OT: 2019-20 NBA Discussions

[Jaybee]

Awww... this is some bull****.

[jtakeda]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Awww... this is some bull****.

But wasn’t durability his biggest criticism?

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

I'm concerned for Zion, as I mentioned in the above quote. Hopefully, his recent injury is a minor setback. Another trainer at my gym (who also grew up playing ball) disagrees with me. He thinks Zion's athleticism and body mechanics hasn't been seen in the league since Lebron.

I don't agree. I just don't see how he forges a longer career in the NBA at 285. Not with his playing style.

My thread from a few months back. He needs to shed some weight. End of story.

[Jaybee]

Catching up from the weekend...




Games start tomorrow y'all.

[Aaron O]

Philadelphia went through a massively disappointing performance by the Phils, and the Eagles are likely even more disappointing as you read this. It's been a rough year.

It's all on the Sixers, starting Wed. The entire city needs them to stand on the C's throats and crunch. Otherwise, we'll need security guards on every bridge.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Aaron O

Philadelphia went through a massively disappointing performance by the Phils, and the Eagles are likely even more disappointing as you read this. It's been a rough year.

It's all on the Sixers, starting Wed. The entire city needs them to stand on the C's throats and crunch. Otherwise, we'll need security guards on every bridge.

Philly Flashback. 1983. The Year That Was. His Royal Airness. And His Royal Airyness.

[Jaybee]

I see that Fred VanVleet Sr. continues to be the best player in the world following the birth of FVV Jr.

All hail the MVP.

[jtakeda]

All with no Paul George.... clips are gonna be real good.

[Aaron O]

It was a deep, well coached team last year. No drop off after trading Tobias. Add the best player in the NBA today? Yeah - clips ae going to be good.

I thought all along that the lakers were going to disappoint..AD, whatever his stats, hasn't done much, and he's had players around him. Lebron may be the best to ever play, but he's 35, and we saw the decline begin last year.

I'm nervous about my sixers...so much talent, but such a weird roster. On the plus side, they're built to beat the bucs in a playoff series.

[jtakeda]

I think the lakers will figure it out. They went on commanding runs where they dominated. AD didn’t get a lot of touches in the 2nd half.

I’ll have to watch more because I was switching between the series, the OT game and the lakers clips and I think the series had me the most distracted

[Aaron O]

Originally Posted by jtakeda

I think the lakers will figure it out. They went on commanding runs where they dominated. AD didn’t get a lot of touches in the 2nd half.

I’ll have to watch more because I was switching between the series, the OT game and the lakers clips and I think the series had me the most distracted

I think, come playoffs, it's a soft team, but we'll see.

[FlashUNC]

I don't see how the Sixers make it work in playoff crunch time where your go-to guy to get buckets needs someone else to get him the ball. Butler carried them for long stretches against the Raptors, but now that falls to Embiid who need Simmons or someone to get him the rock at least at the elbows.

Horford is sneaky good and does present a Twin Towers approach that really no other team can run out there, and Embiid let's him play at the more natural 4 for him anyways.

I dunno. Just have a feeling whoever comes out of the East is going to get hit with a Clippers/Lakers/Rockets buzzsaw.

Or Giannis goes totally bonkers with like a 35/15/7 kinda year.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by jtakeda

I think the lakers will figure it out. They went on commanding runs where they dominated. AD didn’t get a lot of touches in the 2nd half.

I’ll have to watch more because I was switching between the series, the OT game and the lakers clips and I think the series had me the most distracted

(Warning: small sample size theater, the first game, etc.)

From the bits I watched, the Lakers runs were with one of AD or LeBron on the court, but not both. I think they have an issue in that the LeBron/AD PNR needs some serious refinement. LeBron has never really been all that great as a PNR creator with a pick and pop big (seriously, look at his numbers with Love or Bosh and how those teams actually generated offense - it wasn't with LeBron finding the big for an easy jumper). This was further magnified by the fact that LeBron wasn't really punishing the Clippers on switches - even Montrezl Harrell was staying in front of him. If the Lakers are going to stay with this crew and LeBron is going to be the only creative force on the court (and they don't have the best flexibility for future trades), then they'll have to make this work. Otherwise AD is just a really expensive K Love standing in the corner.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

I don't see how the Sixers make it work in playoff crunch time where your go-to guy to get buckets needs someone else to get him the ball. Butler carried them for long stretches against the Raptors, but now that falls to Embiid who need Simmons or someone to get him the rock at least at the elbows.

Horford is sneaky good and does present a Twin Towers approach that really no other team can run out there, and Embiid let's him play at the more natural 4 for him anyways.

I dunno. Just have a feeling whoever comes out of the East is going to get hit with a Clippers/Lakers/Rockets buzzsaw.

Or Giannis goes totally bonkers with like a 35/15/7 kinda year.

I think the theory of the Sixers is that they will lock opponents down so much that they won't have to have crazy offensive efficiency to win. I'm a believer, but your points are valid and they'll have to demonstrate how this will work.

[Aaron O]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

I don't see how the Sixers make it work in playoff crunch time where your go-to guy to get buckets needs someone else to get him the ball. Butler carried them for long stretches against the Raptors, but now that falls to Embiid who need Simmons or someone to get him the rock at least at the elbows.

Horford is sneaky good and does present a Twin Towers approach that really no other team can run out there, and Embiid let's him play at the more natural 4 for him anyways.

I dunno. Just have a feeling whoever comes out of the East is going to get hit with a Clippers/Lakers/Rockets buzzsaw.

Or Giannis goes totally bonkers with like a 35/15/7 kinda year.

I definitely have my concerns...I THINK the potential solutions are:

Josh Richardson has SOME play making ability, and I think he can step, somewhat, into that role

Ben Simmons shooting close to 70% FT% would radically change how teams have to accunt for him, and could relieve a lot of pressure on everyone else.

Getting creative with line ups could give Trey Burke room to be a poor man's Lou Williams, while still having sufficient defense around him (especially with Tobias at 4 and not three)

Also, one thing to remember about Butler (full disclosure...I DESPISE Butler) is that his refusal to take any catch and shoots, or to move without the ball (not to mention the most overrated defense in the NBA), helped teams limit Ben in half court. Some of what happened with Ben was due to Butler.

While I agree with what you're saying, and the Sixers have an offensive riddle to answer come playoff time...their opponents have one as well:

How do you score buckets on a team with 4 strong plus defenders? This team is tailor made to eliminate Giannis BTW...I really think that's a big part of why Al is here. Al on Giannis, Ben on Middleton, and Josh on Bledsoe? That's going to make life hard on them IMO, and JoJo, if healthy, is a match up nightmare.