OT: 2018-19 NBA Thread.

[donevwil]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Not sure how much credence to ascribe to a December game, but the Dubs just got their sh** handed to them on their home court by the Lakers. Lost by 27. And this was without Lebron for the majority if the second half.

Rondo was dealing like a maestro, Kuzma was going off from everywhere, and some kid named Zubac was chewing the Dubs up in the paint.

Klay is stressing his next contract, Draymond must still be injured and the bench, being what it is with a few exceptions, are playing terribly yet they're still 23-12 and have a few months before games even matter.

The life of a championship team, granted they better stay/get healthy and be able to turn it on when they need it. Jury is still out on that.

[Jaybee]

The Ws are either more collectively disinterested or more vulnerable than they have ever been in the Kerr era. We won't know the actual answer to that until April, but this Draymond thing is becoming a real actual basketball problem for them.
Having to guard Dray on the perimeter is the (not so) secret sauce that makes everything work. That means you can't leave him to double the ball, and the Ws can't be guarded man to man with a traditional lineup. But... if you are comfortable leaving him all alone out there, and he can't make you pay, then he's just an undersized 5. Feel free to play your traditional big and make the Ws pay on the offensive glass or in the post.

[FlashUNC]

When Draymond is shooting 20% from 3 and getting what the Lakers were showing yesterday, and Klay is playing with all the enthusiasm of someone going in to traffic court, it's clear there's some real issues here. Never mind the very real specter that Durant walks this summer. Yes, they've got months to work it out, but this looks like a team in a depths of a very real malaise.

Gonna be a fascinating few months in the East Bay.

[XXtwindad]

I think there's going to be a real "Bogut nostalgia" very soon in Dub Land...

[XXtwindad]

Mid Season Picks:

MVP 1) Antetokounmpo
2) Jokic
3) Harden
4) Leonard
5) Westbrook

ROY: Doncic

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

When Draymond is shooting 20% from 3 and getting what the Lakers were showing yesterday, and Klay is playing with all the enthusiasm of someone going in to traffic court, it's clear there's some real issues here. Never mind the very real specter that Durant walks this summer. Yes, they've got months to work it out, but this looks like a team in a depths of a very real malaise.

Gonna be a fascinating few months in the East Bay.

going to the Houston vs Warriors game in a month. They better get their house in order before I show up....

[XXtwindad]

Just got done reading Bruce Jenkins from the SF Chronicle (a writer I like a lot) He took Durant to task for equivocating on where he'd like to play next season, saying he wants to "play basketball and stack money."

Kudos to Durant. Basketball (like all sports) is a business. He's just being honest.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Mid Season Picks:

MVP 1) Antetokounmpo
2) Jokic
3) Harden
4) Leonard
5) Westbrook

ROY: Doncic

Westbrook hasn't even been the best player on his own team this year. And Harden is a clear 2 in my eyes, with Jokic/Davis/Kawhi/PG in the 3rd tier.

Boogie Cousins comes back on Friday. An achilles injury is a real issue for basketball, and the history of coming back from that (it usually takes a full season) suggests that it might be premature to suggest he is ready to just slot in as his normal All-Star level self. I'm not sure he will be markedly better then Looney/Bell/Dray at the 5, but they may not need that.

I'm cashing in my tickets for the Raps bandwagon that I bought preseason. They are clearly the best team in the East and present a solid matchup for whoever comes out of the West.

Anyone buying the Nuggets as an actual contender yet?

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Westbrook hasn't even been the best player on his own team this year. And Harden is a clear 2 in my eyes, with Jokic/Davis/Kawhi/PG in the 3rd tier.

Boogie Cousins comes back on Friday. An achilles injury is a real issue for basketball, and the history of coming back from that (it usually takes a full season) suggests that it might be premature to suggest he is ready to just slot in as his normal All-Star level self. I'm not sure he will be markedly better then Looney/Bell/Dray at the 5, but they may not need that.

I'm cashing in my tickets for the Raps bandwagon that I bought preseason. They are clearly the best team in the East and present a solid matchup for whoever comes out of the West.

Anyone buying the Nuggets as an actual contender yet?

The Nuggets have stayed afloat despite injuries in a still-brutal West and Jamal Murray going through wayyy more up and down stretches. Jokic has taken things to a Sabonis in his prime level.

If they're sliding into the All Star break where they are, you've gotta think they're for real. How they hold up in a seven game series? I dunno. The big unknown is whether Golden State will turn it on the playoffs, or if there's something starting to break there.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Anyone buying the Nuggets as an actual contender yet?

Well OK then.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Well OK then.

First quarter was like a video game. Nuggets scored 38 and were down by 13. Unreal.

[Jaybee]

Usually 45/42/82 shooting splits and 111 points gets you a solid 10-15 point win. Not a 30 point beatdown.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Usually 45/42/82 shooting splits and 111 points gets you a solid 10-15 point win. Not a 30 point beatdown.

Friday is the big test. Cousins against the Clips. I'm pulling for the guy. I think he's got a touch of the 'Answer' in him: scorned by the mainstream media and beloved by his community and teammates. (Probably not to the extent Iverson was adored by his teammates...)

[sfo1]

This will be a two-three month project to find their groove with him on the floor (or not, and he sits in the post season). Keep in mind his injury; at his size not a lot of guys come back to 60% of old self. If we get 60% of old player, its a win.

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Friday is the big test. Cousins against the Clips

[Jaybee]

Worth a minute of your life:

Steph Curry catching fire and flipping the game on the Pels last night.