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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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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"

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"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

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"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

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"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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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

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Title of the Article
Author's Name
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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.

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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.

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Rule #10

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ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

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  • #1

    ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

    http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...x?name=simmons

    Seven quick thoughts on yesterday's NBA megadeal ...

    1. Imagine being Larry Bird or Joe Dumars right now -- your biggest rival in the East just traded Eddie Jones and, um, nothing else ... and somehow ended up with James Posey (who's better than Eddie Jones by himself), Antoine Walker AND Jason Williams. How is that possible? As my buddy House joked, "They got three potential starters for the Eddie Jones pu pu platter!"

    2. White Chocolate is one of those guys who couldn't be redeemed in any other situation but Miami -- he's a head case, doesn't respect his coaches, takes terrible shots and butts heads with the media ... but the old Jordan/Rodman Corollary applies here. In other words, if you have the right alpha dog in place, even the biggest head case falls into line. Shaq is probably the smartest superstar in the league -- he knows what Williams could give this team (a fast break, some dribble-and-dishes, high assist/turnover ratio, some excitement) and will probably be legally adopting him by January. I also think Posey will have a bigger impact than people realize -- he's one of the best defenders in the league, he's a gamer and he doesn't need the ball to thrive. If they re-sign Damon Jones, they're ... actually, I still like Indiana more. But Miami definitely improved.

    3. Ironically, Antoine is the guy who worries me here. Do you really want him playing over Udonis Haslem (someone who crashes the boards and knows his role)? Can Antoine accept playing a complimentary role on a great team? He certainly wasn't able to do it in Dallas -- they pretty much benched him by the end of the 2003 playoffs -- and in Boston last spring, after saying and doing all the right things for two months, he ended up launching 104 shots in six games during the Indiana series and carrying himself like the best guy on the court. Which he wasn't. So how will he accept being the third option behind two superstars? What will happen in Game 7 of the Eastern Finals against the Pistons or Pacers, when they're down by two with a minute and 30 seconds remaining and he's wide-open from 26 feet? Does he take the shot, even when he's playing with two much better scoring options? I think he does. You can't change who you are.

    Here's the thing about 'Toine: After watching him for two months last season, I was surprised to see how much his game has slipped around the basket -- nobody in the league misses more layups and four-footers, partly because he doesn't have the hops anymore (remember, he has some miles on him -- nearly 700 regular-season games, plus another 37 playoff games in just eight seasons), partly because his free-throw shooting has slipped so much that he rushes his shots before he gets fouled. He also makes some of the worst decisions on fast breaks of anyone I've ever seen -- for instance, he botched two four-on-ones in the same half during one of those Indiana games. But if Antoine just concentrates on the things he does well -- interior defense, defensive rebounding, wide-open 3s, entry passes to big men, pick-and-rolls where he's rolling -- he could be a major asset to Miami. I guess we'll see.

    4. From my friend Sean Grande, who does radio play-by-play for the Celtics and owns nearly every "Piper's Pit" on tape: "Let me continue my two-plus year run of NBA heresy by being the only one to say out loud that Jerry West has lost his mind." Agreed. Has he made one good move since the Shaq-Kobe combo in 1996? I always thought that Lakers Dynasty could have been set up for a 10-year run if he made the right moves.

    5. Why did the Celtics get involved? Because owner Wyc Grousbeck wanted to reward Antoine for being a great Celtic over the years, that's why. The team didn't want to re-sign him for multiple years because they're convinced Big Al Jefferson is a future All-Star -- why lock up a veteran who plays the same position? So they offered Walker around in a sign-and-trade all summer, and nobody was really interested, and by the time August rolled around, only two teams were interested in him -- Miami and Denver -- and neither team had anything to offer the Celtics. So they ended up doing this convoluted deal that netted them two second-round picks, the rights to some foreign center, two fringe players (Curtis Borchardt and Qyntel Woods) who aren't in their plans, the rights to 45 pit-bull jokes, and only one real caveat: A $5.5 million trade exception that can be used up until Aug. 1, 2006.

    Here's why that exception is valuable: Not only can they use it during the season, if they hold onto it until next summer, they can offer someone a little more than the mid-level exception. For instance, remember what happened with the Nets and Shareef Abdur-Rahim? They cut a deal with the Blazers in which Portland used New Jersey's exception, then he ended up making more money than the mid-level exception and and received an extra year on the deal? That's what that exception can do for you. You can't package it with another salary for a bigger salary, but you can sign-and-trade it or use it for any player that makes $5.5 million or less. My guess is they will keep the exception until next summer.

    6. With that said, not only do the Celtics look like a 25-win team right now, I have a feeling that Paul Pierce will be going into Full Sabotage Mode by Thanksgiving to force a trade to a winning team. Let's hope we don't have Vince Carter, The Sequel on our hands. 7. Most importantly, Curtis Borchardt doesn't just give Brian Scalabrine someone to hang out with, but seeing the happy look in my father's eyes when they're playing together ... you can't put a price on this stuff. Is there any way we could give Borchardt "32" and Scalabrine "33" to complete the effect?
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

    Here is another ESPN article


    http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/m...log?id=2080176

    Nothin' But Net

    Shrewd Moves


    Nets CEO Rod Thorn and GM Ed Stefanski have been positively Jerry West-ish in their running of the club. Their one black eye was the trade of Kenyon Martin, but that was mandated by new owner Bruce Ratner. Yet Thorn and Stefanski have even turned Ratner's admitted gaffe into a positive by adding Vince Carter and Shareef Abdur-Rahim to fill Martin's shoes. That gives the Nets a scary first five of Jason Kidd, Carter, Richard Jefferson, quickly improving Nenad Krstic and Abdur-Rahim.
    Now, in another superb move, the Nets have added Jeff McInnis to back up Kidd at the point.

    I believe Miami, especially with the addition of Antoine Walker, is the team to beat in the East, but I'm leaning toward a Heat-Nets conference final if Kidd stays healthy. With Abdur-Rahim and Carter, the Nets' half-court offense is far better than it was with Martin, and they can run just as well. Their defense is not as strong, but hey, you can't have it all.

    I would be going gaga over these Nets if they had done things differently on draft night. Although it's hard to second-guess Thorn and Stefanski, I believe they should have snatched up Syracuse's Hakim Warrick instead of Antoine Wright.

    Wright is a good player with very big upside, but his role will obviously be small behind Carter and Jefferson. While the postdraft addition of Abdur-Rahim would have had Warrick coming off the bench, Hakim would have been a terrific complement to Kidd.

    With his length and athleticism, he would have been finishing Kidd's passes with above-the-rim gems the way Martin once did. I don't get too excited about summer league, but Warrick did average 18.6 points and 8.2 rebounds for Memphis in the SoCal summer tourney.

    To move up a notch and be a legit title contender, I think the Nets need a frontcourt brute, an enforcer in the old Charles Oakley mold. Right now, they're pure finesse, which is pretty and fun and takes you far, but that won't get them past Miami.

    They are in the same boat Phoenix was last year. The Suns' finesse got them past everyone but San Antonio. The Suns have done well in answering that problem by adding Kurt Thomas, who, ironically, would have been perfect for the Nets, too.
    posted: August 3, 2005 8:45:55 AM PDT | Feedback



    Changing Fortunes

    Knicks Up, Pistons Down


    With Larry Brown at the helm, I'm predicting a playoff spot for the Knicks next season. It won't be easy though. Four teams: Miami, Detroit, Indiana and New Jersey ... are set atop the East, and just about everyone else in the conference will battle for those four remaining playoff spots.

    Cleveland, Chicago, Washington, Orlando, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Boston and now the Knicks are all potential postseason qualifiers. I'm giving the Knicks 43 wins and one of the final two spots.

    Now, the question is: what of the Pistons? I'm convinced that Detroit doesn't win the title in 2004 without Brown, and I'm expecting it to fall off a bit under Flip Saunders. Flip is a good coach, but not a great coach, certainly not in Brown's class.

    KG and you get out of the first-round just once? You've got to show me something.

    Detroit was a mediocre 9-8 in those 17 games Brown missed last season. He returned from bladder surgery in April and they immediately went 10-1.

    Under the offensive-minded Saunders, the Pistons' defense will loosen a bit, and while they'll still be good defenders, they won't be the tenacious, smothering crew they were under Larry Brown. They won that title because of their oppressive D, and the slightest slippage will be enough to keep them away from the trophy.

    Plus, how will Chauncey handle his newfound freedom under Flip. Was it Brown's tight leash that kept Chauncey from hoisting too much or the PG's maturity? We'll see. The Pistons are clearly better when everyone's involved in the O, so it'll be interesting to see if Chauncey tries to be the man and ends up hurting the team.

    Heating Up


    Detroit could return to the Finals but only if Miami, Indiana and perhaps NJ suffer big-time injuries. With all superstars and stars being healthy, Miami is the easy favorite in the East, especially if they land Antoine Walker.

    Walker is talking with Pat Riley about joining the Heat, and oh, what an addition he would be.

    Despite his sorry reputation, I believe Walker is a winner. He has been nothing but great for the Celtics franchise, and his career numbers (basically, 19 and 9) are beyond solid.

    With Walker in the fold, Miami could start a five of Shaq, Udonis Haslem, Walker, Eddie Jones and Dwyane Wade. That's ridiculous.

    Walker's passing and ability to run the offense will allow D Wade to play off the ball at times, so his ppg doesn't fall off even as he plays point guard. Walker's outside shooting will work well off of Shaq, and his rebounding will enable the Heat to own the glass.

    Pat Riley has to get this done.
    posted: August 2, 2005 2:01:01 PM PDT | Feedback

    Age limit revisited; Larry Brown; Darko

    A few weeks ago, I opined that the league's 19-year-old age requirement was a form of racial paternalism. Nice to get some backup from an old colleague of mine, Harvey Araton of The New York Times.
    Harvey wrote an excellent column today that touched on the role of race in these great prep-to-pros debates (or non-debates). He noted how no one batted an eye when Roger Clemens' son, Koby, chose to join his dad on the Houston Astros right out of high school rather than go to the U of Texas.

    He noted how, just moments after the NHL lockout ended, all the buzz was about who would get to draft Sidney Crosby, a 17-year-old Gretzky-to-be.

    Koby and Sidney are white. O.J. Mayo is black. You do the math. Jermaine O'Neal did.

    As we've been saying all along, it's only a matter of time before Larry Brown begins resurrecting the Knicks. His wife, Shelly, who told the NY Post a few weeks back that there was no way L.B. would coach at the Garden, has -- surprise, surprise! -- done an about-face.

    Now, she can't wait to see him on the sidelines leading the Knicks, according to the Post.

    Expect the press conference Wednesday or Thursday.

    The New York Daily News reported that the Detroit Pistons offered Darko Milicic to Atlanta for Al Harrington.

    Not sure whether that's true, but it would seem odd, considering the departure of Brown should give Milicic a better shot at playing. If you ask the Pistons' players privately about Darko, they will tell you that he can play. He really plays well in practice, at least offensively. But Larry destroyed his confidence.

    Darko was not a good enough defender to play under Brown, but with Flip Saunders being more offensive-minded, maybe he will get a few more minutes. Just a few, because Rasheed and Antonio McDyess are flat-out better than he is.

    If Darko is indeed traded or is being shopped and he becomes a true bust, that -- combined with Nikoloz Tskitishvili's woes -- could seriously deflate all the hype about European players.
    posted: July 26, 2005 1:02:08 PM PDT | Feedback



    Marbury blesses Brown

    Although Knicks president Isiah Thomas is not looking for anyone's blessing regarding his courtship of Larry Brown as head coach, he has received a thumbs-up from his star point guard, Stephon Marbury.

    Thomas spoke with Marbury on Thursday, and according to a person close to both parties, Marbury is excited about the possibility of playing for Brown. Marbury even offered to call Brown on the telephone to aid the recruiting effort.

    On Friday, in an appearance on the Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN Radio, Marbury refused to choose between Brown and Knicks interim coach Herb Williams, perhaps because he does not want to be perceived as orchestrating personnel moves. But he did call hiring Brown "a no-brainer," adding that "for him to be the coach, it would be great."

    Marbury and Brown clashed famously during last summer's Athens Olympics, when Team USA finished with a disappointing bronze medal. The New York Daily News reported Thursday that a week before the Games began, Brown lobbied USA Basketball officials to have Marbury cut from the squad. The report, as well as one in the New York Post, led to speculation about the duo's ability to coexist.

    But on Thursday, Marbury told Thomas he believes Brown could help make him the player he has always wanted to be.

    Thomas met with Brown for four hours on Thursday, and Marbury, along with the rest of the Knicks' roster, was a subject of conversation. Joe Glass, Brown's agent, said in a telephone interview Friday that Brown would have no qualms whatsoever about coaching Marbury again.

    "Stephon Marbury should be very excited about Larry Brown being critical of him because he's only critical of players who he believes have great talent and who are not reaching their talents," Glass said. "David Thompson, Reggie Miller, Danny Manning, Allen Iverson all were great talents, and Larry had some controversy with them because he felt they were not achieving their maximum potential.

    "So if I were Stephon Marbury, I'd be very happy that Larry was criticizing me (in the Olympics) because he only does that to players he knows can play. It's like the old saying, 'The only person a father can yell at is a son.'"

    Glass said neither Marbury nor Brown's health would stop Brown from coaching next season, but he refused to comment specifically on Brown's talks with the Knicks.

    Brown also coached another Knicks player, Tim Thomas, for a season and a half in Philadelphia. Thomas admitted the two had their share of problems before Thomas was traded to Milwaukee but said that would not be an issue if Brown is hired to lead the Knicks.


    posted: July 26, 2005 12:57:58 PM PDT | Feedback

    NYC's new 'in' color is Brown

    Brown Out!
    For 99 percent of the coaches out there, it makes no sense: leaving a two-time NBA finalist to coach a floundering, capped-out, chemistry-challenged squad like the Knicks. But for Larry Brown, master teacher, it makes perfect sense.
    A friend of Brown's who has spent time coaching with him recently told me that "in all honesty" it's not about championships with Brown. Sure, he likes winning titles and that's a goal, but ultimately his greatest ambition is to get whatever team he is coaching to maximize its potential. If that's a championship, great. If it's 47 wins and out in the second round, that's great too.

    The master teacher took the Pistons to the pinnacle, and now it's time to move on and help some other underachieving crew discover the winner within. What better place to do that than in your hometown, the basketball mecca, with a $50million to $60 million contract greeting you at the door.

    I firmly believe Larry is going to accept Isiah Thomas' history-making offer and coach the Knicks next season. The two obstacles could be his wife, Shelly, who may push for him to take a year off, and his problematic bladder.

    But 10 mill is enough for any wife to send her husband to work, and while I don't want to belittle Brown's health issues, he has been coaching through them just fine. It doesn't get any more intense and pressure-packed than the Eastern Conference finals and the NBA Finals, seven-game series both of them, yet Brown made it through without a problem, bad bladder and all.

    A few days after losing Game 7 to the Spurs, he was conducting workouts for potential Pistons draft picks, and now he's coaching kids in the Hamptons. According to his agent, Joe Glass, Larry has been cleared by doctors to coach, so I don't foresee his health issues keeping him on the sidelines.

    Will Larry bring a championship to New York? No. But here's why he's still worth the hefty price tag: Larry Brown is the best-qualified man on the planet to coach the Knicks, even better qualified than Phil Jackson.

    Phil is better at leading superstars. Larry, with his perfectionism and insistence on playing a certain way, can get in the way of superstars, as evidenced by the Athens Olympics. It's no coincidence Larry's Pistons were the first non-superstar-led team since the 1979 Seattle Sonics to win the title.

    In New York, Brown would have what he works best with: a roster full of good players, one very good (though flawed) one in Stephon Marbury, but no superstar. Brown would have the Knicks focusing on defense, sharing the ball and using better shot selection, and he would get more than anyone else could out of them. That's the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs at best, and a playoff berth at least.

    Over the course of his stay in New York, as players are subtracted and added, Brown might even get them to contend for the Eastern title again. After what Knicks fans have endured since Patrick Ewing left town, that would be heaven.

    While many are calling this the moment of truth for Isiah -- many believe he needs to hire Brown to restore his credibility in New York -- I believe this is the moment of truth for Marbury. I have been told by several people that Brown was not happy with Marbury during the Athens Games, even though Team USA would have gone medal-less without Marbury and his six 3-pointers against Spain.

    Brown might very well want to trade Marbury, but before he gets the chance, Marbury can win him over by being a willing pupil. Marbury's legacy is currently that of a great individual player who does not play winning basketball. He has often blamed his coaches for his lack of success, but he will not have that out with Brown.

    Everyone knows Brown is a fabulous coach, so if Steph can't win with him, he just can't win. By learning from Brown, Marbury could win some playoff games and transform a good chunk of his legacy.

    Seeing what Brown does with these Knicks will be as interesting and as dramatic as watching how he left those Pistons. Must-see TV will soon be back at the Garden.
    posted: July 22, 2005 12:29:09 PM PDT | Feedback



    Vacation NBA-Style

    Thoughts from the Beach
    Boy, a brother can't take off any time from the NBA. I go to Myrtle Beach for a week, unplug the television, turn off the cell phone, wrap fish with the newspaper and come back to a different-looking league. Larry Hughes in Cleveland, Jerome James in New York, Kwame Brown in Los Angeles. Crazy stuff.
    Before I comment briefly on those moves, let me tell you that Myrtle was cool. Got to play golf at Indian Wells. Yeah, that Indian Wells.

    I'm not too proud to say I was sorely overmatched on that course. Actually, I'm overmatched on any course, including par-3s, so I had no business at Indian Wells. I play once a year (no lie). If it weren't for vacations with family and friends who play, I would never pick up sticks, err, clubs.

    Anyway, with water and forests all over the place, there was no room for error, and my game is predicated on error. I lost two balls on the first hole. It was ridiculous. By the time I finished my 18, I had taken a robust 133 swipes at the ball. Believe it or not, that was good enough for third place in my foursome, so you know I was talking trash to that poor soul who was worse than me.

    Now for the important stuff
    Briefly, I like Larry Hughes and was mad impressed with Jerome James last season, especially in the playoffs against Sac. But I have concerns about those guys keeping it up with huge contracts under their belts. Both had career years in contract years. Sounds fishy. Can anyone say Erick Dampier?

    As a former Buckeye, I hope Hughes does well in Cleveland. I'm not saying he won't fit, but there are red flags. First, a shooter would have fit better with LeBron. I know, I know, they can still bring in a shooter (I say go for Kyle Korver).

    Second, Larry's game might be too similar to LeBron's to mesh seamlessly. Although he doesn't have the court vision or savvy of LeBron, both players are slashers, both gamble and play passing lanes on defense, which leads to a lot of steals but not great position D. So I wonder about the chemistry. I'm just wondering, though, not making a statement. After all, Hughes played well with Gilbert Arenas, and their games have similarities.

    I'll trust that Danny Ferry knows what he's doing. He gets the benefit of the doubt since he's coming from the best-run organization in the league (San Antonio).

    As for Kwame, I continue to be impressed with the Lakers' offseason moves. Loved the drafting of Andrew Bynum and Gonzaga's Ronny Turiaf. Who knows what Kwame will become, but I think it's too early to yell "Bust!" The kid is still young, brawny and talented, and Phil might be able to bring the best out of him. Things are looking up in the La La.
    posted: July 18, 2005 3:39:55 PM PDT | Feedback



    Nate's way

    I am on record saying Marc Iavaroni would have been a solid coaching choice for Portland, but that was before I knew Nate McMillan was in the mix. I, and most everyone else, thought McMillan was headed back to Seattle, but a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $26 million to $30 million got Mr. Sonic's attention.
    Truth is, Mr. Sonic, as McMillan was often called during his 19-year playing/coaching career in Seattle, didn't feel much like the franchise namesake last season. A bit alienated from Sonics management, McMillan coached his finest season with a chip on his shoulder.

    It wasn't just that the Sonics refused to give him a contract extension heading into last season, or that they failed to approach him in December after he led the club to a surprisingly hot start. Those were just a couple of the reasons McMillan felt he did not have the full support of Seattle's management.

    After leading Seattle to a 45-37 mark two years ago -- a notable accomplishment with a limited roster in the Western Conference -- McMillan felt as though management began dictating how he should coach the team. His superiors wanted to run and play fast. McMillan was on board with that, but with one caveat. He wanted management to understand that the Sonics' young roster would take time to adjust to the style and would take its lumps while in the learning process. Management said it understood.

    But once the inevitable lumps came (the Sonics were 77-87 from 2002 to 2004), McMillan thought he was left alone to explain what was wrong. He felt there was no vote of confidence from on high, that management was distancing itself from its coach and his struggles. McMillan also grew weary of hints -- whether perceived or real -- about whom he should be playing.

    Last summer, McMillan had a heart-to-heart with his older brother, Randy, and decided he was going to coach the Sonics his way, whether it led to his being fired or not. In fact, he was so convinced he would be fired anyway that he and his wife, Michelle, actually discussed over dinner one night where they would live when he was released.

    McMillan's way was to focus hard on defense, defense, defense, and to play the guys he felt deserved the PT, regardless of name or stature in the league. The Sonics ended up stunning everyone in running to a 52-30 record and the Northwest Division title. Seattle then offered McMillan a four-year, $18 million contract, but by then it apparently was too little, too late.

    Ray Allen returns to a Sonics team that reached the second round of the playoffs, and Portland was in the lottery, but I believe McMillan can have great success with the Blazers. The club has strong talent in Zach Randolph, Derek Anderson, Theo Ratliff, Ruben Patterson, Darius Miles, and youngsters Sebastian Telfair, Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster.

    If McMillan coaches them as well as he coached the Sonics last season -- I'm willing to bet he will -- the Blazers should be able to put their recent days of infamy behind them.

    As for the Sonics, they'll rebound. President/CEO Wally Walker and GM Rick Sund are sharp, despite their differences with McMillan, and should make a good hire for his replacement. The front-runner appears to be Iavaroni.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

      Originally posted by Unclebuck
      http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...x?name=simmons

      2. White Chocolate is one of those guys who couldn't be redeemed in any other situation but Miami -- he's a head case, doesn't respect his coaches, takes terrible shots and butts heads with the media ... but the old Jordan/Rodman Corollary applies here. In other words, if you have the right alpha dog in place, even the biggest head case falls into line. Shaq is probably the smartest superstar in the league -- he knows what Williams could give this team (a fast break, some dribble-and-dishes, high assist/turnover ratio, some excitement) and will probably be legally adopting him by January. I also think Posey will have a bigger impact than people realize -- he's one of the best defenders in the league, he's a gamer and he doesn't need the ball to thrive. If they re-sign Damon Jones, they're ... actually, I still like Indiana more. But Miami definitely improved.
      Wow... Bill Simmons likes us better than Miami? He must really dislike Antoine Walker.
      Here, everyone have a : on me

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

        He loves Antoine. He just doesn't think his game will mesh.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

          I pray that Miami will be as disfunctional as most are predicting.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

            I actually hope they do re-sign D.Jones. I'd much rather he stay there than move to Cleveland.
            This space for rent.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

              Originally posted by ESPN Insider
              With Walker in the fold, Miami could start a five of Shaq, Udonis Haslem, Walker, Eddie Jones and Dwyane Wade. That's ridiculous.
              :shakehead
              "It's just unfortunate that we've been penalized so much this year and nothing has happened to the Pistons, the Palace or the city of Detroit," he said. "It's almost like it's always our fault. The league knows it. They should be ashamed of themselves to let the security be as lax as it is around here."

              ----------------- Reggie Miller

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

                Originally posted by Unclebuck
                6. With that said, not only do the Celtics look like a 25-win team right now, I have a feeling that Paul Pierce will be going into Full Sabotage Mode by Thanksgiving to force a trade to a winning team. Let's hope we don't have Vince Carter, The Sequel on our hands. 7. Most importantly, Curtis Borchardt doesn't just give Brian Scalabrine someone to hang out with, but seeing the happy look in my father's eyes when they're playing together ... you can't put a price on this stuff. Is there any way we could give Borchardt "32" and Scalabrine "33" to complete the effect?

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

                  DAMON JONES NEEDS TO MOVE WEST....or to the raptors, either way I'm cool with it.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

                    I think we should rename them the Beastern conference and the Lestern Conference... Athough there won't be near as much of a divide.... Yet...
                    Here, everyone have a : on me

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

                      I appreciate the respect he gives to Posey. I've always liked Posey and tried to suggest trading Artest for him on a couple occasions. He just seems like one of those guys who doesn't put up much stat-wise, but the team just seems to do better when he's in the game.

                      Kind of a like a poor-man-who-was-willing-to-score's Derrick McKey.
                      "If you ever crawl inside an old hollow log and go to sleep, and while you're in there some guys come and seal up both ends and then put it on a truck and take it to another city, boy, I don't know what to tell you." - Jack Handy

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

                        But if Antoine just concentrates on the things he does well -- interior defense , defensive rebounding , Hit open 3's . Which Walker are we talking about...

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

                          They both have totally different views of Walker, but it still remains who is going
                          to spread the floor with 3 point shooting and please don't say Walker before
                          you look at his stats? Shaq is more effective if he has a 3 point dagger he can
                          dish it off to and right now Miami has no one but damon Jones and i thought
                          he was leaving. I think the heat got better but not in the ways that would
                          get them over the hump.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: ESPN's page 2, Bill Simmons take on Heat trade

                            I hope Pierce does tank it and we can swing a scrubs for Pierce trade.

                            Comment

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