Sun Nov 30, 2014 1:11 pm
Sun Nov 30, 2014 1:36 pm
Sun Nov 30, 2014 1:40 pm
Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:02 am
Mon Dec 01, 2014 2:56 pm
Simmed Games
ORL - 26 24 29 23 102
PHI - 20 31 26 20 97
MIA - 23 33 22 22 100
PHI - 26 23 29 21 99
MIL - 18 18 24 27 87
PHI - 10 16 32 14 72
PHI - 19 33 26 30 108
WAS - 21 24 16 25 86
Record: 19-39
Mon Dec 01, 2014 3:01 pm
Ezio Auditore wrote:Nice job with the Saturday events. Always liked them, sometimes more than Sunday.
Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:15 pm
Tue Dec 02, 2014 3:19 am
Tue Dec 02, 2014 3:19 am
Tue Dec 02, 2014 11:04 am
Cruzerr wrote:Whats up with Melos stats?
Embiid going for the ROTY? Make it happen.
Vespasian92 wrote:Rudy done for the season? I guess my Kings aren't doing anything this season.
I do think your twin towers plan with Embiid and Noel will work as long as you can find some shooting. Developing the 3PT game of guys like Wroten and MCW will help too.
Tue Dec 02, 2014 11:06 am
Simmed Games
PHI - 21 23 29 27 100
TOR - 26 25 25 22 98
OKC - 33 26 26 34 119
PHI - 19 17 31 35 102
PHI - 26 27 13 15 81
UTA - 32 21 33 32 118
Record: 20-42
Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:35 am
Simmed Games
PHI - 19 20 15 25 79
CHI - 21 29 22 19 91
PHI - 32 34 20 28 114
SAC - 19 25 23 17 84
PHI - 18 23 19 25 85
BKN - 21 20 22 24 87
Record: 21-45
Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:36 am
With big man Nikola Vucevic earning an all-star selection with his impressive form this season, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Magic look beyond the likes of Towns and Okafor and go with point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. Congo-born Mudiay is lighting up the Chinese league this season and would certainly be an upgrade on Elfrid Payton. He is likely the most NBA-ready prospect in this draft.
Philadelphia may also choose to look past the highly-rated big men in this draft and go for a player who would be a better fit in their team. They already have the bookends of Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, so a wing player like Kelly Oubre would be a great pick for them. The likes of Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Mario Hezonja could also be looked at with this pick.
Utah also have a couple of talented big men in Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, but could well go for Okafor or Towns due to the fact that Kanter will be a free agent this off-season. Adding Okafor to a young core of Favors, Kanter, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, Trey Burke and Dante Exum would put the Jazz in a great position to return to the heights of the late 1990's in the next few years.
The Bucks already have Larry Sanders and John Henson, but they can both play at power forward. So it wouldn't be a surprise to see them take Karl Towns with this pick. Like Orlando, Philadelphia and Utah they have a number of highly-rated young players like Jabari Parker, Brandon Knight and Giannis Antetokounmpo and could be a team to look out for in the next few seasons.
Boston will be looking to draft a big man and Myles Turner would be the best one available. With Rajon Rondo gone the fans will be looking for a new hero to worship and Turner definitely has the potential to be an all-star calibre player in the future. The defensive potential of a Celtics team containing Turner, Jared Sullinger, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart would be extremely high.
Denver are a team that will be hoping one of the many big men that are touted as high draft picks will still be available when it's their turn to choose a prospect. Cliff Alexander may not be on the top of their wish-list, but he is still a talented player in his own right. The Nuggets shed some salary in the Rondo trade and will be looking to have a big off-season and set themselves up to make the playoffs again.
The Kings already have one of the best big men in the league in DeMarcus Cousins and they will most likely be looking to secure a frontcourt partner for him with this pick. What Harrell lacks in size he more than makes up for in energy and rebounding. Some NBA scouts have compared him favourably to Denver big man Kenneth Faried.
With the Lakers focussed on the Kobe farewell tour they may even decide to trade this pick on draft night for an established player to help Bryant compete for one last title before he retires. If they are smart though they will be looking to bring in someone who will eventually be Kobe's replacement. Arizona forward Stanley Johnson will likely never be a great scorer like Kobe, but he has great defensive qualities. Plus he grew up just down the road in Fullerton, CA.
Porzingis is the wild card of this draft class. He could be a top 3 pick or he could fall out of the first round altogether. His unusual blend of height and shooting touch make him an intriguing prospect. His main weakness is literally his lack of strength. He has a very skinny frame and will likely get bullied against the big men of the NBA. Minnesota have enough wing players though and if David Kahn can resist drafting another point guard, then Porzingis would be a great pick up.
The pick that Mario Hezonja goes at will likely be determined by which teams have the early picks and what their needs are. Most teams would go with an Okafor or Towns before picking Hezonja, but if they need a wing scorer then he would be top priority. He is the stand-out shooting guard in this draft class and it wouldn't be surprising to see him land at Philadelphia or Utah within the first few picks of the draft. He has an NBA-ready bosy having spent this season playing in Barcelona.
After filling their small forward hole with Oubre the Sixers will be looking to add a shooting guard to their team. Hezonja would have been their first priority, but Caris LeVert wouldn't exactly be a consolation prize. Adding LeVert and Oubre to their team would give crazy length defensively. Obviously they have the twin towers of Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel, but they also have a tall point guard in Michael Carter-Williams.
Probably the biggest problem position for the Wizards is at small forward. Paul Pierce only has a couple of seasons left and 2013 number 3 pick Otto Porter has not developed as well as they were hoping he would. Duke forward Justise Winslow could be the solution for them. He is an exceptional athlete and isn't afraid to use his physical ability to attack the basket. He would fit right in alongside the likes of John Wall and Bradley Beal.
With Paul Millsap on an expiring contract the Hawks may look to draft a direct replacement with this pick. Bobby Portis could be their guy. He is a handy scorer and quite strong on the defensive end. He has good shooting range for a big man as well. He and Al Horford could work well together as they both have a decent perimeter game for their size.
You just know David Kahn will use one of his picks to draft a point guard. Mo Williams is the only real back-up for Ricky Rubio and he is coming to the end of his contract at the end of the season, so it may actually be a smart move to draft someone like Tyus Jones. He has spent all season feeding Duke team-mate Jahlil Okafor in the paint. He would be a handy back-up if he could do the same thing with Brook Lopez in the NBA.
Other potential lottery picks
Aaron Harrison - SG - Kentucky
Andrew Harrison - PG/SG - Kentucky
Willie Cauley-Stein - C - Kentucky
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson - SF - Arizona
Wayne Selden - SG - Kansas
Kevon Looney - PF - UCLA
Sam Dekker - SF - Wisconsin
Chris Walker - PF - Florida
Terry Rozier - PG - Louisville
Norman Powell - SG - UCLA
Isaiah Taylor - PG - Texas
Dakari Johnson - C - Kentucky
Alex Poythress - SF/PF - Kentucky
Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:11 pm
Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:40 pm
mp3 wrote:Nice mock draft coverage, think the Sixers will again have another high pick again no doubt.
Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:43 pm
Simmed Games
PHI - 31 15 21 24 91
DET - 18 34 37 19 108
PHI - 25 31 27 26 109
NYK - 18 25 35 29 107
LAL - 18 27 34 25 104
PHI - 27 29 24 30 110
Record: 24-46
Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:06 pm
Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:54 pm
Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:38 am
Simmed Games
DEN - 20 29 23 26 98
PHI - 23 21 28 37 109
PHI - 31 27 29 22 109
LAC - 28 19 29 30 106
CLE - 20 26 28 32 106
PHI - 16 24 18 24 82
PHI - 21 29 27 26 103
LAL - 27 29 29 32 117
Record: 26-49
Fri Dec 05, 2014 11:30 am
Fri Dec 05, 2014 9:24 pm
Simmed Games
CHA - 25 27 15 17 84
PHI - 31 28 18 21 98
NYK - 23 17 29 29 98
PHI - 24 21 24 28 97
PHI - 20 31 17 24 92
WAS - 21 20 19 21 81
CHI - 20 23 25 30 198
PHI - 25 25 28 29 107
PHI - 23 22 13 31 189
MIL - 30 22 28 25 105
PHI - 29 32 32 30 123
MIA - 19 25 28 25 197
Record: 31-51
Fri Dec 05, 2014 9:27 pm
Fri Dec 05, 2014 9:34 pm
Joel Embiid was the shining light in an otherwise forgettable season for the Sixers. The 2014 3rd overall pick started all 82 games for Philadelphia, averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds. His impressive form helped him come runner-up in the voting for the Rookie of the Year award to Milwaukee's Jabari Parker. He was named on the All-Rookie First Team.
He was voted rookie of the month in December 2014 and February 2015. He also was named as the MVP of the rising stars game during all-star weekend after scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. One of his best performances came in a 98-97 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Embiid scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 9 rebounds as the Sixers narrowly lost.
The sky is the limit for this likeable seven footer. Comparisons to NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon are probably a bit premature, but you wouldn't bet against this kid reaching that level if he applies himself in the future. He has all the talent, all he has to do is work hard. Sixers fans will no doubt be looking forward to seeing how he goes next season, hopefully with a better supporting cast around him.
Michael Carter-Williams is the genuine leader of this team. He struggled a bit with injury this season and only managed to play 71 games, several of which were from the bench, but he still managed to average 14 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists per game. On any given night he can reel in a triple-double. It's no surprise when his season highs were 30 points, 15 rebounds and 16 assists.
Over the off-season Carter-Williams will need to spend some time improving his jump-shot because right now it is all over the place. The next step for him is to develop a consistent outside game that will force defenders to get close to him, which will create more space in the paint for the likes of Embiid and Noel.
Nerlens Noel showed great character in his first proper NBA season. Coming off a year out with an ACL injury is tough for any athlete, but Noel didn't let it slow him down. He managed to play 76 games during the season and didn't look to be affected by doubts over his knee at all. He averaged a handy 10 points and 8 rebounds per game, but it was definitely his huge defensive presence that stood out.
Many people questioned whether or not two ostensibly defensive big men could function together, but Noel and Embiid did pretty well as a rookie pairing. A decent return of 29 points and 16 rebounds per game was probably more than anyone could have predicted at the beginning of the season. Clearly Nerlens has a lot of work to do to improve the offensive side of his game, but the early signs are good that he will have a long and productive career in the NBA. He was also named on the All-Rookie First Team alongside Embiid.
Tony Wroten assumed the unexpected role of primary scorer in a lot of games for the Sixers this season. Seen by most NBA fans as a reserve grade volume shooter he proved his critics wrong on many occasions, none more so than a 37 point effort in Boston as the Sixers beat the Celtics. He was an ever-present for Philadelphia this season and like Embiid played every single game.
The point guard position looks like the strongest on their roster moving forward with Carter-Williams running things from the start of games and Wroten coming off the bench and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. Wroten will be a key piece of the jigsaw puzzle for the Sixers in the future as the prototypical sixth man.
Ray Allen joining the Sixers was one of the biggest shocks of the season. Most people expected him to join a contender and compete for another title, but he decided to take a mentoring role in Philadelphia and help them with their ambitious project. The 39 year old had two effects on the Sixers. Firstly he contributed a handy 13points per game off the bench, but perhaps more importantly he took guys like Tony Wroten and KJ McDaniels under his wing and helped teach them how to be better players and better professionals.
Allen will likely be long retired before this group is ready to compete for a championship, but when they are you can bet that any success that they have will have his fingerprints all over it.
KJ McDaniels really emerged in the second half of the season as a viable bench scorer for the Sixers. His deadly perimeter shooting proved to be a great weapon as part of the second unit. He missed a large part of the early season and subsequently only managed to play 58 games for the season. He still managed to score 8 points per game though and proved that he can play ball at the top level. If he can stay injury-free and have a solid pre-season then he will only improve and provide a great bench scoring option alongside Tony Wroten.
Sun Dec 07, 2014 1:35 pm
Western Conference 1. Oklahoma City Thunder [56-26] vs 8. Golden State Warriors [42-40]
The Thunder finished with the best record in the western conference for the second time in three seasons and their reward is a tough series against a Warriors team capable of beating anyone on their day. Games between these two teams in recent times have always delivered endless excitement for fans and neutrals alike. The number of buzzer-beating game-winning shots in particular that have occurred between these two teams seems to suggest that this will be a close series.
Oklahoma City obviously go in favourites with two-time reigning MVP Kevin Durant leading them into battle alongside fellow star Russell Westbrook. The pair are averaging nearly 50 points per game between them and will be a huge handful for the Warriors' defense.
On the other hand there is Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who are averaging a respectable 40 point per game combined. Their perimeter shooting is always a threat to opponents and if Andrew Bogut does his usual hard work in the paint, the Warriors might just pull off a big upset.4. San Antonio Spurs [48-34] vs 5. Memphis Grizzlies [44-38]
In a re-match of the 2013 western conference finals the Spurs and Grizzlies will resume their post-season rivalry this year. The Spurs are still led by veterans Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, as well as legendary coach Gregg Popovich. They also have 2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and 2015 Sixth Man of the Year Boris Diaw in their team. It really is amazing how this franchise continues to contend for championships every single year.
The key match-up of this series will be between Tim Duncan and Marc Gasol + Zach Randolph. The two giants for the Grizzlies are their main offensive weapon and you would imagine that they cannot win this series without solid output from them. Memphis will have to rely on their excellent team defense to try and stem the impact of San Antonio's bench players like Danny Green, Boris Diaw, Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli. This could be a low-scoring series due to the defensive strength of both teams.3. Los Angeles Clippers [52-30] vs 6. Phoenix Suns [43-39]
The Clippers come into this post-season feeling confident that they can finally advance past the conference semifinals for the first time in franchise history. A match-up against the less-fancied Phoenix Suns will be just the start they were looking for. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have both had amazing seasons once again and look ready to go hard at a title run.
It will be interesting to see how Paul handles playing against the Suns' point guard rotation of Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas. Perhaps if those three can tire him out then Phoenix will actually have a shot at beating the Clippers.2. Houston Rockets [53-29] vs 7. Portland Trail Blazers [42-40]
Here is a match-up between two teams who feel like they deserve a shot at the title. The Rockets with James Harden and Dwight Howard on one side, and the Blazers with LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard on the other. Houston will be absolutely delighted to get a shot at revenge so quickly, after Damian Lillard spectacularly dumped them out of the playoffs last season with a game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer in game 6 of the first round.
The battle between Lillard and Harden will particularly be fascinating. Both are capable of scoring extremely quickly and are both known to make clutch baskets. If either of them gets off the leash then the other team will find it hard to win. The inside contest between Howard and Aldridge will also be key in this series. It's hard to see their teams winning without one of them dominating the boards.Eastern Conference 1. Cleveland Cavaliers [59-23] vs 8. Atlanta Hawks [39-43]
Pressure? What Pressure?! LeBron James has led his Cavaliers team back to the playoffs with the first seed in his first season back in Cleveland. It's the first post-season appearance for the franchise since 2010, ironically the last season before LeBron left for Miami. This time around the 4-time MVP has a better cast around him than in any other previous post-season campaign. Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Dion Waiters and Anderson Varejao form a very dangerous group that LeBron has led to the best record in the NBA this season.
You can't really imagine the Hawks putting up much of a fight in this series. They have some good players like AL Horford, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, but nothing that should really worry the Cavaliers. For obvious reasons Cleveland are the hot favourites to win the title this season and it's hard to see the Hawks being more than a small bump in the road for them.4. New York Knicks [45-37] vs 5. Detroit Pistons [44-38]
This will be the first big test of the newly formed Carmelo Anthony and Rajon Rondo partnership in New York. Both players missed some basketball after the Rondo trade was made official, so they haven't really had a huge amount of time to gel. Surprisingly the Knicks go in as favourites against a Pistons team that only won one less game than them this season. Much will depend on how Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith fair against Rondo and Anthony respectively.
You would imagine that Detroit's big advantage would be in the paint with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe against JaVale McGee and Quincy Acy. Offensively it is difficult to see how the Knicks will be able to contain the two big men and defensively it is hard to see how they will score against Monroe and Defensive Player of the Yea Drummond.3. Miami Heat [49-33] vs 6. Indiana Pacers [43-39]
The Heat and Pacers meet up once again in the playoffs after having battled in the last two conference finals and in the conference semifinals the year before that. Miami came out on top all three times and advanced to the NBA Finals on each occasion, winning two of those. This time around though they are missing one key piece, LeBron James. In this series it will be much more evenly matched with Paul George and Roy Hibbert pitted against Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Miami surprised a lot of people this season by winning 49 games and finishing with the 3rd seed. Most people expected them to fall away a bit more with an aging Wade and more pressure on Bosh. If everything goes according to plan for them they will eventually meet up with LeBron and his Cavs team in the conference finals. It would surely create an epic atmosphere for a series. They have to get past a Pacers team seeking revenge first though.2. Chicago Bulls [53-29] vs 7. Charlotte Hornets [43-39]
Chicago strengthened their roster over the off-season in order to create a championship contending team, and so far it is looking good for them. They amnestied veteran Carlos Boozer, then signed Pau Gasol as a replacement. They also brought over Serbian forward Nikola Mirotic after he paid a reported $3 million buyout clause with Real Madrid. The biggest addition to their team though has been a relatively healthy Derrick Rose, who is back to all-star form.
This series will be conflicting for one man. Michael Jordan won six titles with the Bulls and now he is the owner of the Hornets. Obviously he will want his current team to triumph in this series, but you can bet that he won't be completely disappointed if the Bulls go through and end up winning another championship. This series is a big test for newly acquired guard Lance Stephenson. The cult hero is averaging 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists per game and has taken on a bigger role in Charlotte than he had with the Pacers last season.
Sun Dec 07, 2014 7:30 pm
2015 NBA Finals
1. Cleveland Cavaliers [12-6] vs 5. Memphis Grizzlies [12-4]Game 1
CLE - 30 31 20 40 121
MEM - 21 21 31 27 100
Top Performers
Kyrie Irving - 29pts, 4reb, 10ast, 3stl
Kevin Love - 25pts, 10reb
LeBron James - 22pts, 6reb, 8ast
Marc Gasol - 23pts, 11reb, 4ast
Vince Carter - 17pts, 4reb
Mike Conley - 17pts, 2reb, 8astGame 2
CLE - 25 38 20 31 114
MEM - 28 14 15 34 191
Top Performers
LeBron James - 28pts, 4reb, 7ast, 2blk
Dion Waiters - 20pts, 6reb, 3ast, 1blk
Kyrie Irving - 18pts, 4reb, 8ast, 1stl
Mike Conley - 22pts, 1reb, 9ast, 1stl
Marc Gasol - 18pts, 8reb, 4ast, 2blk
Zach Randolph - 12pts, 7reb, 1stlGame 3
MEM - 11 22 26 17 176
CLE - 31 26 17 33 107
Top Performers
Zach Randolph - 28pts, 11reb, 1ast, 2blk
Marc Gasol - 10pts, 6reb, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk
Vince Carter - 10pts, 4reb, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk
Kevin Love - 25pts, 10reb
LeBron James - 25pts, 8reb, 3ast, 1stl
Kyrie Irving - 22pts, 12reb, 5ast, 1blkGame 4
MEM - 34 36 31 26 127
CLE - 31 25 24 37 117
Top Performers
Vince Carter - 28pts, 5reb, 4ast, 1stl
Zach Randolph - 23pts, 6reb, 1ast
Mike Conley - 15pts, 2reb, 14ast, 2stl
Kyrie Irving - 32pts, 6reb, 9ast, 2stl, 1blk
LeBron James - 26pts, 3reb, 7ast, 1stl
Dion Waiters - 18pts, 5reb, 4ast, 2stl, 1blkGame 5
CLE - 23 37 37 37 134
MEM - 24 24 29 30 107
Top Performers
Dion Waiters - 27pts, 2reb, 2ast, 1blk
Kyrie Irving - 27pts, 4reb, 7ast
LeBron James - 25pts, 9reb, 5ast, 3blk
Marc Gasol - 21pts, 7reb, 3ast, 1stl, 1blk
Vince Carter - 15pts, 2reb, 3ast
Mike Conley - 13pts, 4reb, 10ast, 1blk
Cleveland won the series 4-1
25.6 ppg, 6 rpg, 7.8 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.4 bpg
Despite all the attention and pressure being on LeBron James in this series it was actually fellow number one pick Kyrie Irving who led the way for the Cavaliers in their Finals triumph. The 2011 first overall pick finally lived up to the expectations that come with being the first player being chosen in a draft.
Many commentators have criticised Cleveland's drafting in recent years after Kyrie had a slow start to his career and 2013 first overall pick Anthony Bennett looked out of his depth at NBA level. But after trading Bennett and 2014 first pick Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota for Kevin Love the Cavaliers have turned things around.
Irving becomes just the 19th former first overall pick to win a championship, the first since team mate LeBron James. He is also only the 8th former first overall pick to be named the Most Valuable Player in the NBA Finals after Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Hekeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James.
The players and head coach of the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers visited President Obama today during the traditional visit to the White House. It was the third time in Obama's presidency that LeBron James had attended the event and the pair were seen to share some jokes during the visit.