DS17Fanboy

Yeah Basti is a great player, turned around the game against Ghana the other day when he got subbed in(why the coach dont start him this tournament!?). Also for a white as they get player he has quite some swagger in his game. Also a good basketball player btw. Big talents usually play any ballgame well once playing it enough. I played as a classical °10 as I said. Thats in offensive/central midfield with the freedom to expand to wherever is clever. Its sort of like the pointguard position, in the sense that defenders and midfielders large parts of the game try and give you the ball to innitiate the offense. But I played it oldschool ala Mattheus, Stojtskov, etc playing lots of long passes and being halfarsed on defense when I felt like it, but a real tiger defensivly when it mattered. Pretty common back in the days, but today that kind of style is no longer feasible. °10 today are Neymar, Messi etc, playing allot more as a "shadow stricker" more near the goal, with the game being innitiated allot more by wingers. I also btw played allot of games in the park in Berlin with Kevin Prince Boateng, who played against USA last week for Ghana. I taught him and his little brother who plays for Germany, long passes back in the days. I still can see the high-tempo backshlashing style they gathered from me. Kinda makes me proud.

Hertha BSC Berlin Born there and my family base. Also NEC Nijmegen in Holland Lived there for 15 years. Now live across the border in Germany again(Cleves). Played for the NEC youth-team. Almost made it at the °10. Btw if you watch the current Worlcup in Brazil, both Jasper Cillessen and Jermaine Lens played for NEC. 1st league team for 20 years, but we relegated this year. So no Bayern, but the Miami hate is similar to Bayern hate. I for one though never hated Bayern. Im no fan of them either, but I respect them and admire them as well. Mostly because they helped Hertha Berlin allot, when the only big capitol team always played second league. Bayern gave us cash and youth players till we made it back to the 1st league. Bayern is also superbly run, and the best of it is, is that its run by former players, not manager types. Bayern has the most self-generated cash of any football club in the world. They dont have debts, shady investors or any of that nonsense. It shows that economics is not magic, only a worshipped proffesional class can fathom. No, it just needs the right people doing the right things on the right spot. Almost every big club in europe is run by business-degree leeches. Almost all of them are in huge debt and sustained by the taxpayers. Bayern the contary, and with normal "jocks" at the helm. I think that problem is kinda examplary of whats going on the large scale of global economics, and I think Bayern is a great example of how it should be done. Also every game they have 10k tickets for 7€, for people that are "socially disadvantged", like people on welfare or with hadicaps. While they could easily fill the arena with normal tickets. So they are normal people, running a club the best way possible, and take care also less fortunate are part of the club. I cant hate on Bayern.

Everyone will start hating on the Hawks.

Also wouldnt it be interesting for a superstar to create a market? Surely Atlanta is on the map. Just not Atlanta basketball. A Melo would certainly fill the Phillips arena. Its not like Atlanta is Utah or Milwaukie. The hawks just miss some ingredients. Miami wasnt all that either.

Concering "iso melo", that doesnt fit the system etc. Look at what Dallas does with ISO Dirk and its Flow Offense. It can be an addition to a high passing offense to have a good ISO player. Like when you find out on allot of plays your not the Spurs and end up chocking at the end of the 24. To be able to get the hot potato to an iso specialist means many more points at the end of the day. Also the Hawks could just have a more varied game, being less predictable, and also more adaptable vs different kind of opponents. Of course Melo needs to adapt to this, but really how many times does he want to claim most PPG? How many titles does he have? If Melo makes that step going to Atlanta, it will be for all the right reasons, knowing he comes to a balling team that wont allow to be imploded.

Contrary to popular belief, Dallas is pretty deep because its run well. Its one of the best bench scoring teams. And contrary to popular belief, Dallas isnt that bad on defense because its run well. True, the individual pieces are pathetic defensive performers either on paper or by perception(like Dirk's defense is truly underrated), but they play a good team-d, specially when Dalembert is on the floor(contrary to popular belief, a big + guy whenever he's on the court, when run well), and is one of the better stealing and forced turnovers teams. There is a reason Dallas took San Antonio to game 7, and could easily have won two of those losses. If only Dallas had beaten Memphis last season game, we would have went up against OKC, who we beat 2-1 in the season. Also Dallas did well vs Portland, Houston, and LA Clippers. If Dallas can take its weakest link out in form of the now pretty much done Marion and replace that position with Lebron, then watch out league. Maybe we'd even lure Chandler back. But indeed, Dirk isnt getting better, but a Lebron coupled to Ellis would severely make them less dependent on Dirk, and hence Dirk can do more what he's still capable to do very good. Not that it will happen. But Lebron could win titles, be competive in the conference where the real action happens, and be in a system and team thats fun to play and where it isnt all on him.

Why must everyone in US young-media talk like these TMZ shows and fake LOL all the time? Sometimes the content is very interresting but then they go talking with gay voices and fake LOL all the time. Its then that I turn it off. BS etc not so bad, others are worse, also on Grantland.

I think Lance Stephenson is going to be big and I dont say that lightly. I think its evident this dude has some things only a handful in a generation have. Mentality is an issue. If he can straighten out of the court I have no problem with his mentality on the court. And most of all, Im convinced once he hits pay-day he will stay balling, unlike so many other hopefuls who just didnt have it any more after they made allot of money. I think thats the upside of Lance's mentality, hes just a basketball beast, and I believe him when he says he wants to be "the best". I would take a bet on him.

[EDITED]. Does that count? No srsly. Closest thing to ever rubbing shoulders with an NBA player was playing point on the youth team of the Eiffel Towers Nijmegen, a 1st league Dutch baskeball team, who then moved to Breda, Holland and then signed Chris Copeland for a year. Who I never met or see play. But its kinda cool I went playing for a team which had an NBA player. Comming to think of it though I did see Derrick Phelps allot when the Eiffel Towers where still in Nijmegen. Not really NBA, but NCAA champ for the NC Tar Heels alongside George Lynch, and still has the NC steals record ahead of Michael Jordan. And so the ball is round, as they say in soccer...

The real question concerning future Hawks aspirations should be: can he guard Lebron come playoff-time? I like Chicago Deng allot, also as a defender, but stats show he has not been all that great post-season in this matchup and I doubt he gets better at his age. I think its better to develop a young and hungry anti-lebron weapon trough the draft at that position and spend the money elsewhere. Like with a Sanders, Monroe, and/or Affalo.

Often with the argument that they dont become "Allstars". You know that proffesional basketball qualification that gets its stamp of approval from 12-21 year olds with enough internet savy and fanboy effort to actually go and spend some time electing an Allstar(no offense). Often though Yao Ming (or was it Ming Yao) got this badge of honor. Since there are lots of Chinese and him being paraded around there on TV etc allot. Dirk on the other hand got most his Allstar appearances trough the coach-pick. Not enough Germans. To many NBA fans to caught up with dunks, superior athleticism and the herd mentality ESPN etc creates. All in all Dirk, Mutombo, Olajuwon, Deng, Divac, Ibaka, Gasol Bro's, Gortat, Ilgauaskas, Sabonis, Rik Smits, Kukoc, Schrempf, Ginobili, Parker, Bogut, Nene prove an international pick is always worth considering. Thx for the OP showing some statistical evidence(since many int players are more team oriented skillset wise).

Better a 4th quarter collapse than a 3rd quarter collapse. Hawks did pretty good keeping a 20+ lead alive for quite some minutes. Its still the Pacers, remember...

You're welcome.

With Al, alongside Kyle, we would have the most fabulous looking team in the playoffs. Banging those boards and stroaking those threes, if you know what I mean.

Vince Carter f*** yes!°

I dont like this north korean fashion trend in the NBA. Let the people wear pimphats with leggings for all I care as long as the crowd goes beserk.

Well said. They truly are degenerate. Like most the MSM btw. Godawful empirically tested infotainment.

He played some garbage time second game in Indiana. Had like two for two shooting and two rebounds, maybe an assist as well with also a PF. I think he's learning allot out there and is slowly getting used to the leagu. And he made some hungry sounding comments about using this summer to get shredded and being a much better player next year. So eat your proteine and vegetables stay away from strip clubs Dennis. Enough of that to around when its all said and done.

tanking lol

Well isnt the Brandan Wright answer a bit to obvious in him having allot of weak spots on defense? I mean I love Wright. I have seen all Mavs games this year and he generally does very well when thrown in, but in this day and age of driving and 3's he srsly lacks as a rim-protector. Not that he doesnt rebound and block, but rather that he's not very good at postitioning, his ground game and boxing out. If he would have had that and a more healthy body he would be elite, no doubt. Excellent role player though being thrown in jumping upon unprepared defenses. But indeed what if he just plays for the wrong team, that makes use of his primary abilities and needs a bully ala Dalembert to start along side a weak defensive team. Maybe it is as we say in Germany "A man grows by his assignments" and Wright could have grown out a greater player on a team more demanding of him.

That C-Viv guy does look like and acts like someone into obscure German porn. Not that I know whats in obscure German porn. I really dont. Im not lying. I swear to god. I click it away as fast as I can.

Again, I'm playing devils advocate and I think I'm wrong, but thats not really an argument when one considders stress-levels on muscles, which translates into stress levels on the joints. When a body is in optimal form then the muscles can absorb the impacts and the wrong movements etc more easily. This to different degress goes for every part of the different injurie prone body parts you summarized. No, Im not a doctor(though I would like to be one), so dont take my word for it. @PSSSHHHRRR87 Im sorry Im being shady about the longstanding team-doc, but his Flight pusherman apearence just reminds me of all the unhealthy painkiller(drugs) practices they do in pro sports these days, making players forget a bit about pain on game-day but causing serious long-term problems. Of course every team handles this practice differently and Im curious how far the Hawks doc takes his players.

I dont want to paint the devil on the wall(though I am right now) but isnt it kind of a coincidence the Hawks have this many serious injuries? I mean the Atlanta med guy with the beard and Jeff Bridges hair looks like the pusher-man from that movie Flight. I mean I have been watching Dallas all year, and that team had like no injuries except 3-4 games without Marion, and that team is ollld. In euro football its also often wrong training recovery programs that get blamed for when there is structually many injuries on rosters.

Nowitzki did many Euro and World championships as well in the summer, but when he felt he needs rest or the chances of succes to be minimal he did not go. At this point I think its only good for Dennis at this young age to stay on competing and learning on a high level. Also Batum, Parker etc did great things for France last summer. Schröder then was preparing to get drafted and didnt go. Its like, NBA is #1 but whenever its clever its good to play mayor tournaments like that.

I could see a Kanter/Horford duo work.