NBA (whenever)...

[DarthFed]

lol! I hear you. I actually like Bam, but damn! 43 free throws? Glad I didn't watch that. From the highlights it seemed that in the last quarter he was just blatantly chasing it. Personally I'm a big fan of the sort of ethical hoops I see with Steph. So many of his scoring bursts have happened with barely any free throws at all

I don’t mind guys getting to the line a lot if it’s earned. There are players that are dominant inside and poor free throw shooters (Shaq, Giannis, etc) as well as explosive athletes you can’t keep out of the paint.

But current NBA…Harden became a magician at drawing contact and flailing and SGA has learned well. And yesterday is a new low. I have no interest in watching that game, but Bam is not the type of player that should even be getting 15 FT’s in a game let alone 43.

 

[Federberg]

I don’t mind guys getting to the line a lot if it’s earned. There are players that are dominant inside and poor free throw shooters (Shaq, Giannis, etc) as well as explosive athletes you can’t keep out of the paint.

But current NBA…Harden became a magician at drawing contact and flailing and SGA has learned well. And yesterday is a new low. I have no interest in watching that game, but Bam is not the type of player that should even be getting 15 FT’s in a game let alone 43.

agreed! It's funny that Harden-Curry draft class has been more influential on basketball than almost any other. Steph for the 3-ball and Harden for the foul grifting. He's responsible for the likes of SGA and Brunson. I loathe watching those guys play

 

[Murat B.]

I like Bam but this is a joke. Way too many asterisks with this one. Opponent, fauls, how the fauls happened, extended unnecessary playing...I remember when Kobe torched Toronto with 81. He was defended, double teamed and harassed for every point and Lakers actually needed all those points. Sad thing is, a few years from now no one will care how this feat was achieved.

 

[Murat B.]

First of, kudos to Uconn. What a game. March madness at its best.

I want to talk about SGA though. Ok, all that looking for fouls thing aside ( because he is not the first or the last...Scorers do that. Kobe did it, MJ did it, he does it ) , the guy is good man. I see so much Kobe and MJ in him. No matter what you do, he manages to get to his spot. He is not as strong physically but manages to finish through contact. And what guard averages %55 from the field ?! That is an insane number. He reads the game so well and the guy is smart. He is a pleasure to watch for me.

 

[Federberg]

^SGA is unquestionably a good player. Even a great one. But a lot of his success is Harden-esque and entirely dependent on officiating. The foul grifting is tough to watch and it's made worse by the fact that I see my guy Steph Curry practically assaulted on the court and most of the time he doesn't even get the call. I respect SGA's game, but it's by no means a pleasure to watch for me

 

[Murat B.]

One of the most entertaining games of the year between Charlotte and Miami. This play- in thing was a good idea maybe. Punk move from Ball to take Bam out though. Left a bad taste in my mouth. Hornets keep going, Miami goes golfing.

 

[Federberg]

yup that looks like a dirty play to me. Hornets look like they have a talented core now. Fun to watch

 

[DarthFed]

It should be an interesting playoffs even if I barely watch it. Still have to put OKC as clear favorites but the Nuggets gave them all they could handle last year, the Spurs beat up on them in the regular season this year, and the Celtics unfortunately could be a threat to them in the finals if that’s the matchup.

I think the Spurs will lose to the Nuggets in the 2nd round anyways, it’s just the norm that young teams pay their dues 1 or 2 years in the playoffs before they are ready to truly contend. Wemby is a freak of course but I still think that will apply to the Spurs.

The year the Celtics had shows that Mazzulla is an elite coach and Tatum is maybe more overrated than I thought. Still he can go nuclear and they need him if they are to win the title but Brown has always been under appreciated. I just wish he wasn’t a Celtic. All in all it’d be a surprise if Boston doesn’t get to the finals. Pistons wouldn’t be much of a threat in the ECF if they get there (see what I said about the Spurs above except they don’t have Wemby) and that just leaves a rematch with the Knicks in the 2nd round as their only threat.

People will naturally talk a lot about LeBron and the Lakers but I don’t see how they win the first round unless Luka is back by game 3 and they aren’t down 2-0 to start. Even if they survive the Rockets they would likely be steamrolled by the Thunder regardless of whether they have everyone back.

 

[Federberg]

It should be an interesting playoffs even if I barely watch it. Still have to put OKC as clear favorites but the Nuggets gave them all they could handle last year, the Spurs beat up on them in the regular season this year, and the Celtics unfortunately could be a threat to them in the finals if that’s the matchup.

I think the Spurs will lose to the Nuggets in the 2nd round anyways, it’s just the norm that young teams pay their dues 1 or 2 years in the playoffs before they are ready to truly contend. Wemby is a freak of course but I still think that will apply to the Spurs.

The year the Celtics had shows that Mazzulla is an elite coach and Tatum is maybe more overrated than I thought. Still he can go nuclear and they need him if they are to win the title but Brown has always been under appreciated. I just wish he wasn’t a Celtic. All in all it’d be a surprise if Boston doesn’t get to the finals. Pistons wouldn’t be much of a threat in the ECF if they get there (see what I said about the Spurs above except they don’t have Wemby) and that just leaves a rematch with the Knicks in the 2nd round as their only threat.

People will naturally talk a lot about LeBron and the Lakers but I don’t see how they win the first round unless Luka is back by game 3 and they aren’t down 2-0 to start. Even if they survive the Rockets they would likely be steamrolled by the Thunder regardless of whether they have everyone back.

I was actually glad that my Warriors didn't make it. Steph is in no condition for the playoffs. If Jimmy and Moses Moody were fit, and Steph in decent condition I would unashamedly be looking for ring no. 5. But now I think we could get a really good lottery pick now. Come on Adam Silver, what's good for the Mavericks is good for Golden State!

I think the Nuggets are the best play off team in the West and I think they're going to win it all. They were close to OKC last year, I think they're healthier heading into the playoffs this time.

Totally agree with you re: Boston and Tatum. I'm not even thinking about the Knicks or Cavs. The Pistons are a year early, they need a shooter!

 

[Federberg]

Kerr hinting that this might be it for him. If it is I salute him. He could frustrate the hell out of me sometimes, during the regular season. But I'll say this for him, in the playoffs, he was awesome. If people want to go at him for the regular season and the the fluid line ups, then they're stupid. That's the front office. That was Lacob. In this season in particular he's shown that it's not so much that he was wedded to small ball, it was that he didn't have bigs good enough in his opinion. He wasn't wrong!

 

[Federberg]

It's funny, I think Boston are the best team in the East, but perhaps the Pistons are the most likely to give the West trouble because of that defence

 

[Murat B.]

Some play-in games were fun to watch. I guess they will stick with the idea.
As for the big show...I hope my Raps put up a decent fight and get 2-3 games from the Cavs but I am not holding my breath. We don't have a consistent 3 point threat . My only hope is that Harden will choke again.
I think Boston will be hard to beat in the east and OKC has just too much firepower , especially at clutch time and I expect if they play Denver, there will be a whole lot of clutch time basketball..
Tatum situation is interesting. No denying he can play but maybe he is not as important to Celtics as say Haliburton to Pacers. I mean, Pacers just stank the joint this year whereas the Celtics excelled . Obviously there are other reasons but just comparing the absence of two superstars and what that did to their respective teams.
Kerr can retire with his head high. He is more into politics anyways. How do you get guys like Steph and Draymond to play for another coach at this point in their careers is another matter.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Kerr can retire with his head high. He is more into politics anyways. How do you get guys like Steph and Draymond to play for another coach at this point in their careers is another matter.

The more I think about it, LeBron signing with Golden State makes the most sense, if he leaves LA. Golden State's core is already long in the tooth with guys like Steph, Draymond, Jimmy, and Al Horford all over 35. Might as well go for broke now, and it would fit LeBron's timeline, as he has a year or two left in his career.

LeBron joining might make Kerr stay for the last gasp effort of the Steph/Draymond era.

It's become clear to me that LeBron isn't going to Cleveland. He is not leaving his family in California. It's either stay with the Lakers or move to Golden State.

 

[Murat B.]

The more I think about it, LeBron signing with Golden State makes the most sense, if he leaves LA. Golden State's core is already long in the tooth with guys like Steph, Draymond, Jimmy, and Al Horford all over 35. Might as well go for broke now, and it would fit LeBron's timeline, as he has a year or two left in his career.

LeBron joining might make Kerr stay for the last gasp effort of the Steph/Draymond era.

It's become clear to me that LeBron isn't going to Cleveland. He is not leaving his family in California. It's either stay with the Lakers or move to Golden State.

97 Bulls average starting five age was 32 or something like that when they won the championship. If Lebron, Steph and Draymond start together , unless they start a couple teenagers alongside them , they would definitely be the oldest team ....but can they win it, that is super tough Injuries would kill that team.

 

[DarthFed]

97 Bulls average starting five age was 32 or something like that when they won the championship. If Lebron, Steph and Draymond start together , unless they start a couple teenagers alongside them , they would definitely be the oldest team ....but can they win it, that is super tough Injuries would kill that team.

Back then an average age of 32 was ancient and probably equivalent to 35+ now. It wouldn’t surprise me if this is the last year for LeBron, but if he does come back I still think it will be with LA. If they didn’t have the injuries they may have had a solid chance to get to the WCF as they’d have been the 3 seed, though they still could have lost to Minnesota or the Spurs too and it wouldn’t be a surprise. Still if I’m Bron id think my best chance is with LA aside from something wild like joining OKC, Denver or Boston on a cheap deal. If LA gets another decent wing defender and/or rim protector they are a legit contender.

Would be interesting with him on Golden State but that’d just make them more ancient and defense would be an even bigger issue assuming they lose Draymond to add him.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Would be interesting with him on Golden State but that’d just make them more ancient and defense would be an even bigger issue assuming they lose Draymond to add him.

That's not going to happen. Keep in mind, they kept Draymond all these years, even after all his antics, especially giving him the benefit of the doubt in the Jordan Poole incident. They aren't going to add LeBron to lose Draymond. If they lose Draymond, it's a sign that Golden State is going to do a full rebuild (Kerr will probably retire), and I can guarantee that LeBron won't be coming into that situation.

LeBron only comes here if the core is in tact, with Steph and Draymond, and Kerr is coaching the team.

 

[Federberg]

Back then an average age of 32 was ancient and probably equivalent to 35+ now. It wouldn’t surprise me if this is the last year for LeBron, but if he does come back I still think it will be with LA. If they didn’t have the injuries they may have had a solid chance to get to the WCF as they’d have been the 3 seed, though they still could have lost to Minnesota or the Spurs too and it wouldn’t be a surprise. Still if I’m Bron id think my best chance is with LA aside from something wild like joining OKC, Denver or Boston on a cheap deal. If LA gets another decent wing defender and/or rim protector they are a legit contender.

Would be interesting with him on Golden State but that’d just make them more ancient and defense would be an even bigger issue assuming they lose Draymond to add him.

I don't want Lebron with my Warriors. I want to see where we fall in the lottery, and if we can get a DUDE. I'm actually perversely more optimistic about our young role players, Podz, Gui Santos, Moses Moody and Will Richards, I'm hoping Quitin Post can add some muscle, he's a good spacing big if he can just hold position more consistently, he's too easily bumped right now, but he's improving. The only way it makes sense for us to spend draft capital in my opinion is if we're getting someone (a long wing, that is a solid 3 and D guy who can read and react) is if they're in their late 20s at most, but I just don't see who that can be. Closest I can think of is an MPJ, but he's deficient in the D!

 

[Murat B.]

Lebron going to GSW reminded me of this movie for some reason,,,,

 

[DarthFed]

That's not going to happen. Keep in mind, they kept Draymond all these years, even after all his antics, especially giving him the benefit of the doubt in the Jordan Poole incident. They aren't going to add LeBron to lose Draymond. If they lose Draymond, it's a sign that Golden State is going to do a full rebuild (Kerr will probably retire), and I can guarantee that LeBron won't be coming into that situation.

LeBron only comes here if the core is in tact, with Steph and Draymond, and Kerr is coaching the team.

I don’t follow salary cap that much in NBA since it’s kind of absurd, but I’m not sure how they’d make that work. LeBron, despite being a billionaire, is not ever taking a pay cut, I can tell you that lol.

GS won’t do a full rebuild as long as Steph is there. Draymond clearly has been a big part of their success but they will do what they can to maximize their chances with Steph playing.

 

[DarthFed]

I don't want Lebron with my Warriors. I want to see where we fall in the lottery, and if we can get a DUDE. I'm actually perversely more optimistic about our young role players, Podz, Gui Santos, Moses Moody and Will Richards, I'm hoping Quitin Post can add some muscle, he's a good spacing big if he can just hold position more consistently, he's too easily bumped right now, but he's improving. The only way it makes sense for us to spend draft capital in my opinion is if we're getting someone (a long wing, that is a solid 3 and D guy who can read and react) is if they're in their late 20s at most, but I just don't see who that can be. Closest I can think of is an MPJ, but he's deficient in the D!

Those guys are decent but I just don’t think they move the needle much. The problem GS has is any big trade they make would involve a few of those guys and draft capital and then you just have some old superstars with no depth. I hear there are a lot of good players in the draft this year but no Wemby or even a Flagg. Maybe they find a Knueppel type surprise and you suddenly have a Splash Bros Part 2!