[Confispect]

Nice vid indeed.

 

[Maxvla]

Interesting draft. Odd pick for the Thunder seeing as we already had 4 people capable of playing PG. The youtube video linked on The Daily Thunder didn't impress me much. Don't like how they are staying with completely perimeter offense, but I guess we'll see if they can figure out how to play it this year.

 

[grokit]

They should make a trade with the Lakers, who didn't pick up any outside shooters.

 

[lbj]

^ Hm?  Darius Morris won't be hitting many threes, but Andrew Goudelock is a knockdown shooter at range.

 

[matthewh133]

I was also very surprised to see the Thunder pick up an outside shooter.. I would have thought they would go for some post presence.

 

[lbj]

OKC is shopping Maynor around, no doubt for some additional bigs.

 

[virometal]

I think the Thunder are shopping Maynor to clear cap. They want to be able to resign Westbrook and Harden. Good luck with that last one if JH continues to improve like he has.

 

[matthewh133]

If James Harden left I would probably have to jump off a cliff. He's just too awesome.

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

^ Hm?  Darius Morris won't be hitting many threes, but Andrew Goudelock is a knockdown shooter at range.

 
You're right, I got distracted for a bit by the quote about the "junk" in his game and thought he was mainly a slasher/playmaker. All the more reason to move Kobe to the point once Goudelock's defense gets up to speed. Morris can back him up along with Fisher, who should be promoted to player/coach.

 

[lbj]

I'm not too sure about Kobe as PG.  As good as his basketball IQ is, he's not a great distributer (or dare I say it, ball-handler).  Keep Kobe at the 2 and have Blake start at PG, assuming he regains his shooting touch.  Morris is an exciting prospect, he looked really good in college distributing the ball and he's got a decent midrange shot, maybe he'll give Blake/Fisher a run for the starting job.

 

[grokit]

Yeah Kobe has gone overboard trying to be a facilitator with decidedly mixed results. It seems like he is either too selfish or to unselfish, he has a hard time trying to find the right balance. And I agree that we will probably never see him dishing in no-look fashion on the fly.
 
The benefit of Morris is he looks like a natural at the position that can keep the defense honest from outside, he's a great pick that is hopefully ready for some real minutes. I can see the drama already because whether it's Morris or Blake starting, if Brown is smart he will have the offense run inside-out through Bynum. With Gasol and Odom/Artest on the wing Kobe's numbers will suffer in that scenario, but his efficiency might stop declining and it would improve his longevity. Of course if Goudelock gets on a hot streak it becomes even more interesting at the off-guard position.
 
This will be the first time ever that Bynum's not injured or coming off rehab and I think it will be a breakout year for him. If he stays healthy and Brown can get the Lakers excited enough to buy in to his plan and the CBA gets signed the Lakers should have a very good 2012.
 
That's a lot of ifs lol, but I do think Brown was a good hire and moreover I think the Lakers are more than ready for a new skipper with a new coaching style.

 

[lbj]

I'm cautiously optimistic too.  I want to see what Mike Brown brings to the table.  It'll be interesting to compare with PJ's team.

 

[grokit]

Or Byron Scott's lol. As far as starting PGs go, it seems that Baron Davis is expendable again...

 

[matthewh133]

Really hoping this mess is all settled sooner rather than later. We just had an awesome season, and I'd hate to see this upcoming exciting season tarnished by the loss of games.

 

[grokit]

Well, crap:
 
"This time, the owners have delivered Stern an unmistakable marching order: Break these players; crush them once and for all... So the NBA leveled the lockout at midnight on Thursday, and there’s a real chance the NBA is gone for a full year now."