusable, in my opinion.

Agreed. And that's not all of it. Unexcused absences from practice and games. Houston arranged non-place travel for him for summer league and training camp, he refused it. Houston wanted to send him to D League, he refused it. IF he thinks the only solution to his problems is for Houston to play him, he is in a world of hurt. He'll never make it in any league on Earth if that is the case. Sure, he'll get playing time if he goes to the D League or somewhere international, but those teams aren't going to bend over backwards to cater to every "need" of his due to his issues in the head.

It's a sad situation, but it seems he is doing everything possible to make it worse. Hard to sympathize with a character like that.