NBA basketball thread

[OlympiQ]

Sources say Howard to the Nets is officially dead.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/stor...rd-source-says




Dwight Howard

[OlympiQ]

Originally Posted by THUGNIFICENT

holy shit i wish this trade would just happen already

Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine
RT @AlexKennedyNBA: Magic inform Dwight Howard they are suspending trade talks, according to source. Orlando will now focus on coach search

The circus continues.

[CEITEDMOFO]

MILLER AND HOWARD ARE PROBABLY RETIRING, AND WE GETTIN ODEN NExT

[check two]

can you scrubs give it a break already with posting countless pictures of Ray Allen in a Heat jersey? lol you act like he's in his prime and not at the end of his career.

[check two]

Originally Posted by COLUMBIANA

MILLER AND HOWARD ARE PROBABLY RETIRING, AND WE GETTIN ODEN NExT

There's a better chance of Bill Walton coming back to play

[check two]

lol @ Kobe saying that this year's Olympic team could have beat the dream team.

[OlympiQ]

Dallas trades Ian Mahinmi for Darren Collison and Danhtay Jones

Chris Kaman to the Mavs

Haywood to be amnestied by Mavs

[check two]

Ian Mahinmi is worth two players?

[OlympiQ]

Originally Posted by check two

Ian Mahinmi is worth two players?

My exact thoughts too. Cuban raping

[OlympiQ]

Originally Posted by COLUMBIANA

MILLER AND HOWARD ARE PROBABLY RETIRING, AND WE GETTIN ODEN NExT

Nope. Oden is taking the ENTIRE year off this season. He isn't signing with ANYBODY this year. ALL he is doing this year coming up is rehabbing. He is no where close to even practicing for a year at least.

[check two]

Oden's career is over

[CEITEDMOFO]

There's a 24-year-old free agent center who's affordable, has impressive career rebounding averages and has interest in playing for the Heat eventually once he recovers from his latest knee surgery, according to his agent. The only problem? It's a very big one: He's not healthy and can't seem to stay healthy.

Greg Oden, 7-0, hasn't played since 2009-10 and is recovering from his fifth knee surgery in five seasons. A Grantland.com story said that "right now" Oden's plan is to take next season off to rehab, then come back in 2013-14. But his agent, Mike Conley Sr., told us Oden is positioned be ready to play in December or January "as far as being effective and in shape" and will explore options in the coming months, with the possibility of joining a team next season. But nobody obviously can know for sure when he will be ready.

The Heat hasn't called but "Greg has talked about Miami," Conley said. "He has interest. He's not retiring." Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, has played just 82 career games for Portland (which released him in March) and averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Whether the Heat takes a flyer on Oden or not — and Miami has nothing to lose, really, if or when they ever deem him healthy - the bigger question is this: With limited financial resources, can Pat Riley significantly upgrade at center during the Big Three era?

PWNeD

ODEN IN SOUTH BEACH

[check two]

he looks like he's 67 and could be on an episode of Sanford and Son.

[check two]

why won't Howard sign a long term extension with anybody but the Nets? lol that dude is an idiot. And like he hasn't already been enough of a cancer for the Magic, now he might have to stay there for another season? lol

[OlympiQ]

Originally Posted by COLUMBIANA

There's a 24-year-old free agent center who's affordable, has impressive career rebounding averages and has interest in playing for the Heat eventually once he recovers from his latest knee surgery, according to his agent. The only problem? It's a very big one: He's not healthy and can't seem to stay healthy.

Greg Oden, 7-0, hasn't played since 2009-10 and is recovering from his fifth knee surgery in five seasons. A Grantland.com story said that "right now" Oden's plan is to take next season off to rehab, then come back in 2013-14. But his agent, Mike Conley Sr., told us Oden is positioned be ready to play in December or January "as far as being effective and in shape" and will explore options in the coming months, with the possibility of joining a team next season. But nobody obviously can know for sure when he will be ready.

The Heat hasn't called but "Greg has talked about Miami," Conley said. "He has interest. He's not retiring." Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, has played just 82 career games for Portland (which released him in March) and averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Whether the Heat takes a flyer on Oden or not — and Miami has nothing to lose, really, if or when they ever deem him healthy - the bigger question is this: With limited financial resources, can Pat Riley significantly upgrade at center during the Big Three era?

PWNeD

Here's a story from CBS sports about this

Last week, Oden admitted to becoming an alcoholic during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers and expressed plans to take the 2012-2013 season off completely.

You never want to deny a professional athlete the opportunity to make a comeback, but a return to the NBA would be a particularly unlikely accomplishment for Oden. He was released by the Blazers in March shortly after undergoing surgeries on both knees and he hasn't appeared in an NBA game since Dec. 5, 2009.

In a February interview with CBSSports.com, Blazers Acting GM Chad Buchanan laid out in detail the medical issues facing Oden, which included a total of five knee surgeries, including three microfracture surgeries, plus blood clots in his left ankle and persistent pain and swelling during his rehabilitation process. Buchanan admitted that Oden never got particularly close to a return to the court during his time in Portland and that he was never cleared for full-contact basketball activities after his Dec. 2009 patella fracture. In that time, Oden underwent three additional knee surgeries and is currently facing months of rehabilitation from the most recent of those.

Of course, Oden wouldn't be Miami's first major reclamation project. The Heat brought in Eddy Curry after a number of workouts, and he appeared in 14 games for Miami this season, the first NBA action the former lottery pick had seen since the 2009-2010 season. Curry was thought to be unsalvageable and the Heat still somehow found a way, so it's accurate to say that nothing is impossible.

Signing Oden at this point is a no-risk proposition for any team. He comes at the league's minimum salary and requires nothing more than a roster spot and a medical staff. The question is whether there is any potential reward to be found. Unlike with Curry, this isn't just a matter of him going on a hardcore diet to drop 100 pounds. The question is whether his knees -- operated on time and again -- can take the kind of punishment required to get cleared to play basketball, let alone compete in NBA games night after night. Years of health setbacks suggest that a full return is a longshot, at best.

If Oden could fill even 10 minutes a night, signing him would be a worthwhile cause. Even if he lacked his old mobility, he's still tall, long and coordinated. Unfortunately, his recent rehabilitation history strongly suggests that even that type of modest contribution isn't likely.



I think that he is done- his knees cannot take the stress of even practicing, let alone an NBA game. It is such a waste, it seemed like he was going to be one of those iconic big men, but now we are left with the bitch Howard and baby Bynum.

Everytime you hear "I should be practicing again in a few months", he comes back with a new injury and it's "Greg Oden out 8-12 months". Don't get your homer hopes to high.