The Goat Pen

re - I'm not asking you to give credit to MEM for luck, that's your prerogative. I'm asking that you realize the deal was not the ass raping that many said it was. MEM made out okay, whatever the forces behind that "ok" is.

but that's the "end justifies the means" argument. Nobody would have done that deal. It was fleecing another team EXCEPT that Memphis got lucky that a 2nd rounder turned out way better than 29 teams scouting staffs had predicted.

The Raps got two picks in exchange for VC but no one viewed that trade as fair value, or even remotely, as fair value. PERHAPS the pick becomes a future all-star and everyone says Babcock did a great deal. But Babs didn't get a lottery pick in return, he got low first rounders which made the deal basically useless. The odds of that deal being a decent trade were small and the results showed it.

if Gasol ends out like 99% of all 2nd rounders, the trade is pitiful which means they did a high risk transaction for an all star. The odds of that deal being a decent trade were probably even smaller than the Raps deal so I still don't see how it was not a fleecing. Any team could have offered unproven 2nd rounders or low end first rounders but somehow the Lakers won it.

like I said, the comparison is Alabi and Davis for Bynum (or substitute any all star since Bynum has only been once) and it becomes fairly clear why everyone called it a fleecing. No one expects Alabi to become a rock at center and the jury is still out on Davis.... but if Alabi exceeds the 99% of all 2nd rounders then it must be a fair trade, right??? Yes, they did all right in the end but it was a bad deal at the time.

Dot's post was the best. I have no good counter punch.

I'm a natural born hardhead though, so I'm still saying I'm right.

Steve Nash. Maybe Pau feels better now that he somebody to talk socialized medicine with.

Big get...but a few more moves needed to get this thing back to lovely.

I hate those comments " a source close to the...."

if he signs, he says he's right. If not, you never hear him say his source was useless. and for all we know, his source is the hairstylist for Grant's wife.

that's a pet peeve of mine.

i am not sure why everyone feels Hill is somehow Nash's lap dog. The Raps writers were commenting that if Nash signed in TO that Hill would then be a likely target to solve our forward problem. Yeah right.

T Dot O Dot wrote:this is the rallying pic for the anti-Bynum camp in LA, the tale of two facial expressions after a playoff loss to OKC

Why don't they show the shot of Bynum and Pau staying on the court and trying to talk their way through how to succeed after one of the earlier games in the series? Kobe's probably pissed in this shot because he only got off 33 shots and not because he only shot 43% for the series (with 3 games under 40% and 2 for 18 from 3).



It's going to be interesting to see if he can mesh with Nash, seeing as Kobe usually dominates the ball. At this point in his career, if he allows it, it would probably be helpful if he was a guy that, more often than not, comes off screens and sometimes posts up. He can still create for himself but why waste what Nash brings to the table?

Bklyn wrote:It's Durant's time, but Scott Brooks is not a great coach...which means there is plenty of room for people to steal years from him.

But the lakes only have Mike Brown to throw at them. Brooks is at least on par with him.

Who in the league would you think outcoaches Scott Brooks Brooklyn?

The 4 game backend stretch of the SA series was brilliant

LAL now in the lead to land D12...with Drew heading to Houston and ORL getting a shitload of picks (from HOU) and giving up Turkey-glue and/or Duhon.

and Orlando is demanding HOU throw in the 1st rounder they got from Toronto in the Kyle Lowery deal

Nets & Clippers 1st rounders may not be what they used to be, but you can always count on a Raptor pick being a goodie

Yep...I'm trying not to be premature, so I'm gonna fall back...but indulge me this bit: Thanks Canada!

The Orlando would get only 2 number 1 picks at most from the Rockets (one must be the Toronto relatively unprotected pick) plus players, including the expiring Kevin Martin plus several of their very young forwards and Jeremy Lamb. Also would probably involve Scola moving to Orlando and the Rockets taking on probably Turkoglu's contract.

Is it Dwight Howard yet?

September is when Dwight Howard Day will arrive.

Bklyn wrote:

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine
RT @FisolaNYDN: Grant Hill will either join Steve Nash and the Lakers or retire, a source close to the veteran forward told me

So did stein come out and say his source was garbage yet?

Nah, the trick is that you keep your Twitter feed cluttered so no one has the time to dig back and see where your "sources close to..." steered you wrong.

sotola wrote:

Bklyn wrote:

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine
RT @FisolaNYDN: Grant Hill will either join Steve Nash and the Lakers or retire, a source close to the veteran forward told me

So did stein come out and say his source was garbage yet?

Stein's source assumed that the Lakers wanted Hill. Nash and Kobe recruited him, but the FO is holding that roster spot for whatever contract we take back with Dwight.

so then why didn't Hill retire if Stein was correct?

Mitchell Fucking Kupchak, bitches!

Bow Down!