The Republic of Sport

Noam129

Noam129's Comments

Posted Friday April 17, 2009, About: Bulls not buying Garnett's absence

Sure, he went off for 22 points. I won't devalue that. I watched the game. I never said he wasn't a great energy player, a guy who can get hot off the bench. But, I have serious doubts about whether he can get 10-14pts consistently for a series in a starting role. Him or Davis. And I think that's going to hurt the Celtics. The Bulls have an athletic front court that will be able to match the energy Powe brings. And they didn't have any scoring in the paint because KG drew defenses, and then Allen and Pierce got outside shots. It was a threat in the paint that mattered. No KG, no threat.

Any GM who pays Glen "Big Baby" Davis $5 million a year is quite stupid, in my opinion. I'd much rather have Tyrus Thomas or Noah on my team. But that's just me.

Posted Friday April 17, 2009, About: Vince backs Nets coach

I stand by my earlier assertion that the Nets should not fire Frank. That roster has been under construction and in turmoil for the past year and a half. It's not fair to take it out on a coach. I think the Nets would be better off setting some consistency in the locker room. If you can't have a steady roster, at least have a steady hand leading it.

Posted Friday April 17, 2009, About: Bulls not buying Garnett's absence

I like Powe, but I don't think he can be an effective starting PF in the playoffs. He's an energy guy, but he just doesn't have the scoring skills needed to make him a threat, and, ergo, draw defenses off of Allen and Pierce.

Posted Friday April 17, 2009, About: Bulls not buying Garnett's absence

The problem is that the Celtics aren't that deep in the frontcourt. Let's be honest here: Big Baby is terrible, Powe is undersized for the 4, and Moore, well, Moore isn't that great. Perkins isn't a scorer, either. Where do the points come from in the paint? If Pierce and Allen can score enough to offset, then the Celtic will easily move on. But, if Chicago pins those two down on the perimeter and dares inside shots, the Celtics are going to have some difficulty. Garnett is the anchor of that team in that he uses the inside-outside offense. Shots are going to be harder to come by. I can't see the Bulls winning, but I see a long series for the Celtics.

Posted Friday April 17, 2009, About: Marion likely leaving Raptors

Marion... the league's greatest mystery. Will you get 20pts-10rbs-2stls or will you get 12pts-7rbs-1stls? Are teams going to take the risk of getting the latter for max money when they sign Marion? I don't think so. A running team will pick him up, but not for his price. And Europe is about name recognition, so I don't think Marion's chances of getting a great contract there are that great either.

Posted Friday April 17, 2009, About: Curry to try Motown diet

Bingo. Absolutely correct. There's no way he's going to lose that much weight.

Posted Friday April 17, 2009, About: Curry to try Motown diet

I can't believe you guys are believing this. First off, Curry is not going to lose weight because there is no incentive for him to do so. He's not working for a contract or anything, and he doesn't care about playing, or else he'd play with more heart on the floor. Secondly, even if he does lose weight, he's not going to play with anymore energy. When you don't jump for rebounds or even make a pretense of playing defense, it doesn't matter if you are 320 or 270.

D'Antoni's quote at the end of the article summed it up. Don't bet your mortgage on it.

Posted Friday April 17, 2009, About: Why Hornets won't trade for Shaq

Well, duh. There's no way that the Hornets would give up Peja and Chandler just for a one year Shaq rental, even in a salary dump. They need w's now to appease the fan base.

Posted Tuesday April 14, 2009, About: Did LeBron anger Boston media?

Someone is a bit grumpy this morning... C'mon, man. That's uncalled for. Argue your point, but don't insult people. It's a victory dance. You're insulting people over a victory dance in a meaningless game.

Posted Tuesday April 14, 2009, About: Did LeBron anger Boston media?

I tend to think teaching players to clothesline is a little worse than doing a bit of show-boating at the end of a huge victory. Telling players to tackle James on purpose with the intent to harm is just wrong. Sorry. End of discussion. If you want to talk about unsportsmanlike conduct, that would be it, right there. Injuring another player and possibly starting a brawl is not basketball.

I would have agreed with you that the dance was uncalled for, but the arrogance and hubris of Boston fans in this situation isn't garnering much sympathy. Don't call for fines and then call for vengeance.

Posted Tuesday April 14, 2009, About: Nuggets' top offseason priority is...

After hearing interviews with Chris Anderson, I have to believe that his heart is in the right place now. The energy he plays with has impacted this Nuggets team, and almost 3 blocks a game in about 20 minutes a game is simply incredible. I would re-sign him. He's 29, but he doesn't have a lot of mileage b/c of the expulsion and low minutes throughout his career.

Posted Tuesday April 14, 2009, About: Watson wants out of OKC

A lot of teams would love a relatively effective back-up point guard with an expiring contract, actually. Unlike most of those expiring contracts, Watson can still have an impact on a team either pushing for the playoffs or competing in them next season.

Posted Tuesday April 14, 2009, About: GM: No decision on Nets coach

Yeah, but like most other coach firings, the roster got absolutely demolished. Thorn traded Richard Jefferson for packing materials, and although they got Harris in the Kidd deal, traded away solid rotation guys like Antoine Wright. In his tenure, the Nets went from having three stars in Kidd-Carter-Jefferson, to having one aging scorer and one star in Harris. I'm always against firing coaches that are doing badly because the GM destroyed the team, and I think Frank fits in that category. If you look at what he's done with that roster, getting Harris to improve like he has, Carter to take what resembles a leadership role, and Lopez to realize that he has the skills to be effective in this league is no small feat.

Posted Tuesday April 14, 2009, About: Stephen Jackson: Warriors to make changes

Defense is an issue here, obviously, because it isn't present. The problem is that I don't see Ellis as a natural point. He's more of an undersized 2. Nelson listed "passing" as a problem with that team. Starting Ellis at PG is not going to help that; he has one goal when he comes onto the court, and that is to drive to the basket with all due speed. He's like Barbosa with a mid-range jumpshot, and Barbosa can't be effective at PG, either. I think the Warriors need to move Ellis to SG and Jackson to the 3. Then, acquire a point guard who prefers passing over scoring.

Posted Thursday February 05, 2009, About: Magic shying away from Marbury

I agree. LeBron had a much better outing at the Garden, and that was with the Knicks expecting him to want to out-play Kobe Bryant. The Knicks threw everything they had at him, and he still gets a triple double with 52 points. Simply amazing.

Posted Thursday February 05, 2009, About: Bucks-Magic talking trade

Milwaukee may be hesitant to give up Sessions. They really like some of the things he does off the bench for them as far as running the offense. Lue, however, is completely expendable. If I'm Orlando, I'm inquiring about Ridnour. He's a starting guard who Milwaukee (whose season is probably finished) would be willing to part with.

Posted Thursday February 05, 2009, About: Nash pondering Suns future

Guam, you seem to forget that Nash had at least four great seasons with the Suns when Cuban was predicting that he was going to go on the downside of his career the minute he left Dallas. Cuban was wrong.

So, Cuban was right that Nash would eventually falter because of age. Kudos to him. I wish I could be celebrated for "predicting" the obvious...

Posted Tuesday February 03, 2009, About: Cavs to sign Johnson

Hey, he was a decent 6th man with the Bulls and Clips. Pure shooter. Couldn't do anything else, though.

Posted Tuesday February 03, 2009, About: Why Magic may deal for PG

They can have "Magic Dragic" from Phoenix. We'll trade him for a third round pick in 2045 or something. "Cash Considerations?" We'll take a few dollars for him.

Posted Tuesday February 03, 2009, About: Cavs to sign Johnson

Watched him play in some of the Suns pre-season games. I felt that the Suns should have signed him for their 14th spot. He's a great shooter that can spot up in corners, or pull up on the break to hit 3s. Not a great player, but a sort of Eric Piatkowski player that can come in if players are injured and have an impact on the game.

Posted Tuesday February 03, 2009, About: Suns owner still believes

As a Suns fan, I hate Robert Sarver with a passion. If not for his cheapness, we would have kept Rondo and Rodriguez, and not traded away our best big man defender (Kurt Thomas) and TWO 1st Round picks to Oklahoma for one lousy trade exemption.

He is one of the worst owners in the league. He inherited a great team with potential, but sold some many draft picks to teams like Portland that the potential never refreshed itself. That, my friends, is why Steve Nash still plays as many minutes as he does. He could have had Rondo backing him up... We had Rodriguez and Deng, too. AARGH!