OT: 2018-19 NBA Thread.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

After chewing on the Toronto-Boston game a little more, I am starting to think the Raptors have to really like where they are at at this point in the season. Kyrie is a transcendent scorer when he's hot, but if we are extrapolating to May, I don't think that Boston wins a series by counting on Kyrie to go nuclear 4 of 7 times. Still early, small sample size, etc.

Speaking of small sample size, my Jimmy Butler/Philly take above is all kinds of wrong. Let's see what happens when the honeymoon period wears off.

The Raptors are deep, flexible, and Kawhi continues to be an all-universe wing. Boston's offense continues to look like warmed over poop, and I get April is a long ways away and Stevens is a helluva coach, but to your point the plan right now is watch Kyrie go nuclear and then just wait. Both the Raptors and Bucks have looked more impressive early on.

I am baffled by the move by Philly. You take a guy run out of two towns now, who made KAT look like the last thing he wanted to do was step on a basketball court with the guy, and you introduce him into a locker room with a bunch of other young kids. A locker room, I might add, with the most glaring case of the yips in sport's history.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

The Raptors are deep, flexible, and Kawhi continues to be an all-universe wing. Boston's offense continues to look like warmed over poop, and I get April is a long ways away and Stevens is a helluva coach, but to your point the plan right now is watch Kyrie go nuclear and then just wait. Both the Raptors and Bucks have looked more impressive early on.

I am baffled by the move by Philly. You take a guy run out of two towns now, who made KAT look like the last thing he wanted to do was step on a basketball court with the guy, and you introduce him into a locker room with a bunch of other young kids. A locker room, I might add, with the most glaring case of the yips in sport's history.

This was/is pretty much my take on it as well. The counter-argument, which I get, is that Jimmy B is a top five 2-way wing*, and those guys aren't just sitting on the shelves at the local Target. You go get one of those when the opportunity arises.

Yeegads is the basketball fit poor though, especially since they moved their 2nd and 3rd best perimeter spot up guys to get him. Simmons-Redick-RoCo-Saric-Embiid just destroyed people last year, and it makes sense from a spacing perspective. Now we've got both Simmons and Butler who need the ball to be effective, Embiid straying further and further from the hoop because the spacing is so bad, Redick licking his lips at how much Philly is going to have to pay to retain him. Fultz just exacerbates the spacing issues. Mike Muscala is getting serious minutes. I'm not sure Moose is a top 7 player on a conference finals team. There has to be another move before the deadline, right?

Moving West, here is the W's last week (h/t to Anthony Slater):

Mon: OT L to Clips, Dray/KD spat
Tues: Dray suspended, narrow win over the tanking Hawks
Wed: News that Curry will be reevaluated in 10 more days
Thur: L to Rockets
Fri: Dray toe-sprain
Sat: L to Mavs
Sun: L to Spurs

If you are a W's hater, hang on to this moment when they sweep the playoffs next summer.


*2-way wings, who are defensive monsters across 3 or more positions, can carry an offense/create for others by themselves: 1A)KD, 1B)Kawhi, 3)PG, 4)Butler 5)Oladipo. LeBron is in his own class by himself. Giannis is apositional.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

This was/is pretty much my take on it as well. The counter-argument, which I get, is that Jimmy B is a top five 2-way wing*, and those guys aren't just sitting on the shelves at the local Target. You go get one of those when the opportunity arises.

Yeegads is the basketball fit poor though, especially since they moved their 2nd and 3rd best perimeter spot up guys to get him. Simmons-Redick-RoCo-Saric-Embiid just destroyed people last year, and it makes sense from a spacing perspective. Now we've got both Simmons and Butler who need the ball to be effective, Embiid straying further and further from the hoop because the spacing is so bad, Redick licking his lips at how much Philly is going to have to pay to retain him. Fultz just exacerbates the spacing issues. Mike Muscala is getting serious minutes. I'm not sure Moose is a top 7 player on a conference finals team. There has to be another move before the deadline, right?

Moving West, here is the W's last week (h/t to Anthony Slater):

Mon: OT L to Clips, Dray/KD spat
Tues: Dray suspended, narrow win over the tanking Hawks
Wed: News that Curry will be reevaluated in 10 more days
Thur: L to Rockets
Fri: Dray toe-sprain
Sat: L to Mavs
Sun: L to Spurs

If you are a W's hater, hang on to this moment when they sweep the playoffs next summer.


*2-way wings, who are defensive monsters across 3 or more positions, can carry an offense/create for others by themselves: 1A)KD, 1B)Kawhi, 3)PG, 4)Butler 5)Oladipo. LeBron is in his own class by himself. Giannis is apositional.

I just don't understand a universe where Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are available during the same summer and you don't make the offer for Leonard, save for being able to lock him down long-term. Which, why in God's name do you want to give Jimmy Butler a max at this point in his career? After two stints of Thibs Philosophy of Rotational Hell via Dante's Inferno.

Its been pretty incredible so far to see the Spurs/Raptors deal work out for both sides. DeRozan is thriving in San Antonio, and Kawhi is his same weird self in Toronto.

[XXtwindad]

I actually like the Philly move. Embiid is much more assertive than KAT. It's also nice to see the East be relevant again.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

I just don't understand a universe where Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are available during the same summer and you don't make the offer for Leonard, save for being able to lock him down long-term. Which, why in God's name do you want to give Jimmy Butler a max at this point in his career? After two stints of Thibs Philosophy of Rotational Hell via Dante's Inferno.

Its been pretty incredible so far to see the Spurs/Raptors deal work out for both sides. DeRozan is thriving in San Antonio, and Kawhi is his same weird self in Toronto.

Agreed.

Has their been any reporting on what Philly was putting on the table during the Kawhi talks? Getting another first option scorer for a guy who was definitely on his way out was a coup for the Spurs. Not sure if Philly would/could match that. Having the less-bright Colangelo prominently involved didn't help either.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

I actually like the Philly move. Embiid is much more assertive than KAT. It's also nice to see the East be relevant again.

I'm not worried about Embiid. That dude has plenty of self-confidence. I am worried about Simmons, who has zero idea what to do on a basketball court off the ball and Fultz, who is teetering on the edge of bust and was last seen pump faking free throws.

The East is weird. Per 538, the East will end up with four 50+ win teams, one team just above .500, then 3 teams at .500 or worse in the playoffs. The Wizards (!) are the 6 seed. League-wide Top 16 Bracket for the playoffs today, please.

This is better than knowing it's LeBron vs. GSW every year though.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

I'm not worried about Embiid. That dude has plenty of self-confidence. I am worried about Simmons, who has zero idea what to do on a basketball court off the ball and Fultz, who is teetering on the edge of bust and was last seen pump faking free throws.

The East is weird. Per 538, the East will end up with four 50+ win teams, one team just above .500, then 3 teams at .500 or worse in the playoffs. The Wizards (!) are the 6 seed. League-wide Top 16 Bracket for the playoffs today, please.

This is better than knowing it's LeBron vs. GSW every year though.

I'd give anything to hear one of the TNT announcers refer to an NBA team as a "fetid corpse of a franchise."

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Agreed.

Has their been any reporting on what Philly was putting on the table during the Kawhi talks? Getting another first option scorer for a guy who was definitely on his way out was a coup for the Spurs. Not sure if Philly would/could match that. Having the less-bright Colangelo prominently involved didn't help either.

Colangelo's been gone since his burner account tweet gate. This was all ownership and, gulp, GM Elton Brand.

A league-wide Top 16 won't happen any time soon, not when there's playoff revenue to be made in the Eastern conference as a middling team that wouldn't sniff the top of the team in an All-16 tournament.

Simmons I'm concerned his development is less Baby LeBron and more Rondo on Racehorse Growth Hormone, but much of his issues would be solved by being confident/able to shoot the ball outside 10 feet.

Jimmy Butler's resume of "rubbing the people the wrong way" is a pretty long list at this point. I dunno if sticking him in a locker room with a 7'2" embodiment of a social media troll come to life is the best way to foster team unity. Who knows, they could be the greatest Hater tandem ever after Statler and Waldorf, but two teams now couldn't ship Jimmy Butler outta town fast enough.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Colangelo's been gone since his burner account tweet gate. This was all ownership and, gulp, GM Elton Brand.

A league-wide Top 16 won't happen any time soon, not when there's playoff revenue to be made in the Eastern conference as a middling team that wouldn't sniff the top of the team in an All-16 tournament.

Simmons I'm concerned his development is less Baby LeBron and more Rondo on Racehorse Growth Hormone, but much of his issues would be solved by being confident/able to shoot the ball outside 10 feet.

Jimmy Butler's resume of "rubbing the people the wrong way" is a pretty long list at this point. I dunno if sticking him in a locker room with a 7'2" embodiment of a social media troll come to life is the best way to foster team unity. Who knows, they could be the greatest Hater tandem ever after Statler and Waldorf, but two teams now couldn't ship Jimmy Butler outta town fast enough.

You're right. Colangelo left in early June, and the Kawhi negotiations really ramped up at the end of June. So this one is on Brand.

I know Top-16 won't happen in my lifetime. But can't a guy dream of hoping for some Twolves or Clips friskiness instead of another Kemba 4-23 in May?

With you on Jimmy B as a ****ty coworker. GMs, even smart ones, almost always go for talent and worry about fit later. You'd think all that W's/Spurs character/culture stuff would have percolated throughout the league by now.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

You're right. Colangelo left in early June, and the Kawhi negotiations really ramped up at the end of June. So this one is on Brand.

I know Top-16 won't happen in my lifetime. But can't a guy dream of hoping for some Twolves or Clips friskiness instead of another Kemba 4-23 in May?

With you on Jimmy B as a ****ty coworker. GMs, even smart ones, almost always go for talent and worry about fit later. You'd think all that W's/Spurs character/culture stuff would have percolated throughout the league by now.

And now, your starting center... Todd Fuller!

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

I'd give anything to hear one of the TNT announcers refer to an NBA team as a "fetid corpse of a franchise."

Ha. Barkley has the least effective filter, but that's not really his vernacular.
Speaking of fetid corpses, apparently the Wiz are quietly shopping Wall and/or Beal.

Would love to see Beal on any number of Western contenders, including OKC, LAL and HOU.

[XXtwindad]

Scrolling through the "MVP" thread, and most of my Paceline Brethren we're hovering like moths over the celebrity flame of Curry, Lebron, KD, and Embiid.

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are leading the Western Conference. They just best team in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors. Nikola Jokic went for 23, 11, and 15 as in ASSISTS.

But his unique arsenal of offensive skills went virtually unheralded here at the Forum. I say virtually :

Originally Posted by XXtwindad View Post
Don't really have any guesses about the MVP. Although, no one seems to have mentioned Jokic (unless I missed it)
ahem

Quote:
Originally Posted by boomforeal View Post
i might also put money on jokic at 100-1. if he plays this year like he did on the back 9 of last season he'll deserve to be considered

I'm willing to give Boom 20% of the cut

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

...

Jimmy Butler's resume of "rubbing the people the wrong way" is a pretty long list at this point. I dunno if sticking him in a locker room with a 7'2" embodiment of a social media troll come to life is the best way to foster team unity. Who knows, they could be the greatest Hater tandem ever after Statler and Waldorf, but two teams now couldn't ship Jimmy Butler outta town fast enough.

So here's exhibit 359 that Jimmy Butler is kind of an asshole coworker.


Coincidental, totally not related: "I have migraines and diarrhea"

[Jaybee]

Toronto, without their best player, on night 2 of a back-to-back, goes into Oracle and lays a statement beatdown on full strength* GSW?

Are we thinking that GSW just don't even care until May? Symptoms of the Durant FA malaise that they insist is old news but is going to be an issue until he signs (there or elsewhere) this summer? Legitimate personnel issues? It sounds odd to say, but outside of their 3 amazing shooters, they actually don't have any shooting waiting on the bench. They also don't have a starter level NBA center outside of Draymond. I mean, Greg Monroe of all people was doing work last night.

Thoughts?



*C'mon, we all know Iggy is only here for June.

[XXtwindad]

[QUOTE=Jaybee;2469002]Toronto, without their best player, on night 2 of a back-to-back, goes into Oracle and lays a statement beatdown on full strength* GSW?

Are we thinking that GSW just don't even care until May? Symptoms of the Durant FA malaise that they insist is old news but is going to be an issue until he signs (there or elsewhere) this summer? Legitimate personnel issues? It sounds odd to say, but outside of their 3 amazing shooters, they actually don't have any shooting waiting on the bench. They also don't have a starter level NBA center outside of Draymond. I mean, Greg Monroe of all people was doing work last night.

Thoughts?

A funny thing happened to my hometown team on their way to a 3-Peat. I stopped caring about them. When Festus was their "5" they still had their "upstart" charm. All of the starters were home grown. Now, they've become like the Yankees in Steinbrenner's heyday. I'm happy to see them get the occasional beat down.