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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2013 11:15:10 GMT -6
Disclaimer: Please don't Comment until the show is completed. Until then, Enjoy!Cari Champion: Good morning and welcome back to first take. We have our two favorite hosts, Stephen A. and Skip. Today we discuss the offseason before free agency including the NBA Draft and offseason trades, which are coming by the dozen. Stephen A. Smith: Excuse me Cari, I think you missed a topic. Cari Champion: Please do help me out. Stephen A. Smith: I think someone, FINALLY has to admit they were wrong. 0-2, I CAN NOT WAIT TO HEAR THE EXCUSES that are about to come out of this man sitting across from me. Cari Champion: Skip? Any rebuttal to that?  Skip Bayless: Well, I think we all know what happened in the Jazz Mavericks series: Stephen A. and the Mavericks got a gift from the man upstairs with the Jordan injury for the final games. So you win that one with a huge asterisks. The Hawks series, Atlanta became Atlanta again and just ramrodded the Knicks. I originally picked in the beginning of the playoffs, so i was right and wrong. Stephen A. Smith: Oh Lawdy, let's move on. This man is about to single handedly make my hairline move. Cari Champion: Stephen A., your hairline is just fine. We want to go over the offseason and who we thought were the winners and losers. Let's start off on the big winner of the offseason. If you had to give the belt to one team; who would it be?
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Post by IamQuailman on Nov 12, 2013 9:51:27 GMT -6
Stephen A. Smith: Well this past off-season, we've seen a lot of movement; many proactive GMs making big and small changes to teams with hopes for the better. It's difficult to pick just one winner, especially when you have teams making moves to win now versus teams making moves in to position themselves for success in the future rather than the present. So I'll give you my 2 teams, one in each category.
Skip Bayless: Two is the new one. Never play by the rules, do you Stephen A?
Stephen A. Smith: I'm doing my best Skip Bayless impression and hedging my bets. To win now, I would have to go with the Washington Wizards. They brought in some great talent via two trades. They shipped out Horace Grant and Nate McMillan but brought in an elite, young swingman in Nick Anderson. Fans were nervous as they saw the Wizards selling a lot of talent at two positions to bring in a guy who last year played the same position as their cornerstone, Scottie Pippen. However, I see Nick sliding to the 2 and having the Wizards bring Byron Scott off the bench. However, there were voids still needing filling; so what did they do? They swung another deal to bring in Wayman Tisdale from the Lakers, a young man who broke out last year on the West Coast. He'll instantly step right in and fill the void that Grant left behind. This team isn't complete though; look for them to make another move to bring in a veteran big or point guard to provide depth. But this team will be much improved from last year.
Cari Champion: What's your 1b pick?
Stephen A. Smith: I would have to say that my pick for best offseason for rebuilding team would be the Lakers. Obviously they got lucky with the lotto and landed superstud Larry Johnson, making Wayman Tisdale expendable. But they've made some other moves that have really set them up for the future. They moved back into the draft and nabbed pick #8 to take Stanley Roberts. Roberts may not necessarily be the future of the L.A. down low, but he sure as heck could develop into a great rotational big that contributes down the line. But the biggest move the Lakers made this off-season was the seemingly lopsided trade with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Skip Bayless: I believe they are the Charlotte Hornets.
Stephen A. Smith: What? When did that happen?
Skip Bayless: Yesterday, Stephen A. Glad to see you pay attention to your job. Your achievement of excellence certificate will be presented to you during our next commercial break. Congrats!
Stephen A. Smith: Regardless of the name, they were completely ripped in this lopsided trade, with the Lakers pillaging them not only taking their 1st round pick next year, but also Otis Thorpe, a scoring big that will assumingly now come off the bench for the Lakers. Or become trade bait mid-season for a team desperate for a 4 that can score and rebound. What did it cost the Lakers? Just a back-up big in Mante Bol and another bench guy and a late 1st. Honestly, prior to the off-season, the Lakers may have been a couple seasons removed from the playoffs, but now? With some more lotto luck (because that Pelicornets pick will be a lotto pick), they may be a couple seasons removed from a Finals appearance.
Cari Champion: WHOA! Those are two bold predictions in 2 sentences. Stephen, what has gotten into you?!
Skip Bayless: I can tell you what has gotten into him, but I don't think it's appropriate for television.
Cari Champion: Sounds like you are ready to sound off, Skip. Who's your off-season winner?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2013 15:25:49 GMT -6
Skip Bayless: Well first of all Stephen A., you got it wrong here. Completely and totally wrong. Do I think the Lakers had a good offseason but to say they're a year away from a Final appearance is utterly premature. For you to believe that, you would have to believe Larry Johnson turns into an All-pro in 1 year. You'd have to believe that Stanley Robert , who?, is ready to play heavy minutes and be a defensive anchor for this team. It would mean that Cedric Ceballos and Mookie Blaylock all grow up over night not to mention survive the gambit of Western Conference foes to get there. Stephen A., this is premature, like i hear you typically are because this Lakers roster isn't well built as currently constructed. An undersized 4, and undersized 2 and no experience. I'd say the Lakers are 3 years away from being serious contenders.
Cari Champion: Well who do you have as the winner of the offseason then?
Skip Bayless: Now to the question as Cari points out, and unlike you Stephen A., I'm going to answer the question right. I thought the Mavericks won the offseason. This is a team who's real flaw was rebounding and they went out and got rebounding without losing anyone special. The thing i loved most about their moves is that often times teams that are so close will make moves for older and more "experienced" guys but the Mavs got to fill needs while getting young guys to do it. I'm not sure they'll have the success they had last year because, to me, they blew the hinges off the doors of their expectations. Now i think instead of having a good 2-3 year run, they can be in the mix very year. I'm just not sure that Jordan is going to get injured every year.
Stephen A. Smith: That's cold Skip. Cold blooded.
Cari Champion: Skip and Stephen A., we all know it's easy to hand out awards at the beginning of the season and make paper champions but there's always a team that makes what is seemingly a small move but makes waves come regular season. Who do you think will be a surprise team from a move they made? Skip you can start.
Skip Bayless: Why thank you Cari. You can always spot talent.
Cari Champion: Why thank you.
Stephen A. Smith: Here we go... Don't fall for it Cari.
Skip Bayless: And like you, I can spot talent from far away. I'm going to steal a page from the Stephen A. School of cheating and pick 2. The first team team that is going to surprise you is going to the the Raptors after getting Isiah Thomas for a bag of chips. The Raptors were only 1 game out of the playoffs last season after starting the season off terribly. They had 2 6 game winning streaks pulled together but in the end couldn't put it together. Now they get a better version of Derek Coleman, add Isiah to be that quintessential leader of the team without losing one player. They also get a developing Vernon Maxwell and a good 3 and D guy in Rick Fox.
Stephen A. Smith: Are you done.
Skip Bayless: That phrase is something that runs in the family, isn't it?
Stephen A. Smith: Excuse me?
Skip Bayless: The second team I see making a splash that no one expects to be good is the Orlando Magic who picked up Kenny Smith and got value from Ron Seikley. I think this team may have made the playoffs last season despite being so young but injuries derailed them.
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Post by coltsguy510 on Nov 16, 2013 0:50:08 GMT -6
Anymore?
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Post by IamQuailman on Nov 16, 2013 0:57:18 GMT -6
Nah, had to cut this one short prematurely.
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Post by coltsguy510 on Nov 16, 2013 1:12:44 GMT -6
Nooooooo! This was historic! The first time balls has ever complemented me on anything and he was gonna talk about the good stuff Ive done and how I've eclipsed him! Oh well.
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Post by TrayWithAnA on Nov 16, 2013 1:21:30 GMT -6
Nooooooo! This was historic! The first time balls has ever complemented me on anything and he was gonna talk about the good stuff Ive done and how I've eclipsed him! Oh well. SCREW YOU, QUAILMAN!!! |
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Post by IamQuailman on Dec 10, 2013 22:12:16 GMT -6
(via Darth PM) AWARDED 0 POINTS DUE TO HITTING POINT CAP! CONGRATS ON BEING AWESOME! KEEP IT UP BRO!
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