OT: 2018-19 NBA Thread.

[Aaron O]

JoJo looks monstrous. People don't realize that last season's Embiid, who was capable of utter domination, was Embiid without an off season, and with a shot that had regressed. By the playoffs, you had a much less dominant center piece who couldn't see the hoop when shooting.

This Embiid is going to be fun (with the obvious qualification).

[RC.]

Donovan to Rudy!

https://streamable.com/zcj5l

They're not Showtime but they're going to be fun to watch!

https://streamable.com/2uwrq

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by RC.

Donovan to Rudy!

https://streamable.com/zcj5l

They're not Showtime but they're going to be fun to watch!

https://streamable.com/2uwrq

That whole Jazz team is a blur of fun, goofy weirdness.

[RC.]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...hasing-big-men

While he has carved out a career in the NBA that has lasted more than a decade, he claims the direction the league is heading is conspiring against him and his exceedingly tall brethren.

"It's extremely hard because it seems like they don't want us here," McGee said after Wednesday's practice. "They're trying to get us out of here. The prime example is them taking us off the All-Star ballot. They literally took the whole position off the All-Star ballot. So just think about that."

What say you?

[boomforeal]

Originally Posted by boomforeal

i dunno

i like the bucks personel as individuals. but i'm struggling to see how bud will replicate the success he had with the 14/15 hawks with this group. hopefully he comes up with a plan that maximizes their strengths - there are a lot of those! - but if he tries to implement "his system" (smart team defence, unselfish ball movement, etc.) with these guys i don't see it going well

caught parts of the first half of the buck/bulls game last night. with the obvious caveats (early, preseason, vs. the bulls, etc.) it looks like my fears may have been unfounded. on offence the bucks spaced the floor well and perhaps more importantly, naturally; lots of cutting, setting high screens, finding the open man; they looked great, utah-esque. defence looked better too, more conservative at least and no easy baskets but again, it was against the bulls

Originally Posted by RC.

What say you?

dude,

[RC.]

Originally Posted by boomforeal

caught parts of the first half of the buck/bulls game last night. with the obvious caveats (early, preseason, vs. the bulls, etc.) it looks like my fears may have been unfounded. on offence the bucks spaced the floor well and perhaps more importantly, naturally; lots of cutting, setting high screens, finding the open man; they looked great, utah-esque. defence looked better too, more conservative at least and no easy baskets but again, it was against the bulls

Yeah, bro. Kind of an ugly shot but if he is able to make more of these, things will be changing!

https://streamable.com/mf1q8

[FlashUNC]

Bud is legit. He'll get them playing his system the right way. Lots of space, lots of off-ball movement, surround G with shooters and let the Freak go to work.

Defense will be better than whatever hyper trapping nonsense Kidd ran.

[RC.]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Bud is legit. He'll get them playing his system the right way. Lots of space, lots of off-ball movement, surround G with shooters and let the Freak go to work.

Defense will be better than whatever hyper trapping nonsense Kidd ran.

Definitely. It's an exciting time in the NBA.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Bud is legit. He'll get them playing his system the right way. Lots of space, lots of off-ball movement, surround G with shooters and let the Freak go to work.

Defense will be better than whatever hyper trapping nonsense Kidd ran.

Man, Milwaukee has so much to gain just by instituting a normal defense. You could see a little of that last year after Kidd got canned, just a return to replacement-level coaching, but it should be even better with Bud.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Man, Milwaukee has so much to gain just by instituting a normal defense. You could see a little of that last year after Kidd got canned, just a return to replacement-level coaching, but it should be even better with Bud.

Bud turned Kyle Korver into a replacement-level NBA defender on the wing. I can only imagine what he'll do with the Freak.

That magical 60-win Hawks team of 2015 was defense first, with arms everywhere and playing all the angles and trapping at the right times and causing ridiculous amounts of turnovers. The passing and sharing and 3s and all that was the result, though most folks focused on that as the shiny bauble.

He's a D-first guy. If you don't play D and do it well, you're going to sit. Bucks could be sneaky good this year in the East.

[Jaybee]

Alright - opening night is just a week away. We know who is ready to go and who is not (Goddammit, Dejounte Murray!) Give me your 8 playoff teams in each conference.


I'll go:

1) W's
2) Jazz
3) Rockets
4) Thunder
5) Lakers
6) Pelicans
7) Blazers
8) Spurs

and

1) Sixers
2) Celtics
3) Raps
4) Bucks
5) Pacers
6) Wiz
7) Heat
8)

[velotrack]

if anyone's following, this jimmy butler at practice today drama is fantastic.

[Aaron O]

1) W's
2) Lakers
3) Jazz
4) Rockets
5) Pelicans
6) Nuggets
7) Thunder
8) Blazers

and

1) Celtics
2) Raptors
3) Sixers
4) Pacers
5) Bucks
6) Wiz
7) Chicago
8) Knicks

Butler is really irritating...if you want to pull the Kobe routine, you have to be Kobe...and he didn't do that after missing games after first round losses. And Kobe was STILL a gigantic asshole.

[Jaybee]

oh man. thanks for the heads up.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by Aaron O

1) W's
2) Lakers
3) Jazz
4) Rockets
5) Pelicans
6) Nuggets
7) Thunder
8) Blazers

and

1) Celtics
2) Raptors
3) Sixers
4) Pacers
5) Bucks
6) Wiz
7) Chicago
8) Knicks

Butler is really irritating...if you want to pull the Kobe routine, you have to be Kobe...and he didn't do that after missing games after first round losses. And Kobe was STILL a gigantic asshole.

You really believe in Bron, huh? I do too, just think it will take them 30 something games to figure out what they are.

Can't believe I left the Nuggets out of my West list. Especially since I, ya know, live here. I'm retroactively putting them at 6 and moving everyone else down a slot.

Kobe was going for the trial-by-fire angle when he got up on Smush and Kwame. I don't know what Butler's angle is here. The Wolves are committed to KAT and Wiggins by contracts/age. Jimmy is their best player, but he's got to be moved. The chances that Wolves find a deal they can stomach for a player that good are continually eroded as he undermines their leverage at every turn. He's now actively working against his own apparent self-interest.