[Sports] The 2006-2007 NBA Season Discussion Thread

Alright, it won't be too much longer before a new NBA season is upon us. So, all discussions about the offseason leading up to and including the 2006-2007 season will go here.

I like how last season's thread was essentially a three-way conversation. bishop743, nazpyro, and I had more than 75% of the posts. But the thread was started in March, so maybe this new one will draw more people as training camp begins in October.

Maybe more photos and stuff will catch some eyes. Here are some from those USA practices:








And Steve Nash has a new hair cut:

I didn't really mind the fact that we were the only 3 that had a great deal of participation in the last thread. I liked chatting it up with you guys. I wouldn't mind seeing others getting involved though.

I really think this team the US has put together has a excellent shot of bringing back the credibility we lost at the last World Championships and at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Team USA has taken a different approach this time around. Instead of just throwing together a bunch of superstars, they've actually went and put a real TEAM together this time. I mean, you could get away with the old concept when you had the players that were on the original Dream Team, but with the guys we have out there today, that formula is not going to be successful. It's true that the international scene has gotten much better and much more talented, but I think with the team we have, we can bring the gold medal back to the US.

Originally Posted by bishop743

I really think this team the US has put together has a excellent shot of bringing back the credibility we lost at the last World Championships and at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Team USA has taken a different approach this time around. Instead of just throwing together a bunch of superstars, they've actually went and put a real TEAM together this time. I mean, you could get away with the old concept when you had the players that were on the original Dream Team, but with the guys we have out there today, that formula is not going to be successful. It's true that the international scene has gotten much better and much more talented, but I think with the team we have, we can bring the gold medal back to the US.

It's a good squad. They have a few superstar players who are clearly the centerpieces of the team: Lebron, Wade, and Melo -- and to some extent Chris Bosh. Everyone else will find their roles just fine.

I think Larry Brown did a poor job in 2004 with Team USA in the Olympics. He's well-known for his dislike of young players. Lebron and Melo rode the bench practically the entire time.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

It's a good squad. They have a few superstar players who are clearly the centerpieces of the team: Lebron, Wade, and Melo -- and to some extent Chris Bosh. Everyone else will find their roles just fine.

I think Larry Brown did a poor job in 2004 with Team USA in the Olympics. He's well-known for his dislike of young players. Lebron and Melo rode the bench practically the entire time.

Yeah, Larry Brown's legacy has taken a huge hit in my eyes with the events of the last 2 years or so. First the debacle that was the 2004 Olympic team, then his messy divorce from the Pistons (which he mostly brought on himself) and then the horrible excuse of a New York Knick team he coached last season. He's still a great coach with an intellectual passion for the game, but the events of the last 2 years have greatly knocked him down in my list of upper-echelon coaches in basketball.

Also... I dunno man, I don't think I'm feelin' this new look for Steve Nash. I guess it'll take getting used to.

A couple bits of news:

The schedule for the 2006-2007 NBA season has now been put out. There are a lot of great and intriuging matchups. Check the following article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/column...arc&id=2536337

Also, we will finally get a chance to see Team USA in action. They are going to be playing in an exhibition game on Thursday against Puerto Rico. It will be shown on ESPN2 at 11PM EST.

Lastly, speaking of Team USA, here is an article about Kobe Bryant and his interaction (or lack thereof) with the team since his surgery: Kobe's 'We' Problem

Cool. They had a scrimmage yesterday against Puerto Rico where, if they didn't reset the scores each quarter, USA won 116-82. Supposedly nonstop full-court press. I gotta see this on Thursday. I'd be scared as shit to have to inbound through Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul.

Originally Posted by bishop743

Also... I dunno man, I don't think I'm feelin' this new look for Steve Nash. I guess it'll take getting used to.

I think everyone's gotten used to his long hair that swishes around when he runs down the court, and that he often licks his fingers and tucks those hair behind his ears.

Is it NBA Live 07 or NBA 2K7 that will be implementing that special finger-licking animation? (I just checked -- it is 2K7) They're gonna have to take it out...





I came across this PSA Yao Ming did for WildAid, swatting bullets away to save elephants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKj3nRYPRgQ

Why would they have to pull out the finger-licking? I thought he just does that before free throws and various other times throughout the game, not necessarily touching his hair when he does it... or am I wrong? I just can't remember what his mannerism was :/.

I'm cised for 2K7. I've lost my loyalty with the Live series.

I greatly prefer the NBA 2K series over the Live series. I haven't bought a Live game since...like... '99 or so.

Well, Team USA had an impressive showing against Puerto Rico on Thursday. They started off great, then Puerto Rico began competing more and got back in the game... even took the lead a few times. Then, the US took over and pulled away for a 114-69 victory. Now that I've seen how these guys play together finally, I really think our chances are good this year. Still, it's only one game and the competition is going to be much, much greater down the line.

Also, the Suns signed Leandro Barbosa to an extended new deal. This guy had a huge coming out party during the Phoenix's playoff run last season. I knew they weren't gonna let him go. He also says that he wants to be a Sun for life.

Originally Posted by nazpyro

Why would they have to pull out the finger-licking? I thought he just does that before free throws and various other times throughout the game, not necessarily touching his hair when he does it... or am I wrong? I just can't remember what his mannerism was :/.

Doesn't Nash lick both his fingers and brush his hair back? Maybe you're right.

Originally Posted by bishop743

I greatly prefer the NBA 2K series over the Live series. I haven't bought a Live game since...like... '99 or so.

But have you played a Live game since '99? The series has gone through some changes for the better. Ever since Live 2003, the series has been pretty solid ... though admittedly it's hitting that point again where they're getting a little stale. There are still problems that EA sorely needs to address, such as the ultra-annoying tendency (probably 85% of the time) of players stopping dead in their track to catch passes, effectively ruining the fastbreak.

I have NBA Live 2005, and NBA 2K6 -- both for the PS2. Being more used to Live, I was intrigued by what the 2K series brought to the table. I love the pace of the 2K series, it feels like an actual NBA game.

NBA Live's pacing, at its default factory setting -- is awful. I had to go online and find customs sliders provided by other people, i.e., those who prefer a more realistically-paced game. But when you turn down the speed, the players run very, very slowly (even with the turbo held). And it bugged the hell out of me that a trailing defender inexplicably always managed to catch up and get in front of me, even when I was playing as Iverson.

Gameplay wise, it took me a while to get used to the 2K series, since I was so used to Live. I really like the shot stick in 2K6, but I miss having the right analog stick as my dribble-moves. Also, passing is terrific in 2K6 -- I love the lead pass. Fastbreaking is fun in 2K6. The same thing can't be said for Live, you can't run a break properly unless you're miles ahead of the defense.

Graphically speaking, the 2K series is awesome. But Live has much better animation, in my opinion. Live's 10-men motion capture is dope, and the nuances in animation are so good. Live also has better dunk animations. I can't stand the dunks in the 2K series -- not only are they limited in variety, most of them also look awkward and weak.

(Keep in mind that all my comparison is done for the PS2 versions)




Random funny video. Shawn Marion almost dunks at the wrong basket:

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Doesn't Nash lick both his fingers and brush his hair back? Maybe you're right.

Just discussed it with my brother. We think his free throw routine was: work-the-follow-through, work-the-follow-through, maybe sweep the hair, lick the fingers, receive the ball. The YouTube results had him skipping the sweeping the hair part. ?_? But I think he does that too then.

That Matrix video is hilarious. No backcourt call at that point though? The refs were probably like: "hellhethinkhegoing?"

Haha, that Marion clip was funny, random Shaq popping out of nowhere. 2k7 > Live 07, 2k just seems more real. Nash licks his finger just for the heck of it when he recieves the ball. I haven't seen him lick and slick his hair back in a year or so. Maybe he gave it up?

Way to go Jared Jeffries. He got the Knicks (lollin) to give him some huge $30 million offer. Wizards weren't gonna match that shit. They basically said yeah... we get the same type of play out of DeShawn Stevenson for (wait for it!) the league minimum of $932,000 for the first year. Meanwhile, Jeffries goes to a team that's hopeless. I also can't imagine it's fun to be booed by your home court. But he gets his monies. What a win. Meanwhile, Wizards are set to be playoff-bound again with the support of its fans.

Why would Knicks boo Jared?

I dunno... every time I see the Knicks on TV, they're getting booed. They seem to get booed even more when they play at home.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

But have you played a Live game since '99? The series has gone through some changes for the better. Ever since Live 2003, the series has been pretty solid ... though admittedly it's hitting that point again where they're getting a little stale. There are still problems that EA sorely needs to address, such as the ultra-annoying tendency (probably 85% of the time) of players stopping dead in their track to catch passes, effectively ruining the fastbreak.

I have NBA Live 2005, and NBA 2K6 -- both for the PS2. Being more used to Live, I was intrigued by what the 2K series brought to the table. I love the pace of the 2K series, it feels like an actual NBA game.

NBA Live's pacing, at its default factory setting -- is awful. I had to go online and find customs sliders provided by other people, i.e., those who prefer a more realistically-paced game. But when you turn down the speed, the players run very, very slowly (even with the turbo held). And it bugged the hell out of me that a trailing defender inexplicably always managed to catch up and get in front of me, even when I was playing as Iverson.

Gameplay wise, it took me a while to get used to the 2K series, since I was so used to Live. I really like the shot stick in 2K6, but I miss having the right analog stick as my dribble-moves. Also, passing is terrific in 2K6 -- I love the lead pass. Fastbreaking is fun in 2K6. The same thing can't be said for Live, you can't run a break properly unless you're miles ahead of the defense.

Graphically speaking, the 2K series is awesome. But Live has much better animation, in my opinion. Live's 10-men motion capture is dope, and the nuances in animation are so good. Live also has better dunk animations. I can't stand the dunks in the 2K series -- not only are they limited in variety, most of them also look awkward and weak.

(Keep in mind that all my comparison is done for the PS2 versions)

Yeah, I've played some of the other Live games since '99, I just haven't bought any myself. I do agree that Live's dunk animations are much better than the 2K series. I've still been playing 2K5 (never bought 2K6) and the dunks are pretty limited. I've never played 2K6 so I can't speak on that but I hope that the upcoming 2K7 improves on that.

Originally Posted by nazpyro

Way to go Jared Jeffries. He got the Knicks (lollin) to give him some huge $30 million offer. Wizards weren't gonna match that shit. They basically said yeah... we get the same type of play out of DeShawn Stevenson for (wait for it!) the league minimum of $932,000 for the first year. Meanwhile, Jeffries goes to a team that's hopeless. I also can't imagine it's fun to be booed by your home court. But he gets his monies. What a win. Meanwhile, Wizards are set to be playoff-bound again with the support of its fans.

Talk about a team mis-managing their salary cap! Is it their goal to overpay every single one of their players? Highest payroll in the league....2nd worst record in the legaue.... the hell is that?! It doesn't make any sense at all.

Washington, on the other hand, made a great move snagging Stevenson. He's gonna help them out very well. It was also good to see them give their coach Eddie Jordan an extension. They've been through a slew of coaches over the last decade or so, so it's good that they have some stability now. They'll definitely be in the playoffs next year.

USA owned the Yao-less China. In another warm-up game, the USA barely got by Brazil, featuring Leandrihno Barbosa and double-double machine Anderson Varejao. I'm hoping Varejao won't get hurt this season and get mucho PT. He was an awesome source of boards two seasons ago (so yeah, we should do GFF Fantasy NBA this year when it becomes available). Anyway, time to lol: Carmelo Anthony got hurt. Injury-prone...