• Home
  • FIBA
  • EuroLeague
  • NBA/NCAA
  • National Leagues
  • Podcast
  • Features
  • More
  • Contact

Grimag

  • FIBA
  • EuroLeague
  • NBA/NCAA
  • National Leagues
  • Podcast
  • Features
  • More

BallinEurope’s 2012-13 NBA Preseason Preview and Power Rankings

October 19, 2012

Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn’t we? With the NBA season tipping off next week, BallinEurope’s man in Britain, Sam Chadwick, gets into the spirit of things as he analyzes offseason moves and roster makeups in the big league – and ranks all 30 teams. While Sammy’s top three is pretty standard stuff, things get interesting quickly, and BiE just loves how he’s positioned the Eurowolves and Euronuggets for the upcoming season … Get your arguments ready and read on!

1. Miami Heat
Last season’s champions not only benefit from the continued development of Lebron James, who was one of the best if not the best player at the London Olympic Games in becoming the first Team USA player to record a triple double: The Heat also add one of the association’s best shooters of all-time in Ray Allen plus another dependable shooter/scorer in Rashard Lewis, the same guy who, yes is a little past his prime, but one who can give you career averages of 16 points, 5.6 rebounds and can hit 39% from deep.

2. Los Angeles Lakers
For a team that was ravaged in 2011-12 by a preseason mishap revolving around Chris Paul and his vetoed trade, followed by a conference semifinals 4-1 spanking from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who took game one by 29 and finished with an average victory margin of over nearly 10 points. Thanks to that little wakeup call, the Lakers front office decided to work its magic – literally – in taking the Magic’s best player for a song while also adding one of the NBA’s best veteran point guards still very capable of averaging a double-double. With Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant on his team, Steve Nash will hope that this is his chance to compete, yet again, for a championship.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder
Will the Thunder be able to contain Dwight in the post-season? How will James Harden’s contract extension talks affect his and his teams play? Will Serge Ibaka continue his rapid development? Will Perkins be able to stay healthy? And if he does, will he be chosen to defend Dwight in the post? Will Perry Jones III be a gift or an uncontrollable head case? Will Kevin Durant again lead the league in scoring or does Russell Westbrook think it’s his time to shine? So many questions for such a good team … will everything come crashing down? There is no argument about the Thunder’s potential, but a return to the NBA Finals? Only the Lakers should challenge them for Western dominance.

4. San Antonio Spurs
This is where it gets interesting … a lot of teams have improved around the league this summer, particularly in the Western Conference, e.g. Denver, the Clippers, Minnesota, etc; more on this below. And despite OKC’s dominance, the Spurs still managed to finish last season with the best record in the conference and tied for the NBA’s best mark with the Bulls – so this offseason they added Nando De Colo, who made his NBA preseason debut by hitting a game-winning three-pointer against the Atlanta Hawks and finishing with 11 points, nine assists and two rebounds. For this team to challenge this season their hopes rest on a few of their developing youngsters: De Colo, Danny Green, Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair, Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Mills and Gary Neal, all of whom are capable of being great players for the Spurs.

5. Indiana Pacers
If you’d asked me last season who would be the second-best Eastern Conference team in 2012/13, I would not have said Indiana; however, they have kept Roy Hibbert, are fully committed to George Hill at the point, Paul George continues to develop and Danny Granger will be around for the whole season. The Pacers also have developing talent in Tyler Hansbrough, Lance Stephenson, Miles Plumlee and Orlando Jackman. Their offseason trade, which moved Darren Collison to the Mavs, netted them Ian Mahinmi, who will act as the perfect backup for Hibbert with averages of 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per preseason game.

6. Los Angeles Clippers
Last season’s playoff victory over the Grizzlies in seven games shows that the Clips can defend a dominant inside force (Gasol/Randolph in this case), but were then swept in four games by the Spurs in the conference semifinals and decided this offseason that depth was their problem. Their answer? Adding Lamar Odom to reinforce the frontcourt, Matt Barnes (a pleasant surprise this preseason) from one L.A. team to the other, and Jamal Crawford to fill the hole left by the loss of Nick Young. When Chauncey Billups returns, there is a hope that he will continue to put up 14.9 points and 4-plus assists per game. Eric Bledsoe will continue to develop as the backup point guard while Grant Hill joins after an effective season in Phoenix.

7. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have no real ‘stars’ but have made a playoff-calibre team by adding solid players at almost every position. Last season’s rookie breakout Kennith Faried averaged 10.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in just over 22 minutes, while the return of Wilson Chandler will help. Ty Lawson will continue to man the point guard position, while latest addition Andre Iguodala brings lockdown defence and the ability to score when needed. Danilo Gallinari is likely to start at the Small Forward position while Timofey Mozgov and Javale McGee will continue to battle for the starting C position with Kosta Koufos providing valuable support and rebounding. This team will pride itself on defence and rebounding and will use their front court to dominate the glass.

8. Boston Celtics
This one is tough, with three teams in the East all fighting for this spot: Boston, Brooklyn and New York. We’re going with Boston, however, thanks to one of the league’s top PGs (Rajon Rondo) a PF who can’t stand losing (Kevin Garnett) and a SF who can do a little bit of everything (Paul Pierce). The offseason loss of Ray Allen may actually be more of a blessing than anything catastrophic, while the addition of Jason Terry is the perfect replacement for a player who saw drops in rebounding, assists and points while his playoff performance showed career lows in FG% (39%), 3PT% (30.4%), FT% (71%) and points per game. The Jet will continue his role as sixth man while Avery Bradley will probably start at the SG position providing lock-down defence, Jared Sullinger was a steal in the draft and will give KG some much needed rest; the addition of Darko was frowned upon by many but considering that when he last got decent minutes (24.4 minutes per game in the 2010/11 season for Minnesota), Milicic actually averaged a respectable 5.2 rebounds and 8.8 points while grabbing nearly 2.0 offensive boards per night. On the negative side, this team just lost to a Brooklyn side who didn’t even play Williams, Johnson, Lopez, Wallace or Humphries!

9. Brooklyn Nets
This offseason saw the Nets complete their move to Brooklyn, open their new arena, get Deron Williams and Gerald Wallace to stay in town, add Joe Johnson and manage to complete a roster with some solid European Talent (Mirza Teletovic, Tornike Shengelia), some aged veterans (Keith Bogans, Jerry Stackhouse, Josh Childress, C.J. Watson), young talent (Tyshawn Taylor, MarShon Brooks) and one wacko (Andray Blatche). The blueprint for success is there, the team is ready, the fans are even readier and the Nets are ready to show Brooklyn’s Finest.

10. Minnesota Timberwolves
[Editor’s note: This ranking made before announcement of Kevin Love’s injury, which will keep him sidelined for 6-8 weeks.] Surprised? Last season’s Wolves were on track to make the playoffs before a season-ending injury saw Ricky Rubio sidelined for the second half; prior to that he was averaging 10.2 points and 8.2 assists while providing the anchor for the Wolves defence. This summer the Wolves got serious: Owners, management and most importantly Kevin Love were tired of the mediocrity, tired of not being a playoff team … the addition of Brandon Roy raised some eyebrows, but his preseason average of 12.8 points on 52% shooting shows that maybe just maybe he will make this comeback work, Andrei Kirilenko returns to the NBA after an MVP season in Russia while young Alexey Shved should be happy with his role as one of many backups for Rubio. Lastly is the addition of Chase Budinger from Houston to provide another forward who, like AK-47, can contribute across the stat sheet. The Wolves are tired of being the prey of the NBA elite and this season hope to become the predators.

11. New York Knicks
Below the Wolves? Am I kidding? Hell, no! the Knicks were one of last season’s worst defensive teams; to improve that defence, they spent this summer by adding four aged veterans to become the oldest team in NBA history with the average player’s age 32 years and 240 days. New York added a previously retired Rasheed Wallace and Jason Kidd, who last season averaged career lows in points, rebound and assists while shooting the second-worst field goal percentage of his career (in 2010-11, his mark was 36.1%; in 2011-12, 36.3%). The addition of Raymond Felton may cast a little light onto such an old team considering the start he had last time he was in New York; however, his love of cakes over the summer saw some argue the letting go of Jeremy Lin, especially considering that his contract was backloaded to the point were when the big money kicked in the Knicks roster would actually be able to afford him and a cast of solid players around him. A lot rests on the return of Iman Shumpert, who could be one of the league’s best defenders, though his ACL tear may result in him being a step slower. The Knicks will always have potential to do well with a roster including Melo and Amare Stoudamire but be aware that defence wins championships and the Knicks are one of the NBA’s worst teams at that end of the floor.

12. Memphis Grizzlies
A full season of Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph will provide teams across the league with matchup problems. The Grizzlies’ interior size is a rarity across the league and the addition of Jerryd Bayless will fill some of the gap left by the departure of O.J. Mayo. Defensively, Tony Allen will continue to cause problems for the likes of Kobe and Wade while Mike Conley will continue to develop as a point guard with the ability to get to the rim and score. Rookie addition Tony Wroten adds another player into the backcourt mix and he should be able to provide not only solid offence (13.2 points and 4.0 assists per game in the Las Vegas Summer League) but at 6’5”, he will provide rebounding as well as defence. The Grizzlies loss to the Clippers in last season’s playoffs will provide the motivation this squad needs to produce a solid postseason run.

13. Chicago Bulls
It hurts to put the Bulls this low when you’re a fan … the loss of Derrick Rose in last season’s playoffs sparked the end of what could have been a championship season. The subsequent loss of Omer Asik and therefore their frontcourt depth, which has been so vital this past few seasons, was all but gone. The Bulls’ ability to keep Taj Gibson is now at the forefront of management’s mind. Summer additions of Marco Bellineli and Nate Robinson don’t exactly provide an upgrade from Corey Brewer and Keith Bogans, while the draft selection of Marquis Teague seemed like a potential gap-filler for Rose until the team acquired Captain Kirk from Atlanta and now have a bit of an overloaded backcourt (seven guards including Rose). Teague hasn’t made much of a mark this preseason, playing a total of just 18 minutes across three games. The frontcourt, hurting from the loss of Asik, looks slightly better off now that Nazr Mohammed is playing with some fire: Across the preseason he is averaging 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds. In summary, this season will be more about getting Rose healthy than anything else, the record may be poor for a year, but come 2013-14, the Bulls will be solid title contenders.

14. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs lost to Barcelona without Dirk and beat Berlin by 5 with him; Chris Kaman has been getting back into the swing of things; and the Mavericks’ summer additions of O.J Mayo, Elton Brand and Darren Collison are all solid pickups. In Dallas, the squad has certainly become younger but for various reasons: Collison was let go by the Pacers because they realised that George Hill was their future leader; the Grizz tried to move Mayo at the trade deadline and eventually parted ways with him at the beginning of the summer; Elton Brand isn’t the player he once was and the 76ers amnestied him to make space for Andrew Bynum. The Mavs are usually a championship contender but since winning the chip, just three players are returning – the rebuilding process is happening and the results may rest on what happens this season.

15. Utah Jazz
Enes Kanter decided to beast it out this offseason, becoming an huge monster of a man, but the Jazz now have an overloaded front court: Kanter, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson and Derrick Favors were already aboard, while the summer addition of Marvin Williams adds yet another forward to the ranks. Utah will continue to develop some of their young talent, beginning with Kanter and Favors while Gordon Hayward should start at small forward and summer addition Mo Williams will either be a blessing or a curse. Last season’s Jazz just about made the playoffs and this season the same thing may happen: The talent overload at some positions may lead to management shaking up the squad before the February’s trade deadline…

16. Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers were one of the teams involved in the blockbuster trade which saw Dwight Howard move to the Lakers … Philly lost out on Andre Iguodala but gained Andrew Bynum and that’s more than Orlando can say. The 76ers had been thinking of moving their second AI for a while now and the chance to get one of the league’s best young centres was all the motivation they needed to pull the trigger. The rest of their young core stays intact with Jrue Holiday at the points, Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes. They also acquired Nick Young over the summer and for some reason added Kwame Brown … In the draft, Philly picked up some good pieces with the addition of Arnett Moultrie and undrafted rookie Maalik Wayns from Villanova; cast in the shadow of the Howard trade, they also managed to get Dorrell Wright from the Golden State Warriors. The City of Brotherly Love will hope that the team can develop some quick chemistry before the start of this season and if that happens they have every possibility of challenging for a playoff seed.

17. Portland Trailblazers
Maybe I am a tad biased due to the addition of Solent Kestrels product Joel Freeland, but I honestly believe the Blazers will be a playoff contender in the Western Conference. Lamarcus Aldridge is still one of the league’s best power forwards, rookie point guard Damien Lillard is ready to prove that he was worthy of his Summer League MVP nod and so far this preseason has already put on some sensational performances, including a 20-point, two-rebound, three-assist show against the Kings and his 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds against the Lakers. Keeping Nicholas Batum over the summer was a key in making this team a playoff contender, while draftees Myers Leonard and Will Barton can both provide rebounding and scoring. Lastly, the decision to move Freeland in from Spain is vital in filling the hole left by the departure of Greg Oden; this summer in the Olympic Games, Freeland averaged 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists while his breakout performance came against a dominant Spain frontcourt to the tune of 25 points and seven rebounds, including 50% shooting from three.

18. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors made their moves long before the summer when they traded Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut (back in March) and focused all their hopes on the oft-injured Steph Curry. They also shipped Dorrell Wright this offseason to Philadelphia thanks to a draft lottery which gifted them Harrison Barnes and promising big man Draymond Green, a second-round steal. Another promising young star is Klay Thompson, who averaged 12.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists while his per-36 minute numbers show that he could be averaging around 18 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting an impressive 41% from deep. A potential starting lineup of Curry, Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee and Andrew Bogut makes a formidable squad who could challenge for a 7th/8th seed playoff position.

19. Atlanta Hawks
Losing Joe Johnson this summer was a solid move: His contract was ridiculous and I think management may have noticed that they were shelling out more than the Heat pay any of their big three … in dropping JJ’s contract, the Hawks also managed to get rid of another bad one in Marvin Williams, who they shipped to the Jazz in exchange for Devin Harris. That extra cap space allowed the Hawks to steal Lou Williams from the 76ers while also keeping last season’s gem, Ivan Johnson. The development of starting point guard Jeff Teague will only help the team but whether or not they will be able to keep Josh Smith and Al Horford happy on a non-playoff contender may be a struggle. The fans in Atlanta have been used to playoff berths for the past few seasons; however, it may be time to ditch this mentality as this team is on the brink of a rebuilding effort.

20. Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyrie Irving has the makings of one of the league’s best-ever PGs: He killed it at Team USA practices and can take people to the rack with ease. The continued development of Tristan Thompson will be vital, as will the play of new SG/SF Dion Waiters, who put up 18 points and three rebounds on the Bulls in his first preseason game. Anderson Varejao continued to impress as the starting centre at this point and is a constant double-double threat. The summer’s addition of C.J. Miles was unexpected and the Cavs got lucky on draft night when Tyler Zeller fell into their laps. A lot of questions will still linger as to why they used the no. 4 pick on someone who wasn’t really projected to go so high but remember that the last time they did so, the Cavs ended up with a good pickup (Thompson) and another potential double-double player.

21. New Orleans Hornets
From one of the worst NBA teams around last season to a potential playoff team this year: That’s because it’s not every day that a talent like Anthony Davis comes along … with the Unibrow, New Orleans added to a possible all-star shooting guard, Eric Gordon, returning from injury and Austin Rivers picked up in the draft. The Hornets’ summer trades to clear out Omeka Okafor’s contract allowed them to add Ryan Anderson and Robin Lopez: The former can stretch the defence with his outside shooting but can also crash the boards, while the latter has the potential to develop into a consistent inside presence and valuable rebounding alongside Davis. A starting five of Rivers, Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Davis, and Lopez is currently full of potential, and Hornets fans will hope that this team can bring them the success they never thought would come this soon.

22. Toronto Raptors
The only Canadian team in the NBA ranked above Orlando, Milwaukee, Detroit, Washington and Charlotte – am I insane? Possibly, but Toronto made some nice solid moves this summer: Firstly Jonas Valanciunas is finally in the NBA; Andrea Bargnani was playing at all-star pace until injury sidelined him last season; the Raptors traded for one of last season’s top emerging point guards in Kyle Lowry; and forced the Knicks into a corner by offering Landry Fields, who they hope can return to form. Demar DeRozan will keep improving with a squad that takes some of the load off his shoulders. Ed Davis disappointed last year but gained experience he should be a solid rebounder and defender even if the offence leaves something to be desired. Kleiza and Calderon provide solid European flavour – with Linas draining some key shots in the London Olympics – while draft picks Terrence Ross and Quincey Acy providing some youth and hopefully some entertainment. As a playoff team, I don’t yet see the Raps making it into the East’s top 8 … maybe next year?

23. Phoenix Suns
The Suns coach just told Michael Beasley to shoot more … This could work either way: Beasley could finally live up to all that limitless potential he displayed in college or he could frustrate his team jacking up shot after shot after shot. The Suns managed to add a solid PF in Luis Scola, who was amnestied by the Rockets in Houston’s attempt to land Howard, while Phoenix starting centre Marcin Gortat will continue to show that he is a solid choice as one of the top big men in the Western Conference. The Suns also added one of my favourite PGs that I raved on about last season in Goran Dragic, who hopes to fill in from Steve Nash as one of the top passing PGs in the league and has been given full reigns to the Phoenix offence. At the other guard position, time will mostly be split between Shannon Brown and Wesley Johnson, the latter acquired from the Wolves, while Markieff Morris will develop as the backup power forward. Rookie pick Kendall Marshall will likely back up Dragic at point while Sebastian Telfair may never live up to the hype. The Sun may have set on Phoenix this off-season but given time, this team will be able to rebuild.

24. Milwaukee Bucks
As a squad, I am not too keen on the Bucks – they have two shoot-first point guards in Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, although Jennings could become more of a playmaker, thanks to his solid skills in that area. Ellis, on the other hand, is more of an undersized shooting guard. At centre, the Bucks are incredibly undersized, with Drew Gooden the starting C for much of last season. Ersan Ilyasova should provide some life and will hopefully continue last season’s outstanding play, when he became a legitimate double-double forward in the league. The draft night addition of John Hesson was a solid move as was shooting guard Doron Lamb; however, both are still a lot older than Tobias Harris, born in 1992 and still one of the youngest players in the league. Harris has huge potential and this past summer in Vegas averaged a solid 20.8 points per game and 7-plus rebounds: He has the potential to break out this year.

25. Houston Rockets
Summer additions Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik didn’t exactly look spectacular so far this preseason, with Lin averaging 5.3 points and 4.7 assists and Asik putting up 8 points and 11 rebounds per game. The Rockets’ best offseason move? Picking up undrafted rookie Scott Machado, who in 18 minutes per contest is dishing out 7.7 assists against just 2.0 turnovers while scoring 5.0 points per game and adding 2.0 rebounds. Rookie Donatas Motiejunas is enjoying a solid start to his NBA career with preseason averages of 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds but is struggling defensively, picking up 3.2 PFs per game. Young players Patrick Patterson and Chandler Parsons will continue their development, and the Rockets also drafted Jeremy Lamb and Royce White this offseason. The playoff hopes in Houston don’t look great this season, with a lot of hopes resting on the shoulders of Lin and Asik.

26. Orlando Magic
The last team in the Howard trade, the team that had the ball in their court which gained the least out of a trade involving three big names, none of which ended up in the magical kingdom. Nikola Vucevic is a player who I had high hopes for last season in Philadelphia. Arron Afflalo of Denver was the Magic’s only big acquisition; draft pick Andrew Nicholson has potential to develop into a solid starting SF or PF; and Orlando also added rookie Mo Harkless, who has a lot of potential out of St John’s University. At the point, they decided to re-sign Jameer Nelson despite wanting to move in a new direction, and J.J Reddick will likely move to the bench for Affalo. Other holdovers from last season include Hedo Turkoglu and Glen Davis, who, thanks to the trade, should be a focal point in the new Magic offence. Unfortunately the management in Orlando don’t have Magic powers and it may be a long time until this team returns to playoff contention.

27. Sacramento Kings
One of last season’s worst performing teams didn’t do much to improve this offseason … most of Sacramento’s progress will now depend on the personal development of guys like DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton and Jimmer Fredette. Rookie Thomas Robison could start straight away at power forward while Aaron Brookes may surprise a lot of people; however, don’t take my work for this, as he could also drift into the third-string PG role and resent signing for the Kings in the first place. This team’s potential is great especially with Robinson, Cousins and Evans, but in terms of challenging in the West, I think there are at least another two or three seasons until that happens.

28. Washington Wizards
John Wall may miss a month, but a forecasted starting lineup of Wall, Bradley Beal, Trevor Ariza, Okafor and Nene isn’t half bad … they team from the capitol are looking to move away from their young and inexperienced squad of last year and look to add veteran leadership while also looking to focus on a solid defence who can lock down most teams. On the boards they should be solid and Walls number’s – especially assists – should improve now that the guys around him can actually put the ball in the hoop.

29. Detroit Pistons
A team continuing to dwell in mediocrity is the Pistons … in the frontcourt, they have potential: Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond are formidable especially defensively and on the boards; however, they could also provide a lot of problems. Drummond in particular was a major question mark prior to the draft and slipped down the board a bit. Jonas Jerebko will return from injury looking to fulfill his sixth man role and will continue to be a hustle man off the bench, providing scoring, rebounding or whatever else this team needs. Kyle Singler is set to make his NBA debut after a solid year in Spain, and Ukrainian Vyacheslav Kravtsov will hopefully provide another defence-minded centre off the bench. Detroit is another team in the process of rebuilding and their squad for this season hasn’t seen any improvement over last year.

30. Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte finished last season with seven wins! Seven! You can count their wins on two hands! New Orleans were 29 games behind the Spurs…. The Bobcats were 39 games behind Chicago! Their win percentage was 10.6% and they won just 4 games at home. After such an abysmal season what did the Bobcats do? Add Ramon Sessions, draft Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (a solid move in my opinion) and added a disgruntled Ben Gordon. Look forward to yet another rubbish season in Charlotte fans!

Sam Chadwick is the head coach of the Solent Kestrels U14 basketball team and manages the basketball-themed ProspectsInEurope.com, a partner website of BiE. Chadwick is now a contributor at BBLfans.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @chadwick9.

Oct 19, 2012ballineurope
Powered by Sidelines
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
This post was published on October 19, 2012
Enes, Ersan, Ömer and Hedo: Turkey’s quartet in the NBA preseasonWhile Fenerbahce readies for Olimpija, Sato awaits prosecution [UPDATED]
You Might Also Like
 
European basketball: "something between college basketball and NBA"
 
One thing you didn't know about Marco Belinelli
Comments: 68
  1. Gabe
    10 years ago

    I think the Knicks will be a surprise this year. Their defense is not great but they have the DPOY anchoring center. In the playoff they did as well against the Heat as the Thunder and that was with a well past his prime, 33 year old Mike Bibby starting at pg. With Chandler, Stoudemire and Anthony combined with the veteran leadership and toughness they added a see at least a conference semi-finals appearance.

    Last the time Camby and Kurt “the dirt” Thomas were together in Knick uniforms they made the NBA finals.

    ReplyCancel
    • Phileus
      10 years ago

      Gabe. The Knicks now have either a “well past his prime” Kidd, or a “just had the worst season ever” Felton starting at PG. Actually, Pablo “I’m-pretty-much-just-coming-to-the-NBA-for-a-symbolic-swan-song” Prigioni might be the best PG on the team. The last time Camby and Kurt Thomas were together in Knick uniforms and they made the finals, Kevin Durant was 10 years old. The Knicks signed Rasheed Wallace, who is apparently even worse now than he was with the Celtics.

      I do like Chandler, and have liked him since his Bulls days, but Stoudemire and Anthony are just incompatible players.

      If you’re from NYC, it’s time to turn your loyalty to the borough southeast of MSG. Brooklyn’s where all the cool kids are these days, anyway 😉

      ReplyCancel
  2. Phileus
    10 years ago

    I think the Pistons will be better than expected this year, at least better than last year. Monroe is a borderline All-Star, Knight had a lot of bright spots his rookie year, and Stuckey and Prince should be solid. Drummond, I have no idea about. He might have Hibbert-like tools but a Hibbert-like rookie season still somehow seems a little much to expect from him. At times like these I wish I followed the NCAA more 🙂

    Also, it’s cool that Joel Freeland is from your club, Sam. Were you already with the organization when he was in it? I loved his play in the Olympics and hope he’ll be a strong part of a fun Blazers squad this year.

    ReplyCancel
    • Sam Raphael Chadwick
      10 years ago

      Phileus,

      No Joel left before I was a member but during some of our summer work outs he would come back from Spain and work out with Coach Guymon (one of the best coaches in the UK) and it was great to see him still wanting to learn despite being a pro in Spain.

      As for the Olympics I think he had a great tournament but GB was too focussed on Pops and Deng so Joel didnt get to shine as much as he could have. If you watch some of the games you see him in some great post up positions and guys would just ignore him because they were so focussed on running everything through Luol.

      ReplyCancel
  3. mike
    10 years ago

    The Sixers “will challenge for a Playoff seed”? What the..? C’mon. You mean the Sixers will challenge for the Division. You mean the Sixers could threaten to challenge Miami and Boston, right?

    They have the best center in the league Bynum and they have Jrue Holiday, a big PG who can play good defense, drive into the lane, and finish strong while improving his 3 pt shot percentage. They have Thadeus Young. They have another playmaker in Evan Turner plus 3 very good shooters in Nick Young, Richardson, Dorrel Wright. Not to mention Spencer Hawes.

    The Sixers could win the Divison, and challenge Miami for the Eastern Conference.

    ReplyCancel
    • Sam Raphael Chadwick
      10 years ago

      No I mean challange for playoffs, maybe a between 4 – 6th seed. Teams take time to build chemistry and team work, Bynum is a injury prone centre who is sometimes immature, they will not challange Miami, not even close…. Boston maybe but the recent play of Jeff Green and some of their younger guys shows a lot of promise.

      Dont get me wrong I really like Holiday, Turner and Wright was a great pick up over the Summer but there is a lot of hope resting on Bynums shoulders.

      ReplyCancel
  4. Erik K
    10 years ago

    Gabe says Olympiacos is a horrible team, then says the Knicks are a good team………now I have seen literally everything.

    ReplyCancel
  5. DallasTexasSaqartvelo
    10 years ago

    The Sixers are going to be a pretty good in a weak East…. Miami will obviously get the 1 seed, and I feel as though Indiana will be 2…. the 3 seed will be won oughright by either NY or Philly depending on their respective experiments because both wont work…. in my opinion, the Melo and Amare Knicks can figure it out or explode, and Bynum’s Sixers are going to be the first time he is the man on a team…. either he steps up, or becomes immature again… it’ll be the difference between contending for a playoff spot or a Eastern Conference Championship.

    ReplyCancel
  6. mike
    10 years ago

    Yeah I agree Dallas. The Bynum thing also hinges on his ability to stay injury free. Assuming he does, the Sixers will be a powerhouse. Many watchers have overlooked the changes the Sixers have done, and already the new guys led by Dorrle Wright, Nick Young have played well in the pre-season scoring a lot. If Evan Turner continues his improvement as a player, he will also be one of the keys.

    You’re right about the Knicks. I say they implode. You didn’t mention Boston? Many watchers think they are contenders, but until when can the aging Garnett and Pierce carry them?

    ReplyCancel
  7. DallasTexasSaqartvelo
    10 years ago

    I didn’t mention Boston but maybe I should have…

    Garnett and Pierce don’t have to carry them, in my opinion, Boston is Rondo’s team. I watched the Knicks-Celtics game last March where he had 17 rebounds, 18 points, and 20 assists…… anyone who can do that can carry a team to the conference finals. He single-handily ended Linsanity.

    However, they are going to miss Ray Allen, who, as luck would have it, is now on Miami. If they couldn’t get past the Heat last season with Garnett and Pierce one year younger and Ray Allen, they will not be able to do it this year. HOWEVER, Jason Terry is a huge addition, and I think throughout his career he has been bigger in clutch situations than even Allen has. I watched him do some pretty special things in Dallas, and I think that he could come up huge for the Celtics. Also, Jeff Green was out all of last year, and if he comes back strong, there is a chance that the Celtics can actually go deep again.

    Bottom line though, no way they are getting past Miami.

    Out West, the entire season is going to be a build-up to the sure-fire classic Lakers-Thunder series. That is going to be awesome, and with Miami probably waiting in the wings, this is going to be a classic play-offs….

    If Rose comes back and is himself by the play-offs, this will be the greatest play-offs ever. Think about it, we are going to have AT LEAST…

    76ers/Knicks vs. Miami, Indiana vs. Boston, and either the Lakers or the Thunder vs. San Antonio with the higher seed probably getting the Clippers…..

    So HYPOTHETICALLY the brackets could be (or will be something equally as enticing):

    76ers-Heat
    Indiana-Celtics
    Lakers-Spurs
    Thunder-Clippers

    leading to a conference finals of

    Heat-Celtics Rematch
    Lakers-Thunder CLASSIC

    and a Finals that will be unforgettable again.

    I can’t wait for the play-offs.

    ReplyCancel
    • Sam Raphael Chadwick
      10 years ago

      Dont forget that D.Rose will be back for the latter half of the season… so if the Bulls manage to stay competetive without him and can get hold of a 6/7/8th seed they have potential for a first round upset.

      My preview has Indiana 2nd in the East… now image a 7th seed Bulls vs Indiana and it could be a great series, same as last year… even a 6th seed Bulls vs a 3 seed Celtics in another potential upset. It all depends on when Rose is back and the win streak they can maintain.

      ReplyCancel
  8. DallasTexasSaqartvelo
    10 years ago

    And I forgot to mention the Rose caveat….. He he is totally healthy, than I think they are better than Indiana and will replace them in the Celtics semi-final series….. That would be another classic, like it was in 2009…..

    Honestly, without a healthy Rose, 2 of the conference semis go 7, with him, 3 will….. the Heat will beat anyone in the East in 5 or 6 though. LeBron is almost unstoppable….

    ReplyCancel
  9. DallasTexasSaqartvelo
    10 years ago

    And in regards to Erik K’s comment…….

    Olympiacos is not an NBA playoff team…. The Knicks are….

    Actually, I take that back….

    If Olympiacos were in the NBA, they would have been in the lottery and drafted Anthony Davis. With their cap space (they would have a ton of it), they would have picked up Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Louis Scola and Elton Brand.

    Then, they’d be a solid 8th seed, but only because Davis is about to have an All-star rookie season and they would be in the Eastern Conference.

    ReplyCancel
    • Paul
      10 years ago

      Olympiakos is a much better team than the Knicks are. You are an idiot.

      ReplyCancel
      • Gabe
        10 years ago

        Yes that’s why Olympiakos’ best player and about a 3rd of the team lost to Nigeria while the Knicks best player scored 37 points against Nigeria in an 83 point victory.

        ReplyCancel
  10. Phileus
    10 years ago

    The Knicks are, along with the Bobcats, one of the worst-run franchises in the league. They’ll always rake in piles of money because they’re in NYC, and in MSG, and they’re the freaking model organization like the Spurs, Lakers, Pacers, or even Thunder, if ownership doesn’t change. The only time in the past decade I’ve liked the Knicks was the half-season after they got Stoudemire and before they got Anthony.

    Dallas I have no idea where the “Olympiacos in the NBA” scenario came from 😛 Olympiacos couldn’t have a ton of money to spend on FAs unless they had new ownership, and being in the lottery wouldn’t have guaranteed their getting Davis… I;m just not sure what point you were trying to make here 😀

    ReplyCancel
    • Phileus
      10 years ago

      “They’ll always rake in piles of money because they’re in NYC, and in MSG, and they’re the freaking model organization like the Spurs, Lakers, Pacers, or even Thunder, if ownership doesn’t change” was supposed to say “They’ll always rake in piles of money because they’re in NYC, and in MSG, and they’re the freaking Knicks, but they won’t be a model organization like the Spurs, Lakers, Pacers, or even Thunder, if ownership doesn’t change” 🙂

      ReplyCancel
    • Paul
      10 years ago

      The owners of Olympiakos BC have a net worth of something like €5 billion euros between the father and the two sons. I am sure that they can afford to sign any NBA player they want.

      ReplyCancel
      • Phileus
        10 years ago

        Hehe you got me there. That was a stupid mistake on my part 😉

        ReplyCancel
  11. DallasTexasSaqartvelo
    10 years ago

    My comparison was made as a hyperbole in response to Erik K’s comment 9 posts above this one….. the point was that these are two different leagues, and if Gabe said Olympiacos wasn’t a goood team and the Knicks were… it was in comparison to eachother…. and there is no comparison…… the NBA has access to more money, thus the FA comment… and they get to draft the best prospects in the world…. my point was the only way for them to be considered in the same catigory as the Knicks, they’d have to have access to both…..

    ReplyCancel
    • Phileus
      10 years ago

      Okay I see what you mean 🙂

      ReplyCancel
  12. Gman
    10 years ago

    The Raptors are by and large being considered more than a few places higher than this…and the fact that they are a Canadian team means what exactly? We get enough of that ethnocentric crap from the States, we don’t need to start getting it from overseas.
    Particularly when it’s not a relevant metric.

    The great concern with a team that has added nine new players is that they will have trouble gelling. That is not the case here. They are playing very good ball right out of the shoot. And Lowry is possibly the most underrated acquisition of the off season. He carved up the Knicks and made it look easy. So did our other point guard John Lucas who is playing like a demon right now hitting practically every shot he takes.

    You also have a coach that took one of the worst defensive teams in NBA history without any real acquisitions last year…and he had them top 12 by the end of the year…this without a training camp. And now they’ve actually added players that are know for their defensive intensity. Casey was the reason the Mavericks were able to stop Lebron and DWade in that NBA finals. Everybody including Rick Carlisle said so. He’s a defensive genius.

    The Raps just may sneak into the playoffs this year…but whether they do or not, they are certainly better than 22nd.

    ReplyCancel
  13. Pietro
    10 years ago

    I just want to say as a fan of Roma that I read here always from gabe and some others how Ade Dagunduro is supposed to be in elite best players in Europe and how he domninated Spanoulis and destroyed Greece national team.

    How he would dominate all of Europe with his superior athleticism. How they say here that no way was all the bad calls by refs [I see the Nigeria and Greece game and refs fixed game] but it was call because players like Diogu and Dagunduro are so much better than any Greece players and how their athletic greatness is too much for any European player to handle.

    I read this crap here for many months now. I just say that Dagunduro is playing in my team Roma and he is a pure crap. Look at his stats in Serie A

    http://web.legabasket.it/player/?id=DAG-ADE-86&year=2012&team=1232

    English for ones that do not read Italian

    http://www.eurobasket.com/team.asp?Cntry=Italy&Team=84&Page=3

    And I see in here for months how this player is supposed to be million times better than all of the Greece players like Bourousis and Fotsis. Well they play also in Serie A and they are both really million times better than Dagunduro.

    Just how much lies people is saying here about this alone should prove how much crazy talk is here and how much lies and trolls happen here. One of the worst players of Italian league is hundreds of times here called as superior to Spanoulis, Fotsis, Bourousis and that he is said to be too athletic for any player in Europe to handle.

    Or they say it as “much too athletic for those Euro scrubs to handle”.

    All I say is Dagunduro is one of biggest scrubs I ever have seen in my team and in the other case, Fotsis and Bourousis are probably the two best players of the best team in Italy. Even to compare this scrub to Spanoulis is most crazy thing ever.

    I read here for months that Dagunduro is better than Spanoulis and no way in hell can Spanoulis ever compare to such athletic and dominant African that is “superior with his black genes”.

    So I am supposed to believe these people that say this here are not liars? They are not trolls> They are not crazy? You say for months that one of worst players in Italian league is better than clear one of and maybe best player of Europe and you want “Euro homers” to take you as serious here?

    I look over this “dominant blacks of Nigeria” same team that “white stiffs of Lithuanians and Greeks cannot deal with”. I see that Alade Aminu was cut from his team because they say he was not good enough for Euroleague level.

    I see Tony Skinn was cut from his team during training camp. I see Dagunduro as a huge scrub in weak Italian team. I see Diogu try to get contract in 4 Euroleague teams and not pass any of the tests. He even was try out two times in Siena and both times failed the tryout. Siena is crap team this year. But I was read here that Diogu is greater than any player of Europe.

    I was tell here Diogu is million times better than Bourousis. Funny thing for me as Bourousis is best center in Italian league and Diogu was failure in two tryouts to make the roster of a team in Italy.

    I hope any sane and normal American that reads this website see my message here. So they can know just how crazy and how much of a huge liars are these crazy people that post here. It is sad shame that they are allow to post so many crazy lies here and get away with it and then have all other Americans that come here believe what they say is true.

    The things said here by these gabe and others like him is so crazy and so insulting to European basket that my English is far not good enough to even try to explain how much of liars and crazy people they really are.

    ReplyCancel
    • Phileus
      10 years ago

      Meh, not again. Gentlemen of BiE, can we agree to not take the flame bait on this one? 😉

      ReplyCancel
      • Gabe Lies
        10 years ago

        Gabe spent months here saying things like “Fotsis and Boruousis will have nightmares when the athletically superior and totally dominant African Dagunduro comes to destroy then in Euroleague.

        They are much too slow, much too stiff, and much too non athletic to ever be able to compete with such great black athletes like the Nigerian Diogu”.

        I saw myself probably 50 such posts here like that. Not only are they completely ridiculous, outlandish, absurd, and totally wrong, but they scream of outright blatant racism as well.

        I also saw how if anyone had an issue with all these kinds of remarks he was making that he called those people “nuts, crazy, delusional, insane, retarded” and all other kinds of mean and rude insults.

        So now that Dagunduro actually plays in the same league as Fotsis and Bourousis and now that he sucks in that league, while they are stars in it, and now that Dagunduro’s team just lost to their team —>

        Box Score:

        http://www.eurobasket.com/boxScores/Italy/2012/1022_4_84.asp

        so that you can see how crappy the “elite and dominant African athlete Dagunduro” did against those “slow, non athletic Greek scrubs” (how Gabe described them in dozens of posts here)…………..

        I mean seriously man, you are going to cry and say that others are trolling and Gabe was not? Face facts, you are BUTT HURT because you and your boy talked endless crap here for months over ONE GAME that EVERY neutral observer says was rigged and you seemed to actually believe what you and Gabe were saying. Or at least Gabe did.

        Look at that shit right there man. This Bourousis was said by Gabe dozens of times here to be “so slow and so stiff that he could not even move up and down the court and could not even grab a rebound right in front of him against those vastly superior African athletes like Dagunduro”.

        Well look at that box score buddy. Did it ever occur to you that the reason why so many people here came to call Gabe an insane liar is because he actually is one? I’ve got news for you, the guy above said Nigeria would beat Greece at least one time out of 5 and maybe two times out of 6. Well I think with fair refs it is more like once in 100 times.

        You guys posted literally insane crap here for months and you always were going to get destroyed and ruined over it once these Nigerian players started playing in crappy European leagues.

        There is the “genetically superior African Dagunduro” and the “slow as hell and can’t even run or jump stiff Bourousis” right there in that box score. You guys are crazier than hell with all the ludicrous shit you talked here for months. Don’t think this is the end either. It will continue to haunt you like this for months on end the crap you said before.

        The funniest thing is how Gabe keeps saying the Nigerian team are “Africans” when they are all Americans. But the guy went freaking nuts over someone suggesting Nocioni is Italian.

        That Gabe guy should be in a straight jacket in a padded cell. If you had any sense at all Phileus you would stop hitching your troll wagon to him right now. But instead I saw you trolling about Jordan Farmar already.

        So let me ask you this, do you actually think that Jordan Farmar is going to average 22 points in Euroleague once teams decide to force him into playing half court and put a fast defender on him? You really think he is going to get away with playing shooting guard once teams start posting him with a bigger guard?

        Euroleague teams have no scouting material on Farmar. As soon as they get it, all of your fantasies about him will end. But you obviously don’t have the mental capacity to grasp any of this.

        Why? Because you are a freaking idiot and a stupid arrogant racist POS. Not as bad as Gabe is, but bad enough in your own right.

        ReplyCancel
        • Phileus
          10 years ago

          Eh, I see that you’re making an attempt, but you just reposted pretty much the same thing, with angrier words. For that reason, I can only give you:

          Troll score: 6.0/10

          Look, I don’t want to make you feel like your trolling is not appreciated for what it is – it is an impressive work of art, like sketches from a master, but like with all art, sometimes people become bored with it and turn to new amusements. You need to up your game.

          ReplyCancel
        • Gabe
          10 years ago

          1st off your exaggerating what I said. I know that Greece is a better team but it showed how much they chocked. They were beaten by a bunch of scrubs. Diogu is on the Suns now btw. And it shows how much choke artists they are that Boruousis and Spanoulis couldn’t beat them in such an important game. And if they game was fixed why Nigeria called for 5 more fouls? If you are only up by one point with one minute left and got called for 6 less fouls than Nigeria you are not an elite team.

          ReplyCancel
          • Rambaldi
            10 years ago

            I’m Italian so I will answer this to you. If you come back and say it is a lie, then you confirm that you are a troll.

            1. The game was obviously fixed. The refs made about 3 absolutely ridiculous calls at the end of the game that guaranteed a win for the Nigerians and a loss for the Greeks. This cannot happen by accident.

            2. Not even counting Diamantidis, because evidently he is a selfish punk from all accounts, that thinks he is too good to “waste his summer playing with his national team” – Greece was missing several of its absolute best and most key and important players.

            3. Not even counting either Kostas Tsartsaris, who could also still be a very important player for them, since he retired apparently from their national team.

            4. You still had 4 of their absolute top best and most important players that did not play.

            No Kostas Koufos due to injury.

            No Sofoklis Schorstanitis due to injury.

            No Loukas Mavrokefalidis due to injury.

            No Stratos Perperoglou due to that he needed the summer off to gain his strength back from a previous illness.

            If you take 4 of the 10 best players away from ANY country’s national team, they are going to suffer and not be as good as they should be.

            5. Finally, Nigeria beat Lithuania in that same tournament, in a game that people also openly called out the refs. Later, at the Olympics, with different refs, Lithuania demolished the Nigerian team.

            6. You keep saying that since Greece lost to Nigeria, and Nigeria lost to the US by 83 points, that it proves that Greece’s players are incredible trash and suck and even you keep using this as a way to bash the Euroleague, even though that is absurdly and profoundly STUPID as fuck.

            Well, Lithuania also lost to Nigeria, and the USA only beat them by 5 points at the Olympics. In fact, they lost to Nigeria by 5 points. So since you keep saying retarded things here in this forum like “Greece lost to Nigeria by 1 point and Nigeria lost to USA by 82 points, that means Greece would have to USA by 84 points”.

            If that is true then I can say, well since Lithuania lost to Nigeria by 5 points and since Lithuania lost to USA by 5 points, and since Greece only lost to Nigeria by 1 point, therefore that means that the USA would have lost to Greece by 4 points.

            You see, you are just about the single biggest dumb fuck I have ever come across on the internet. So kudos to you kind sir, because that is quite the accomplishment.

            ReplyCancel
  14. Vincent
    10 years ago

    I think my Celtics will be in the top 3 spots in the East.

    Look, yes Nigeria beat Greece in a one off playoff game. BUT, Greece is a much better team on average. In a seven game series Nigeria wins once for sure, maybe twice and that’s it.

    One hot game by Nigeria does not make them better as a whole than Greece

    ReplyCancel
    • Phileus
      10 years ago

      I see that this article has the Celtics ranked 3rd in the east too (after the Heat and Pacers – what is the world coming to?). At first I thought it was a bit high, but aside from Philly, who else is there? A mixed-up Knicks team? The unproven Nets? The East is so weak, or at least unknown, right now that I can’t argue with the Celtics at 3, especially with Green, Sullinger, and Terry giving them potentially the best bench they’ve had since their chip.

      Speaking of the East, I’m honestly thinking the Bulls will have a lottery year. There’s no need to rush Rose back for the mid-season when they won’t contend anyway. Maybe they’ll luck out like the Spurs with Robinson’s injury leading to their #1 pick in the Duncan draft 🙂

      ReplyCancel
  15. Rambaldi
    10 years ago

    I wanted to give an update on how much of a liar and troll Gabe is……

    And I quote Gabe,

    “If Nenad Krstic can be the First Team All-Euroleague center, then I guarantee that Hilton Armstrong will definitely be at least the First Team All-Euroleague center, and maybe even the Euroleague MVP. Take any big man that was ever at any time a rotation center in the NBA, like Armstrong was, and put him in the Euroleague, he will automatically and instantly be the best center in that joke scrub league.

    I am absolutely convinced, positive, and sure of this. So much so, that I can say with absolute 100% certainty, that Hilton Armstrong will be the First team All-Euroleague center this year. Hell, if Nenad Krstic can do it, I bet every single center in the entire NBA would do it also.”

    —>

    UPDATE:

    http://www.eurohoops.net/2012/10/flopping/11495

    Armstrong in danger…
    on October 23rd, 2012 | 0 comments
    Armstrong in danger…

    Βy Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net

    American center Hilton Armstrong was signed by Panathinaikos in order to be a starter. He had a good season in France as a player of ASVEL, but the way his new coach Argiris Pedoulakis uses him, indicates that there is an imminent danger for his place in the team’s roster.

    In the big game against Olympiacos, Armstrong was a starter, but before the first five minutes of the game, he was subbed and never played again. The same pattern was repeated before in the Euroleague game against Cantu.

    Even in the easy game against Aris, for the 1st gameday in Greek League, Armstrong had very limited minutes, and it’s clear that his coach’s intention is to replace him and continue the season with the minutes at position “5” divided between Sofoklis Shortsanitis and Stephane Lasme, who was used 22 minutes against Olympiacos, even though he is still adapting to his new team.

    The decision seems to be now at the hands of the team’s owner, Dimitris Giannakopoulos. If he gives his consent, then Armstrong will be heading to the exit, and the new question will be what kind of player Panathinaikos will add, one other big, or maybe one more guard able to create for his teammates in offense.

    >

    So what I learned from the self-described “truth teller” and “Euroleague basketball expert” Gabe in this site was that Hilton Armstrong was for sure, 100% going to be the best center in the Euroleague, and that he was definitely going to be voted as such……..

    And what I learned here is that apparently, being the “for sure 100% best center in Euroleague” means that your coach things you suck so bad that he won’t hardly play you, and that you only have to average 1.0 points and 0.5 rebounds per game, to be the “100% for sure best center in the NBA”.

    Link to prove the stats BTW —>

    http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=003331&clubcode=PAN

    Obviously, Gabe is an unparallelled bastion of pure truth telling and Euroleague basketball knowledge. What in the world would this site do without him and his incredible basketball knowledge and insight?

    ReplyCancel
  16. Phileus
    10 years ago

    Those are pretty dumb statements for Gabe to have made, but holy fuck you’re creepy.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      He’s lying. I never said that. Give a link to were I said that. You are just lying.

      ReplyCancel
  17. NBA Sucks Compared To Euroleague
    10 years ago

    Bottom line, Euroleague is a way better league than the NBA is. I have been following NBA since the 1980s and it’s definitely total shit compared to today’s Euroleague. The difference in the two leagues is that the NBA is a scripted and rigged joke where defense is outlawed and where the refs pick which players and teams to help. Where the coaches only utilize certain players that the league wants to market.

    Where the rules and the reffing make it the softest pro basketball league, with the worst defense of any serious pro basketball league on the planet. Where the games take forever because of endless free throws, timeouts and commercials.

    Where the season drags on for months on end with one totally meaningless game after another, where neither team is hardly trying at all, and where no player ever even attempts defense in the entire game.

    Where the first couple of rounds of the playoffs are ridiculously long, boring, predictable, and crappy. Where the commissioner acts like he is some kind of mafioso godfather. Where what ESPN, TNT, Nike, Gatorade, etc, want for marketing takes presence over the quality and integrity of the game.

    Where the champions of a the USA and Canada idiotically proclaim to the world that they are “world champions” and then get laughed at and mocked for days on end all around the world for saying it.

    Where incredibly greedy owners like Mark Cuban do everything in their power to ruin the sport for monetary reasons. Where you have half empty arenas, or even 2/3 empty arenas for many teams game after game, but yet where the league claims they were sell outs.

    Where you have guaranteed contracts and that means that some of the worst players around stay in the league for years, while some great players never even get a chance. Where the draft is not only rigged, but is also a pure display of how inept the typical NBA general manager is.

    Where the league has been proven to have refs that were fixing games, per the FBI investigation of the Tim Donaghy incident. Where blatant racism is openly pushed as an open agenda throughout the whole league. “White guys can’t play”. “It’s a black man’s game”, etc.

    Where the US House investigation and WADA both stated that the NBA does NOT test for designer steroids or HGH and that dozens of performance enhancing substances that are banned in other leagues are not even tested for in the NBA.

    The list goes on and on and on. The NBA is an entertainment show. It’s not a real competitive sport. The Euroleague IS a competitive sport. That IS the difference between the two leagues.

    I’ve never met a single basketball purist that can stand today’s NBA. They all much prefer the NCAA, FIBA, the Olympics, and European club basketball over the current NBA. The NBA has become an absolute joke. Even in the USA it’s become a complete afterthought to the vast majority of sports fans.

    I am AMERICAN. So don’t even try to call me a “Euro nut”, like you do to those other guys here. The NBA in its current form is absolute trash.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      I’m not going to take too much time to responds but
      1. Euroleague arena are a lot smaller than NBA arenas. The biggest Euroleague arenas would be the smallest NBA arenas just as the Euroleague teams with the highest payrolls would be the teams with the lowest payrolls in the NBA.
      2. Farmer and Weems, NBA back-ups and role players are dominating Euroleague so far.
      3. You yourself claim that the final four game with CSKA was fixed last year so in your own words Euroleague is fixed as well.

      ReplyCancel
  18. Rambaldi
    10 years ago

    Panathinaikos arena holds 23,000 at full capacity. Partizan arena holds 23,000 at full capacity. Those would NOT be “the smallest arenas in the NBA”.

    Sorry, but you just LIED again.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      No you’re lying. I just looked up Panathinaikos. They play at OACA Olympic indoor stadium which holds 18,500 for basketball but keep up with the lies no one believes a word you say anyway.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Indoor_Hall

      http://www.tvtrip.com/Stadium+15-info/OACA-Olympic-Indoor-Hall+u1KHfK

      ReplyCancel
      • Zorba The Greek
        10 years ago

        OAKA capacity is 23,000 with the temporary seating. NBA arenas count temporary seating. There have been NUMEROUS Greek league playoff games that had 23,000 attendance there.

        So actually, you are lying.

        ReplyCancel
        • Gabe
          10 years ago

          See the difference between you and me is I back up the facts that I post with links, which I just did, while you never back up any of the lies you post with anything.

          You might as well claim that OAKA capacity is 23,000,000 because if you can’t back it up with links like I do it is all just your bullshit anyway.

          ReplyCancel
          • Gerard
            10 years ago

            Look at the pictures of the arena you arrogant ugly American. At the four corners of the arena by the score boards in the upper level there are HUGE platforms that are open.

            During big playoff games they are filled with thousands of more seating.

            The arena actually can hold 25,000 when they use those areas, and that was the attendance last season in the Euroleague playoffs against Maccabi.

            I know this because I was in the arena myself. So stop making insults at people that are telling the truth and grow up and learn some manners. You are a really mean and rude person.

            ReplyCancel
          • Phileus
            10 years ago

            Look how packed the arenas are:

            Olympiacos: http://www.euroleague.net/main/results/showgame?gamecode=31#!video

            Panathinaikos: http://www.euroleague.net/main/results/showgame?phasetypecode=RS&gamecode=14&gamenumber=2#!video

            This really proves that the Euroleague is better than the NBA because the games are more competitive, so every game is like an NBA playoff atmosphere.

            ReplyCancel
          • Gabe
            10 years ago

            Nice Phileus it show not only are the arenas empty but they are smaller. I noticed the same thing about the arena in Milan. Stern new what he was talking about. These Euroleague arenas only have two sections while NBA arenas, like MSG, have four sections.

            ReplyCancel
  19. Phileus
    10 years ago

    Wow! I asked for something new and he delivered by making up a quote from *a poster on this site*! He’s made up quotes from players and league officials before, but I dare say this is a brilliant new innovation in his trolling. For that alone, I would say:

    Troll score: 10.0/10.0

    But sadly, he followed that up with just the same old stuff he keeps posting. If he had just left it at that, he would have gotten a perfect ten, but I have to deduct points for his boring self-plagiarism.

    Troll score: 8.0/10.0

    Still, he deserves a half-point for saying, in the same thread, that Olympiacos-Efes was a thrown game, and then claiming the Euroleague is competitive, without batting an eye. Also, he gets credit for claiming multiple nationalities in the same thread; it’s a cliche at this point, but I have to admit it makes me smile every time.

    Final troll score: 9.0/10.0

    We’re getting used to his curveballs but he’s regaining some of the lost heat on his fastball.

    ReplyCancel
  20. mike
    10 years ago

    Okay, we won’t call you a Euro nut. We’ll call you Euro trash. Really, you sound like a spokesman for some radical terrorist organization. You know, those that believe in conspiracies and can’t tell truth from lies.

    In your case, however, you’re probably all alone in this organization, and you run it from your mom’s basement. Phileus is right. You are creepy.

    ReplyCancel
  21. Vincent
    10 years ago

    As an American, a lot of the points the Euroleague guy made are valid.

    I still think the NBA players on the most part are better, but I really enjoy the Euroleague as well.

    ReplyCancel
  22. Mansour
    10 years ago

    There was 22,000 attendance at Panathinaikos against Maccabi in Athens last year during the Euroleague playoffs.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtMVDXW5tBI

    As you can see, the arena was not even that full. There were still huge areas around the court wide open where they did not even add temporary seating.

    lol at these clowns claiming OAKA can only hold 18,000…….

    what a bunch of queers.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      Someone posting on youtube that it holds 22,000 fans does not make it fact. Show an official link posting that it holds 2,000. What is written in youtube videos does not hold any more credence than posts here.

      But looking at the stadium it still looks small my NBA standards. There are only two levels while NBA arenas have 3 or even 4.

      ReplyCancel
  23. Nikos
    10 years ago

    OAKA has had many times 20,000 to 23,000 fans in the arena. Everyone in Athens can tell you this. Stop being a moron.

    Also you are absurd with this levels nonsense. Fenerbahce arena has 3 levels and seats 13,800. OAKA has two levels and seats over 20,000.

    Seriously WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR GOD DAMN POINT AND WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

    Do you just come here every single day to say how everything in USA is bigger, badder, better than everything in the rest of the world? Seek help. You have a severe case of UGLY AMERICAN DISEASE.

    ReplyCancel
  24. Nikos
    10 years ago

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwLBM7PHpHI&feature=youtu.be

    video of 22,000 fans in attendance at OAKA.

    This fucking moron says this “looks small”………………FUCK OFF

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      Yes it looks small compared to an NBA arena like MSG.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3kheE6p1k0

      When the video pans out at OAKA you can see how small it is compared to Madison Square Garden. Where the upper section ends there is just a balcony with a few people standing watching, while at MSG there is a whole another section (while a little bit smaller). Also if you look at .23 secodns in the OAKA video you see that even the 2nd section is not all seating.

      There is a reason why Euroleague budgets are so tiny compared to NBA teams and why Stern said that Euroleague arenas cannot support the NBA. There is no way a third world arena like OAKA can support an NBA team with an NBA budget like the Knicks. I bet there aren’t even any VIP boxes or seats. lol

      ReplyCancel
  25. AP
    10 years ago

    OAKA is the largest indoor arena in the world that is designed specifically for basketball.

    LARGER than ALL NBA arenas.

    This is a FACT.

    You are a LIAR and you are spreading disinformation and false propaganda here.

    It is a known FACT that OAKA is larger than every single NBA arena. You clearly have no shame and there is no level of lying that is beneath you.

    ReplyCancel
  26. AP
    10 years ago

    Madison Square Garden —>

    http://www.privy.net/teddyzee/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/basketball_madison_square_garden1.jpg

    would fit inside of OAKA —>

    http://portfolio.yorgonestoridis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/oaka1c.jpg

    This Gabe is a pure USA only zealot and xenophobe.

    OAKA is clearly MUCH BIGGER than Madison Square Garden. It’s unbelievable what a moron this Gabe creep is.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      If you look at those pictures and actually think OAKA is bigger than MSG you are totally deranged. MSG has three levels and then box seats while OAKA only has two and a few bleechers up top.

      The real difference in the pictures is look at the court. MSG seems a lot smaller. Since we all know that the courts are the same size the court seems smaller in MSG because the picture is further away. Good job finding those pictures but it proves that MSG is bigger.

      Also no box seats? That is how MSG gets its revenue by the box seats. But Greece is in an economic crises right now so no one there could afford box seats any way. But that is the reason why Olympiacos’ budget is like half of the Knicks’.

      ReplyCancel
  27. Jack
    10 years ago

    Sorry, but I see box seats at the OAKA. Gabe is not only racist, he is also blind.

    Also, the amount of levels does not determine how big an arena is. I don’t know which one is bigger, but I do know that only a retarded person would equate the number of levels in an arena to its size.

    There are arenas with 2 levels that seat 20,000 and arenas with 4 levels that seat 15,000. Gabe really is a fucking moron. EVERY time I come to this site I have to read his ridiculous trash and ruins it for me every damn time.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      Well I don’t see box seats but the big difference in the pictures is the size of the court. The court in MSG looks a lot smaller than the one in OAKA. I wonder why? Maybe because there are 500 more seats in MSG.

      ReplyCancel
  28. mike
    10 years ago

    Okay, this is from Wikipedia, OAKA is “considered one of the biggest and most modern indoor sports arenas in all of Europe.” It also “seats 19,250 for basketball games, which includes for media members, and 450 seats for VIP’s.”

    I checked MSG also. Wiki says MSG “seats 19,763” for basketball. So does this partially settle the arguments?

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      Yes so OAKA is one of the biggest Euroleague sports arenas in Europe and it still holds 500 less people than MSG, one of the NBA’s smallest.

      ReplyCancel
  29. mike
    10 years ago

    Sorry. typed words were lacking. OAKA “seats 19,250 for basketball games, which includes 18,500 seats for fans, 300 seats for media members, and 450 seats for VIP.”

    ReplyCancel
  30. Panos
    10 years ago

    The amount of seats is not what makes which arena bigger. Are you people 10 years old? That is just how many seats there are.

    Olympiakos arena SEF seats 15,000 people for the games and can only hold 17,000 if they added all the seats back in that used to be there.

    Von Wafer said that Olympiakos arena SEF was much bigger than the Houston Rockets arena and that he was stunned by how huge it was.

    But Gabe will tell us it is smaller because it seats 15,000. Number of seats is not how big the arenas are. It is just how many seats there are. I mean this is such a simple logic that a 10 year old should be able to grasp it.

    I have been in some arenas that are small but seat a lot more than some arenas that were much bigger. It’s just because some arenas pack more seats into them. That is all. It does not take a genius to understand how this can be.

    NBA arenas pack in as many seating as they can. If you would not be such a huge idiot Gabe, you would see that in MANY arenas in Europe the fans are kept far from the court. Is especially true in Greece. This thousands and thousands of seats are not there and instead is just empty spaces.

    In NBA it would all be filled with seats. Reason is simple. And if you cannot figure this and understand it then you are a simpleton. There are many instances of fan violence and hooligans and ultras in Europe. Many times things like what happened in NBA with Pistons and Pacers happens.

    In Greece such things happen 2-3 times a season, maybe 3-5 a season. In games between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos it has happen many times. Greece championship in 2011 did not even end. The finals of the league did not even complete due to fan rioting in the arena.

    Imagine this in NBA ever happening? NBA Finals not completing due to fan rioting and it never being finished? Of course the fans are going to be kept as far from the court as possible.

    Let me explain it for you clear. In Greek Cup finals the Helliniko is only allowed 1,800 people. 1,800 fans are only allowed by police into the court for the championship game. This arena can hold 15,000 and would be sold out every cup final game within 1-2 hours EASILY. But there is only 1,800 people allowed in there by police.

    This is not because “the Greek economy is shit and everyone is so poor that no one can afford to buy a ticket and the attendance is so low in Greece that no one goes to a basketball game so the arenas are all so small because of that.”.

    No. You stupid arrogant SOB, it is because they only allow 1,800 to a 15,000 arena where tens of thousands are begging for tickets to PREVENT FAN VIOLENCE. But here you will claim things like “no one could afford to buy a ticket there because of their economy” and all this other bull shit.

    You are such a moron Gabe. And why should you even be saying here all the time about Greek economy? Using same exact way that Greece and EU counts unemployment, USA has HIGHER unemployment than Greece. HIGHER.

    USA has HIGHER debt than Greece. USA has HIGHER deficit than Greece.

    USA has ridiculous minimum wage as compare to cost of living index, unbelievable low CINI which is how the money is in the country between the rich and the non rich (Greece is not even remotely close to this absurd low CINI index as USA)

    USA is not even with health insurance for all there people. 50 million in USA with no insurance and some estimates say 70 million. Not to mention that health insurance is NOT universal healthcare. Even with it, Americans would still have to pay 20%. Unlike Europe where it government provides it.

    USA with more on food stamps, more on welfare, more without insurance, more people in poverty line, more people without work (REAL unemployed numbers like we use in EU) than Greece or any other EU country.

    And you sit here and bash on Greece all the time for its economy and how poor it is. You are a REALLY STUPID PIECE OF SHIT

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      Good. I’m glad you admitted it. When I was talking about the size of the arena I was referring to how many seats it holds. For whatever reason OAKA, one of the biggest Euroleague arenas, only holds 15,000. While MSG, one of the NBA’s smallest, holds almost 20,000. This is what David Stern and myself were talking about, Euroleague arenas are small (small meaning they have less seats).

      And what does that say about a culture of a country when fan violence is the reason for less seats. Talk about 10 year olds, rioting over seats. Maybe when Greek fans mature enough to he able to fill-up an NBA size stadium with seats and NBA team could think about playing there.

      It doesn’t matter how big the arena is if half of it is empty for whatever reason.

      ReplyCancel
  31. Erik
    10 years ago

    OAKA has 19,250 seats, not 15,000.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      19,250 is still pretty tiny for Euroleague’s biggest arena. lol

      ReplyCancel
  32. Erik
    10 years ago

    BTW,. NO ONE In Greece or any other country that likes Euroleague wants an NBA team and they would not support one if they got it.

    This is what makes you such a hugely creepy guy. You can’t grasp things like this. You claim that these places would not have an NBA team because they cannot support it. The reality is they could, but DO NOT WANT TO.

    You twist this into can’t afford one economically, then brag about how great the economy of USA is by comparison to these European countries. When of course USA economy is even worse and it is the USA banking and housing crisis that caused the whole financial collapse int he first place.

    You also regularly make racist statements here. Then you have the audacity to call others here immature? You are a psychopath.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      10 years ago

      I’m saying even if they wanted to they couldn’t support an NBA team. There is a reason why the budget’s of Euroleague teams pale in comparison to NBA teams. The stadiums, marketing, tv rights etc… do not make it feasible for Euroleague teams to have budgets of $100 million. That is why you have a league where Kirilnko and Farmar are the best players. If the best player on my team was Farmar I wouldn’t go see games either. lol

      ReplyCancel
  33. fan@ball
    10 years ago

    @Gabe you should try to do some research (wiki: List_of_National_Basketball_Association_arenas). The biggest nba arena is in Cleveland capacity 20,562. All of them are between 17 and 20k. The biggest Euroleague Arena is in Belgrade capacity 25K with the highest recorded attendance of 22,567 on a basketball game. There are 20 arenas in Europe(wiki: List_of_indoor_arenas_in_Europe) with more than 17K capacity.

    ReplyCancel
  34. mike
    10 years ago

    Panos, Erik, of course we understand that an arena with more seats isn’t necessarily bigger, but it is an important indication of size, right? Also, the other guys above were posting stuff like 22,000, 20,000, and all sorts of made up figures. Why the silence on your part about their errors?

    It’s just strange why all Gabe does is correct with facts and figures that are accurate, and all you do is react emotionally and immaturely with insults. So MSG DOES, in fact, seat more people, true or false? Gabe then points out that most NBA arenas seat more than MSG, and thus, also more than OAKA. That’s all.

    Also, don’t get started on Geopolitcs and the world economy because I assure you, the battle will be joined. We all know Greece is in survival mode in a struggling European Union whose total GDP of all countries is only a little more than the United States, still the world’s single most powerful country, by far. Sorry, but it’s true.

    So stick to basketball. Okay.

    ReplyCancel
    • fan@ball
      10 years ago

      @mike made up numbers!? You have the sources in the previous post.

      http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/45551/180/partizan-sets-crowd-record-at-belgrade-arena

      ReplyCancel
  35. mike
    10 years ago

    Made up figures about OAKA, not the Belgrade Arena. Unless Wikipedia is wrong OAKA seats 19,250. With regards to the Belgrade Arena, that was not the bone of contention above between Gabe and the others.

    Look, the point is the NBA is bigger and richer, and is considered by all as the world’s best league,including this site, which calls the NBA “the big league”. After all, even Spanoulis, the Greek idol, said it best: ” the best players play in the NBA. who doesn’t want to be there?”

    Sorry he said this. It is a fact. Type “Spanoulis has dinner with Kobe” in Google. End of discussion.

    ReplyCancel
Pingbacks: 1
  1. Wilson Tiago : The Latest Fuzz
    10 years ago

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

ballineurope
10 years ago 69 Comments More, NBA/NCAANBA, NBA 2012-13, power rankings
Recent Posts
Wembanyama’s wild run
1 month ago
Markkanen the highlight of Europe’s stunning NBA All Star haul
1 month ago
Winning is a habit and Bonn’s players like it
1 month ago
Categories
Recent Posts
Wembanyama’s wild run
Markkanen the highlight of Europe’s stunning NBA All Star haul
Winning is a habit and Bonn’s players like it
Tags
EuroLeagueNBAYouTubeCSKA MoscowFC BarcelonaReal MadridFIBAOlympiacosZalgiris KaunasPanathinaikosACBSpainMaccabi Tel AvivTeam SpainRicky RubioLos Angeles LakersMontepaschi SienaPartizan BelgradeLithuaniaPau GasolTeam LithuaniaGermanyItalyTurkeyIrelandTeam FranceCaja Laboral BaskoniaLietuvos RytasFenerbahce ÜlkerJuan Carlos NavarroGreeceSan Antonio SpursTony ParkerFranceMinnesota TimberwolvesDirk Nowitzkibasketball highlightsTeam RussiaSerbiaTeam USAALBA BerlinEuroBasket 2011EuroCupBrose Baskets BambergDallas Mavericks
Share
0
Facebook
ABOUT
BallinEurope.com was founded in September 2007 by Christophe Ney (who now runs the excellent scouting-themed website European Prospects) and Tobias Seitz, both then bloggers for FIBA.com with over 10 years’ worth of experience in the professional basketball world each. The mission then was to “provide a very unique perspective of Basketball in and about Europe.”
Most Commented
Why Andrei Kirilenko and CSKA Moscow must win the Euroleague
11 years ago
180 Comments
Euroleague Transfers Table 2008/2009
14 years ago
168 Comments
A week in highlights: Spanish block party, mighty Milos, Utah rap and some dude dunking in L.A.
12 years ago
139 Comments
Archives
Get In Touch

Email: emmetryan@gmail.com

Name: Emmet Ryan

2014 © BallinEurope. Join JCI Dublin