The Perpetual NBA Thread

[BlueBimmer]

oh yeah faster dawg!!! :hihihi:

[ssaloon]

kaman's finally out of his slump.

[tsupermario]

news for the heat fans (like me )

Riley considers trade to land veteran guard
BY MICHAEL WALLACE
mwallace*MiamiHerald.com

For the first time this season, Heat coach Pat Riley publicly acknowledged that his search for a boost to get his struggling team going might extend beyond the team's roster.

Injuries and inconsistent play have hampered the Heat through a 4-7 start heading into Friday's game against the Orlando Magic. Along the way, Riley has changed his starting lineup, his strategy and, he said, his patience level with the team's sporadic play.

Next could be a roster change, possibly at point guard, where Jason Williams and Gary Payton are battling knee injuries and Dwyane Wade has, at times, been overextended while logging extensive minutes at both guard positions.

Asked before Friday's game if it might be time to consider a roster move to land a veteran point guard, Riley said: ``Probably. Yeah. I think, probably. You've gotta do your due diligence. And plus, I'm not going to make any kind of lateral move.

``It's gotta be somebody who can play. I can play Dwyane there. I'd rather have a 50 percent Dwyane as a point guard than somebody who can't play.''

Riley shook up the lineup Friday, starting Wade at point guard, Dorell Wright and Jason Kapono on the wings and Udonis Haslem and Alonzo Mourning in the post.

Wright and Kapono started in place of Payton and Antoine Walker, who had been mired in a 5 for 33 (15.1 percent) shooting slump over four games entering Friday.

Riley already has gotten a close-up look at two potential veteran point guards the Heat might consider pursuing.

Seattle Sonics reserve Earl Watson has been unhappy with his inconsistent playing time.

Memphis' Damon Stoudamire and Atlanta's Tyronn Lue might also be attractive options because both are playing on short, relatively inexpensive contracts and fit Riley's win-now, rebuild-later philosophy.

''We've got a long list,'' Riley said.

WILLIAMS INACTIVE

Williams likely will play tonight at Charlotte after sitting out Friday's game.

Riley said the plan, for now, is to play Williams only once when the Heat has games on consecutive nights.

Williams, who has played four games since returning from offseason surgery on his right knee, had been bothered by stiffness in the knee after playing back-to-back games last week against New York and Atlanta.

''He wanted to play [Friday],'' Riley said. ``But I wanted him for [tonight]. I don't think I'm going to play him back-to-backs.''

INCREASED TIME

Rookie guard Robert Hite and forward Earl Barron apparently have earned Riley's trust -- and a prominent role in the rotation.

Both saw playing time in the first half Friday after they combined for 24 points and made 10 of 15 shots Wednesday at San Antonio.

''I'm just trying to come in and be aggressive,'' said Hite, a former University of Miami star. ``[Riley] is just looking for guys to go out and give their all.''

Barron, in his second year, was a star at the University of Memphis.

imho walker should be traded!

[empy]

boy, the class of 2006 sucks ass! other than the injured-but-promising Brandon Roy, who gets at best a grade of Incomplete, is there anyone who's playing like a star?

please don't say Ammo....that guy blows. the only way he's getting decent points is he throws it up every time he touches the ball (look at his FG%). maybe if Jason Kidd gets injured we can see more of Marcus Williams...everyone else is :down:

[BlueBimmer]

i think Dorell Wright aint bad at all, medyo rebound monster ito and could potentially be a double-double guy in the long run..

[BoEinG_747]

kaman's finally out of his slump.

potek ng binitawan ko sa Fantasy league ,saka naman pumutok

[RMean]

[SIZE=3]Skiles, Wallace butt heads in win[/SIZE]
Headband issue overshadows win

By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter
Published November 25, 2006, 10:25 PM CST

NEW YORK -- Red is a bold color, which made Ben Wallace's decision all the more glaring.

Blatantly defying coach Scott Skiles' team rule prohibiting headbands, Wallace broke one out to match the Bulls' road uniforms Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

A much-needed 106-95 victory over the Knicks that snapped the Bulls' six-game losing streak now will serve only as a partial tonic to a much more flammable situation. Thirteen games into a four-year contract that will pay him $60 million, Wallace and Skiles appear to be at odds.

One night after Wallace played a season-low 19 minutes 38 seconds, Skiles removed Wallace just 2:02 after tipoff for breaking the team rule.

The Bulls had a team meeting for 25 minutes after the game.

"That's an inside team matter," Skiles said.

Is Skiles' worried Wallace's insubordination will become an issue?

"No," he said. "I don't know why. I'm just not."

Skiles wouldn't comment on why the rule is in effect. Wallace wouldn't comment on if he agreed with the rule.

"I don't care about nothing," Wallace said. "All I know is we got the win."

Asked if he understood why he was benched, Wallace mumbled.

"Coach makes the decisions," he said. "I just play."

After he was taken out, assistant Ron Adams went to talk to Wallace. Fellow assistant Pete Myers, Wallace's closest confidant, subsequently followed suit. Finally, assistant Jim Boylan, Skiles' right-hand man, visited him. And still the headband remained.

When Wallace finally removed it, during a dead-ball situation with 2:41 left in the first quarter, Skiles called for Wallace to re-enter. He did so with 1:45 left in the first quarter and played 14:36 in the first half, grabbing four rebounds.

But the trouble didn't end there. Wallace slipped the headband back on just before second-half play was set to start. Skiles immediately sent Malik Allen to the scorer's table before play started.

When Wallace again removed the headband during a timeout with 5:46 left in the third, he re-entered just 81 seconds later.

At this point, Boylan had taken over as coach after official Tim Donaghy ejected Skiles with two quick technical fouls 56 seconds into the third.

In all, Wallace played 29 minutes, finishing with five points and seven rebounds.

Given that the incident came on the heels of a game in which Skiles benched Wallace for the final 17:44, questions about Wallace's happiness are legitimate. Asked before the game why Wallace hasn't played like, well, Wallace thus far, Skiles painted a positive picture.

"He has some games, but I think he would have to answer that," Skiles said. "We're not in any way unhappy with him."

Showing energy early and at both ends of the floor, the Bulls built a 24-point first-half lead in a game they had to win to avoid another winless extended November trip.

The Bulls forced 15 first-half turnovers in taking a 56-34 halftime lead. Luol Deng scored 16 of his 24 points before halftime, and Allen added 11 of his 15. Both Allen and seldom-used P.J. Brown contributed mightily in Wallace's absence.

Kirk Hinrich added 21 points and eight assists for the Bulls.

The Knicks ripped off a 21-11 run to open the fourth and halve their deficit and then pulled to within 98-93 on an Eddy Curry dunk with 1:46 remaining. But Andres Nocioni hit two free throws with 1:23 left and then took a charge from David Lee to right the ship.

Beyond Wallace's apparent insubordination, Skiles' ejection and the six-game losing streak, the Bulls needed this victory to restore their confidence. Nocioni, who contributed 19 points and seven rebounds, made a startling admission before the game.

"Defense is a mentality, and I think we have lost complete confidence," he said.

Skiles listed six specific problems when asked what ailed the Bulls' defense.

"There's many more, but I thought I was boring you," Skiles said, smiling.

The Wallace situation is no laughing matter.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...ack=1&cset=true

[ssaloon]

potek ng binitawan ko sa Fantasy league ,saka naman pumutok

injured ngayon, day to day ang status...hassle!!

[empy]

um, what is the point of Skiles' no headband rule?

is there a good reason, or does he just like to flaunt his authority?

[empy]

potek ng binitawan ko sa Fantasy league ,saka naman pumutok

hehe, 'pumutok' is a relative term...he's definitely playing better this week, but 10 pts, 10 rebs (ok he did have 4 blocks one game i think) is still not good enough to justify how high his owners picked him :D