Around the League: July 2014

[Mori Chu]

This article was posted on SpursTalk. I found it interesting. Talks about the ways NBA scorekeepers can bias the stats to favor home players.

http://deadspin.com/5345287/the-confess ... corekeeper

[Ring_Wanted]

I don't have any troube believing that there is bias or irregularities. I remember last season one OKC game where they credited Westbrook with his tenth dime for a triple double, on a pass to Thabo, but he did a lot of things with the ball before scoring so it wouldn't have been counted as assist.

[In2ition]

Stockton used to get his assist stats heavily padded in Salt Lake City.

[iLLmatic]

Durant needs to put some weight on.

Obviously, Greg Oden should go #1.

[pickle]

thanks for the analysis bone and R_W... i read in a different thread (or maybe earlier portions of this thread) that there's talk of sending bledsoe to the bucks... i would definitely do that if the greek freak is on offer, and at the time i had no idea about his offensive capabilities. following the developments of this off season, which had me start by saying i wouldn't want a carmelo anthony type (does not make teammates better) to come to phoenix at max contract, i've since realized that smaller market teams struggle to lure real game changing players -- the gordon hayward and chandler parsons contracts are particularly egregious, and what's more scary, most people, pundits or fans, seem to think that they are fair deals. let's face it, phoenix is no longer a free agency destination like it was during the ssol or barkley days... we have a number of players we like on this team and plenty of young assets, but so far none seem the superstar type. i think our front office has done a pretty good job over the last couple of seasons, compiling assets that would be great complementary pieces to one or two superstars, but those superstars have to come from somewhere. and that brings me to my point ... i think the greek freak may very well be such a piece, and if we can snatch him up early in his career, we should. he's definitely one of the young players in this league i plan on following closely over the coming years, and it would be that much sweeter if i could be following him on my beloved suns.

[Shabazz]

Looks like the Cavs are gonna get Love for Wiggins, Bennett and a 1st rounder.

Amazing how two teams that have done everything wrong for years luck in to two of the top 8 guys in the league and the best package for a superstar in recent memory.

[Cap]

Click for higher res:

[Superbone]

Looks like the Cavs are gonna get Love for Wiggins, Bennett and a 1st rounder.

Amazing how two teams that have done everything wrong for years luck in to two of the top 8 guys in the league and the best package for a superstar in recent memory.

Two #1 overalls and a 1st for Love is quite the haul for the former 5th pick in the draft.

[Ring_Wanted]

thanks for the analysis bone and R_W... i read in a different thread (or maybe earlier portions of this thread) that there's talk of sending bledsoe to the bucks... i would definitely do that if the greek freak is on offer,

It's pure rosterbation. Not only the Bucks would need to be willing to trade Giannis, they'd also have to want Bledsoe at the max and the player would have to agree to go there. The Bucks supposedly are interested in Bledsoe, but probably only for their spare(ish) parts and some draft consideration.

For the record, I wouldn't do Ily, Henson, Knight, I wouldn't touch Sanders and don't think Middleton and a non premium draft asset is enough to move the needle.

[Dan H]

I love Deadspin, that was a great article.

[Superbone]

INF and Kobe Bryant are on the same page:

https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/statuses/500053499112349696

[Ring_Wanted]

Pse. Not even close.

[Shabazz]

Also, complete revisionist history on Kobe's part.

[Mori Chu]

Kobe, in his old age, has completely forgotten the circumstances surrounding his draft day trade to the Lakers.

[TOO]

Didnt Kobe want out to play in LA no matter who drafted him?

[Ring_Wanted]

The story is that supposedly New jersey was ready to grab him but were scared away by the player/agent and went with Kerry Kittles. He claimed he'd play in Italy if picked by a team he didn't like. It's not clear if LAL was the only team in his mind, but once he fell to Charlotte, the Hornets made a win now move and got Divac.

Say that's close enough to the truth.

Wiggins has nothing to do with this case.

[ShelC]

http://www.lakersnation.com/fact-vs-fic ... 4/03/06/2/

http://www.journalnow.com/archives/arti ... 628ec.html

[INFORMER]

Thanks for the links Shel.

Love is certainly superior to Divac, but Cleveland is giving up the #1 pick as opposed to the #13 pick.

[DrSublime]

I really dont see any connection between the Kobe trade and the Wiggins trade, they really have nothing in common other than they are both "draft pick" trades

[Ring_Wanted]

About NJ's role in drafting Kobe:
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nba/ ... id=6255802

"John wanted to take Kobe Bryant in the [1996] draft," John Nash, Calipari's general manager at the time, said Thursday by phone. "And he got faked out."

"Everybody knows I was talked out of that," Calipari said of his desire to select Bryant, and not the Villanova guard he did draft, Kerry Kittles.