glad delly provided that spark last night. That was huge
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
I hate that the media does that too, but I'll admit to feeling that Love doesn't seem very happy in Cleveland. That whole fit out/fit in thing that LeBron did was completely bush league and the type of thing that could really alienate someone. It certainly doesn't help convince someone to stay.
The best hope is Love realizes he can only win a championship as a third wheel, maybe an outside chance as a second. He's not good enough otherwise. His best chance for winning is remaining in Cleveland.
It will be interesting to see what he does. That will tell you how important winning is to him.
LOL - The Rish will be upset with this news as well. KS just doesn't prioritize winning...
Lebron played through being sick last night. Evidently he wasn't sure he was going to be able to go before the game.
The Cavaliers are officially in the playoffs after last night's win.
Man, at one point, after Lebron had to sit out a bunch of games to heal, we were in a position where we were out of the playoffs, and the team was at one game under .500. (18-19, IIRC) Blatt took a huge risk by sitting Lebron. The team went on the skids, but he took a long term view of things. Anyway, since we made the 2 big trades, and Lebron returned to health, we are, if I add right, 27-5. We are 2nd in the East, after being in 9th at one point. I think that Blatt deserves a lot of credit, and so does Griffin, because of the moves me made, and that he came out so fully in support of Blatt.
I do think that while Love may be somewhat frustrated, he had to know that he would have to give some if he was going to play with 2 other superstars. I do think that Love is playing better defense than he ever has in the past. I suspect that he did not like those games where he had to sit out the 4th quarter for defensive purposes, but I think that it has made him a better player.
On the offensive side, and as a rebounder, he is actually near his average. He averages 18.8 PPG, and 11.9 RPG for his career, and he averages 16.6 PPG and 10.2 RPG this year. His defense is much improved. While he has always been a well rounded player offensively, I think that he is a better all around player now.
People seem to think that Love will head off to LA, or NY, to start a rebuilding process with one of those teams. What sense would that make? He left a perpetual rebuild in Minnesota so that he could experience the playoffs. Why would he want to go back to the same position he was already in?
Anyway, I think that the media dislikes the idea that a great team could reside in someplace other than a media center. ESPN had a "Heat Index" when Lebron was in Miami. He is now in Cleveland, with arguably as good, or better a supporting cast, and do we see a "Cleveland Rocks" or such on ESPN? Of course not. They want huge ratings, and that means the greatest players in the biggest markets. Does the media pander to the bigger markets? Of course they do. They want the ratings.
Anyway, Love has so consistently said that he will re-sign with the Cavaliers that I cannot imagine him going back on that. I also cringed when Lebron made his fit in comment .... but I think that they are past that now.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
After a 19-year NBA career in which he twice won MVP honors, tallied the third-most assists in league history and assured his place in the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest point guards ever to play the game, Steve Nash formally announced he is walking away from the game Saturday in a letter published on The Players' Tribune website.
"The greatest gift has been to be completely immersed in my passion and striving for something I loved so much -- visualizing a ladder, climbing up to my heroes," Nash, 41, wrote. "The obsession became my best friend. I talked to her, cherished her, fought with her and got knocked on my ass by her.
[+] EnlargeSteve Nash Jeff Gross/Getty Images Steve Nash won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and '06 and finishes his career as the most accurate free-throw shooter in NBA history. "And that is what I'm most thankful for in my career. In my entire life, in some ways. Obviously, I value my kids and my family more than the game, but in some ways having this friend -- this ever-present pursuit -- has made me who I am, taught me and tested me, and given me a mission that feels irreplaceable. I am so thankful. I've learned so many invaluable lessons about myself and about life. And of course I still have so much to learn. Another incredible gift."
Nash, who didn't play this season with the Los Angeles Lakers because of injuries, finishes his career with 10,335 assists, third-most in NBA history behind John Stockton and Jason Kidd.
"To now realize that it's over, it's really difficult to put it into words," Nash told ESPN.com's Marc Stein in a "SportsCenter" sitdown that aired after Nash's announcement Saturday.
"It's just a weird transition‎. Every athlete goes through it. A lot of people say an athlete dies twice, and in some ways, without being salacious, that's true. If you want to enjoy and be happy in life, you have in some ways to say goodbye to your former self. And that's not easy, especially for guys. We're not the most communicative of the species. So it's hard to kind of put it all in perspective."
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper took to Twitter to congratulate the British Columbia product.
Nash is the most accurate free throw shooter in NBA history, edging Mark Price's career mark at 90.4 percent. And for nine straight seasons from 2001-02 in Dallas through 2008-09 in Phoenix, Nash quarterbacked squads that ranked No. 1 in the league in offense.
"When people ask me if I have a favorite game or play or moment on the court that stands out the most, I can't answer them," Nash wrote. "It all blends into one. What comes to mind are all the great teammates I've played with and the friends I've made through the years."
Nash Delivered Again And Again Steve Nash finishes his career ranked third on the all-time assist list, trailing only John Stockton and Jason Kidd. The NBA's all-time leaders:
Players Assists John Stockton 15,806 Jason Kidd 12,091 Steve Nash 10,335 Mark Jackson 10,334 Magic Johnson 10,141 Despite several health struggles late in his career with the Suns, the Lakers gave Nash a three-year, $28 million deal in 2012 and mortgaged their future by shipping four draft picks to Phoenix.
But Nash's tenure in Los Angeles was mostly miserable.
He broke a bone in his left leg in his second game and missed the next 24 in 2012-13. Last season, more health issues sidelined Nash for all but 15 games. And because of back, knee and hamstring issues, Nash played in just 65 of a possible 164 regular-season games the past two seasons with the Lakers.
"When I signed with the Lakers, I had big dreams of lifting the fans up and lighting this city on fire," Nash wrote. "I turned down more lucrative offers to come to L.A. because I wanted to be in the 'fire,' and play for high risk and high reward in my last NBA chapter. In my second game here, I broke my leg and nothing was the same.
"Last spring, when I returned to the court, I was given a standing ovation at Staples Center. It was a dark time in my career and that gesture will be one of my best memories. There's been a lot of negativity online, but in my nearly three years in L.A., I've never met anyone who didn't show me anything but love and support for my efforts."
The Lakers, according to Nash, have "for all intents and purposes" regarded him as retired since late October, when it was announced that ‎he would miss the entire 2014-15 season. The only reason Nash's retirement wasn't made official then, he said, was that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak asked him to delay the announcement until after the Feb. 19 trade deadline, so the Lakers could explore the trade market and see if they could acquire a future asset in exchange for Nash's expiring $9.7 million contract, which counts against the Lakers' cap.
‎"I could have medically retired," Nash told ESPN.com. "But they asked if I'd consider just being out for the year. ... Really it was about giving them an opportunity to move my salary and improve their team.
"For them to trade me to improve their team was something I was completely on board with‎. The organization's been unbelievable to me. ... How Mitch has treated me and the Buss family has been incredible. It was the least I could do."
Nash Has Hardware, But No Ring Steve Nash has won two NBA MVP awards, but he never got the opportunity to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy -- just one of six former MVPs to have never won an NBA title.
Players MVPs Steve Nash 2 Karl Malone 2 Charles Barkley 1 Allen Iverson 1 Derrick Rose << 1 Kevin Durant << 1 >>Active Nash starred at Santa Clara before starting his NBA career with the Suns, who traded him to Dallas in 1998. He established himself as an elite point guard while playing for coach Don Nelson alongside Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley with Dallas.
"I remember when Dirk and I were nobodies," Nash wrote. "He used to say over dinner sometimes, 'How are us two stiffs gonna make it in this league?' Somehow we made something of ourselves. After all the wins and all the great times we've had around the world together, what really means the most to me are the late nights early in our careers when we'd go back to the Landry Center in Dallas, to play a few more games of HORSE and one-on-one."
Nash returned to Phoenix in 2004 on a lucrative free-agent deal.
The 6-foot-3 Nash won consecutive but unlikely MVP awards in 2005 and '06 -- one of just 10 players to win in back-to-back years -- as the catalyst for one of the most prolific offenses in NBA history under coach Mike D'Antoni. His playmaking and scoring earned him worldwide recognition and eight All-Star Game selections, including his final season with Phoenix in 2011-12.
"It will always hurt that Phoenix Suns fans didn't get the championship they deserved during our run," Nash wrote. "Yes, we had some bad luck but I always look back at it and think, I could've made one more shot, or not forced a turnover, or made a better pass. But I don't regret anything. The arena was always sold out and rocking. It was the time of my life. Thanks, Phoenix."
Nash said in his letter Saturday that he likely will never play basketball again.
"It's bittersweet," he said. "I already miss the game deeply, but I'm also really excited to learn to do something else."
Marc Stein of ESPN.com contributed to this report.
_____________
One of the greatest PG's ever.
But he straight up robbed the lakers with all that money he made and barely played
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Nash and D'Antoni, together, literally changed the NBA forever.
In that it got a bunch of people a ton of big money contracts that became albatrosses for the teams that signed them? Then yeah, I guess.
I'm not sure how they changed the NBA though. Nobody has really successfully run their uptempo 7-seconds or less offense since it worked in PHX. And everyone from that team has really fizzled elsewhere.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Glad we ended up pulling Away. our 3 point shots just started falling in the 4th QTR. bucks couldn't do anything to stop it.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Nash and D'Antoni, together, literally changed the NBA forever.
In that it got a bunch of people a ton of big money contracts that became albatrosses for the teams that signed them? Then yeah, I guess.
I'm not sure how they changed the NBA though. Nobody has really successfully run their uptempo 7-seconds or less offense since it worked in PHX. And everyone from that team has really fizzled elsewhere.
I wonder what Greg Popovich would say about this. . .
J/C ... Kevin Love was on Dan Patrick this morning. He admitted he's struggling a bit to find his role, but he did re-state his intention to resign with the Cavs after the season. I believe the (loaded) question was: "If you win a championship, are you more or less likely to re-sign for next year?" To which he answered something along the lines of: "Well winning helps a lot of things, but I plan to be a Cavalier either way."
Nash and D'Antoni, together, literally changed the NBA forever.
In that it got a bunch of people a ton of big money contracts that became albatrosses for the teams that signed them? Then yeah, I guess.
I'm not sure how they changed the NBA though. Nobody has really successfully run their uptempo 7-seconds or less offense since it worked in PHX. And everyone from that team has really fizzled elsewhere.
I wonder what Greg Popovich would say about this. . .
I don't think Pop's system is the same as D'Antoni. Yes, it can be up-tempo. Yes he does encourage his team to make more than two passes. But D'Antoni was all about pushing the pace of the offense, scoring in 7 seconds, and not even really worrying about defense. The Defense was just there to grab the rebound/in-bound pass and get it back up the floor again quickly. Pops has a much bigger focus on Defense and using that defense to start things on offense, which just happens to up the pace. I don't think he modeled his system after D'Antoni, but just modified it so that he could keep pace and run with it if he needed to.
The only system that was really similar to D'Antoni's was probably Don Nelson's in Golden State. And notably, both he and D'Antoni are unemployed as NBA coaches.
It's not only about 7SOL, it's about the offensive sets, it's about playing small ball, it's about the pick and roll, it's about having a point guard who was a deadly shooter, etc.
It's not only about 7SOL, it's about the offensive sets, it's about playing small ball, it's about the pick and roll, it's about having a point guard who was a deadly shooter, etc.
All of that stuff existed before D'Antoni though. Maybe he made it more "popular", but I don't think offenses have been modeled exclusively after what D'Antoni did in PHX. I feel like if he was more influential, then he wouldn't be unemployed now and his teams wouldn't have been such failures after he left the Suns.
Kevin Love: "I plan on being a Cavalier either way" By Ryan Mourton  @Ryan_Mourton on Mar 23, 2015, 1:28p 3
Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports Kevin Love did a radio tour, hitting up Dan Patrick and Mike and Mike
 TWEET (2) SHARE (2) PIN Have you heard that Kevin Love can potentially be a free agent?
Did you know that his role has been discussed quite often?
You probably have, so it won't be of much shock to you that when Love went on Mike and Mike in the Morning, and the Dan Patrick Show earlier today, he was asked frequently about both issues.
There is a portion of me that abhors transcribing these, because for his part Love has given every indication that he will be returning, but it's a story that won't go away until he formally is signed, and I get that. Please observe a small bit of tongue-in-cheekiness to my insights.
You can find full audio of both here (Mike and Mike) and here (Dan Patrick Show).
From Mike & Mike, when asked about how he feels about his role on the team:
KL - "I feel good, especially as long as we're winning....It's been a lot of fun being a part of this Cavs organization."
Fun is a word that is mentioned a whole lot. You might recall that our David Zavac asked Love whether or not he was having fun just this past Friday. Everyone is worried about how much fun Kevin is having, and whether the amount of fun is sufficient to keep him in Cleveland long term. We've become funologists, tinkering away at different fun metrics and developing body language formulas to calculate the true fun % of Kevin Love's season. According to Kevin, he is having fun. He didn't cite which fun statistic he used in the calculation.
Both Mike's were curious about how Love saw sitting out a few fourth quarters:
KL -"A lot of the times, it's been matchups...I think it's on me to do what's best by the team, and just try to be a consummate professional."
Does he mean this? I don't have no idea, honestly. Nobody knows. Does he REALLY as a star not worry about sitting on the bench? Mike Greenberg had the same line of thought, and pressed him in that regard:
KL - "Just knowing that it's for the greater good. If we have a chance at the end of the year to hoist that Larry O'Brien trophy then it's all been worth it.... There's been times this season that I've fought it, but then seeing the end result, that kind of changes everything."
Winning cures everything has kind of been a theme. Love said basically the same thing in an ESPN interview some weeks ago. He likes winning, and winning is fun, ere go this season has been fun. Maybe?
The Instagram photos were next, Mike & Mike (somewhat satirically) wanted to know what the deal was with LeBron and Kevin, and why he wasn't in the pictures. When asked "How is your relationship with LeBron":
KL - "It's fine. You know, we're not best friends we're not hanging everyday, but we see each other every day....I think our relationship is also evolving...I'm sure he'll have me in the next picture, but we'll see"
I don't have a whole lot on this topic. It's an instagram picture. Come on.
The Dan Patrick show was next. I'm not going to bore you with a ton of similar answers to similar questions. There are two that stood out here:
Dan Patrick offered Love a Mulligan, and asked him if he'd do the same thing:
KL - "Same thing."
DP - "The Same way?"
KL -"Same Way."
The money quote. The quote you all came here for though, came when Love was asked if winning a title would increase or decrease his chances of staying in Cleveland:
KL -"I plan on being a Cavalier either way"
To this day, Love has only said the right things. We can only take those words at face value. I don't know, and nobody else really knows what he plans on doing. That said, winning is fun, and he seems to be having fun. After years of hearing that Minnesota's losing culture was wearing on him, and he just wanted to win, it's a little odd that we're now discussing that he isn't having fun winning because he isn't playing the exact way he wants to. I really do understand that viewpoint, I just personally don't buy it. Love is in Cleveland, where he plays with two superstars, and will be looking at making $30 million a year in two years. I just don't see anything taking him away from that.
There is always the chance I'm wrong though, because just like you or anybody else, I honestly have no idea what Kevin Love is thinking. I am planning on seeing him in Cleveland for quite some time though.
No one, no one, was doing what D'Antoni was doing. Where do you think all this emphasis on corner threes is coming from?
D'Antoni isn't coaching because the Lakers are still paying him huge amounts of money not to coach. My guess is that he will be the coach in Denver next season.
I heard the Mike&Mike interview with Love. I think it's as simple at the end of the season as whether he wants to compete for championships and make a crap load of money or if he wants to go somewhere he can average 24 ppg and play in the all-star game but lose and make a crap load of money.
That said, I do hope in the offseason that Blatt sits down the decision makers (LeBron... ) and they come up with a better way to utilize Love's diverse talent. I do not think they are getting the most out of him at this point.
I think Love is getting great looks game after game and people are distributing the ball to him, just he isn't cashing in any points.
Love wide open for three is not something I think is a sure three points. I think he has a role/fit here, he just needs to start hitting his shots. Especially when he's wide open. That's on him, not the scheme, the team, LeBron (lol) or any other factor, that's on him.
I heard the Mike&Mike interview with Love. I think it's as simple at the end of the season as whether he wants to compete for championships and make a crap load of money or if he wants to go somewhere he can average 24 ppg and play in the all-star game but lose and make a crap load of money.
That said, I do hope in the offseason that Blatt sits down the decision makers (LeBron... ) and they come up with a better way to utilize Love's diverse talent. I do not think they are getting the most out of him at this point.
I know Love's numbers aren't there, and I know at times it seems like he doesn't fit, and then there's the whole 4th quarter issue, but they're just a way better team when he's out there, even if he's not giving you 26 and 12.
I also love how ESPN is really digging hard on this one. They love a good negative Cleveland story. Then you have the annoying Bill Simmons openly talking about how he can't wait to see him on this magical Celtics team that people think are great because they're almost in the playoffs in the eastern conference (ooh!)
Mike Greenburg really asked about Love not being in an instagram picture, and tried to turn it into Lebron and Love disliking each other. Never mind the picture that Lebron uploaded a week ago with the ENTIRE team on the plane ater a big win. They all looked genuinely happy to be around each other. A lot of guys said this is the closest team they have been on. Of course you'll never hear that one on Lame and Lame.
Seriously, take a shot every time Golic says "fantastic".
It even talks about the "myth" that Love doesn't play 4th quarters. I also love the graphic about media hyperbole.
Normally I like listening to Dan Patrick, but I just want to punch him in the head with this article every time he takes words out of context and makes up things that aren't even there. Oh, Kevin Love said explicitly he's going to be a Cavalier either way next season? LALALALALA didn't hear that! But he did say he'd pick Westbrook over Lebron for MVP this year (like pretty much everybody would) ... He Hates him! He's leaving next year!
Who - Where - What Time - Do The Cavs Play Tonight
John 3:16 Jesus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Thanks Memphis and Dawg LB ... I love my Celtics (and they are looking better) but I really love watching this Cavs team, and if we (Celtics) can't win another title yet, then I hope he Cavs win it all ...
Last edited by PastorMarc; 03/25/1512:04 PM.
John 3:16 Jesus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Man they are out there banging bodies tonight!! Real physical so far
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Kevin love obviously doesn't fit in with the cavs....
Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it. I know that the Grizzlies are glad that hes here, screwing up the works.
Man, this is the team that could go all the way in the playoffs. When they share the ball effectively, they are almost unstoppable.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
I wish Love played like he did yday in every single game. We just went crazy. Yet another fun game watching our Cavs bully around people!
Dellabadova(sp) is getting very comfortable with those threes now. And I'm loving the unselfish ball movement. *best* friends or not, LBJ was finding Love and Kevin was rewarding with putting points up!
) and they come up with a better way to utilize Love's diverse talent. I do not think they are getting the most out of him at this point.
