[Grantland] Bill Simmons/Jalen Rose Analysis of NBA Teams ('13-'14)

Some other media guy wrote that NBA might make an exception for MJ just for one game. All in the name of selling jerseys.

 

Memphis is a team that is pretty good, but not a title contender. I could see Z-Bo declining pretty soon.

 

The calculus has changed for Morey. He was after Melo when we were in desperate hunt for a superstar. That's not the case any longer. With Harden and Howard on the team, our money is better spent on star players with complementary skills. That is, elite spot-up shooters or highly versatile defensive players. A great floor general like Chris Paul who'll keep our offense from getting ragged or ISO-centric is also welcomed. I don't see how Carmelo Anthony, at max salary, will be sought after.

 

How has the calculus changed? Morey is after championships. That hasn't changed. The question is whether Melo makes us more of a championship contending team than the role players we would trade for him or than the role players we would trade our current role players for.

I understand the argument against adding a Melo. Not totally sold on him myself. But...if he becomes available through trade...I can't see Morey turning down the opportunity to add him. He is a superstar. He is in demand. And his trade value will be greater and we can flip him for more fitting role players than we can flip our current role players. He can walk away after this season, sure. But if he does...we've got cap space to go after Bosh if he opts out, or possibly even Lebron if he opts out. Too many options with Melo and too much value. He is a superstar.

Asik/Lin/DMo plus a pick or two is superstar worthy. I don't see how we can trade those guys individually for better role players. You have to package them even to get better role players. When you package them, you actually come out with a package worthy of Melo or Love or Bosh or LaMarcus or Rondo.

Now...if you can come up with a trade where we can send out Jeremy Lin and a couple of the young PFs for Ilyasova...then that would be a role player upgrade. I'd be on board for that while saving Asik for a separate trade. But..I dont' see any role player exchanges (Asik or Lin for another role player) viable on the horizon. Do you?

 

Play Carmelo at the four, keep Parsons at the three.

 

He would spread the floor. Look at that shot chart of in that video. He's pretty elite on the right side of the floor from midrange out to the three point line. He'd be perfect as a floor spacing four. He'd open up space for Dwight down low.

As for his tendancy to be a ball stopper, he wouldn't be the best player on this squad, so he'd have to be more in line with the offense. He wouldn't be relied on to "be the offense" as he is in New York. Hence, I think he'd play more like he did on the Olympic team, in which he was fantastic, to address Rhadamanthus' point.

 

The one thing about melo is he played different when with other elite players in the Olympics. He actually deferred.

That said. Still so not want.

 

Adding Melo = ISO ball hell + Dwightmare 3.0 + Lincapability + shortening my lifespan. Bad things will happen, maybe end of times or mioving the Rockets to Seattle.

 

Are we or OKC at 8? Wouldn't making a Westbrook prediction during the Rockets preview be irrelevant? And has the full #8 been posted yet anywhere?

 

No, Rockets are #8. #* hasn't been posted yet which is strange since they have been rolling out two a day the last couple days.

 

Rockets are #7 YES!!!!!

 

Here is a list of the full rankings.

Rockets are 8th. Not sure what guy above is talking about (they even say in the last video Rockets are 8th).

 

Chicago 1? thats interesting

 

The last 3 years belies your assessment. The grizzlies have the top center in the league, the top defense in the league, a top 6 pg in the league and a top 5 pf and the top perimeter defender in the league.

The grizzlies beat the superstar spurs, the superstar clippers and the superstar okc, in the last 3 years.

The grizzlies beat okc 4-1. 4-1, and the game okc won was very nearly the grizzlies game as well. To say that you are ABSOLUTELY positive that the grizzlies lose that series if westbrook is healthy is, in the very least, up for debate.

The grizzlies took the clippers to 7 games a year before after a monumental collapse, and then was down 0-2, before the grizzlies won 4 in a row.

People that are putting the rockets ahead of any of the recent playoff teams are building you guys hopes up.

Number 1, dwight howard can't shoot, and his greatest asset is the fact that he is probably the number low post "space creator" in the league. He cannot create his own shot, but he can get low post position for an easy shot. The problem is that, unlike orlando who had turk, petrus, j.nelson, reddick, reshard lewis, all that could shoot 3 pointers.

The rockets have: james harden. You guys think Howard is Karl Malone or something, where an inside outside game with Harden and Howard would be deadly. It won't, You guys are putting way to much pressure on harden. You guys are 3 shooters away from being relevant in the playoffs.

 

Oh yeah and Courtney Lee, too.

 

Towards the end of the GSW preview, Bill mentioned that #8 could be a team that had an expensive center join them leaving another team so must be Rox

 

He must be talking about oden.

 

Howard is the best Center in the league, the top defense in the league last year was Indiana. Mike Conley Top 6 PG ? lmfao and Top perimeter defender in the League id rather have Lebrons or George Defense over Tony Allen any day of the week. Memphis just got swept by the Spurs last year if RW had not gotten hurt last year you would not had advanced past the Thunder, and Memphis beating this years Clippers team that just got more stacked, id be surprised Memphis makes it past the first round. Take those Homer glasses off Rockets will finish with a better record than Memphis.

 

the best center in the league who got thrown out of the final playoff game because he wasn't "feelin'" it. The dude is a quiter. The only reason you think he's the #1 center in the league is because you are a homer.

You'd rather have Lebron, George, period.

I can't wait for this season to star so that all the delusional rockets fans can see their team, up close. How are those texans doing?