Vince, Ante, and Bryan make their way out of the studio after the discussion concludesHello ISBA and welcome to the November 7th edition of Weekly Roundtable. I've been pleased with this segment so far this year and we have another good edition for you guys this week. Things have been fairly quiet this week. We're in the middle of February on the calendar, which is traditionally the calm before the storm. People are putting their rosters together for a playoff or title push with the trade deadline hours away. Will the Lakers made a move for Devin Harris? The rumors are out there but Paul seems reluctant to give up enough to acquire what would be a difference maker in LA. The Western conference playoff picture is a mess right now. There's only 1.5 games separating 7th place from 3rd. Every game is huge coming down the stretch. Is Jeebs making yet another comeback? Stay tuned. This week I'm pleased to be joined by Ante and Vince making his roundtable debut in the 2k12 era. Let's get to the topics for this week:
1. Early playoff picture/race thoughts?Vince: The Western Conference is a pretty tight race right now from 4-8. Anybody can jump up or down a few spots by a simple win or loss. Gotta be careful on your strategies. Hornets finally got their top spot. As for the East, nobody can top the Bucks. Jermaine and Green seem to be great additions. Still rooting for the Knicks to get on top!
Bryan: I think we're all rooting for the Knicks in the East. I know I am. After a rocky start the Knicks have a pretty good record so hopefully Justin keeps it going. The west is looking great right now. By far tougher than the East. It appears Portland is here to stay as a contender but what about the Lakers? I keep waiting for them to make a run but it's not happening yet. I don't think anyone will take out Boston in the East. The more I look at their roster the more I regret the Bogut trade they made. If I could go back I would disapprove that trade.
Ante: The west is extra competitive .You have my NOLA team, we playing great and all that, but the playoffs are another level of basketball, but we were proven winners in seasons past in this organization. The Oakland Raiders, cough the Warriors are the 2nd best user team in the west, the Blazers are really tough but have no leadership at all. So I take the Nuggets as the better and more consistent team with young Ty Lawson playing awesome as of late. Lakers will squeeze into the playoffs, Paul is no joke believe me, if he tries a little harder vs CPU he'll be probably at the 7th seed the Thunder coach Tom, needs to prove himself still. I think Luka will squeeze himself into the playoffs and make big things. The CPU Suns will be a tough nail in the playoffs.
I see the east as the CPU conference, so the Hawks (KJ) will be at 5 or 6 seed, Justin (Knicks) is a top 4 for sure, EDC with the Celtics will climb up the ladder and be one of the top seeds there in the east. I see the Bucks playing in the Finals with someone in the West, I think nobody can win 2 games in a series in the east vs the Bucks. I think Spark (Bulls) will join the playoff crew too and dominate with Mr.Rose
2. Thoughts on new coaches?Ante: Well a lot of them need to prove themselves, but I think they will catch up easily. Spark and JGN and KJ especially, RaieHaleine will catch up too, he just needs some time now, Skillswitch, I need to talk to him, he's been really busy lately, but very active coach in NGSG.
Vince: Most of them are really good & active. My fave has to be the Celtics coach. Always on the forums stating his opinion, and won't hesitate to try to get games in. No complaints on the rest so far except for activity. I know everyone has their own business and life but if you're going to join a league, I suggest you try your best to be active like it's expected.
Bryan: I haven't been overly impressed with the activity of the new coaches. Skillswitch was ultra active at first but seems to have slowed down considerably. The Bulls coach seems really cool. KJ and Paul had their drama last week so it's hard to judge KJ yet. You certainly can't judge him based on that even though it's easy to. RaieHaleine needs to step it up in a hurry. I feel bad for the Thunder. They can't seem to attract a coach that gives a damn about them. Durant deserves better IMO.
3. Are arguments between coaches good or bad for league?Bryan: I've never liked it, even dating back to our days on 2k9 when the drama was more prevalent. I find it entertaining, don't get me wrong but I think it's too much of a he said, she said thing. Especially now when we can't even upload reels or anything. When there's photo or video evidence that's one thing but right now we have nothing but words to expose people. Unfortunately, words and accusations are powerful. Just ask Justin Bieber. I will say that if people have problems it's good to make it known rather than keeping your mouth shut. That's the only way things change.
Ante: That's great for the league, spices up the competition and the forum, and if it's funny it makes you laugh, we had a medium number in this season, I hope more come for real. I'm serious.
Vince: I say a little of both. Good because we get to see rivalries build up for the future and I kind of like that competitive nature (as you can see from past leagues with me). It can also be bad because some coaches might quit because of anger. I don't support it nor am I against it. It's just fun to see.
4. Should playing CPU games be mandatory or the coaches choice?Ante: Coaches choice, but myself and Bryan will see that issue. I think you should play at least 30% of your CPU games, that should be fair. You can get used to them, it's not that hard, play hard, play tough D and make your shots and the most important thing, get them out of the rhythm early and get some plays going.
Bryan: I think it should be required that you play CPU games. Not every single one but you need to be playing some. It's part of the association. A big part, actually. About 40 percent of the games on the schedule are against the CPU. People with good teams are scared to lose so they figure they will win a sim. I know playing the CPU can be frustrating but it doesn't hurt to play them once in awhile. It pisses me off when I check NBA.com and see the amount of alleged active coaches who rarely or never play CPU.
Vince: Coaches choice. If you don't want to get frustrated caused by the CPU, then go ahead and sim it. If you want to control the outcome, play it. Simple as that.
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I would like to thank my panel for their efforts this week. Good stuff guys and glad to have Vince make his debut. We have this conversation every week but where is NBA2k.com? That apologist "2kRonnie" keeps saying it's close or it will be here in November. Still not launched yet brah. Until next week, stay real ISBA and have a good week.
Subject: Weekly Roundtable-November 7th 
Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:56 pm
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