the lakers have just pooped their big-boy pants: 2012-2013 NBA regular season thread (part 2)

@blazersedge Rockets GM Daryl Morey, in letter to White, says White apologized for misleading Rockets about his fear of flying prior to 2012 NBA Draft

@blazersedge In HBO interview, Rockets' Royce White says he would be "risking my life" by playing w/o mental health protocol http://t.co/sdFp7iYx

FWIW it's totally worth listening to that Hang Up and Listen episode w/ Royce. First and only time the whole situation seemed more like a dilemma for both sides rather than a WTFfest. Royce also comes off very wkiw/likable.

Kinda immaterial to the TMac/PG stuff, but am I the only one who thinks that years-on-job mean more than age as far as player growth/development? Like, I imagine that high school -> pros guys like Kobe, TMac, Garnett, etc., could only make the jump because, generally, they matured physically a year or two younger than other kids, so it's kind of a wash? IE, the only time age really enters into the discussion is if a player is like 35+, where it's not a question of body development but more just of normal human deterioration. Just seems like actual NBA game reps / seasons being in NBA locker-rooms make a muuuuuch more dramatic difference as far as learning/growing someone's game compared to age difference.

Either way, always liked McGrady, and will pull for the Qingdao Eagles if they find themselves in the finals against Beijing. 祝你好运老鹰！对不起落后∞n，但保罗 - 乔治将优于麦蒂。

― ヽ（´ー｀）┌ (CompuPost), Saturday, January 19, 2013 3:37 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

no man the older someone is the less likely they are to get dramatically better. there are exceptions but they are very much exceptions rather than the rule

(audio is better, but there's a transcript if you scroll down here)

poor lou will :-(

xp totally, but that drop-off doesn't start happening until you're in your mid/late 20s. Not to belabor it, but it seems more appropriate, esp. if it's early career-wise, to compare via years in the league (eg comparing their outputs in 1st year / 2nd year / 3rd year) rather via age (comparing at 19-yrs-old, 20-yrs-old, 21-yrs-old). The general point being that years-in-league mean way more, esp. from a comparative view, than general age.

hmmm best passing big man in the NBA?

conventional wisdom is marc gasol iirc?

poor lou will :-(

yeah i'm bummed. fully support the hawks dumping smith and tanking for a good pick.

What about Boris Diaw and Pau (at his best)?

Marc is better than Pau at passing imo. Put Marc in the triangle and you'd see awesome stuff.

lebron is prob the best passing big man tho ;)

Marc is probably more effective on the whole but I think Pau has the lighter touch.

Yeah was kinda skirting around the whole Lebron thing. I mean dude generates so much power from just flicking his wrists that a comparison almost seems unfair.

bulls have been basically running their offense through noah this year, i dont think he has marcs touch or creativity but hes been racking up the assists

lol the rockets announcers are turning on harden

harden could really use a day off tbf

it sorta oddly does feel like he plays every day?

yet it does not feel like the rockets play every day.

i can't reconcile this fwiw.

feels like he's trying to justify his max contract every night

maybe hes on more than one team has anyone looked into this

ya he dominates the ball a lil too much imho needs to learn how to pick his spots better, hell figure it out

well nah he's just not feeling it this week, everyone has slumps. i think hou's played 4 games in 5 days or something

even before that tho he was leading the whole damn nba in turnovers

when ive watched him i was surprised he could be as effective as he has been w how dribbley he is, not that he hasnt been great but he could be better w less dribbling

just like taking step back threes theres no need for that

also would be nice to play some defense

kobes really getting the hang of this whole tweeting thing

http://i.imgur.com/8xnZVIA.png

haha

matt's totally rooting against harden

griz 85 bulls 82 OT lol

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/6833737/8397545394_d6668ecb05_o.0_standard_730.0.gif

perfect

An MRI and examination today by Dr. Michael Bernot at Peachtree Orthopedics in Atlanta revealed a tear to Lou Williams' anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

"We are extremely disappointed for Lou and our thoughts and support will be with him during his recovery," said President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Danny Ferry. "He has been a complete professional in every sense of the word and know that approach, along with his work ethic, will serve him well in his rehabilitation."

Williams will now undergo a period of rest before having surgery to repair the injury at a date to be determined. He will miss the remainder of the season and a timetable for his recovery will be announced following surgery.

):

Alvin Gentry ‏@AlvinGentry
ok i'm already bored!!! Need some suggestions as to what to do to fill the day. Lets hear some good ones

secretly coach the suns via earpiece into dragic

call dantoni every day to tell him you're taking over the lakers in 2015

feel bad for lou as i kind of liked that hawks team and also another season-ending injury on my last-place fantasy team, lol

josh smith sweepstakes officially open!

griffin airflop is nice but to be fair i'd probably start falling back if nene was about to elbow me in the grill

ilh twitterers should tweet everything at kobe

ha! i love dogs!

really want to see josh smith end up somewhere like san antonio. any place with a hardass coach and good vets that doesn't need much offense from him. i'm to the point where i'd like to see somebody get the full potential out of him which really just requires stopping him from doing so much stupid shit. he's a great passer, finisher and help defender. he could be really effective in the right place.

in fact he reminds me a lot of diaw who was clearly in the wrong place when he was with the hawks. some dudes just need a more rigorous system i guess?

Boris plays when Boris wants

really want to see josh smith end up somewhere like san antonio. any place with a hardass coach and good vets that doesn't need much offense from him. i'm to the point where i'd like to see somebody get the full potential out of him which really just requires stopping him from doing so much stupid shit. he's a great passer, finisher and help defender. he could be really effective in the right place.

― Moreno, Sunday, January 20, 2013 11:08 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OTM. Obviously not the same player as people like ZBo or David West, but like them w/ Blazers and Hornets, Smith deserves a shot w/ a good/great team before he starts hitting the career twilight phase. Always kinda depressing seeing a dude wasting his best years like Smith is in ATL.

Heh thought the Hawks had been MOR 1st Round losers for the last 4-6 years. Quick Wikicheck says that they haven't sniffed Conference finals since the '60s. Guess I thought maybe some of those Nique teams did pretty well.

Smith always cracks me up a bit since he doesn't look like he'd be 1/2 as athletic as he actually is.

thunder at nugs 2nite alert

dont think im gonna want to watch that after 7 hours of football but should be p tite nonetheless

the 2012-2013 lakers sleepwalk through a game in toronto that started at like 9 am pacific? i'm absolutely shocked

solid 10-32 for kobe today