NBA 2012: Running thread

Interesting that Spoelstra pulled a Popovich and benched LeBron and Wade for the return trip to Alamo City. (And won.)

Will Stern fine the Heat a quarter-million? Or will he give the Spurs theirs back?

 

I can't stop laughing.

 

One of the all time great NBA teams back together after 40 years:

 

LeBron's personal playground.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/lebron-james-throws-alley-oop-off-backboard-himself-013923822--nba.html

 

My (vague) understanding of the new salary cap rules are that if the Lakers sign Howard they will be 30M over the cap next . According to the list I saw Kobe is on the books for at close to 30M next year? The tax on that salary is 50M. Six of the seven Lakers who play will be at least 33 at the beginning of next season so the current team will not imprve next year. If the Lakers get knocked off in the first round and are able to sign Howard do you then amnesty Kobe and save at least 50M?

 

The Mavs are losing at home to the freaking Suns.

 

Kobe scores 47, Lakers still in 8th.

On another note, still wrapping head around "Pacific Division champion L.A. Clippers" and that they swept the Lakers.

 

Heard a stat -- on a brief passover of Leno, of all places -- that Howard has missed more free throws this season than Nash has during his entire 17-year career.

 

According to the latest Basketball Reference numbers, Nash's career free-throw record is 3,038-3,360 -- 322 misses.

Meanwhile, Howard this season is 329-672 -- 343 misses.

Wow.

Of course, Howard, being a center, gets to the line a LOT more than Nash does. Then again, given their respective free-throw percentages, I'm guessing defenders are a little less concerned about fouling Howard than they are Nash.

EDIT: Interesting that Howard shot 68 percent from the line in her first year, and then sunk to about 60 percent for most years following -- and then has dripped to below 50 percent the last two years. How does he keep getting worse at free throw shooting?

 

Howard doesn't have the fundamentals for that pronoun.

 

Yeah, but there's no way Griner could guard him.

 

That's an amazing stat right there.