2013-2014 NBA Thread - IND @ WAS and OKC @ LAC on ESPN

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So Dwight Howard with this terrible diet is still one of the best athletes in the league....

So who cares what he eats, obviously it works.  I've never seen anyone say, damn Dwight is looking slow, sluggish, out of shape, ect
 
So Dwight Howard with this terrible diet is still one of the best athletes in the league....


So who cares what he eats, obviously it works.  I've never seen anyone say, damn Dwight is looking slow, sluggish, out of shape, ect

right, but imagine the effects having a good diet could produce :lol:
 
So Dwight Howard with this terrible diet is still one of the best athletes in the league....


So who cares what he eats, obviously it works.  I've never seen anyone say, damn Dwight is looking slow, sluggish, out of shape, ect

right, but imagine the effects having a good diet could produce :lol:

My sister saw him at that Richmond (?) theater when Hunger Games came out. Dude had a whole box of pizza, chili dogs, and a Lamar Odom cache of candy :lol:
 
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wow
 This week, CBSSports.com's three-part series on nutrition in the NBA will explore players from Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose to Blake Griffin and Ray Allen who've adopted similar nutritional approaches to achieve a variety of goals.

When Dr. Cate Shanahan was introduced to Dwight Howard last season, the All-Star center was having a miserable season with the Lakers and going down a terrible path with his diet. Shanahan couldn't have found a more high-profile test case for her beliefs. If food can improve or damage your genetic code, as her research had shown, then why couldn't it have the same impact on athletic performance?

With Howard, the intervention began where it does with most athletes (and non-athletes, for that matter) who need to change their diets. It began with sugar. It turned out that Howard was consuming the equivalent of 24 Hershey bars a day in the form of candy and soda -- not to mention the additional sugar his body was making out of all the empty starches he was eating.

"We knew Dwight had a sugar-intake issue," said Luke Shanahan. "We just didn't know how bad it was."

It was bad. At Cate Shanahan's request, Howard had undergone a blood screening that revealed a frighteningly pathological profile. His glucose readings were through the roof, much higher than they should have been for a ripped, 27-year-old professional athlete who used to call himself Superman.

The Lakers arranged for Shanahan to meet with Howard, his personal assistants and chef. It wasn't unlike the kind of sitdown you might have with a loved one who's going down an unhealthy path.

"It was absolutely like a family intervention," Cate Shanahan said.

Howard was struggling to return to form after back surgery the previous spring, and was wrestling with the enormous pressure of whether to re-sign with the Lakers as a free agent. Cate Shanahan believed his performance and recovery were being seriously compromised by his poor diet. She saw the telltale signs of sugar addiction -- spikes in energy followed by crashes and erratic motor skills that were indicative of nerves misfiring.

"I said, 'I can't live this way because it's not healthy to have this high level of sugar in me,' " Howard said. "I just made a commitment."

Like an addict, Howard had candy and sugary drinks stashed everywhere -- from his kitchen cabinets to a drawer next to his bed to the backpack he toted to games and practices. He agreed to get rid of it all and start over.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/24370416
Good read....Lakers are winning
 
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just curious....

what would happen if a player ran onto the court to celebrate while a play was going on. like when curry hit the game winning jumper and one of his teammates were to come out and celebrate? what if a mavs player just ran right into him and fell? would that be obstruction and a technical? i know jason kidd dribbled into mike woodson and got the call.
 
just curious....

what would happen if a player ran onto the court to celebrate while a play was going on. like when curry hit the game winning jumper and one of his teammates were to come out and celebrate? what if a mavs player just ran right into him and fell? would that be obstruction and a technical? i know jason kidd dribbled into mike woodson and got the call.
probably a technical also. kind of like how coaches keep the players on the bench during a scuffle

would have been funny had calderon made that half court shot when curry went for a chest bump thinking they were going to call a time out
 
just curious....

what would happen if a player ran onto the court to celebrate while a play was going on. like when curry hit the game winning jumper and one of his teammates were to come out and celebrate? what if a mavs player just ran right into him and fell? would that be obstruction and a technical? i know jason kidd dribbled into mike woodson and got the call.

Was wondering this too when I saw Nedovic chest bumping Steph after the shot. Thought they called a timeout or something. :rolleyes
 
So Dwight Howard with this terrible diet is still one of the best athletes in the league....


So who cares what he eats, obviously it works.  I've never seen anyone say, damn Dwight is looking slow, sluggish, out of shape, ect

He could be better if he cleaned up his diet. No joke.
 
watching the bulls/knicks gm
is the knicks best player tyson chandler? are knicks that bad without him?
bulls have zero offense without rose. even with him, it's so heavy reliant on him.

with that said, both teams will make the playoffs in the east :lol:
 
 
So Dwight Howard with this terrible diet is still one of the best athletes in the league....


So who cares what he eats, obviously it works.  I've never seen anyone say, damn Dwight is looking slow, sluggish, out of shape, ect
He could be better if he cleaned up his diet. No joke.
How though?  His deficiecies are related to skill level not energy/athleticism level
 
Who's in line for East All-Star nod?

The voting results of the first round of the NBA's popularity contest -- err, the All-Star Game fan vote -- drop on Thursday, so if you haven't given 10 shout-outs to your favorite player on Instagram, better get on that. Every hashtag counts.

Given how horrible the Eastern Conference has been this season -- its interconference record of 32-77 (.293) remains the lowest since the NBA/ABA merger -- some have half-seriously argued that there shouldn't be an Eastern Conference squad at all. There's some truth to the enormous talent gap. So far, just seven East players rank in the top 20 on the estimated wins added (EWA) leaderboard.

Alas, there will be an East squad after all. The single most popular question I received in my weekly chat on Monday was some version of "Is [insert East Player here] an All-Star this season?" Perhaps an All-Star appearance provides some solace for fan bases "cheering" on teams in the tank.

So who has earned an East spot so far?

Judging from their 2013-14 production up to this point, here are my picks for the starters, reserves and some names to watch as the All-Star Game approaches. These aren't lifetime achievement awards, so there's little regard for career performance.

I'm abiding by the league's rules to pick three frontcourt players along with two backcourt players. I'll also follow the rules by filling out the rest of the roster with seven players of my choice, regardless of position. Remember, fans select the starters and the rest of the reserves are named by the Eastern Conference coaches.

On with the names ...

BACKCOURT ALL-STARS
Starters

Wall
John Wall, Washington Wizards
With Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo out with knee injuries, Wall gets the nod somewhat by default, but he probably deserves an All-Star bid anyway. His shiny new 3-point shot has vaulted his speedy game to a 20.9 player efficiency rating, which leads all East point guards. And then there's this: According to NBA.com, the Wizards are a preposterous 29.7 points per 100 possessions better with Wall on the floor than with him on the bench. All-Star starter and a franchise savior.


Afflalo
Arron Afflalo, Orlando Magic
"Spellcheck" could be warming this seat for incumbent starter Dwyane Wade, but the Orlando 2-guard's production has been absolutely stellar so far this season. Put it this way: Wade and Afflalo have nearly identical PERs but Afflalo has sustained that level for 300 more minutes than Wade. That's no small thing. Afflalo's scoring 21.6 points per game thanks to lights-out shooting from deep (43.6 percent) along with a career-high 18.9 percent assist rate. Unlike Wade, Afflalo's a super conservative defender, but his body of work has been more impressive than Wade's. Wade will almost certainly start, but if this was based on merit, Afflalo could be going to New Orleans as a starter.

Reserves

Wade
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
A lesser Wade is still better than most. For the first time since his rookie season, Wade's on target to finish beneath the 20 points per game threshold. Wade's actually averaging more minutes than he did in 2011-12, when he put up 22.1 points per game, but he just hasn't been getting nearly enough to the line with his more conservative approach, and his turnover rate has skyrocketed. Chew on this stat: Wade has played just 539 minutes so far, which is almost equal to the time he's sat on the Heat bench (517 minutes).


Teague
Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks
For a while, Teague might have been the favorite to start over Wall, but after a scorching start, Teague's fallen back to Earth a bit over the last couple of weeks. The key here is that Teague has finally figured out how to draw fouls -- an essential ingredient to stardom -- as he's averaging twice as many trips to the line as he did last season (6.0 vs. 2.8). Teague has continued to pick up the playmaking void left by the departures of Josh Smith and Joe Johnson; the 25-year-old owns the fifth-highest assist rate in the league.

Names to watch

Carter-Williams
Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
There were questions whether he could ever be an All-Star in this league, much less in his rookie season. Though the Sixers' up-tempo playing style has inflated his numbers a tad, it's still ridiculous that he's averaging 17.7 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds already. Furthermore, his 4.1 percent steal rate (estimated number of opponent possessions stolen while on the floor) is currently the highest for any player in more than 15 years (Brevin Knight in 1997-98). Get that knee infection taken care of.


Irving
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
You could make an argument that Irving's career has gone backwards since his hyper-efficient rookie season. He could play himself into a spot simply because the competition is shallower than a street puddle, but we need to see more games like Tuesday's against the Knicks (37 points and 11 assists). Only problem: He doesn't play the Knicks again before the voting closes on Jan. 20. With a 49.4 percent true shooting percentage, he's more of a chucker than a floor leader this season. And that needs to change.


Crawford
Jordan Crawford, Boston Celtics
Don't laugh. No, there's no rule that requires a division leader to have an All-Star representative, but Crawford might not need it. Crawford always has been a better passer than his reputation dictated, but no one saw this coming. Crawford has notched as many 10-assist games this season as Jose Calderon, Damian Lillard, Eric Bledsoe and George Hill combined (three). All told, Crawford owns the fourth-highest PER among East guards. Brad Stevens, miracle worker.

FRONTCOURT ALL-STARS
Starters

George
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
Three seasons ago, George came off the bench for Indiana. Two seasons ago, he became the full-time starter. Last season, he was named to his first All-Star Game. This season, he'll likely become an All-Star starter at age 23. Quite the trajectory. His numbers outside the scoring column have tumbled a bit, but a 60 true shooting percentage coupled with a 28.8 percent usage rate is Kevin Durant-esque. High volume, high efficiency.


James
LeBron James, Miami Heat
James has shot league average from the floor in 20 of his 22 games this season and hasn't missed more than 10 shots in a game all season. For perspective, Durant misses 10 shots per game on average. James will continue his ridiculous consistency with his 10th straight start in the All-Star game. And just for kicks, he could be starting at center. That is, if the guy below doesn't grab a spot like he snatches lobs from outer space.


Drummond
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
Drummond probably will get some love for Most Improved Player this season, but in reality his per-minute numbers are nearly identical to his rookie season. The difference? He's finally getting the run he deserves. He tops every East center in EWA, and he paces the league in field goal percentage as well as jaw-drop percentage. Start the "Big Penguin" in the Big Easy.

Reserves

Anthony
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
You wouldn't know it by the Knicks' turmoil, but Anthony is enjoying his second-best PER of his career. Sharing the frontcourt with Andrea Bargnani hasn't done much for Anthony's scoring, but Bargnani has had a wonderful effect on Anthony's rebounding numbers much in the same way it did for Chris Bosh back in Toronto. Anthony's averaging a career-high 9.6 rebounds per game, but his biggest rebound still has yet to come: getting the Knicks back into the playoffs.


Bosh
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
Bosh is putting up career lows across the board on a per-game level, but that's not his fault. He's sat out six fourth-quarters this season due to the Heat blowing out their opponents. Bosh has successfully added a 3-point shot to his arsenal and continues to be one of the slickest shooting big men in the game. He'll never get the credit he deserves defensively, but he's a big reason why the Heat have the sixth-best defense in the land. Like Wade, Bosh's lack of minutes put a dent in his résumé, but he's still a two-way All-Star nonetheless.


Lopez
Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets
Meet the most productive big man in the league. An ankle injury knocked Lopez out of seven games recently, but the 7-footer has been brilliant when he's on the floor. He's the gold standard on the block these days, averaging 1.2 points per post-up play, second to only James. You know what's sneaky good? Lopez's defense. SportVU stat: He's held opponents to just 40.2 percent shooting at the rim when he's defending the basket, which is on par with Roy Hibbert. Rebounds would be nice, but that's nitpicking a great all-around season; he's threatening James for the top PER in the league.


Hibbert
Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
Hibbert would be an All-Star starter purely based on his work against the defending champs. Since last May, Hibbert shoots 57 percent from the floor with a 23.8 PER against the Miami Heat, but those numbers slide to 48 percent and 18.8 respectively against everyone else. Considering his top-notch defense, you could make an argument he should be the starter over Drummond, but the tiebreaker goes to the 20-year-old for entertainment purposes.


Horford
Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks
After a two-year absence, Horford should find his way back into the All-Star Game this season. Horford has made music in the paint playing off of Paul Millsap, posting careerhighs in points per minute and blocks per minute. Armed with an automatic midrange jumper and a sharp enough handle to survive as a wing, Horford brings as much skill to the table as any big in the game. Just wish he could play at the 4 where he belonged.

Names to watch

West
David West, Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have never sent three players to the All-Star Game in franchise history, but that drought could end this season if the Eastern Conference coaches feel so inclined. West's efficiency numbers have taken a dip this season, but like Anthony, he still remains one of the most productive guys at his position. Underappreciated: West's passing game. He dishes out more dimes per minute than both his Indy teammates Paul George and C.J. Watson.


Millsap
Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks
If you're a regular viewer of our TrueHoopTV Live program, you already know I'm the president of the fake Paul Millsap fan club. Most folks assumed that the Hawks would take a step back this season after Josh Smith left for Detroit, but Millsap has picked up the slack and then some. He's slumped at the free throw line, but he's a delightfully skilled big man who can just about do everything on the floor. Little known secret: Millsap has the top PER among East power forwards.
 
^^^ The East all star team should be comprised entirely of members of the Pacers and Heat. Serious.
 
He also has slowed down physically.

And don't underestimate the overall impact of diet on an athlete's career.  Steve Nash made himself into an MVP when he was supposed to be declining, basically by radically changing his approach to nutrition.
 
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