Mega Thread At the halfway mark of the season, your thoughts so far?

[PP34]

So with most teams having played around 42-45 games so far, it's time to sit back and look at what has happened so far and how you expect the rest of the season to pan out.

I'll ask a few questions, team related, followed by player related and some specific questions about certain players.

Which team is your favourite for the title now? Has your choice changed?

Which team/s have disappointed you so far?

Which team/s have surprised you so far?

Which team/s are in need of a change to salvage/end their season?

Which team/s do you think will have a strong second half of the season?

Which team/s do you see as smokeys for the titles?

Out of the current top eight teams in each conference, which team/s will miss the playoffs or make a push towards a higher seed?

Who will make a late push for the playoffs?

Who has been the MVP so far?

Who has been the DPOY so far?

Are the Warriors contenders this season with Curry, Jack, Thompson, Barnes, Lee and Bogut healthy?

COY?

Sixth man of the year?

Most improved?

Rookie of the year?

Which player/s have surprised or disappointed you?

Which player/s are in for a big second half of the season?

Which players will drop off (rookies in particular)?

Which rookie/s have surprised you?

Which player/s have stayed on too long and should retire?

Which player/s do you think will be traded?

Who is the best defensive player in basketball?

What do you expect from Derrick Rose in his return?

Your thoughts on Dwight Howard's play so far?

What uniform is Pau Gasol wearing in March?

What uniform is Paul Pierce wearing in March?

What uniform is Rudy Gay wearing in March?

What uniform is Eric Bledsoe wearing in March?

Does DeMarcus Cousins end up elsewhere, if so where?*

Your thoughts on Carmelo Anthony's play so far?

Is DeMarcus Cousins the best center in the league right now?

Is Chris Paul's injury status a concern? Does he deserve a 5 year deal (think about health wise)?

Does Javale McGee deserve to start?

Is Deron Williams back to his best?

Your thoughts on Kobe's play?

Your thoughts on Rondo's play before his knee injury?

Has James Harden's strong play surprised you?

Is LeBron really another level above Durant?

Does Danny Granger turn the Pacers into contenders with his scoring punch when he returns?

*feel free to recommend other players

That's all I can think of for now. Plenty of big questions there.

You don't have to answer them all but it's fine if you do.

Perhaps we can put the "Mega Thread" title on this thread peternorth?

P.S I'll answer all of these questions once discussions begin.

 

[workhorse]

So with most teams having played around 42-45 games so far, it's time to sit back and look at what has happened so far and how you expect the rest of the season to pan out.

I'll ask a few questions, team related, followed by player related and some specific questions about certain players.

Which team is your favourite for the title now? Has your choice changed? Miami or Spurs

Which team/s have disappointed you so far? I want to say Boston but the Lakers had so much hype and have been rubbish for majority of the season

Which team/s have surprised you so far? Portland

Which team/s are in need of a change to salvage/end their season?

Which team/s do you think will have a strong second half of the season? Bulls, Spurs maybe Philthy Philly

Which team/s do you see as smokeys for the titles? No one really, it's out of Miami, OKC and Spurs. I'd love to be surprised by the Clips or Bulls though

Out of the current top eight teams in each conference, which team/s will miss the playoffs or make a push towards a higher seed? I can see Houston or Utah dropping out of the West for Portland and/or Lakers

Who will make a late push for the playoffs? Lakers

Who has been the MVP so far? Durant - yep I said it

Who has been the DPOY so far? not sure

Are the Warriors contenders this season with Curry, Jack, Thompson, Barnes, Lee and Bogut healthy? Not title contenders. West Semis/Conference finals legitimate chance though.

COY? Jackson, Thib, Woodson or Pop (Mike Brown?)

Sixth man of the year? JR or Crawford - Jack not far behind

Most improved? Jrue Holiday

Rookie of the year? Lillard

Which player/s have surprised or disappointed you? Sullinger surprised.

Which player/s are in for a big second half of the season? Dirk (smokey), KG, Durant maybe Dwight

Which players will drop off (rookies in particular)? MKG, Boozer, Jennings

Which rookie/s have surprised you? Lillard and Ross

Which player/s have stayed on too long and should retire? no comment

Which player/s do you think will be traded? One of either Gasol, Love or Gay

Who is the best defensive player in basketball? Dwight on his day but guys like Jimmy Butler, Tony Allen and Selfishloser are underrated

What do you expect from Derrick Rose in his return? 18PPG, 3RPG, 7APG @42%FG, 30%3P, 81%FT

Your thoughts on Dwight Howard's play so far? Far too up and down. Not willing to sacrifice his game for the good of the team

What uniform is Pau Gasol wearing in March? Wolves

What uniform is Paul Pierce wearing in March? Celtics

What uniform is Rudy Gay wearing in March? Lakers

What uniform is Eric Bledsoe wearing in March? Clippers

Does DeMarcus Cousins end up elsewhere, if so where?* Probably not but it wouldn't surprise me if someone like Utah threw Millsap or Jefferson at them.

Your thoughts on Carmelo Anthony's play so far? Has his off-shooting nights but has been probably his best start to a season as an all-round team player

Is DeMarcus Cousins the best center in the league right now? No

Is Chris Paul's injury status a concern? Does he deserve a 5 year deal (think about health wise)? Not really. They should be able to nurse him through the rest of the season so he's fit for playoffs. 5 years? mmmmm yeah 4yr + 1 option

Does Javale McGee deserve to start? Ahead of Koufos yes.

Is Deron Williams back to his best? Not yet, getting there.

Your thoughts on Kobe's play? Chucking a lot last few weeks but generally has carried the Lakers and is still putting up 30PPG

Your thoughts on Rondo's play before his knee injury? Started off well but fell away/plateaued up until the injury

Has James Harden's strong play surprised you? Nope, he's always been that good just has never been the #1 option on a team.

Is LeBron really another level above Durant? Probably not another level no.

Does Danny Granger turn the Pacers into contenders with his scoring punch when he returns? East contenders I guess.

*feel free to recommend other players

That's all I can think of for now. Plenty of big questions there.

You don't have to answer them all but it's fine if you do.

Perhaps we can put the "Mega Thread" title on this thread peternorth?

P.S I'll answer all of these questions once discussions begin.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

Which team is your favourite for the title now? Has your choice changed?
Oklahoma City Thunder, and no, it hasn't changed.
Which team/s have disappointed you so far?
Memphis Grizzlies
Which team/s have surprised you so far?
New York Knicks
Which team/s are in need of a change to salvage/end their season?
Los Angeles Lakers
Which team/s do you think will have a strong second half of the season?
Dallas Mavericks
Which team/s do you see as smokeys for the titles?
San Antonio Spurs
Out of the current top eight teams in each conference, which team/s will miss the playoffs or make a push towards a higher seed?
Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets
Who will make a late push for the playoffs?
Toronto Raptors
Who has been the MVP so far?
Kevin Durant
Who has been the DPOY so far?
Tim Duncan
Are the Warriors contenders this season with Curry, Jack, Thompson, Barnes, Lee and Bogut healthy?
Yes.
COY?
Mike Woodson
Sixth man of the year?
J.J. Redick
Most improved?
Larry Sanders
Rookie of the year?
Bradley Beal (he'll storm home hopefully!)
Which player/s have surprised or disappointed you?
Nikola Vucevic has surprised me the most, the kid is a beast!
Which player/s are in for a big second half of the season?
John Wall
Which players will drop off (rookies in particular)?
Damian Lillard
Which rookie/s have surprised you?
Andre Drummond
Which player/s have stayed on too long and should retire?
Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby and a few others.
Which player/s do you think will be traded?
Rudy Gay, Andrea Bargnani
Who is the best defensive player in basketball?
Serge Ibaka at the moment
What do you expect from Derrick Rose in his return?
Expect him to be eased into minutes.
Your thoughts on Dwight Howard's play so far?
Been sub-par due to injuries and new system. Needs to shut the heck up and be serious about ball.
What uniform is Pau Gasol wearing in March?
Twolves
What uniform is Paul Pierce wearing in March?
Celtics
What uniform is Rudy Gay wearing in March?
Raptors
What uniform is Eric Bledsoe wearing in March?
Clippers
Does DeMarcus Cousins end up elsewhere, if so where?*
No, he stays in Sactown
Your thoughts on Carmelo Anthony's play so far?
Been phenomenal, but he is given free reign, like Iso-Joe back in ATL.
Is DeMarcus Cousins the best center in the league right now?
No.
Is Chris Paul's injury status a concern? Does he deserve a 5 year deal (think about health wise)?
Yes.
Does Javale McGee deserve to start?
No.
Is Deron Williams back to his best?
Not yet.
Your thoughts on Kobe's play?
Been a warrior, but needs to continue to past the pill like the last two games.
Your thoughts on Rondo's play before his knee injury?
Was good, but could've been more attacking.
Has James Harden's strong play surprised you?
Yes.
Is LeBron really another level above Durant?
Yes, albeit a small level.
Does Danny Granger turn the Pacers into contenders with his scoring punch when he returns?
No.

 

[Footypie32]

I'm picking a Knicks v Spurs finals series.

 

[Chadwiko]

My thoughts so far? heck everything, and go GSW

 

[Danger in Texas]

Which team is your favourite for the title now? Has your choice changed?
OKC. It has changed, I thought the Heat would win again.
Which team/s have disappointed you so far?
Wizards. Thought that Wall would well and truly break out this year.
Which team/s have surprised you so far?
Spurs. Thought that this year they would start to drop off.
Which team/s are in need of a change to salvage/end their season?
Lakers. Trade Gasol!
Which team/s do you think will have a strong second half of the season?
Bulls. Obviously, with Rose coming back and all.
Which team/s do you see as smokeys for the titles?
Clippers. Maybe Grizzlies.
Out of the current top eight teams in each conference, which team/s will miss the playoffs or make a push towards a higher seed?
Utah to fall, Lakers to (hopefully) finally gel together.
Who will make a late push for the playoffs?
Mavs, only to just finish 9th.
Who has been the MVP so far?
Durantula
Who has been the DPOY so far?
Hard to say on this one.
Are the Warriors contenders this season with Curry, Jack, Thompson, Barnes, Lee and Bogut healthy?
Still not sure. Not title contenders, but right up there.
COY?
Woodson without a doubt.
Sixth man of the year?
Jamal Crawford
Most improved?
Kemba Walker
Rookie of the year?
Lillard.
Which player/s have surprised or disappointed you?
Omer Asik, didn't really rate him at all until this year.
Which player/s are in for a big second half of the season?
Deron Williams
Which players will drop off (rookies in particular)?
Kobe (slightly), Beal
Which rookie/s have surprised you?
Alexy Shved
Which player/s have stayed on too long and should retire?
'Sheed. Nuff said.
Which player/s do you think will be traded?
Boozer, Gasol, Calderon
Who is the best defensive player in basketball?
D12 when at his best.
What do you expect from Derrick Rose in his return?
Probably a minimum of 20ppg would be acceptable.
Your thoughts on Dwight Howard's play so far?
Solid when fit and firing. Agree with BoshtrichBurger in that he needs to shut up, though.
What uniform is Pau Gasol wearing in March?
Twolves
What uniform is Paul Pierce wearing in March?
Street Clothes Celtics
What uniform is Rudy Gay wearing in March?
Grizzlies
What uniform is Eric Bledsoe wearing in March?
Clippers
Does DeMarcus Cousins end up elsewhere, if so where?*
Nup, he'll be staying in Sacramento.
Your thoughts on Carmelo Anthony's play so far?
Major improvement, but can only go downhill from here.
Is DeMarcus Cousins the best center in the league right now?
No way in hell.
Is Chris Paul's injury status a concern? Does he deserve a 5 year deal (think about health wise)?
Not sure yet. I'll make my mind up after the next half season.
Does Javale McGee deserve to start?
For the entertainment, yes
Is Deron Williams back to his best?
Not yet, but read earlier statement on big 2nd half.
Your thoughts on Kobe's play?
Very solid for an old codger. Hopefully he can stay that way.
Your thoughts on Rondo's play before his knee injury?
Too many assists.
Has James Harden's strong play surprised you?
Not really. Thought he might break out this year.
Is LeBron really another level above Durant?
Maybe a fraction, but not a big step ahead.
Does Danny Granger turn the Pacers into contenders with his scoring punch when he returns?
No.

 

[J Shuttlesworth]

Which team is your favourite for the title now? Has your choice changed?

I'm going to stick with Miami, they should get out of the East, But damn the West is strong.

Which team/s have disappointed you so far?

Lakers & Celtics

Which team/s have surprised you so far?

Chicago, I'll admit I did not think they would be in that position with there roster and no D-Rose.

Which team/s are in need of a change to salvage/end their season?

Unfortunately without a Rondo return this year, Boston. However I'm really not sure what they can do, they have alot of good for now pieces that would not be that attractive to anyone else I feel.

Which team/s do you think will have a strong second half of the season?

Lakers, I think I still struggle to think a roster with that amount of starting talent will miss the playoffs.

Which team/s do you see as smokeys for the titles?

Chicago & GSW both could do it if everything fell into place.

Out of the current top eight teams in each conference, which team/s will miss the playoffs or make a push towards a higher seed?

Utah too miss, mainly cause I don't care about Utah so hope they don't make it, plus they have been less than stellar on the road.
Houston is a pretty high powered offense, if it keeps going they'll rise up abit in the west.
GSW to overtake Memphis.

Who will make a late push for the playoffs?

Lakers & Philly.

Who has been the MVP so far?

LeBron.

Who has been the DPOY so far?

Dunno.

Are the Warriors contenders this season with Curry, Jack, Thompson, Barnes, Lee and Bogut healthy?

It would take everything going right, including Barnes taking it up another step, but I think they could be.

COY?

Mark Jackson.

Sixth man of the year?

Jamal Crawford.

Most improved?

Jrue.

Rookie of the year?

Lilliard.

Which player/s have surprised or disappointed you?

Larry Sanders has been a surprise on defense, so has Omer Asik's offense, considering at Chicago he appeared to have zero. Not on the court, but I find Andrew Bynum being out disappointing, lock the bowling shoes away, wanted to see how he would go as 'the man'.

Which player/s are in for a big second half of the season?

Andrew Bogut (hopeful homer coutryism ), Nicholas Batum.

Which players will drop off (rookies in particular)?

Carlos Boozer.

Which rookie/s have surprised you?

Dion Waiters. Sullinger's rebounding, dem big boi thighs.

Which player/s have stayed on too long and should retire?

I'm thinking of someone, but I'm going to wait and see how there second half of the year is.

Which player/s do you think will be traded?

One of Jefferson or Millsap, also Kevin Love, where and who for I don't know.

Who is the best defensive player in basketball?

Dwight when healthy.

What do you expect from Derrick Rose in his return?

I'm not going to put any expectation on this. I love to watch him too much, I don't care what he gives when he comes back this year as long as in the future he returns to his former glory in the years to come.

Your thoughts on Dwight Howard's play so far?

Has had legitimate injuries, to area's vital to a big man and is still putting up great numbers. Has had heck all help on defence and Mike D'antoni coaching. I think he is travelling fine and will be a big part of a late Lakers run.

What uniform is Pau Gasol wearing in March?

Lakers. If they want to win a chip.

What uniform is Paul Pierce wearing in March?

He'll still be grimacing in Green.

What uniform is Rudy Gay wearing in March?

Not sure, don't even think/know how it could possibly happen, but I'd like to see him in Chicago.

What uniform is Eric Bledsoe wearing in March?

Not sure I don't think the Clips should move him, but all depends on how Billups returns.

Does DeMarcus Cousins end up elsewhere, if so where?*

Seattle. I think that whole organisation on the court needs a fresh start. Sorry Sacto.

Your thoughts on Carmelo Anthony's play so far?

Been great offensively, even by his standards, a pleasure to watch as always, but that's standard for the regular season. He has to earn his praise in the playoffs now.

Is DeMarcus Cousins the best center in the league right now?

No, could be on another team.

Is Chris Paul's injury status a concern? Does he deserve a 5 year deal (think about health wise)?

Injury is always a concern to someone of that caliber, I think he does deserve a 5yr deal. Clippers need to keep him, even if it's just so people can continue to overrate Blake.

Does Javale McGee deserve to start?

Nope, his doing his job at the moment.

Is Deron Williams back to his best?

Nope, not sure if he ever will be, but that just might be the coaches fault again.

Your thoughts on Kobe's play?

Too many highly contested jumpers, even though he's made a suprisingy amount of them , probably a product of under-performing team mates up until now though, after the All-Star break Lakers will start there run into the playoffs.........Won't they Mike D?

Your thoughts on Rondo's play before his knee injury?

Was great, took another step up. Not much more I can say really other than it would have been good to see what he did in the Playoffs again.

Has James Harden's strong play surprised you?

Not really suprised, you could see he had it in him. Has silenced the critics that said he couldn't be a main offensive option. Get dat $ beard.

Is LeBron really another level above Durant?

I'm going to go with half a step, Durant has him on offence at the moment, but LBJ is a step above in passing and rebounding in my opinion.

Defensively LBJ is on another level however.

Does Danny Granger turn the Pacers into contenders with his scoring punch when he returns?

If Paul George continues to play like he is and Roy Hibbert turns up, they could make some noise in the East, but contenders, nope.

 

[hans moleman]

I'll ask a few questions, team related, followed by player related and some specific questions about certain players.
OK, shoot.

Which team is your favourite for the title now? Has your choice changed?
My choice changed as follows...
Pre-Season: Lakers
After 10 gams: Spurs
After 20 games: Heat
After 30 gams: Clippers
Now: OKC

Which team/s have disappointed you so far?
All the disappointing ones. You know, Lakers, Celtics, Dallas, etc.

Which team/s have surprised you so far?
The fact that the Knicks are a legitimate contender rather than a circus sideshow is a surprise.

Which team/s are in need of a change to salvage/end their season?
Bobcats need a personnel change.
Lakers need (another) coaching change.
Wizards need a front office change.
Kings need an ownership change.

Who will make a late push for the playoffs?
One again, the Houston Rockets will be the only non-playoff to make a push instead of tank down the stretch. Once again, they'll fall just short of the playoffs.

Which player/s do you think will be traded?
Utah will trade Reggie Williams to the Bobcats for Raja Bell, a future 2nd round pick (protected) and cash considerations.
You heard it here first.

What do you expect from Derrick Rose in his return?
Who?

What uniform is Pau Gasol/Paul Pierce/Rudy Gay/eric Bledsoe wearing in March?
I don't know...and even if I did, I'd text my buddy Chris Broussard before I'd break the news here on BigFooty.

Your thoughts on Carmelo Anthony's play so far?
Big city, big time player.
He'll finish 3rd in MVP voting, not unlike that time Peja finished 3rd in voting a few seasons back.

Is DeMarcus Cousins the best center in the league right now?
This question is not ridiculous at all.

Is Chris Paul's injury status a concern? Does he deserve a 5 year deal (think about health wise)?
Wait, can Paul get a 5 year deal? Don't 5 year max deal only apply to rookie contract extensions? I'm confused.

Does Javale McGee deserve to start?
No.
The numbers show that the Nuggets offence & defence are both better with Koufos on the floor with the starters instead of Javale. McGee can block shots but it doesn't necessarily make him a better team defender than Koufos, who is also a superior rebounder.

In any case, regardless of who starts, Koufos & McGee will always be a time-sharing 2-headed monster. And when the matchups are right they probably prefer to go with Faried in the middle anyway.

Is Deron Williams back to his best?
His wavy hairstyle is still as mesmerisingly confounding as it's ever been.
As for his play, well, I don't hear anyone debating whether Deron is better than Chris Paul nowadays.

Your thoughts on Kobe's play?
Kobe has been kobe. Kobe is not the problem. Kobe is the problem. Kobe is the centre of the Lakers Solar System. But Kobe does not provide energy or warmth to his orbiting bodies. Dwight is Jupiter, a giant full of gas. Gasol is Neptune, cold and unloved. Duhon barely qualifies as a legitimate NBA player and is thus Pluto. Nash, once a prominent Sun himself, is now simply a White Dwarf, old and slowly fading away.

As long as Kobe remains, the universe will function.

Your thoughts on Rondo's play before his knee injury?
In the words of Clark Kellogg: "Stat Sheet Stuffer Supreme!". It was his year to take over the team, but he was less of a leader than most expected.
The injury is karma for chasing the assist streak record.

Has James Harden's strong play surprised you?
No because the guy can seriously play. One s**t Finals series does not maketh the man. Underrated here on BigFooty.
What's more surprising is that Rockets are above .500 and in contention for a playoff spot. I mean, look at who they've got besides Harden: The artist formerly known as Linsanity, one of those Morris twins, former West-Indian fast bowler Patrick Patterson, Toney Douglas (a non-shooting shooting guard in a PG's body), and Delfino, aka the man with the dragon tattoo.

Is LeBron really another level above Durant?
Since last season Durant went from 1.7 levels below LeBron to a mere 0.6 of a level below.

Does Danny Granger turn the Pacers into contenders with his scoring punch when he returns?
Without Granger the Pacers endured growing pains but have eventually morphed from into a strictly defensive oriented team.
Points per possession scored & allowed last season: 103.5 & 100.4 (8th & 10th respectively)
This season: 98.7 & 96.5 (29th & 1st respectively)

Granger's absence also allowed "All-Star" Paul George to emerge (hey, remember when Roy Hibbert was an All-Star? Crazy, right?).

Granger's return will obviously help lift the 29th ranked scoring rate, although the perception of Granger as a "threat" on offence and the flow on effect on the team (David West has played admirably but right now he's on the edge in terms of how much scoring load he can handle) is perhaps more important than the actual reality of Granger as a scorer.
i.e. Granger will help with his 'shooting punch' rather than his 'scoring punch'.

How much they lose on defence is another question.

You don't have to answer them all but it's fine if you do.
Oh ok, I didn't answer them all, hopefully that's fine too.

Perhaps we can put the "Mega Thread" title on this thread peternorth?
Perhaps we can put "Mega Thread Starter" under your username.

 

[workhorse]

SNIP

Strong answers are strong

 

[Danger in Texas]

hans moleman - while you're online, just asking you will you have the time to do a 'simulation' of the NBA Eras Draft teams?

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

hans moleman - while you're online, just asking you will you have the time to do a 'simulation' of the NBA Eras Draft teams?

Simulation isn't real for god sakes kid!!!

 

[Danger in Texas]

Simulation isn't real for god sakes kid!!!

I said 'simulation'

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

I said 'simulation'

The simulation isn't real!

 

[Danger in Texas]

The simulation isn't real!

'Simulation' is in quotation marks

 

[PP34]

I'll get my thoughts up sometime this week.

 

[nufan]

Good bump with all star week coming up.