2011-12 NBA Season

[WSU151]

I don't care who you played. If your ranked 3rd in offense and 2nd in defense, your a good team.

Yeah, it's hard to be much better...

[TFoA]

A very sloppy victory for the Clippers (minus CP3 and MoWill) over the lowly Nets, but I'll take it, especially since we were (ahem) swept by the Nets last year.

But the bigger news of the day is that Dwight Howard reportedly added the Clippers to his list of preferred trade destinations. If THAT trade goes down, the whole Lakers fanbase is on suicide watch.

Only way that trade happens is if the Clippers send Griffin to Orlando. It's actually more likely at this point that the Lakers get Howard, since they've easily got the best trade chips in this race.

[loogodude90]

I don't care who you played. If your ranked 3rd in offense and 2nd in defense, your a good team.

Well, I don't agree with that at all... Of course it should matter who you played when talking stats like that. They played the Wizards TWICE, stuff like that needs to be taken into account.

[pmoehrin]

I don't care who you played. If your ranked 3rd in offense and 2nd in defense, your a good team.

Well, I don't agree with that at all... Of course it should matter who you played when talking stats like that. They played the Wizards TWICE, stuff like that needs to be taken into account.

Well coming up they got Denver, Atlanta and Miami. That will be a good test for them.

[WSU151]

I don't care who you played. If your ranked 3rd in offense and 2nd in defense, your a good team.

Well, I don't agree with that at all... Of course it should matter who you played when talking stats like that. They played the Wizards TWICE, stuff like that needs to be taken into account.

Considering that eight teams scored fewer points against Philly than the Wizards did in both games, I'd say the stats aren't far off.

[infrared41]

Sixers win by double-digits again and have the 3rd-best record behind OKC and Chicago. They haven't beaten anyone significant, but it feels good

Like I said a few days ago the way the Sixers are playing right now, they deserve to be in the conversation for best team in the NBA.

Is there another NBA I don't know about or something? I ask because you can't possibly be talking about the same NBA where the Heat, Thunder, et al play, right?

[Burkell007]

maaan what a ugly game in la...and how is josh mcroberts still in the nba, let alone getting playing time with the lakers?

[CS85]

A very sloppy victory for the Clippers (minus CP3 and MoWill) over the lowly Nets, but I'll take it, especially since we were (ahem) swept by the Nets last year.

But the bigger news of the day is that Dwight Howard reportedly added the Clippers to his list of preferred trade destinations. If THAT trade goes down, the whole Lakers fanbase is on suicide watch.

Only way that trade happens is if the Clippers send Griffin to Orlando. It's actually more likely at this point that the Lakers get Howard, since they've easily got the best trade chips in this race.

Yet he doesn't want to go to the Bulls.

I get the feeling Howard wants to be a movie star or something. Not that I blame him for wanting to cherry pick his climate, but give me a break. He'd fit in Chicago like a glove. BUT THERE'S SNOW.

[pmoehrin]

I don't know what's going on with Howard.

Why is he so desperate to get out of Orlando in the first place? Its not like he's playing in a bad location or on a bad basketball team. They made the Finals a few years ago and they've consistently been one of the NBA's best teams. Is the atmosphere around Orlando that negative? But you listen to him it sounds like he's playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.

I also don't blame the Magic one bit for not trading him. With him in the lineup this is a team that has a legit shot at the NBA title. This is as good of a chance as they're ever going to have for at least five years after he leaves. Your not going to just give that up to make one guy happy.

I think Howard has just been very immature about how he's handling the situation. If you want to leave in the offseason for whatever reason, go right ahead. But you don't make it public knowledge that you want to be traded if your the best player on a title contending team right in the middle of the season. Period. You have nothing to complain about.

[Still MIGHTY]

DEREK. FISHER.

I've seen that rainbowing arc somewhere before.

It's no title or sweep, but it was damn cool. Way to go, Fish, Lakers.

[CS85]

I don't know what's going on with Howard.

Why is he so desperate to get out of Orlando in the first place? Its not like he's playing in a bad location or on a bad basketball team. They made the Finals a few years ago and they've consistently been one of the NBA's best teams. Is the atmosphere around Orlando that negative? But you listen to him it sounds like he's playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.

I also don't blame the Magic one bit for not trading him. With him in the lineup this is a team that has a legit shot at the NBA title. This is as good of a chance as they're ever going to have for at least five years after he leaves. Your not going to just give that up to make one guy happy.

I think Howard has just been very immature about how he's handling the situation. If you want to leave in the offseason for whatever reason, go right ahead. But you don't make it public knowledge that you want to be traded if your the best player on a title contending team right in the middle of the season. Period. You have nothing to complain about.

Part of the deal that pissed me off is that he wanted to go to LA because of the weather. He's in ing florida. It's humid and rains there, sure, but there's beaches and ocean and all sorts of crazy cool . That's the main reason I'm pretty sure he wants to Shaq-out and get his hands into action movies while he's still in good shape.

The biggest part of all of this that irks me is that neither the Lakers or the Clippers have the tools to send to Orlando like the Bulls do. The Bulls are the logical trade partner.

BUT THERE'S SNOW.

[pmoehrin]

At least with Shaq it was a little bit more understandable.

Brian Hill from nearly all accounts was very difficult to play for and I don't think was cut out to be a head coach. The Lakers also gave him more money the Orlando was ever going to and I didn't hear him talk much smack about the Magic until he was a free agent.

He certainly could have handled it better and I think if you pushed him hard enough even Shaq would say he was not a very mature player at that time in his career, but seeing what the Lakers became and what Orlando became its hard to argue he made the wrong decision.

Howard's situation I think is a bit different. He doesn't have the money issue Shaq did. He's been very vocal about wanting out of Orlando while he is still under contract and while Orlando is still a very competitive team.

The only thing I can come up with that makes any sense is that he just doesn't like playing for Stan Van Gundy. I think he's a good coach, but I can see how he could rub people the wrong way, so I could understand it coming from that end, but that still doesn't give you a free pass to do what Howard has done. The media by in large hasn't knocked him too much because he still has alot of good will built up with them and I don't think they want to bad mouth the league's only true dominating center, but he has not handled the situation well at all in my view.

[CS85]

Also can anyone please explain to me just what the hell this adidas contract issue is, and how/why it affects where he gets traded to?

[pmoehrin]

Also can anyone please explain to me just what the hell this adidas contract issue is, and how/why it affects where he gets traded to?

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-12-26/sports/30558134_1_shoe-industry-howard-and-rose-market

I would guess one of those guys would be dropped if they were ever on the same team and my guess is that it would be Howard.

Those are the kinds of things that can happen when you market yourself as a superstar league though. I love the NBA, but I despise how they market the sport.

[Lights Out]

Some people think that if Dwight doesn't get traded, he could ask for a blockbuster endorsement deal from Adidas, and then sign a team-friendly deal in free agency for a team without a lot of cap space (like the Clippers). The line of thinking is that he wouldn't mind taking less money on his NBA contract in order to win, because he could more than recoup the loss through a ginormous endorsement deal.

I don't see this plan as realistic, but in today's NBA, I would not be surprised at all if a player actually does it someday.

[pmoehrin]

Some people think that if Dwight doesn't get traded, he could ask for a blockbuster endorsement deal from Adidas, and then sign a team-friendly deal in free agency for a team without a lot of cap space (like the Clippers). The line of thinking is that he wouldn't mind taking less money on his NBA contract in order to win, because he could more than recoup the loss through a ginormous endorsement deal.

I don't see this plan as realistic, but in today's NBA, I would not be surprised at all if a player actually does it someday.

He's going to get a max deal wherever he goes. The union would flip out if he did what your trying to say as would a bunch of team owners because your basically circumventing the whole idea behind the salary cap. You might as well just throw the whole CBA in the trash in that were to happen, so there's no chance of Dwight Howard signing for anything less then a max deal.

I don't think he's getting traded before the sesaon is over. The Magic are going to be in rebuilding mode next year no matter what. Why not take one last shot at winning title? I don't see them moving him unless they get at least one franchsie player although for Howard they're probably asking for two because there's simply no substitute for what Dwight Howard brings to the floor. You can argue about who the best player is at every other position but center. There's not even a debate there and if anyone thinks anybody but Dwight Howard is the best center in the game today, they don't know what they're talking about.

[WSU151]

I don't know what's going on with Howard.

Why is he so desperate to get out of Orlando in the first place? Its not like he's playing in a bad location or on a bad basketball team. They made the Finals a few years ago and they've consistently been one of the NBA's best teams. Is the atmosphere around Orlando that negative? But you listen to him it sounds like he's playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.

I also don't blame the Magic one bit for not trading him. With him in the lineup this is a team that has a legit shot at the NBA title. This is as good of a chance as they're ever going to have for at least five years after he leaves. Your not going to just give that up to make one guy happy.

I think Howard has just been very immature about how he's handling the situation. If you want to leave in the offseason for whatever reason, go right ahead. But you don't make it public knowledge that you want to be traded if your the best player on a title contending team right in the middle of the season. Period. You have nothing to complain about.

I agree with the vast majority of this. Howard's in a pretty good situation right now and I don't think he really appreciates what he has. He's the star of his team, he's got "legendary" status among the fans, and his supporting cast is full of good shooters/passers.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side...ask Carmelo Anthony.

[pmoehrin]

The grass isn't always greener on the other side...ask Carmelo Anthony.

The Miami Heat are not the first team to ever put three superstars on the same team and fail to win a title.

Its still a team sport no matter how much the NBA and shoe companies wants it to be a one on one game.

What he has with the Magic I think is the best team he's going to get. Maybe he can go somewhere else and have the same talent level, but unless he's going to Chicago he's not topping it.

[The Six]

Odom makes his return to LA tonight. I wonder what the crowd reaction will be. I know he's faced his former team before, but now it's different. We all know the circumstances under which he got traded, so I think there'll be some emotion shown. Hopefully Clippers fans still remember him.

[LeGooo]

Odom makes his return to LA tonight. I wonder what the crowd reaction will be. I know he's faced his former team before, but now it's different. We all know the circumstances under which he got traded, so I think there'll be some emotion shown. Hopefully Clippers fans still remember him.

Uhh...