The first week or so of November is truly a magical time of year for every die-hard NBA fan. Everyone's team has a shot, every cup is half-full, and 95% of the country hasn't completely forgotten about our beloved sport, yet.
With this in mind, we're going to try to educate ourselves here at the Blogs By Fans Network, as well you loyal readers. Participating NBA bloggers will be:
One of the huge benefits of a network like this, and reading blogs written by guys who know way too much about their teams, is you can get insight into teams you'll never get from the mainstream media. The idea of this round table is to glean a few pieces of vital info about the teams we all cover. Hopefully, we'll dig a little deeper and give you a few subtle things to keep an eye on as the season wears on. The other purpose is to provide a proper forum for Eddy Curry fat jokes, Shavlik Randolph homophobe jokes, Scott Skiles stick in the rectum jokes and all other forms of trash talking.
I'm going to fire the opening shot, with a couple of questions to each of the other guys, they'll respond on their blogs, post questions to everyone else, and we'll bounce it back and forth for a couple of days. Chime in in the comments sections if there are questions you'd like to ask/answer.
First up,
The GM:
- The Pacers basically stood pat in the offseason. All the white guys are back, their petulant star, Jermaine O'Neal came back, despite practically begging for a trade. We're looking at the same team who missed the playoffs last year, the only significant change is the coach. Is he really making that much of a difference? Jim O'Brien's track record is a lot better than his reputation would lead you to believe. Are you a believer?
- How do you feel about Jermaine O'Neal right now? The guy demanded a trade, the team didn't get it done, now you have to rely on him in what you hope will be a playoff run. Do you believe his heart is in it? Does winning change things for him, or for you? I know my first reaction to a guy who turns on my team is F*ck him. How do you overcome that?
Next:
Rickhouse:
- OK, I'll get the softball out of the way. Kobe in Chicago, yeah or nay? How much are you willing to give up to get him? Do you need him? Do you like him?
- To me, and pretty much anyone else who is not a Bulls' fan, Kirk Hinrich looks like a whiny bitch who can't stay out of foul trouble. Is this sour grapes on our part, or does he rub Bulls fans the wrong way too?
Breaking up the Bulls coverage, we'll swing over to
SML:
- The Knicks have assembled possibly the most mismatched front-court/back-court combination in the league. Curry and Randolph are beasts on the low post, only the guards are horrible, horrible distributors. It seems like doubling down on the bigs is a certainty, especially with the lack of perimeter shooters. Is there some kind of middle ground where the offense can utilize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of both groups?
- If you're James Dolan, is Isiah still your coach?
- Is it just me or does it look like Quentin Richardson is on the Eddy Curry diet? He has 4 chins at this point.
Let's wrap it up with
Jack Cobra:
- Let's assume Kobe gets traded to Chicago, how long does it take for Scott Skiles to (a) choke him out, (b) get fired, (c) bench him? Honestly, Kobe is probably the worst possible player to land on a team coached by Skiles. Do you think this is a big reason a deal hasn't been made yet?
- Joe Smith, Joe Kim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, Andres Nocioni. Every one of those guys seems like at least a decent power forward option, yet the position is seen as the main weakness on the Bulls roster (before Ben Wallace went down, at least). What's the problem? What's the solution?
Ok, I'll take a crack at some of this...
First up, I'm not a member of the Jim O'Brien fan club. The guy just comes across as arrogant and I don't see how he can motivate people. How is he viewed by the fan base?
Not sure what to think about Kobe possibly going to Chicago, but my gut tells me that if it was going to happen, it would have already.
I'll add a question to Brian's for SML...What do New Yorkers think of Thomas after the sex harrassment suit? Did it change opinions of him?
And will someone please tell me why Willie Green is a starter in Philly?!
JJ,
The simple answer is that Mo likes him. The more complex answer is that Carney hasn't progressed, at all. Green is the better option out of those two guys. Lou Williams is essentially the backup point guard, so if you start him, you're forcing Kevin Ollie back into the rotation.
If I was coaching, I think I'd move Iguodala to the 2, and start Korver at the 3. I realize Mo likes bringing Korver off the bench, but Miller, AI, Korver, Evans and Dalembert is his best lineup. Just go with it for 30 minutes/night and see what happens.
JJ: I'll answer your question about O'Brien here. Indiana fans can tend to be fickle. Not as much as other cities and not in the same way, but we do prefer a winner. Another thing Indiana fans want/desire is a coach that doesn't put up with the BS that has been going on around here the last few years. O'Brien seems to be that kind of guy and with a more disciplined team, the wins will come. I've not heard or seen anything negative about him from anyone yet. But, we have 79 more games to go, so we will see! Thanks for the question.
To an outsider, the Pacers just looked like they imploded when Reggie Miller retired. They haven't been the same since. I hope O'Brien is the answer for you guys. He wasn't a good fit in Philly.