JVG thinks the Heat will be the greatest team EVER

2. I think you are dreaming, but it's OK to give your team the benefit of the doubt. It is unlikely the Rockets offense does better against teams fronting Yao vs. teams playing behind him. The offense should be better, but fronting will still be the best way to defend the Rockets with Yao in the game.

3. Based on your comment here, they could put Bosh or LeBron on Yao. On the other end of the floor, Yao wouldn't be able to guard anyone. Again, it's OK for you to be optimistic, but don't be surprised if Yao has lost a step. He may find it more difficult to score against bigger centers. (I just have a bad feeling about Yao).

johnstarks, I agree with your comments and that's why I said at the start the Heat might challenge 72-10 in their 2nd year together, not next season. People just don't remember how good the 96 Bulls were on defense, how they toyed with teams and would just crush them at will. I don't know if we will ever see a team match their athleticism and intensity on defense.

 

LBJ and Bosh certainly are winners.

 

You don't think Martin, an improved Brooks, an improved Scola, and Ariza would be better at battling a front than Alston, McGrady (the gimpy version), Battier/Artest?

Fronting puts the defense at a disadvantage. In the past we just couldn't exploit it because Artest, McGrady or Brooks (who was inexperienced at the time) would just dribble the air out of the ball then jack a horrible shot or turn it over. With our new lineup (and I didn't even mention Budinger, Lowry, and even Miller) I'm not as concerned about the front. We have the cutters, shooters, and passers to get around it. It will give us problems at first, but once we've seen it a few times I think we'll be very adept at dismantling it.

So yes, please put LeBron on Yao :grin:

 

Joey Crawford

 

Wade < Jordan
Lebron > Pippen
Bosh > Rodman.

Supporting cast of Miller, Haslem, Z, Chalmers, House, Anthony (Jones/Howard/Magloire/Arroyo if necc) VS Kukoc, Longley, Harper (old version), Kerr, Wennington, Buechler, and Randy Brown. Hard to see the Bulls surrounding cast looks better or deeper, unless the Heat really get nothing out of Chalmers & Z (but the Bulls didn't get a whole lot out of their 1 & 5 in any of their runs, just some off the ball shooting or defense).

I don't buy the playing together experience factor as big either. Harper and Longley were fairly new to the team and had hardly played with Jordan. Rodman was entirely new. That is 4 of the top 7 rotation players having little experience. Further, the Bulls went down from that the next two regular seasons despite more experience with each other. Motivation counts more than experience. Also true for Boston's big 3 (1st season their most motivated and best) and other examples with big trades & team shake ups.

Think of it this way, Dallas, Boston & Cleveland have had 66 or 67 win seasons in the last 4 years (Dallas 67 in the WC conference). It is that much of a stretch to think this Miami team, barring injury trouble, does 5 game better in the East than that unspecial Dallas one. I don't think it is.

 

No, he's not gonna have 10 assists. He had 8+ assists in Cavs because he's a ballhog. Remember Starbury and AI had 8 assists too? Now he has to share the ball with Wade his assist number is going down.

23/8/7 is a more reasonable number.

 

You putting bron in the same class as starbury and Ai???
Totally different players as they were both point guards and Bron is a Small forward. Also, you make out at 23 8 7 is no big deal, well no one in the NBA can come close to those stats. Bron will most likely get 28 9 9, as he will have players who can actually hit shots to pass 2.

 

23/8/7 is great number, but nowhere close to triple double someone predicted. Never mind the same guy predicted Cavs would win it all before playoff started last 2 years.

 

it's lebron james we're talking about. he had put up historic stats the past 2 years. he's 25. he's going to face more single coverages. his all-around stats will increase like crazy.

 

That's as close 2 a triple double as it is. He is basically a couple of rebounds and assists away from one.

 

JVG wants to jump on the HEAT boat by saying this. He wants to be their coach sometime during next season.
JVG stressed the defense of the team (to be the top 3 in the league and will never lose back to back), which I dont believe at all as all the three are not great at defense, and their supporting cast are not great at defense too. It is obvious that 72 wins is not possible for a team that just been put together and every team wants to beat them. At some point next season, fingers will be pointed within the HEAT organization. Initially most blames will be pointed to the defense of the team and the coach has to take responsibility to avoid problems within the three alpha dogs. That is when JVG's name will be mentioned as the next coach of the HEAT. JVG will not resist this temptation because despite all the adversity, the HEAT is guaranteed 2 to 3 championships in the next 6 years.

 

I said the offense would certainly be better, but that fronting Yao would remain the best way of defending the Rockets (assuming Yao returns as a great low post threat). In one way it puts the defense at a disadvantage, but if there is no real threat to completing a pass over the top to Yao, fronting puts the defense in a very strong position against the Rockets. I think guys like Bosh and LeBron could be used to front Yao on occasions because both guys are very athletic and have major hops. Because he can't jump and is very slow laterally, Yao is a smaller target than 7'6 would indicate.

Your confidence on the Rockets figuring out fronting defenses isn't based on what happened before with Adelman. Better offensive players will help the Rockets against it, but they won't just solve it like a riddle.

 

People looking at what weakness they have compared to other top teams, but look at the weakness of other top teams compared to he Heat.
I rather have Heats issue at Center/PG, then what other teams will have to face with Bron Wade and Bosh.
Good luck seeing Lewis from the Magic defend Bosh, Wade and Lebron are two player's that the Magic cannot defend as it is.

Also next year, they will have the MLE etc, and the year after that.
They are only going to get stronger. Who knows what centre next year will take a pay cut to join them, or a point guard at that.
This team is not meant for only a one year run, but Riley is going to have time to build over 5 years. Imagine the team in 3 years time, with 3 new players via MLE, and vets willing to take a pay cut. Pretty crazy.

 

Rodman >>>>>> Bosh.
Seriously if guarded by Rodman, I m pretty sure Rodman will make Bosh cries like a girl!

 

I listened to JVG on Mike & Mike this morning and he kinda has a point. He noted that 2 years ago LeBron took the Cavs to 60 wins when their 2nd best player was arguably Big Z. That postseason the Cavs came the closest to beating Boston. He clearly has a huge upgrade in talent now, compared to the teams he had over the last two seasons. It's not possible to get 12 more wins with Wade & Bosh?

 

I guaren-freaking--tee that:

1) the big 3 don't average a combined 63 PPG and

2) LeBron's assist numbers will drop.

Book it.

 

Y

The advantage to having not just better teammates, but additional playmakers, is that the responsibilities of playmaking will be more evenly distributed, not less. Take your namesake for example. Do you not think that teaming McG up with two legitimate playmakers would have reduced the numbers of distributing opportunities he would have had? Of course it would have. It makes the team more difficult to defend. It seems that you're thinking "hey, better players means better players for Bron to pass to, so he'll have more assists!" Well that is true, but is applicable to Wade and Bosh, as well. Those guys will not be relegated to Steve Kerr/Craig Hodges/Luc Longley status by virtue of LeBron being on the court. Those guys are playmakers in their own right, and will have the ball in their hands, being able to be a playmaker, as well.

Put simply, the duty of initiating the offense will, and should, rotate. Given that there are only so many possessions in a game (unless you're playing at GSW or NoYK no-defense warp speed), the sheer number of playmaking opportunities for Bron will decrease. If what you want is for LeBron to be making all the perimeter decisions and distributions, you might as well trade Wade for a 2nd tier better shooter (i.e. Kevin Martin or Aaron Brooks) whose game isn't predicated on having the ball in his hands, making ball decisions. Since we know the Heat haven't had a frontal lobotomy, you can rest assured that Wade will get his fair share of touches and Bron won't be asked to initiate all of the offense, ergo his assist numbers will decrease.

Finally, Bosh is not what I would consider a great finisher. He isn't strong in the air and doesn't seek contact. He's best facing up and either squeezing off or beating his man off the dribble. He'll get more than his fair share of opportunities to do that, and that will not go down as an assist in the Bron statbox.

 

umm, I always see you defend the barkley trade, and you're right they won a lot of games when they played together, except when they played Utah when it mattered, because your boy was a defensive liability.

that really has nothing to do with this thread, just couldn't let that point go.

 

I'll take that first bet. I think the big 3 will combine for 63 points at least. It is easy to say there is only one ball and that their won't be enough shots. But I think they will open things up for each other, ie I think their shots may go down but their efficiency will go up. The Lakers top 3 scorers (not necessarily their best three) gets near 63, so I don't think it is as unthinkable as you make it out to be. Definitely it is not to such a degree of certainty that they won't, that one can make brash guarantees about it. As for Lebron's assist, assist are very misleading and depending on their offense, I think it could go up or down.

 

The Big 3 were superstars on the teams where they were The Man. Their numbers will almost certainly come down this year having to share the ball. Can their big egos stand it? For JVG's prognostications to be even close, they will have to adjust big time. Will they develop a team mentality? Only time will tell; that's why they play the game.

Whilst the collaboration to bring this team together has increased off season interest in the NBA, I think such collaboration is really unhealthy for the sport in the long term.