Official NBA 2012-2013 Season Thread

[do be doo]

iN SPURS related news...

Jeff McDonald ‏@JMcDonald_SAEN Tim Duncan (left knee soreness) out again tonight vs Cats. DeJuan Blair also out with a right knee effusion.

Jeff McDonald ‏@JMcDonald_SAEN DeJuan Blair has fluid and swelling on his knee, is what that means apparently.

 

[freeze]

 

[akajae]

It's funny cause the lakers fans are slurping this new "assist" Kobe

Magic Bryant

Kobe Johnson

#324




Sad.

Only tools him to the latter end of his career to pass the ******g ball.

see its that bs right there. laker fans cant kid or joke without a hater like you taking things too seriously.

smh if you honestly believe laker fans actually think hes magic

QFT.


homie said sad.

Should've took some of your own advice in those NFL threads

 

[pmatic]

Rising Stars Challenge:

Sophomores: Irving, Faried, Knight, Kawhi, Parsons, Klay, Tristan, Vucevic, Kemba.

Rookies: Davis, Lillard, Barnes, Beal, Drummond, MKG, Shved, Waiters, Zeller.

 

[big j 33]

I love Klosterman's writing and it was a very good interview.

Some highlights

It is not that Royce White thinks he has a unique problem. It's more that Royce White believes society has made everyone slightly insane. And this helps and hurts his argument at the same time.

White's language is intense and discursive. Though usually well delivered, his statements toggle between progressive common sense and difficult-to-decipher, contradictory aphorisms. For example: The crux of White's demand to the Rockets is that he needs his own personal doctor to decide whether he's in the right mental frame of mind to play a game or attend practice. That seems reasonable — until you consider what would happen if all 400-plus players in the NBA made the same request (for both mental and physical ailments). It would reinvent the power dynamic, effectively allowing players to dictate when they were healthy enough to participate.

But White doesn't see it like that.

Except that he does.

On White being "normal" and "just dealing" with his issues 

Part of what makes White so baffling (and, to his detractors, so infuriating) is the degree to which he seems totally normal. He concedes this is part of the problem, perception-wise; he says he's thought about his condition so much that he can now control it, most of the time. But that control makes it difficult for him to illustrate how he's different from any normal person who tends to get more nervous than necessary. For instance, it's not that White cannot bear to step on an airplane; he's taken dozens and dozens of flights throughout his short career, including one to Italy to play an exhibition for Iowa State. He just deeply hates the experience of flying (and says that he's racked with anxiety for several hours before takeoff, which is worse than the flight itself). White also hates driving and constantly scans the road for "threats," but that doesn't mean hecan't  drive (in the Real Sports  segment, we see him calmly operating a vehicle with only one hand on the wheel). When I speak with him at the Cheesecake Factory, he seems more composed than many other celebrities and athletes I've interviewed in the past. But this, he insists, proves nothing except the complexity of his dilemma. "Everything is tied to my mental illness," he tells me. "It's like when you have arthritis: Even when you're not hurting, you're worried about when you will hurt next. It's always related."

An interesting excerpt concerning his rare situation to be an NBA player

[h1]CK: So what would you have done if, upon drafting you, the Rockets had said this: "Look — this is going to be hard for you. It might, in fact, be detrimental. But that is just part of competing at this sport at this level."[/h1]
RW: You can't do that, though. You can't discriminate against somebody, because that's ADA[sup]6[/sup]  law. People say I'm getting special treatment, but it's the NBA who wants special treatment. They want to say they're this rarefied profession where laws don't apply. But ADA law is federal. I've always said the NBA should have a mental health policy. I didn't know they didn't have one, until I got drafted

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. In the coming weeks, we shall all see where Royce White fits into that continuum, or if he fits there at all.

This is where I stopped reading. This guy cant be serious.

Except that's not where the article ends, so that's unfair to the author and subject.

 

[Deleted member 38182]

My opinion: I still would like to slap Royce White's entitled self in the face.

Him complaining about the number of folks with mental illness is like hearing how 99% of college students has learning disabilities.

 

[antidope]

Its not fair to the author yes, but certainly not the subject. I have heard and read more than my fair share of this guys antics and for him to make such an asinine statement is an insult to me. I dont want to hear this guy try and deflect any longer.

I just read that excerpt that you posted. See thats an intelligent response. Thats what someone who is trying to defend himself should be saying. The comment that I posted and his follow up to it was absolute nonsense. I will read the rest in hopes that it sounds like what you just posted.

Just finished reading it. I am impressed and honestly starting to come back around on the guy.

 

[grandtheftbike]

Rising Stars Challenge:

Sophomores: Irving, Faried, Knight, Kawhi, Parsons, Klay, Tristan, Vucevic, Kemba.

Rookies: Davis, Lillard, Barnes, Beal, Drummond, MKG, Shved, Waiters, Zeller.

will it be rookies vs sophomores? or are they gonna draft them from a pool like last year :x ?

 

[alleniversonfan01]

Rising Stars Challenge:

Sophomores: Irving, Faried, Knight, Kawhi, Parsons, Klay, Tristan, Vucevic, Kemba.

Rookies: Davis, Lillard, Barnes, Beal, Drummond, MKG, Shved, Waiters, Zeller.

will it be rookies vs sophomores? or are they gonna draft them from a pool like last year :x ?

You didnt like the pool? I like the idea. I kinda want them to try it with the actual ASG. Its a nice little twist to the game.

 

[big j 33]

The Nets just released this picture

 

[licensed to ball]

LMAO @ that nets picture. Please tell me they did not officially release that

 

[ray mulla]

lmaoo at the Nets

 

[mmg]

Really hope that isn't real

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Would Lakers fans rather miss the playoffs or get swept in the first round?

Lol.

 

[bhzmafia14]

From ESPN Insider:

"One of the hardest things to measure in basketball is individual perimeter defense. Measuring interior defense is no picnic either, but in general, high shot-block and defensive rebound rates correlate to good overall team efficiency when it comes to preventing points. Teams with good defensive big men tend to be good overall on defense, and teams that lack a defensive anchor tend to give up a lot of points -- not always, but most of the time.

It's not nearly as cut and dry when it comes to the point guards and wing players around the league. Coaching philosophies play a large part in perimeter defense, as does the quality of a team's big men. If you have Dwight Howard playing behind you, you should be able to be more aggressive out on the floor and cut down on open looks. That's theoretical, as this season's Los Angeles Lakers have managed to play bad defense even with Howard manning the middle.

In an effort to rank the best perimeter defenders in the league, I've created a system that incorporates results from some of these various systems.

From Synergy Sports Technology, I generated reports in overall points per play allowed as well as for isolation plays defended and points allowed on those isos. That accounts for three of the six factors. From 82games.com, I used team reports on PER allowed by position for factor No. 4. For No. 5, I used Jeremias Engelmann's regularized adjusted plus-minus (RAPM). And from my system, I added together percentages in blocks and steals, which is often correlated to good individual defense.

I also used lineup analysis from my system to identify which spots players have occupied this season. A player must have logged at least 400 minutes this season and played one of the three perimeter spots at least 30 percent of the time. That's a little tricky because of combo forwards like Josh Smith and LeBron James, but I ultimately attempted to be more inclusive than not. There are 172 players who qualified for the rankings.

The isolation data is particularly telling for a couple of reasons. First, when you think of the term "stopper," you have an image of a guy facing up with someone like Carmelo Anthony on the wing and digging in while Melo jab steps and head fakes before settling for a fadeaway jumper that clangs off the back of the rim. This is the stopper's job, and the essence of individual defense.

More than that, you can tell a lot by how often a player is isolated on defense. If a guy can't play defense, teams will find a way to go at him. You have to be careful, because sometimes teams are very good at hiding poor defenders, who aren't left to fend for themselves often. The final formula is a weighted average of the rankings in the six factors. The plus-minus data is weighted the most heavily, followed by the Synergy data and steal-plus-block percentage.

Here are this season's top 10 perimeter defenders:

1. Josh Smith | Average rank: 17.94
Smith is certainly athletic enough to guard any position on the floor, though it's questionable whether he is a true perimeter stopper because of the amount of time he spends at power forward and guarding the rim. According to my system, he has played 33 percent of his minutes at small forward this season. He ranks sixth on a per-possession basis against isolations and second in steal-plus-block percentage. Smith is just a really good defensive player, which hasn't always been the case during his career.

2. Andre Iguodala | 21.31
This ranking is true to Iguodala's reputation, as he is a big part of Denver's improved perimeter defense. Iguodala always draws the opponent's top perimeter scorer in crunch time, so he gets isolated fairly frequently. He ranks seventh in points per play allowed against isos, and fourth overall, so it's never a winning strategy to go at Iggy. He leads the league in RAPM.

3. Mike Conley | 22.88
The Grizzlies are one of the top defensive teams in the league, and it starts with Conley's ability to delay opposing point guards from getting into their half-court sets and his thievery in the passing lanes. Playing alongside Tony Allen, who also made the top 10, doesn't hurt. Teams haven't been shy about isolating Conley, but he has held up well in those situations.

4. Marquis Daniels | 26.44
Daniels has never rated very high by advanced metrics, but this shows why he keeps finding work in the NBA. He is first in points per isolation allowed in our group, first overall in points per play allowed and 19th in RAPM.


5. Tony Allen | 31.00
Allen earned first team All-Defensive honors last season, so his defensive reputation is considerable. These rankings show just how good the Memphis backcourt is on the defensive end. Allen is third in RAPM. His rating is actually dragged down by his No. 99 ranking in what I've termed "defensive isolation usage." Teams have isolated Allen on an average of 12.1 out of every 100 possessions he's been on the court. That simply speaks to the quality of defensive assignments Allen draws from Lionel Hollins.

6. Dwyane Wade | 34.50
Wade doesn't have a great reputation for individual defense, and true enough, he ranks just 50th in points per play against isolations. He is sixth overall in PPP and may benefit from always drawing the least crucial defensive assignment when he plays alongside LeBron James and Mario Chalmers. That allows Wade to roam free to collect steals and blocks and save his energy for the offensive end.

7. Luc Mbah a Moute | 34.69
The top perimeter defense belongs to the Bucks, so it's fitting that they land a pair of defenders in the top 10. Mbah a Moute is an old school defensive specialist in the mold of Bruce Bowen. Like Smith, he plays a fair amount of time at the 4, and some of his numbers have been compiled in the paint. However, he has played more than half his minutes at the 3 and is one of the few players in the league who can legitimately guard four, maybe even five, positions.

8. Vince Carter | 35.44
This is easily the most surprising name on the list. Carter didn't have a good defensive reputation when he was at his athletic peak, and he turned 36 a few days ago. He doesn't have a standout category but ranks in the top 40 in each of the five individual factors. The Mavericks haven't been great against perimeter players in general, ranking 25th in opponent PER. Carter, for what it's worth, has improved his teams' defense by 2.1 points per 100 possessions over the course of his long career. This season, the Mavericks are three points better on defense when Carter is on the floor.

9. LeBron James | 37.00
It's no surprise that James shows up in any rankings, but when you consider that he has had to defend the paint more than ever before, this rating is really impressive. You would figure that teams playing big would be able to exploit him on the block. James is rarely exploited on the floor no matter what he's trying to do.

10. Andrei Kirilenko | 39.00
It has to warm your heart when players with great defensive reputations show up in your objective system for rating defense. Kirilenko has long been one of the league's top help defenders, with combined rates of steals and blocks that few perimeter players have ever compiled.

Finally, because I know you're wondering: Ranking 172nd, and last, is Miami's Mike Miller, just behind Sacramento's Jimmer Fredette and the Lakers' Chris Duhon."

 

[darthska]

Yikes.

 

Somoene chop the trollface on Crash in that pic.

 

[mgrand15]

Looks like an even match up to me....

the Nets PR team are known trolls. Reggie Evans hit a hook shot and the official Nets twitter tweeted this:

"Per #Synergy, Evans is shooting 1.000 and scoring 2.0 points per possession on left-handed baby hooks this season"

 

[jaeevolution]

No Terrence Ross for Rookies.

 

[flyerthandelta]

The nets leave out the ppg and assists ahhh makes sense hope Bron turns up!!!! Honestly this whole Royce situation I mean you telling the rockets ain't know all of this b4 they drafted him. Teams str8 up know your whole history by the time you get interviewed he's been had this condition let the man eat...

 

[victor page]

But I thought Lebron James was the best perimeter defender?

 

[grandtheftbike]

Rising Stars Challenge:

Sophomores: Irving, Faried, Knight, Kawhi, Parsons, Klay, Tristan, Vucevic, Kemba.

Rookies: Davis, Lillard, Barnes, Beal, Drummond, MKG, Shved, Waiters, Zeller.

will it be rookies vs sophomores? or are they gonna draft them from a pool like last year :x ?

You didnt like the pool? I like the idea. I kinda want them to try it with the actual ASG. Its a nice little twist to the game.

not really but im not completely opposed to it

im used to associating guys w/ their respected draft class

a lineup of davis, lillard, barnes, beal and drummond would be pretty cool to watch

 

[flyerthandelta]

From ESPN Insider:

"One of the hardest things to measure in basketball is individual perimeter defense. Measuring interior defense is no picnic either, but in general, high shot-block and defensive rebound rates correlate to good overall team efficiency when it comes to preventing points. Teams with good defensive big men tend to be good overall on defense, and teams that lack a defensive anchor tend to give up a lot of points -- not always, but most of the time.

It's not nearly as cut and dry when it comes to the point guards and wing players around the league. Coaching philosophies play a large part in perimeter defense, as does the quality of a team's big men. If you have Dwight Howard playing behind you, you should be able to be more aggressive out on the floor and cut down on open looks. That's theoretical, as this season's Los Angeles Lakers have managed to play bad defense even with Howard manning the middle.

In an effort to rank the best perimeter defenders in the league, I've created a system that incorporates results from some of these various systems.

From Synergy Sports Technology, I generated reports in overall points per play allowed as well as for isolation plays defended and points allowed on those isos. That accounts for three of the six factors. From 82games.com, I used team reports on PER allowed by position for factor No. 4. For No. 5, I used Jeremias Engelmann's regularized adjusted plus-minus (RAPM). And from my system, I added together percentages in blocks and steals, which is often correlated to good individual defense.

I also used lineup analysis from my system to identify which spots players have occupied this season. A player must have logged at least 400 minutes this season and played one of the three perimeter spots at least 30 percent of the time. That's a little tricky because of combo forwards like Josh Smith and LeBron James, but I ultimately attempted to be more inclusive than not. There are 172 players who qualified for the rankings.

The isolation data is particularly telling for a couple of reasons. First, when you think of the term "stopper," you have an image of a guy facing up with someone like Carmelo Anthony on the wing and digging in while Melo jab steps and head fakes before settling for a fadeaway jumper that clangs off the back of the rim. This is the stopper's job, and the essence of individual defense.

More than that, you can tell a lot by how often a player is isolated on defense. If a guy can't play defense, teams will find a way to go at him. You have to be careful, because sometimes teams are very good at hiding poor defenders, who aren't left to fend for themselves often. The final formula is a weighted average of the rankings in the six factors. The plus-minus data is weighted the most heavily, followed by the Synergy data and steal-plus-block percentage.

Here are this season's top 10 perimeter defenders:

1. Josh Smith | Average rank: 17.94
Smith is certainly athletic enough to guard any position on the floor, though it's questionable whether he is a true perimeter stopper because of the amount of time he spends at power forward and guarding the rim. According to my system, he has played 33 percent of his minutes at small forward this season. He ranks sixth on a per-possession basis against isolations and second in steal-plus-block percentage. Smith is just a really good defensive player, which hasn't always been the case during his career.

2. Andre Iguodala | 21.31
This ranking is true to Iguodala's reputation, as he is a big part of Denver's improved perimeter defense. Iguodala always draws the opponent's top perimeter scorer in crunch time, so he gets isolated fairly frequently. He ranks seventh in points per play allowed against isos, and fourth overall, so it's never a winning strategy to go at Iggy. He leads the league in RAPM.

3. Mike Conley | 22.88
The Grizzlies are one of the top defensive teams in the league, and it starts with Conley's ability to delay opposing point guards from getting into their half-court sets and his thievery in the passing lanes. Playing alongside Tony Allen, who also made the top 10, doesn't hurt. Teams haven't been shy about isolating Conley, but he has held up well in those situations.

4. Marquis Daniels | 26.44
Daniels has never rated very high by advanced metrics, but this shows why he keeps finding work in the NBA. He is first in points per isolation allowed in our group, first overall in points per play allowed and 19th in RAPM.


5. Tony Allen | 31.00
Allen earned first team All-Defensive honors last season, so his defensive reputation is considerable. These rankings show just how good the Memphis backcourt is on the defensive end. Allen is third in RAPM. His rating is actually dragged down by his No. 99 ranking in what I've termed "defensive isolation usage." Teams have isolated Allen on an average of 12.1 out of every 100 possessions he's been on the court. That simply speaks to the quality of defensive assignments Allen draws from Lionel Hollins.

6. Dwyane Wade | 34.50
Wade doesn't have a great reputation for individual defense, and true enough, he ranks just 50th in points per play against isolations. He is sixth overall in PPP and may benefit from always drawing the least crucial defensive assignment when he plays alongside LeBron James and Mario Chalmers. That allows Wade to roam free to collect steals and blocks and save his energy for the offensive end.

7. Luc Mbah a Moute | 34.69
The top perimeter defense belongs to the Bucks, so it's fitting that they land a pair of defenders in the top 10. Mbah a Moute is an old school defensive specialist in the mold of Bruce Bowen. Like Smith, he plays a fair amount of time at the 4, and some of his numbers have been compiled in the paint. However, he has played more than half his minutes at the 3 and is one of the few players in the league who can legitimately guard four, maybe even five, positions.

8. Vince Carter | 35.44
This is easily the most surprising name on the list. Carter didn't have a good defensive reputation when he was at his athletic peak, and he turned 36 a few days ago. He doesn't have a standout category but ranks in the top 40 in each of the five individual factors. The Mavericks haven't been great against perimeter players in general, ranking 25th in opponent PER. Carter, for what it's worth, has improved his teams' defense by 2.1 points per 100 possessions over the course of his long career. This season, the Mavericks are three points better on defense when Carter is on the floor.

9. LeBron James | 37.00
It's no surprise that James shows up in any rankings, but when you consider that he has had to defend the paint more than ever before, this rating is really impressive. You would figure that teams playing big would be able to exploit him on the block. James is rarely exploited on the floor no matter what he's trying to do.

10. Andrei Kirilenko | 39.00
It has to warm your heart when players with great defensive reputations show up in your objective system for rating defense. Kirilenko has long been one of the league's top help defenders, with combined rates of steals and blocks that few perimeter players have ever compiled.

Finally, because I know you're wondering: Ranking 172nd, and last, is Miami's Mike Miller, just behind Sacramento's Jimmer Fredette and the Lakers' Chris Duhon."

Idk how wade and Vince on that list

 

[pmatic]

If Rudy Gay gets traded today, that means the Grizzlies-Thunder matchup tomorrow night takes a big hit.

 

[dman14]

I dont think they even have to play that well. I dont see both Portland Utah AND Houston going on a crazy run. Only 4 games back, they probably can go 25-12 and make it. Out of those 4 teams, which one is more likely to get hot? I like our chances.

Edit: Mamba MVP got to it before me. But yea this road trip will def tell us a lot.

This is the thing...Utah will DEFINITELY not make the playoffs. They just aren't that good....no leader, no current starting point guard and atleast one of their two best players (Jeff and Milsap) will be traded. And then you have Houston who's cooled down considerably since the beginning of the year. Just look at the Rockets next 10 games alone.....@Nuggets, vs Warriors, @Heat, vs Blazers, @ Warriors, @Clippers, vs Thunder, @Nets. Once the Lakers really get hot and start gelling nobody is going to be able to stop that team. They've looked really good the past few games and are playing the Suns, Wolves and Pistons the next 3 games. Their confidence is gonna be sky high pretty soon heading into All-Star break.

this
but i do think houston and portland can cling around the 7/8th spot long enough to make it interesting. dallas is also rolling a little. lakers may challenge for a 6 spot if they get things going like i expect with the leadership of kobe johnson. they do have a very favorable schedule ahead

 

[big j 33]

LMAO @ that nets picture. Please tell me they did not officially release that

Brooklyn Nets  [emoji]10004[/emoji]  @BrooklynNets

Gerald Wallace and your #BrooklynNets  take on@KingJames  & the @MiamiHEAT  tonight! How many rebounds will Crash snag?pic.twitter.com/0UMgkkWb

8:56 PM - 30 Jan 13