Amidst the news that Dwight Howard is staying in Orlando for another year, it's easy to overlook that one of the best coaches in the NBA got fired. I'm curious where Nate will end up in 2012-2013. Could he even be a candidate for the Knicks job?
Can I say, for the record, that the Ewing Theory is the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard, and doesn't qualify as a theory. It's barely an observation: Sometimes teams play better when their nominal best players are missing, but most of the time they don't does not deserve a special name or reference. Every time Simmons says some team "qualifies for the Ewing Theory", I want to beat him to death with a paper towel roll. Yes, I know that would take forever. It's handwaving hackery that he tries to pass of as actual analysis, and it annoys me primarily because he's convinced he's smarter than everyone else.
I completely agree. I have a love-hate relationship with Simmons, with the "hate" side winning out during the last year. He occasionally writes/says some intelligent things, but he is just as liable to say something incredibly fucking stupid, all while giving himself goofy fictional titles like the "Czar of Common Sense" and thinking he actually knows more than an average scout or even GM. His knowledge of the NBA and basketball in general is far worse than a lot of moderately popular bloggers, yet he thinks he has some prescient and unique insight into the game. The Ewing Theory is a good example of the latter. It's a basic observation for anyone who knows basketball. There are 5 guys on the court at any one time, and it's their interactions that make them good or bad, not the skill level of one guy in a vacuum. Furthermore, "great stats" doesn't always translate to "great player", which anyone who has followed the careers of Steve Francis, Jerry Stackhouse, Stephon Marbury, and (to some extent) even Tracy McGrady knows. Thus, when a guy with great stats is no longer on the team, there is a chance for them to improve. Perhaps he wasn't as great as his stats would indicate, and perhaps his teammates' interactions improve in his absence. And yet, Simmons thinks he has uncovered some Earth-shattering revelation about the game. It's very similar to "The Secret", which he kept trumpeting in his "Book of Basketball". (A mediocre book, by the way)
I'm taking bets on if Phil Jackson will actually come back to coach the Knick's next year. Stephen A. Smith says the likelyhood is slightly over 50%.
What about Mark Jackson pulling a Lane Kiffin and leaving Golden State after 1 season to coach the Knicks?
Only after Phil says no. Has Mark proven anything in Golden State or can everything be blamed on Stephen Curry's ankles?
It's hard to say. Judging a defensive-and-efficiency-minded coach based on his results with half a season of a Monta-Ellis-led squad seems a bit unfair. Give him a little bit with the newly constituted squad. David Lee has also quietly been having a good year. Curry-Bogut-Lee is a core that could work under Jackson. I was shocked to see Denver ship out Nene so soon. i think that was a deal both side gained something from: McGee is cheaper and younger, while WAS gets a player potentially more conducive to Wall's development. The POR-NJ trade confuses me. Does NJ still think it has a chance at getting Howard? Because I like Wallace on a contender...but don't see the value of him to the Nets as currently constituted. And a first is a lot for a player without an obvious end goal. SJax to SA confuses me as well, because it appears that SA is confused as to what year it is. It is 2012, not 2007. You do not want Stephen Jackson in 2012. And the GSW get better at a time when they should be trying to tank to protect their draft pick.
What were the expectations for Golden State? I dont think he's blown anybody away, but I don't think they've tanked either. Mark was a popular exKnick and would come a lot cheaper than Phil. Purely based on PR and not coaching, though I think Mark is a good HC. Whom do you think would get along better with Carmelo?
Well Jordan and Kobe were probably harder to deal with than Carmelo will be. Mark would probably be a better friend to Melo, but Phil would be a better coach. 11 rings. He has more rings than fingers. Then again I don't feel I can make a statement on Melo on if he is actually the selfish, "I want stats" player or if he's the "I must win, I must fucking win, and I believe we win more with the ball in my hands." Phil is great with the latter.
Kobe maybe. But Phil was younger then. Hungrier. I don't think Melo is a win at all costs guy. I see him as a guy that isn't as upset when they lost and he scores 30 as he should be.
Wait, you saying Melo is harder to deal with than Jordan was? You need to do some reading. Don't let the more recent media coverage of the internet age skew your view. He wasn't a monster, but you're talking about the best player to ever play knowing he was such. On the other hand, if what you say about Melo is true and he was the former "I get mine, fuck all else." Then him and Phil wouldn't get a long at all.
They were harder to deal with in terms of obstinacy perhaps, but you knew you could count on them to give it their all in every aspect of the game. That isn't necessarily the case with Melo. Kobe and Jordan were going to play like they wanted because they thought that was the approach that would lead to winning. Carmelo does it because he's averse to change, lazy, and selfish. To be honest, I think Jackson might be highly averse to playing with Melo. I don't think he'd have much tolerance for his selfishness. I don't see why people think Jackson has any interest in returning to coaching. I think this is a possibility that exists in the minds of the media and maybe Dolan, but not Jackson. I think the "sources close to Jackson" are full of shit.
I don't need to read, I was there. I watched Jordan win the National Championship at NC and I watched him play live in the old Chicago Stadium. Jordan got over his best player ever routine once he realized that scoring 63 points and losing still sucked. I am not saying he was a dream to get along with, but at least he had somewhat of a well-rounded game. Jordan was a win at whatever cost player.
Fisher up to nonsense again. At least the new CBA has a provision to prevent him from returning to LAL. I mean, it makes sense from a financial standpoint for Houston, but I'm sure Fisher not showing up in HOU isn't unrelated.
If anything Melo reminds me of Nique. Wilkins didn't give a shit about the score as long as he got his.
Remember when they tried to trade Fisher before? The guy is a teflon boomerang, you try to toss him away but it won't stick. He'll end up back somehow.
That's because he team always sucked. Nique is like Howard. Team surrounds him with lemons and expects him to make lemonade.
New CBA in the NBA prevents him from returning to the Lakers for the remainder of this season. Fisher's #1 choice? Bulls.