ESPN David Aldridge Chats

[JTFan31]

Here is something he said about the Hawks, I wonder if this is really Ludacris, which I doubt it? but you never know.

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Ludacris (ATL): Yo, yo, yo, disturbing tha peace in tha house. Yo, DA, it's Luda. I got tons of dough to blow and I blew some on tha Hawks this season. Will I get my dough back with that playoff guarantee or not?

David Aldridge: "Welcome to Atlanta, where the players play"...yo, Luda, I think the Hawks are better, but I don't know about the playoffs. Unless Ratliff can play 70+ games this year I don't think Atlanta's D is good enough to keep teams from scoring.

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We absolutely get no RESPECT and I hate it guys. It's old and these insiders really need to start looking at our pieces.

another thing he said check it out.

Jared (Sheboygan): DA, I LOVE your work! Do you think the Bucks have a legit shot of aquiring Travis Best? With or Without him do you see the Bucks getting back to the playoffs?

David Aldridge: I think their priority is re-signing Michael Redd, and once they're done with that, I don't think they'll be in the market for any other players. And yes, I think they'll be back in the playoffs next season.

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How does he figure that the Bucks are a better team than the Hawks. Gimme a break DA, please have some common sense.

Here is also some juicy stuff he said.

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bloodrage4(OHIO): DA do you think the Cavs are better then last year team.

David Aldridge: Yes, I do. I think Miles will be a 20-point guy this season and keeping Davis was a smart move. I'll say what I've said about Cleveland for five years: if Big Z gives them 60+ games the Cavs could be a playoff team. I'm not kidding.

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So according to DA he figures that is Theo plays 70+ games then we can pooisbly make a run to the playoffs and if he doesnt, then lets just get ready for next season. DA also says if Ilgauskas plays 60 + games then they can be a playoff team, does he actually think with a healthy Ilgaukas and the Hawks with a healthy Theo that the Cavs have a better squad than the Hawks. PLease DA dont make me laugh and stop making jokes, they are pretty darn funny man. Why do you call yourself an insider?

Lets see what Chad Ford Says today.

[Guest]

It might happen.What if the Cavs make the playoffs and

we don't?

[chillzatl]

without a healthy Ratliff, we are one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Some here don't think Ratliff will make that much of a difference. But I disagree. He will allow JT to take the defensive gambles that he takes and probably make JT look better in the process. As it is now, JT would gamble on a steal, miss and the guy could just go right to the basket. With Ratliff in there, when JT misses they aren't going to be so eager to charge into the lane. He will also protect Reef a LOT. Whoever Reef is guarding in the post is always going to have to be thinking "where is Theo?". Theo might not be a 1st team man to man defender, though he's not shabby. What is is though, is a stellar weak side defender. Guys who try to back Reef down are going to be in a world of hurt.

I also don't see his comments about the Bucks or Cavs as being negative towards us. The bucks should have made the playoffs last year, hell they COULD have won the east. THey just didn't have it mentally. They have tons of talent as well as veteran players. If they can get over the mental wall that killed htem last year they should be a top team in the east.

His statement about the Cavs was much like us, filled with IF'S. Though they have more ifs than we do.

[Diesel]

How good is our defense? Especially without Theo? I will say this though. Big Dog makes our offense Better (if JT distributes). That said, having a great defense isn't paramount. We are going to be a winning team in the mold of Sac-town and Dallas.

About Milwaukee... DA was off base here. Big Dog is gone, but the problem is still there. They have a PG with a shoot first mentality and a PF who has a need to hold the ball and on occassion run the offense. There are still too many hands in milwaukee and things won't change until they trade Cassell and get a utility type PG. IF I were them, I'd offer Cassell and Mason for Payton and see what Oakley looks like? Reason being is that they could do a whole lot more with:

Payton/Allen/Thomas/Oakley/Pryz. AND even though they would be older, they would be tougher than most of the teams playing now.

The Cavs... Nope Miles might not be that 20 + player that they DA thinks. Plus, I like Jaunny but he he's not a passing PG. They will be fun to watch, but they will struggle.

[Traceman]

I see Miles more in the Scottie Pippen mold than as a scorer. If he scores 15-16 ppg, grabs 7-8 rbg and dishes out 3-4 apg while playing good D, they should be VERY happy. He may eventually surpass those numbers but how is he going to score 20+ ppg with that J? I look for both Davis and Wagner to score more than he does.

[Nique21]

I guess we need to pack it in and play for next year. Right! This team learned how to win at home last year before Big Dawg and without Ratliff. These two guys just make us that much better, and will help us win enough road games to clinch the East. Give the season a couple of weeks and everyone in the East will be jumping on the bandwagon.

[Sage11]

In all due respect to "DA" I disagree. Theo will not have to play in 70 games in order for this team to make the playoffs. Although the east will be tougher to win in this upcoming season, there are still pockets of weakness that can and should be exploited. We won 33 games last season without Theo playing the whole season (except for one or two games). If the guy can play 3/4 of the season healthy I hedge my bets that we make it in. Moreover, we tend to overlook any off season improvements made by Nazar. If his game has improved in any way imo we win more games. Throw a healthy Big Dog into the mix and I say DA's analysis is incomplete. I believe this team improves on defense because we have a stable middle and that will help us win more games this year. If Ira signs and stays healthy then this whole discussion about defense becomes somewhat mute. We must also consider teams will have to work much harder on d to stop us and that should work to give us a few more close wins.

My concern is coaching. Can Kruger get it done???