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2014-15 Regular Season Thread

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Bulls @ Knicks and Thunder @ Portland.

Should be both good games.

Oh, fuck Kevin Hart?

Nah man, he's hilarious.
 
Kobe was torching Ariza and Harden off the dribble last night.

No idea how anyone other than a die-hard Lakers' fan would say Kobe torched anyone off the dribble last night, are we talking about the guy that scored 19 points on 17 shots? Ariza and Harden stuck to him with relative ease, his quickness is nowhere near where it was pre-injury.

The Rockets game planned well and knew that the Lakers do not have one reliable scorer outside of Kobe. The next three options in yesterday's game were Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer, and Ed Davis.

Kobe's been an effective scorer with shit surrounding him before, the poor teammate excuse doesn't fly here. He scored over 35 a night with Smush Parker and Kwayne Brown flanking him in '05-'06, he shouldn't have a problem cracking 20 with Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer.

IMO if Kobe wasn't such a selfish ass clown he'd have no problem luring better NBA players to Los Angeles to play with him. Who wants to come watch Kobe Bryant chase a scoring title while dominating the ball and loafing on defense, all while getting the finger pointed at you for every loss?

The answer? No one! That's why the best players the Lakers signed this year were Carlos Boozer and Ed Davis.

Also, the Lakers are terrible at giving screens. So blaming Kobe for not getting off those screens is pointless. They either don't set early enough or are angled incorrectly.

That's a bigger indicator of poor coaching. Jordan Hill is known as an effective screen setter while Ed Davis is no slouch either. I'd blame Kobe's lack of burst as the main reason he couldn't turn the corner, Jeremy Lin had more success getting to the rim with the same screens.

Whenever Kobe dribbled through Harden/Ariza, which happened far more frequently than you are giving it credit for, Dwight and another Rocket's player would jump-in and prevent him for getting to the rim.

Yeah, that's a regular rotation that Kobe's seen for more than a decade now. Instead of moving the ball when faced with a closed lane he regularly forced up low percentage shots over the top of the Rockets' help. 26-year-old Kobe could do that and hit the ensuing high level of difficulty shot, it's not surprising 36-year-old Kobe still thinks he should be taking those hero-ball wild attempts.

Those two passes you are talking about, as well as the two others he made to Jeremy Lin (which resulted in a foul) and Ronnie Price (which was three dribbles and then a score) prove Kobe can pass the ball.

Did anyone say he couldn't? He's a great passer when he's willing, last night was not an example of unselfish Kobe though.

The issue is the Lakers are terrible at getting open without the ball, even when Kobe is being doubled/tripled teamed.

This makes no sense, if he's being double/triple teamed there would be teammates wide open.

How is it Kobe's fault that Julius Randle hurt his tibia? :chuckle:

Hope this is a joke, because I never said anything remotely close to this.

The Lakers aren't terrible because of Kobe. LBJ did not avoid LA because of Kobe. Neither did Melo.

Yes, they are. Making him the league's highest paid player again this offseason was a complete joke. $23.5 million for a 36-year-old coming off a major surgery? Bringing back Kobe was a business move, not a basketball move.

Dwight Howard is more of an anchor and the Lakers are better off long-term without him.

An anchor? As in, dead weight? That's ridiculous, both LA and Orlando were considerably worse after losing Dwight Howard. Despite his immaturity and the shortcomings in his game he's one of handful of players legitimately worth every penny of a max contract.

And uh, how in world are the Lakers better off long-term without him? They made the playoffs in his lone season in LA, then following his departure cratered to 27-55 for a .329 winning percentage the following year. That's the worst season the Lakers have had since they moved to LA from Minneapolis in 1961.
 
No idea how anyone other than a die-hard Lakers' fan would say Kobe torched anyone off the dribble last night, are we talking about the guy that scored 19 points on 17 shots? Ariza and Harden stuck to him with relative ease, his quickness is nowhere near where it was pre-injury.



Kobe's been an effective scorer with shit surrounding him before, the poor teammate excuse doesn't fly here. He scored over 35 a night with Smush Parker and Kwayne Brown flanking him in '05-'06, he shouldn't have a problem cracking 20 with Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer.

IMO if Kobe wasn't such a selfish ass clown he'd have no problem luring better NBA players to Los Angeles to play with him. Who wants to come watch Kobe Bryant chase a scoring title while dominating the ball and loafing on defense, all while getting the finger pointed at you for every loss?

The answer? No one! That's why the best players the Lakers signed this year were Carlos Boozer and Ed Davis.



That's a bigger indicator of poor coaching. Jordan Hill is known as an effective screen setter while Ed Davis is no slouch either. I'd blame Kobe's lack of burst as the main reason he couldn't turn the corner, Jeremy Lin had more success getting to the rim with the same screens.



Yeah, that's a regular rotation that Kobe's seen for more than a decade now. Instead of moving the ball when faced with a closed lane he regularly forced up low percentage shots over the top of the Rockets' help. 26-year-old Kobe could do that and hit the ensuing high level of difficulty shot, it's not surprising 36-year-old Kobe still thinks he should be taking those hero-ball wild attempts.



Did anyone say he couldn't? He's a great passer when he's willing, last night was not an example of unselfish Kobe though.



This makes no sense, if he's being double/triple teamed there would be teammates wide open.



Hope this is a joke, because I never said anything remotely close to this.



Yes, they are. Making him the league's highest paid player again this offseason was a complete joke. $23.5 million for a 36-year-old coming off a major surgery? Bringing back Kobe was a business move, not a basketball move.



An anchor? As in, dead weight? That's ridiculous, both LA and Orlando were considerably worse after losing Dwight Howard. Despite his immaturity and the shortcomings in his game he's one of handful of players legitimately worth every penny of a max contract.

And uh, how in world are the Lakers better off long-term without him? They made the playoffs in his lone season in LA, then following his departure cratered to 27-55 for a .329 winning percentage the following year. That's the worst season the Lakers have had since they moved to LA from Minneapolis in 1961.

1) No idea how anyone who watched the game would think otherwise. Torching guys and scoring are totally different things.

2) Are you fucking serious? Who should have come to LA? Do you truthfully believe Lebron and Melo were going to go anywhere other than where they ended up?

3) Lakers had a good enough team to make the playoffs in 2005-06. Your comparison is bullshit. This Lakers team is far worse. There is not one person on this Lakers team who can create his own shot. The 05-06 Lakers had Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Vlade Divac who all could. Don't get me wrong, Vlade was old and Bynum was raw but they could score.

4)Regardless of poor coaching, if you watched the game at all you would know their screens were terrible. I agree, Byron Scott sucks, not a reflection of Kobe.

5) Teammates are not wide open if other players don't get into appropriate positions. Rockets ran a man-man system that transitioned into a zone. Nobody other than Boozer was close to able to get into adequate shooting position.

6) yes, that was a joke. Your whole post is blaming Kobe for everything without providing a situation where not having him is better. Name me one free agent, just one, who would've come to LA sans-Kobe. There hasn't been one NBA player, past or present, who has said that they didn't go to LA because of Kobe. A lot, namely Melo and Dwight, have said it he wasn't the reason whatsoever. Furthermore, far better basketball minds than you or I, namely Phil Jackson, have said this whole theory about the "Kobe curse" is horseshit.

7) Dwight's an anchor, dude. If he gave 1/10th of Kobe's effort he would have won an NBA finals by now. The dude just doesn't care about winning. I'll give you that the two players hate each other. But Dwight Howard's attitude fosters a poor culture amongst the team. Orlando was worse after Dwight because the management self-destructed the team. Lakers were worse because they spent almost an entire season without any scorers.
 
First time seeing the Hornets new court, looks pretty sweet!
 
CJ Miles is currently 1 for 7 from the floor :chuckle:
 
CJ Miles is currently 1 for 7 from the floor :chuckle:
Classic Miles... Just wait till he fools them with one of his games where he scored 7 threes and you think he has turned the corner and then is average again. Great guy though.. I was and will always root for him.
 
1) No idea how anyone who watched the game would think otherwise. Torching guys and scoring are totally different things.

2) Are you fucking serious? Who should have come to LA? Do you truthfully believe Lebron and Melo were going to go anywhere other than where they ended up?

3) Lakers had a good enough team to make the playoffs in 2005-06. Your comparison is bullshit. This Lakers team is far worse. There is not one person on this Lakers team who can create his own shot. The 05-06 Lakers had Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Vlade Divac who all could. Don't get me wrong, Vlade was old and Bynum was raw but they could score.

4)Regardless of poor coaching, if you watched the game at all you would know their screens were terrible. I agree, Byron Scott sucks, not a reflection of Kobe.

5) Teammates are not wide open if other players don't get into appropriate positions. Rockets ran a man-man system that transitioned into a zone. Nobody other than Boozer was close to able to get into adequate shooting position.

6) yes, that was a joke. Your whole post is blaming Kobe for everything without providing a situation where not having him is better. Name me one free agent, just one, who would've come to LA sans-Kobe. There hasn't been one NBA player, past or present, who has said that they didn't go to LA because of Kobe. A lot, namely Melo and Dwight, have said it he wasn't the reason whatsoever. Furthermore, far better basketball minds than you or I, namely Phil Jackson, have said this whole theory about the "Kobe curse" is horseshit.

7) Dwight's an anchor, dude. If he gave 1/10th of Kobe's effort he would have won an NBA finals by now. The dude just doesn't care about winning. I'll give you that the two players hate each other. But Dwight Howard's attitude fosters a poor culture amongst the team. Orlando was worse after Dwight because the management self-destructed the team. Lakers were worse because they spent almost an entire season without any scorers.

1. Kobe didn't torch anybody last night, it's a complete joke you're pushing that narrative.

2. I've never mentioned Carmelo or LeBron, don't know why you're intent on repeating those two examples. Players like Isaiah Thomas, Luol Deng, or Chandler Parsons would have been much more reasonable upgrades for this current Lakers' team and all were free agents this summer. Pau Gasol turned down the Lakers' 2 year, $22 million dollar deal for a 2 year, $14 million deal from Chicago- this marks the second consecutive summer one of the best available bigs on the market left the Lakers for less money.

3. My comparison is bullshit? You can't even get your facts straight, Vlade Divac wasn't even in the NBA in '05-'06. Andrew Bynum scored all of 74 points across 46 games that season, Chris Mihm and Kwayme Brown were the two centers that actually played on that team. Lamar Odom was unquestionably their second best player, but when they were winning championships a few years later he was coming off the bench.

This team is just as untalented, the difference is Kobe Bryant use to be a game-changing presence on both ends of the court.

4. Their screens were not terrible all game, that's a shameless excuse you're making to explain why Kobe can't beat people off the dribble anymore. You'd think a guy torching people wouldn't need great screens to beat James Harden off the dribble..,.

5. I guess we can chalk that up to a failure on Byron Scott, but the onus is still on Kobe to find open teammates if he's being double/tripled teamed. Last night he forced up shots when faced with multiple defenders in his path, it's not his teammates' fault for failing to get open in those situations.

6. "Kobe curse?" Why was this quoted? And if you honestly believe Kobe Bryant had nothing to do with Dwight Howard no longer being a Laker you're living in denial. Next you're going to tell me it wasn't his fault Shaq left too.

7. Wow. After reading that I'm even more convinced Lakers' fans believe 1/10 of the effort Kobe Bryant gives daily would fuel the world for decades, feed the hungry, and cure ebola.
 
1. Kobe didn't torch anybody last night, it's a complete joke you're pushing that narrative.

2. I've never mentioned Carmelo or LeBron, don't know why you're intent on repeating those two examples. Players like Isaiah Thomas, Luol Deng, or Chandler Parsons would have been much more reasonable upgrades for this current Lakers' team and all were free agents this summer. Pau Gasol turned down the Lakers' 2 year, $22 million dollar deal for a 2 year, $14 million deal from Chicago- this marks the second consecutive summer one of the best available bigs on the market left the Lakers for less money.

3. My comparison is bullshit? You can't even get your facts straight, Vlade Divac wasn't even in the NBA in '05-'06. Andrew Bynum scored all of 74 points across 46 games that season, Chris Mihm and Kwayme Brown were the two centers that actually played on that team. Lamar Odom was unquestionably their second best player, but when they were winning championships a few years later he was coming off the bench.

This team is just as untalented, the difference is Kobe Bryant use to be a game-changing presence on both ends of the court.

4. Their screens were not terrible all game, that's a shameless excuse you're making to explain why Kobe can't beat people off the dribble anymore. You'd think a guy torching people wouldn't need great screens to beat James Harden off the dribble..,.

5. I guess we can chalk that up to a failure on Byron Scott, but the onus is still on Kobe to find open teammates if he's being double/tripled teamed. Last night he forced up shots when faced with multiple defenders in his path, it's not his teammates' fault for failing to get open in those situations.

6. "Kobe curse?" Why was this quoted? And if you honestly believe Kobe Bryant had nothing to do with Dwight Howard no longer being a Laker you're living in denial. Next you're going to tell me it wasn't his fault Shaq left too.

7. Wow. After reading that I'm even more convinced Lakers' fans believe 1/10 of the effort Kobe Bryant gives daily would fuel the world for decades, feed the hungry, and cure ebola.

We clearly are getting nowhere on a lot of these issues. Must have watched different games. I'll address the issues that are more fact-based.

2) Pau Gasol chose the team that gave him the best chance at a title. Not because of Kobe. As did Luol Deng and Chandler Parsons. Kobe's contract has handicapped the Lakers but their poor drafting (in some cases lack of) has harmed them more long term than Kobe's contract. I.E., many teams have given max contracts and had talented enough teams to bring in more players. Please give me an example of a player not signing with LA because of Kobe.

3) You caught me on Vlade Divac. Good catch. He was on their salary cap. If you think these teams are equally good than you clearly did not watch the 05-06 Lakers team. The 05-06 team ran the Triangle under arguably the best coach in NBA history. Lamar Odom would be the second best player, bar none, on this Lakers team. Tbh, Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, and Vucevic would be better than most of the current starters.

5) Yes, because Kobe can create teammates who are open out of thin air. Maybe I defend Kobe too much, but that logical flaw goes both ways. You can (and, imo, do) blame him too much.

6) http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+use+quotation+marks and I do think Kobe had to do with Dwight leaving. But it wasn't because of his attitude. Dwight wanted more spotlight and didn't want to be number 2 in LA for the following three years. You are definitely correct about Shaq but he's retired. Kobe won two championships post-Shaq.

7) I'm not trying to be a dick and I'm not necessarily a Lakers fan. Yes, Shaq is my favorite player of all time, and yes, I watch a lot of Lakers ball. Nice try prognosticating, tho ;)
 
Chicago looks pretty good tonight, then again, they are playing the Knicks.
 
The 76ers starting lineup tonight:

Tony Wroten
Hollis Thompson
Chris Johnson
Nerlens Noel
Henry Sims

Sweet Jesus Christ.
 
the Knicks are flat out terrible...we should beat them by 30 tomorrow
 
We clearly are getting nowhere on a lot of these issues. Must have watched different games. I'll address the issues that are more fact-based.

2) Pau Gasol chose the team that gave him the best chance at a title. Not because of Kobe. As did Luol Deng and Chandler Parsons. Kobe's contract has handicapped the Lakers but their poor drafting (in some cases lack of) has harmed them more long term than Kobe's contract. I.E., many teams have given max contracts and had talented enough teams to bring in more players. Please give me an example of a player not signing with LA because of Kobe.

3) You caught me on Vlade Divac. Good catch. He was on their salary cap. If you think these teams are equally good than you clearly did not watch the 05-06 Lakers team. The 05-06 team ran the Triangle under arguably the best coach in NBA history. Lamar Odom would be the second best player, bar none, on this Lakers team. Tbh, Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, and Vucevic would be better than most of the current starters.

5) Yes, because Kobe can create teammates who are open out of thin air. Maybe I defend Kobe too much, but that logical flaw goes both ways. You can (and, imo, do) blame him too much.

6) http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how to use quotation marks and I do think Kobe had to do with Dwight leaving. But it wasn't because of his attitude. Dwight wanted more spotlight and didn't want to be number 2 in LA for the following three years. You are definitely correct about Shaq but he's retired. Kobe won two championships post-Shaq.

7) I'm not trying to be a dick and I'm not necessarily a Lakers fan. Yes, Shaq is my favorite player of all time, and yes, I watch a lot of Lakers ball. Nice try prognosticating, tho ;)

2. You've asked for one example, I've given Dwight Howard multiple times. The Lakers gave up their own young All-Star center to acquire him, and we've seen sources that Kobe was the driving force in pushing Howard away from LA.

3. I don't think they're equally as good, I said apart from Kobe Bryant the players around him were just as talented. The big difference there being Kobe Bryant use to be a MVP-level performer. Lamar Odom would be the second best player on either team, but apart from him the '05-'06 team was terrible. Jordan Hill, Jeremy Lin, Nick Young, Ed Davis- they aren't any worse than Smush Parker, Kwayme Brown, Brian Cook, or Devean George.

5. I'm hard on Kobe, but he's the Lakers' franchise player and the highest paid player in the NBA. They played poorly last night with him among the one of many culprits, I completely disagreed with your assessment it's unfair for defenders to have to guard him.

6. I asked why it was quoted because I never said that. Do you really believe Dwight leaving had nothing to do with Kobe's attitude? There's not more spotlight in Houston, and he's the #2 option for the Rockets as well- your reasons make absolutely no sense. From that link regarding the meeting between Howard and the Lakers' contingent:

"As the Lakers' contingent settled into the conference room's ergonomic chairs, it was clear that two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash, in a nice crisp shirt, listening attentively, was running Kupchak's game plan. But Bryant showed up, according to a person in the room, in "hoops shorts, a T-shirt and a gold chain." He had also packed an attitude.

When Howard asked why his teammates let the injured center take all the flak when the Lakers' season went south, Nash said he didn't know that Howard had felt that way and that had he known, he would have acted differently. Bryant, on the other hand, offered a crash course in developing thick skin and a mini lecture on learning how to win. Sources told ESPN Insider Chris Broussard that Bryant's lecture was "a complete turnoff" for Howard. "


7. Not trying to be a dick as well, but I've completely disagreed with a couple things- Kobe didn't torch anybody last night, and Dwight Howard isn't a negative on a basketball team.
 

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