Announcement

Collapse

The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
See more
See less

espn.com NBA 101: What this season taught us

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    espn.com NBA 101: What this season taught us

    http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/s...ge=nba101/1-20

    Editor's note: To recap the season, we asked our writers and editors what they would remember. Here, then, is everything you need to know about the 2005-06 season (so far).

    Andrei Kirilenko
    ESPN The Magazine
    AK-47 and his wife, Masha, have a special arrangement.

    1. Real pressure?
    In Salt Lake City? It's not trying to make the playoffs and keep hothead owner Larry Miller happy. For Andrei Kirilenko, it's picking the right companion for the evening when cashing in the ultimate once-a-season hall pass from the wife. -- Marc Stein

    2. Flagrant stupidity
    Here's why Kobe Bryant can't be MVP. On Dec. 28, he commits a premeditated flagrant foul on Mike Miller (elbow to the neck), Miller makes the two free throws and the Grizzlies win 100-99 in overtime. Then Bryant brags about the elbow and gets suspended two games, which become two losses to Utah. One elbow, three Ls. -- ESPN.com

    3. Moneyball has come to the NBA
    The Houston Rockets sent shock waves throughout the league when they announced that little-known Celtics exec Daryl Morey would be the team's next general manager. Morey has little traditional scouting/coaching experience but has expertise in statistical analysis, which wouldn't be shocking in baseball but was completely unheard of in pro hoops … until now. -- John Hollinger

    4. Trade The Franchise to save the franchise
    Do teams get better when Steve Francis leaves? The Orlando Magic are 13-4 in the last month, which is the second-best record in the league over that period. I guess Francis can commiserate with his new friend Starbury. -- ESPN.com

    5. Stay where you are
    Mike Montgomery is the latest coach to end a illustrious college career to go pro -- and fail. Coach K clearly knew what he was doing when he turned down the Lakers' job. -- Ric Bucher

    6. Oh, Bosh
    The Toronto Raps star got his props with an All-Star appearance, but, sad to say, it looks like he's on the KG career path. Like Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh seems destined to be an underappreciated superstar stuck in a northern NBA outpost. Great city, weak spotlight. -- ESPN.com

    Paul Pierce
    Kent Horner/Getty Images
    Paul Pierce made the most of this season in green.

    7. OK, we get it
    Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics are not trading Paul Pierce! Never mind that 10 months ago, they worked out a deal to exile him to Portland. And never mind that he can opt out of his contract in 2007 and might not want to re-sign with a team that's 32 games behind the Detroit Pistons in the East.
    -- ESPN.com

    8. The NBA ... It's Ban-tastic!
    No more dressing like a bum on the bench. No more wearing women's clothing on the court. And no more Chris Andersen for two years. Style and substance abuse … the league has spoken. -- ESPN.com

    9. Detroit devil deal
    The Detroit Pistons have either the greatest fitness staff in history or a deal with the devil. Their top six guys have missed zero games because of injury, not counting Rasheed's brain cramps. -- ESPN.com

    10. "Reg-gie, Reg-gie"
    The newest member of TNT's broadcasting crew hit it on the head early in the season when he pointed out how the Pacers' chemistry problems were going to be a serious issue. Too bad Reggie didn't share his insight more when he was a player. -- Chris Sheridan

    11. Taking the bullet
    They weren't seriously hurt, but two NBA rookies were shot this season. Andray Blatche was shot in the chest while getting carjacked near his home in Virginia, and Julius Hodge was hit in the legs while driving on the interstate in Denver. What are the odds that two of the top 40 picks get shot in the same season? -- ESPN.com

    12. Careful what you wish for
    Larry Brown called it his dream job. It ended up being a nightmare. He left the helm of the Detroit Pistons to take over in New York, and then watched the Pistons roll to the league's best record while his Knicks sunk toward the bottom. -- J.H.

    13. Psych!
    Larry Bird wasn't walking through that door, so the Celtics signed Brian Scalabrine to a five-year, $15 million contract, in part because he supposedly has Bird's "brain type." Boston fans, more interested in his 2.7 PPG than his EEG, have a nickname for the dead meat at the end of the bench: "Veal." -- ESPN.com

    14. Jerry's kids
    New Team USA czar Jerry Colangelo managed to find 24 players willing to try out for the national team, but size and ballhandling are already concerns for the U.S. team that will go to Japan this summer for the World Championship. -- C.S.

    15. Mom doesn't always know best
    Hawks forward Al Harrington was quoted saying Clippers guard Corey Maggette would be traded to the Pacers for Ron Artest. Harrington heard the news from his mom, an Indy real estate agent who got a call from Maggette's mom about finding a place to live. Maggette then scared off the Pacers by suggesting his injured foot might not allow him to play this season, leaving Harrington to tell his mom he was cutting her off as a source. -- R.B.

    Dwyane Wade
    David Sherman/Getty Images
    D-Wade's game is pretty. His leggings? That's your call.

    16. That's tight
    When asked about the tights craze sweeping the NBA, Marcus Camby said, "I don't wear pantyhose." But Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade, and T-Mac put their fashion reputations on the line by donning the stockings. Then AI went way out on a limb when he broke out the white tights under the home white unis. Yikes! -- ESPN.com

    17. The Family Guy
    Stan Van Gundy quit one of the great jobs in sports to spend more time with his family. So, when he takes the reins of another team, will he announce that he's decided he wants to spend less time with his family? -- ESPN.com

    18. Ray of hopelessness
    Nine months ago, Sonics fans were handing out hugs when told Ray Allen was returning. Now, even as Ray-Ray posts another All-Star season, and threatens the single-season record for 3s, Seattle fans are ready to move Ray's contract and move on without him. In the NBA, things change fast.
    -- ESPN.com

    19. Bandwagon ***-cats
    No players -- or fans -- carry a chip on their shoulder quite as well as those in Detroit. Even when the media showed the Pistons some love, Rasheed Wallace spat back, not ready to forget and forgive the lack of respect he'd been feeling: "We'll see them bandwagon ***-cats come May and June."
    -- ESPN.com

    20. Disrespecting the Kwame
    When Kwame Brown joined the Lakers, and even his coach called him something unprintable (a word for kitten), his status was downgraded from big bust to bad joke. But if next season he can continue his solid D and late-season surge (including a 15-point, 15-rebound game), he might finally get in a few grins himself. -- ESPN.com

    21. 14 is the magic number
    Just when the ground under Lawrence Frank seemed a little shaky, his Nets went on a 14-game run. With Jason Kidd on his side and two 14-game winning streaks to bookend his coaching career (so far), things are looking up for LaFra. -- ESPN.com

    22. Mystery Mike
    He can post a triple-double, go for 41 or put up 21 and 14 in any given Grizzlies game. Which makes Mike Miller's mediocre numbers and passive play all the more mysterious, his likely Sixth Man of the Year award notwithstanding. -- ESPN.com

    23. The Busboy
    Mike Dunleavy can't play. OK, that's unfair. But is he worth the $44 million the Warriors just gave him? Not when you consider that he is, as ESPN.com editor Chris Ramsay calls him, "the poor man's Toni Kukoc." If Kukoc is The Waiter, that makes Dunleavy The Busboy. -- ESPN.com

    24. Tony the Teacher?
    Tony Parker schooled opposing point guards for layup after layup this season on his way to his first All-Star Game, but in romance he's the student -- or is he? First, girlfriend Eva Longoria said, "I'm the experienced one. I'm the teacher, especially about love." When she realized that made Tony look bad, she issued a correction: "When the lights are out, he's the teacher … and I'm the student." -- ESPN.com

    25. Bogut not bogus
    But not a superstar in the making, either. When the Bucks drafted the world's greatest Croatian-Australian hoopster, Andrew Bogut, at No. 1, they worked to temper expectations. They were smart. With a 15.4 PER (league average is 15.0), the 21-year-old Bogut has been solid, not stellar. -- ESPN.com

    26. Foot fault
    When shopping Ron Artest, the Pacers rejected the opportunity to acquire Corey Maggette because of a foot injury, and they settled for Peja Stojakovic. But Maggette is younger, better … and now his foot is fine. Meanwhile, the Pacers are stumbling. -- ESPN.com

    27. Gettin' it
    One was the eighth pick in 2000 … the other the eighth pick in 2002. Both are thought to be the kind of player who "doesn't get it." But last week Knicks guard Jamal Crawford and Sonics forward Chris Wilcox were named the Players of the Week. Flashes in the pan, or flashes of the future? We'll see. -- ESPN.com

    28. Even expansion teams have studs
    Gerald Wallace isn't exactly a household name, but the Charlotte forward had a remarkable season. Wallace became just the third player in league history to average at least two blocks and two steals in a season, joining David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon in that esteemed club, while shooting 53.9 percent and throwing down several highlight-film dunks. -- J.H.

    Andres Nocioni
    Another Argentine, Andres Nocioni, has become a huge player for the Bulls.

    29. This is Bull
    No team has less talent than Chicago. Check out John Hollinger's PER standings and you won't find a single Bull in the Top 50. Every other team (including the 14 non-playoff teams) has at least one guy ahead of Andres Nocioni (No. 63), yet the Bulls are in the playoffs. Nice job, Scott Skiles. -- ESPN.com

    30. NYC still ridden with crime
    Indecent exposure, robbery, murder … it's all at the Garden. The Knicks have lost 11 home games by double-digits -- five of those by 15-plus points. All this, while the fans spend an average of $70 per ticket to watch a roster with the highest payroll in the league. No fun, no refund. -- ESPN.com

    31. Make the obvious choice sometimes
    When the most NBA-ready draft prospect, who happens to be an All-American point guard, has a great workout for you and says he wants to be an Atlanta Hawk, don't get cute and go for another swingman. Take Chris Paul. -- M.S.

    32. Eternal Uncle Cliffy
    When Nets reserve Cliff Robinson first suited up for Portland in 1989, the Berlin Wall still stood. While the German barrier is now just souvenirs and dust, Cliff remains a solid wall down low and brings it nightly at age 39 as a key reserve for Jersey. -- ESPN.com

    33. Superstars can't do it by themselves
    Despite the usual banner years from Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, neither Minnesota nor Boston came close to earning a playoff spot. They even tried exchanging supporting casts halfway during the season, but shockingly, Michael Olowokandi and Mark Blount couldn't raise the fortunes of either team. Despite insisting they want to stay put, both now can prepare for a summer of trade rumors. -- J.H.

    34. Reef at last, Reef at last!
    Finally, in his 10th NBA season, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, broken jaw and all, is headed to the playoffs in Sacto. He's not the reason, you say? Well, if he's not going to be credited for his solid efforts with lousy teammates in the past, he can't be discredited because he has better teammates this season. Fair is fair. -- ESPN.com

    Ron Artest
    Rocky Widner/Getty Images
    Ron Artest and the Kings have been squashing other teams.

    35. What I meant to say was …
    Take Ron Artest at his word at your own risk. First he wanted out of Indiana. Then he didn't. Then he didn't want to go to Sacramento. Then he did. Now that he's there, he can see the Kings winning a championship. Until, of course, he can't. -- R.B.

    36. What I meant to do was …
    The best move GM Billy King made this season was the one he couldn't. The Sixers announced in early February that they had dealt Steven Hunter to the NO/OK City Hornets for two future second-round picks, but the Hornets reneged after examining Hunter's knees. Hunter returned to Philadelphia, promptly took C Sam Dalembert's starting job and doubled his career averages in March and April. -- R.B.

    37. Blowout!
    Small-market Portland thinks mighty big when it comes to losing. This season, the Blazers have lost games by 24, 24, 29, 29, 31, 32, 32, 33, 39, 39 and 45 points. And they've lost 48 other games, too. -- ESPN.com

    38. The Suns never set
    Phoenix lost Amare Stoudemire to a knee injury, Joe Johnson and Steven Hunter to free agency and Quentin Richardson to a trade . . . and then kept right on winning as though nothing had happened. Newcomers Boris Diaw, Kurt Thomas, Raja Bell, James Jones, Tim Thomas and Eddie House ably filled the voids while Steve Nash and Shawn Marion kept the pedal pushed to the metal as Phoenix won the Pacific Division with surprising ease.
    -- J.H.

    39. Spurious
    Why are the Spurs more vulnerable than expected? (Remember when San Antonio was a nearly unanimous pick to win it all, and some were predicting 70 wins?) Because their vaunted front office picked up some cubic zirconia when it signed Michael Finley (12.5 PER), Nick Van Exel (10.2) and Fabricio Oberto (10.2). Suddenly the Spurs are barely five deep and banged up to boot. For real. -- ESPN.com

    40. Money can't make a mediocre center good
    What is it about 7-footers that makes general managers lose their senses? Dalembert, Jerome James, Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler signed contracts totaling over $200 million in the offseason … and proceeded to give exactly the same inconsistent performances that had marked their entire careers. -- J.H.

    41. Ka-Pau!
    New, grizzly beard. New game. New reputation, too. Whether or not Pau Gasol was trying to make himself look tougher, his undeniable improvement -- stepping up in all areas to become the first All-Star in Grizzlies history -- erased any doubt. -- M.S.

    42. Feelin' Felton
    Last year, Emeka Okafor won Rookie of the Year. This year, no one is paying attention to Charlotte's top draft pick. But guess which Bobcat looks to be on track for a better career? With his averages at 16.7 points and 7.1 assists in the last three calendar months, everybody better love Raymond. -- ESPN.com

    LeBron James
    AP Photo/Mark Duncan
    Way to go, Cavs. LeBron is in a comfortable posiition.

    43. Supporting castoffs
    Don't overlook LeBron's new sidekick(s). During the Cavs' late-season surge, Seattle discard Flip Murray shot 55 percent from the field. Turns out Flip's scripted the kind of role Damon Jones was supposed to play -- and now Damon's red-hot too. -- ESPN.com

    44. Where to find Diddy
    The house is almost never full at the Meadowlands, where the New Jersey Nets have sold out only four games all season. But the celebrity sightings have increased considerably as Manhattan's biggest moguls have increasingly made the 8-mile trek to the swamp. -- C.S.

    45. Speaking of empty seats
    Remember when the argument against trading Allen Iverson included the truism that he sells tickets. Well, it ain't true anymore. The 76ers are 21st in the NBA in attendance with just three home sellouts. -- C.S.

    46. The price ain't right
    Latrell Sprewell had a half-dozen teams who would've given him what they could to put him in their uniform, but because it wasn't the amount he wanted -- $5 million or above -- he sat out the entire season. Some guys love to play, and some guys love to get paid. No need to ask which group Spree is in. -- R.B.

    47. Parlez vous basketball?
    The land that gave us the Statue of Liberty, The Coneheads and Gerard Depardieu provided another gift in 2005-06: The league's two most improved players. Frenchmen Tony Parker and Boris Diaw both raised their games to new levels to help the Spurs and Suns to division titles … and a possible showdown in the Western Conference finals. -- J.H.

    48. Can you define "best"?
    This is one fact the Knicks won't be bringing up to other teams in their forthcoming attempts to trade Stephon Marbury: With two games to go in the season, New York is 39-94 since Steph proclaimed himself to be the league's best point guard. -- M.S.

    49. Drugs make you stupid
    As if we didn't know already. But when Hornets forward Chris Andersen failed an NBA drug test, he flushed almost all of his $14 million contract down the toilet. Andersen's banned from the NBA and from playing pro ball in the 212 FIBA countries for another two years. That's really stupid. -- ESPN.com

    50. Reverse Migration
    You don't see many people pulling up stakes and moving from Arizona to Canada, especially in the dead of winter. But on Feb. 28, Phoenix GM Bryan Colangelo traded in his job in the sun to run the Raptors. How's that exchange rate working out, Bryan? -- ESPN.com

    Pastor James Redd
    Pete Kiehart/for ESPN.com
    Pastor Redd with two of his essentials: a basketball and the Good Book.

    51. Amen to that
    Props to Milwaukee Bucks sharpshooter Michael Redd. With part of the money he earned from a new long-term contract, Redd bought his father, Pastor James Redd, a church in Columbus, Ohio. -- ESPN.com

    52. Don't bury those Leastern Conference jokes just yet
    Remember back in October when you heard all those references to the "new" Eastern Conference, with its three legit title contenders -- Detroit, Miami and Indiana -- and improving middle class? It didn't quite pan out that way, did it? The East is instead threatening to present us with four playoff teams with losing records, which has never happened before. -- M.S.

    53. Impossible to predict
    In the NBA, the biggest losers are winners and the biggest winners are losers. This season the lowly Knicks beat the mighty Pistons, Suns, Mavs and Cavs (twice). On the other hand, the reigning NBA champion Spurs lost to the horrible Hawks, Hornets, Sonics and Sixers. -- ESPN.com [Does not excuse our season, but something to keep in mind should it happen again.]

    54. 81 is better than 100
    After Kobe exploded against the Raptors, some pundits said his 81-point game was better than Wilt's 100-point game. Next time you get a $100 dinner bill, try settling up by giving the waiter $81. See if he thinks 81 is better than 100. -- ESPN.com

    55. Sometimes it's OK to fall short
    The Hornets, in the midst of uncertainty and crisis, should've been the worst team in the NBA this season. And everyone would've understood. Instead, they were a playoff contender for much of the season and are the feel-good story of the year. Even though they missed the playoffs in the end. -- ESPN.com

    56. Small fracture, big problem
    The San Antonio Spurs had no answer for Amare Stoudemire in last spring's Western Conference finals, but sadly now we know that Amare can be stopped. Two knee surgeries in a span of six months did it to the 23-year-old, starting with the most dreaded medical procedure in the NBA: microfracture surgery on Amare's left knee during training camp. -- M.S.

    57. Reinventing training wheels
    It took the Celtics 51 days to register their first two-game winning streak, and they never did win three in a row. Boston's grand total of five two-game winning streaks might be one reason Danny Ainge criticized coach Doc Rivers for his ever-changing rotations and philosophies. -- ESPN.com

    58. Coming up short
    Like Moses, Chris Webber has had a very good look at the promised land -- a lot of looks, actually -- but he never quite gets there. Another season, another disappointment. Despite standing just six boards short of averaging 20 and 10 for the seventh time, C-Webb's (and AI's) Sixers somehow managed to slide out of the playoffs. -- ESPN.com

    59. Charlie rose
    To many analysts, Charlie Villanueva looked like another Rafael Araujo -- in other words, a wasted lottery pick for the Raptors. But the best rookie not called CP3 has teamed with CB4 to give Toronto its frontcourt of the future. Just call him CV, 'cause he's building a résumé. -- ESPN.com

    60. Swagger
    Swagger, swagger, swagger. Suddenly we heard about swagger everywhere. Suddenly it was more important to strut than to shoot. But here's all you need to know about the value of swagger -- Baron Davis does it, and Ricky Davis does, too … and the Spurs don't. -- ESPN.com

    61. Still Vinsane after all these years
    At age 29, Vince Carter rehabbed his rep and made the "SportsCenter" Top 10 his personal showcase with a series of stupendous slams and spin moves. As the original Human Highlight Film was elected to the Hall of Fame, VC remade his claim to fame as well. -- ESPN.com

    Baron Davis
    Andrew D Bernstein/Getty Images
    B-Davis still has fans despite the disappointing season.

    62. Still gold in dem hills
    They didn't pull the trigger on a Ron Artest trade. They did extend the league's longest playoff drought to 12 seasons. Add it up, and you won't believe what else the Golden State Warriors did: establish a club attendance record for the fourth successive season. Can you say Best Fans In The NBA? -- M.S.

    63. Who says Americans can't shoot?
    The reigning Sixth Man of the Year hasn't had the kind of sophomore season he expected -- he's had trouble holding down his spot in the lineup, for starters. But Ben Gordon's 9-for-9 extravaganza from 3-point range to beat the Wizards and practically lock up a playoff spot for the Bulls was as good as it gets. -- ESPN.com

    64. Playoff seeding matters
    The NBA won this year's Horse Out of the Barn award by belatedly reconsidering its playoff seeding approach -- after it was too late to stop a Dallas-San Antonio showdown in the Western Conference semis. Although any semi-rational 5-year-old could have seen this coming from a mile away, it apparently didn't occur to the league (until now) that two of its best teams could meet in an early round if they were in the same division. -- J.H.

    65. Peja Vu
    Indiana got rid of Ron-Ron, but it sure seems like it's the same team with the same problems. Before they acquired Peja Stokakovic for the inactivated Artest, the Pacers were 21-20. Since the trade, they are 18-21 and "team chemistry" remains Topics A, B and C3H5(NO3)3. -- ESPN.com

    66. Dancing Fatties
    One popular in-arena entertainment trend is something the Mavericks started and everyone else is ripping off -- groups of overweight men in ripped T-shirts doing dance numbers at center court. Can we ban this? It gets real old real fast. -- C.S.

    67. Dallas' other 'Boys
    Josh, Josh, Jason and Jerry. Devin, Darrell, D.J. and Desagana. Erick, Adrian, Keith and Marquis. These semi-anonymous types hardly sound like the makings of an NBA powerhouse, but with Coach of the Year Avery Johnson and MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki leading the Dallas Dozen, the Mavs made a serious run at winning the West. -- ESPN.com

    Carmelo Anthony
    Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images
    Melo's clutch shooting helped the Nuggets win the division.

    68. Party like it's 1988
    At least they are in Washington and Denver. That's because 1988 is the last time the Wiz were a playoff team in back-to-back seasons ... except they were called the Bullets back then. And it's also because 1988 is the last time the Nuggets were division champions ... except that their division (the Northwest) didn't exist in the old four-division format. -- M.S.

    69. Do we get a vote?
    Lost in the hoopla surrounding the first game played in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, and the NBA's vowing to send the Hornets back once the city is on its feet, is the fact that the players and coaches are privately saying they'd rather stay in Oklahoma City. -- R.B.

    70. Stern's sidekick
    Stepping down after 30 years in the league office is deputy commissioner Russ Granik, a class act whose wit and wisdom will be missed. He deserves a big cheer when he announces the first pick of the second round on draft night June 28. -- C.S.

    71. The Curse of Chris
    It was a bad year to be a high draft pick named Williams. Based on their early returns, it will take Marvin (No. 2, Hawks) and Deron (No. 3, Jazz) years to live down the fact that they're not Chris Paul. If they ever do. -- ESPN.com

    72. Nate and Bassy
    When he played, Portland coach Nate McMillan was the kind of big point guard who played defense first and moved the ball. Sebastian Telfair is the kind of small point guard for whom getting to the hole is the goal. That's one reason the young Blazer is coming off the bench and seems destined to have rocky times and/or get traded. -- ESPN.com

    73. Get into my Car
    With game-winner after game-winner, Carmelo Anthony became a superstar without being an All-Star. During Denver's wreck of a regular season, 'Melo was a steady pair of headlights, leading the Nuggets to a division title. -- ESPN.com

    74. The B.C. era
    When is a season successful for a team that starts 1-15 and fails to reach the 30-win mark? When it unexpectedly lands the first big-name GM in franchise history (Bryan Colangelo) and prompts its superstar-in-training and free agent-to-be (Chris Bosh) to say: "That convinced me a lot." -- M.S.

    75. The Class of '03 is one for the ages
    We already knew the 2003 draft class was good. But this year they took it to another level. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade challenged for MVP honors, Carmelo Anthony led Denver to a division crown by making several game-winning shots, and Chris Bosh rose to prominence as an All-Star in Toronto. Even human victory cigar Darko Milicic got in on the act, showing flashes of brilliance after a midseason trade to Orlando. -- J.H.

    Kobe Bryant
    AP
    Kobe's killer instinct is second to none in the NBA these days.

    76. Another Hollywood remake
    Who knew Kobe idolized Uma Thurman? The world did after it was revealed that Bryant is known as Black Mamba in his inner circle. That, of course, was the character Thurman played in Tarantino's "Kill Bill" martial-arts movies. -- R.B.

    77.Offense is only half the game
    Two of the league's best offensive teams, Seattle and Toronto, were nonetheless horrible thanks to their complete and total inability to stop the opponent from scoring. Seattle was fourth in the league in offensive efficiency while Toronto ranked fifth, but the two clubs both finished well out the money thanks to the two worst defenses in basketball. Fittingly, neither team has a D anywhere in its name. -- J.H.

    78. Every dog has his day
    Those lovable doormats called the L.A. Clippers forgot to follow the script this year. With a career year from Elton Brand and the acquisition of Sam Cassell, L.A. had its first winning season in 14 years, won its most games since it won 49 as the Buffalo Braves in 1974-75, and even started drawing a few celebs to the crowd. -- J.H.

    79. Not built for prosperity
    After he survived eight seasons on non-guaranteed contracts, the Sonics handed Rick Brunson a $1 million guaranteed deal last summer. Four minutes into his Seattle career, he tore the fascia in his left foot and missed the next three months before being waived and picked up by Houston. -- R.B.

    80. Mellow Red? Not yet
    Looks like Red Auerbach will need another 88 years to soften. After surviving a week in September when he was thought to be near death, Red returned to the Celtics' home opener on Nov. 2 and resumed his jabs at Phil Jackson, his rival in the record books: "Phil obviously is a good coach; you don't win that many games without being a good coach. One thing, though. He's been very fortunate. He picks his spots. That's all I can say. Larry Brown doesn't pick his spots. He's a great coach." -- ESPN.com

    81. The Wiz
    Gilbert Arenas gets no respect because he plays like he's in a pickup game, with his pull-up-from-anywhere J and his one-on-five drives to the hoop -- and because of his quirky behavior. But he's so damn good he's expanding the definition of "point guard," like it or not. -- ESPN.com

    82. Domi-Matrix
    If so many folks keep referring to Shawn Marion as the NBA's most underrated player, is he still underrated? Phoenix hopes so because Marion, at his best when he feels disrespected, just stepped into the void created by Amare Stoudemire's absence with the best season of his career: 21.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. -- M.S.

    83. T.J.'s troubles
    The return of T.J. Ford from a career-threatening spine injury was one of the great stories of the early season. But the Milwaukee point guard has a 41.1 FG percentage and an abysmal 48.3 true shooting percentage. Guess those initials stand for Terrible Jumper. -- ESPN.com

    84. Treasure trove
    The world's best hoops history site is the only place in the world you can learn all of the following facts . . . Damon Stoudamire's middle name is Lamon . . . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Boris Diaw and Luol Deng each celebrated a birthday on Sunday . . . and the highest career assist ratio (percentage of possessions that end in an assist) belongs to Muggsy Bogues. -- ESPN.com

    85. One-horse towns
    We've seen the NBA's success as a solo act in San Antonio, Sacramento and Salt Lake City, but we still were amazed by the reception the Hornets received in Oklahoma City. Now OKC is on the NBA map (and is expected by many to keep the Hornets) -- and its support points out one reason the league doesn't want to see the Blazers leave Rip City. -- ESPN.com

    86. The Silas touch
    Baron Davis, seemingly, has had issues with every NBA coach he's ever played for, whether it be Tim Floyd in New Orleans, George Karl on the 2002 World Championship team or Mike Montgomery with the Warriors -- except for Paul Silas, which has started rumors that Baron is pulling for him to replace Montgomery. -- R.B.

    87. Poser
    If there was one place the Heat were supposed to improve as a result of last summer's moves it was defensively at small forward with James Posey replacing Eddie Jones. Now, going into the playoffs with Posey's Achilles tendon bothering him and Antoine Walker covering for him, defending 3s is the Heat's biggest Achilles' heel. -- R.B.

    Vince Carter
    Fernando Medina/Getty Images
    Who knew you could get a superstar for free in the NBA?

    88. Bad trades can get you fired
    After a series of nightmarish personnel decisions that included the giveaway of Vince Carter to New Jersey and the drafting of uberbust center Rafael Araujo, the Raptors showed general manager Rob Babcock the door after just a year and half on the job. -- J.H.

    89. Bad trades don't always get you fired
    After a series of nightmarish personnel decisions that included the giveaway of a high lottery pick (or two) to Chicago and the signing of uberbust center Jerome James … the Knicks decided they'd like some more of that, please, and gave general manager Isiah Thomas a vote of confidence. -- J.H.

    90. De-troit Bas-ket-ball
    There remains no better place in the Eastern Conference to enjoy a crowd's getting into the game than The Palace of Auburn Hills, where the mighty Pistons are 35-3. Public address announcer John Mason needs some new material, but he's still far better than his imitator in Cleveland. -- C.S.

    91. It wasn't just Larry
    The notion that Larry Brown's vaunted disdain for playing rookies is what kept Darko Milicic out of the Pistons' rotation was blown away when Flip Saunders replaced Brown, took a long look at Darko in preseason … and kept him at the end of the bench until the Pistons mercifully dealt him to Orlando. -- R.B.

    92. It wasn't just Larry II
    The Pistons have been on a mission to disprove the widely held belief that Brown was responsible for pushing all the right buttons to make a good-but-not-great collection of players into champions. They haven't won a title yet, but flirting with the season's best record -- and early on, the best of all-time -- makes a strong opening argument. -- R.B.

    93. Stare at this
    Gotta love Ron Artest. When he went to the Kings, he chose 93 for his number. Ninety-three? It represents "infinite intensity," says Ron-Ron. "Just stare at it for two hours, you'll see what I'm talking about." -- ESPN.com

    94. Nate was not great
    Nate Robinson missed 14 attempts -- yes, 14, and it was beyond excruciating to witness -- before finally making one to win the slam dunk contest title at All-Star Weekend over Andre Iguodala, whose under-the-backboard alley-oop dunk in the opening round was brilliant. Iggy got robbed. -- ESPN.com

    Boris Diaw
    Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images
    Boris Diaw has been hanging with the big boys all season.

    95. Surprise inside
    Boris Diaw was supposed to be a throw-in with two first-round picks in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Joe Johnson to Atlanta. Instead, he's practically been a replacement, averaging 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and six assists as a point-center. Johnson's stats last year as a Sun: 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists. -- R.B.

    96. Dumarred
    Soon he'll be a Hall of Famer and maybe a champ again, but 2006 also will be remembered as the year Joe Dumars gave up on Darko Milicic. Looks like the great Joe D. botched this twice -- first by drafting Darko over 'Melo, Bosh and D-Wade, and then by trading away a 20-year-old talent. Hard to say whether Dumars should root for or against the development of Darko. -- ESPN.com

    97. Knick-knocks
    Setting an NBA record for the most starting lineups is no way to inspire your team or your fans. Larry Brown got a free ride at MSG this season, but the honeymoon is over. "Fi-re-Larr-ry" might be the Chant of The Month in December. -- C.S.

    98. Don't buy this Brand
    To get Ron Artest, the Warriors wouldn't trade rookie Ike Diogu, called by many analysts "another Elton Brand." But Diogu, at age 22, is averaging 6 and 3. When he turned 22, Brand was deep into his second straight season of 20 and 10. I like Ike, but he's generic Brand. -- ESPN.com

    99. No more oww for Yao
    A healthy Yao Ming was a sight to behold. After toe surgery cleaned up a problem he's endured since he arrived from China four years ago, he went on a tear with a heretofore unseen aggression until a broken bone in his left foot ended his season. Assuming the bone heals with no lingering issues, this disaster of a season will have been worth it if Yao maintains that attitude. -- R.B.

    100. Maybe Weisbrod had a clue after all
    Former Magic general manager John Weisbrod left the Magic a mess with a series of misdeeds, most notably the Tracy McGrady trade. But in his absence, Weisbrod-era acquisitions such Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu fueled a late-season renaissance that leaves the Magic with high hopes for next season. -- J.H.

    101. Please, please, please stay
    LeBron James made a lot of people in Ohio feel better when he said, "I can't wait to sign my extension. I'm very happy here." They'll sleep even easier if and when he actually does, as Blake says in "Glengarry Glen Ross," sign on the line that is dotted. -- ESPN.com
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: espn.com NBA 101: What this season taught us

    Originally posted by Dude that wrote the article
    93. Stare at this
    Gotta love Ron Artest. When he went to the Kings, he chose 93 for his number. Ninety-three? It represents "infinite intensity," says Ron-Ron. "Just stare at it for two hours, you'll see what I'm talking about." -- ESPN.com


    So cool.
    Word on the street is he doesn't want your money, he only wants to please your ears...
    Bum in Berlin on Myspace

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: espn.com NBA 101: What this season taught us

      Originally posted by Hicks
      26. Foot fault
      When shopping Ron Artest, the Pacers rejected the opportunity to acquire Corey Maggette because of a foot injury, and they settled for Peja Stojakovic. But Maggette is younger, better … and now his foot is fine. Meanwhile, the Pacers are stumbling. -- ESPN.com
      AARRGH.

      Originally posted by Hicks
      65. Peja Vu
      Indiana got rid of Ron-Ron, but it sure seems like it's the same team with the same problems. Before they acquired Peja Stokakovic for the inactivated Artest, the Pacers were 21-20. Since the trade, they are 18-21 and "team chemistry" remains Topics A, B and C3H5(NO3)3. -- ESPN.com
      Double AARRGH.

      I don't bust these out often, but Larry Bird = Worst. GM. EVER.

      IndyToad
      Is a ferret

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: espn.com NBA 101: What this season taught us

        Originally posted by indytoad

        I don't bust these out often, but Larry Bird = Worst. GM. EVER.
        Please.
        The poster formerly known as Rimfire

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: espn.com NBA 101: What this season taught us

          ^ (IndyToad) If we had gotten Mags, you'd be complaining about picking up another injury prone player. Also, we would have lost a lot more games while waiting for him to heal.
          You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: espn.com NBA 101: What this season taught us

            Mags is injured again.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: espn.com NBA 101: What this season taught us

              Originally posted by SoupIsGood
              ^ (IndyToad) If we had gotten Mags, you'd be complaining about picking up another injury prone player. Also, we would have lost a lot more games while waiting for him to heal.
              He is always complaining about something.

              He really is Debbie Downer.
              “Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: espn.com NBA 101: What this season taught us

                Originally posted by SoupIsGood
                ^ (IndyToad) If we had gotten Mags, you'd be complaining about picking up another injury prone player. Also, we would have lost a lot more games while waiting for him to heal.
                At least we wouldn't have to be concerned about him getting the max over the summer.

                IndyToad
                Could go for some breadsticks

                Comment

                Previous template Next
                Working...
                X