2017-18 NBA Regular Season Thread -- News, Notes, Trades, etc

[maninblack 7975]

What a stupid motherfucker.  Hope he catches all kinds of STDs, cock rots off and he's stuck finishing his career in the WNBA.  

Not at all. He’s trying to kill the Kardashian curse before the playoffs start. Epitome of team guy.

[Dutchrudder 11240]

this fucking guy...

 

Quote

Frivolous or not, Isaiah Thomas made very telling comments regarding his impending free agency last summer. They went as follows (via USA Today Sports):

“‘I’m a max (contract) guy, so I deserve the max,’ Thomas told CSN New England on Friday, echoing comments he made a year ago. ‘We’ve just got to continue to take care of business on the court and let the cards fall where they may. I’m happy for all the guards and all the other guys getting their money, because they deserve it, but my time’s coming.

‘They know they’ve got to bring the Brinks truck out’ Thomas said with a smile.”

 

[52-80 19377]

19 hours ago, Kermit said:

David Robinson did it too. Russ is just so goddamn unlikable. Especially when I’m drunk.

Good.  Good.  Let the hate flow through you.

[d2o 1603]

4 hours ago, Dutchrudder said:

this fucking guy...

 

 

Not exactly sure what you expect him to say.   Of course he thinks he is a max guy.  

[Jhawk 1075]

Isaiah seems like the kind of guy who will get a max offer from Orlando, take it, and then tell the media halfway thru the first season that the team sucks and management should want him to be happy so they should trade him to the warriors.  I think he wants a billion dollar contract with no regard for the contract limits and he wants to play on the best team with no regard for the cap. Once Orlando informs him that it is logistically impossible to send him to the warriors he will throw a fit Like the baby he is.... or, in Isaiah’s dreamworld, let’s say he is traded for he warriors for klay and some pieces. He would bitch to hell that he isn’t getting 20 shots a game and how he should be the 1st option, not the 3rd or 4th. 

He will never be satisfied because he thinks he’s the best player in the league and teams should see that whether he has actually produced or not. He is like a drugged out, disease riddled, midget of a poor mans Carmelo Anthony in that regard. Brings almost nothing to a team but a decent ability to score if conditions (his body) are perfect but otherwise is just a ball dominant defensive liability with a me first bad attitude. 

No player has done more on the court to tank their reputation in the league than Isaiah. At least Stephen Jackson and Latrell sprewell can say they were defending themselves from fans assaulting them. Isaiah is just a whiny bitch. The dude should save himself the embarrassment he is going to experience in free agency and just retire. 

Edited April 13, 2018 by Jhawk

[Mitch Cumsteen 18962]

Those comments were made a year ago when he thought he would be healthy. He's not getting anywhere near max money. 80% of the league is over the cap. The bump from 2016 has been absorbed and now the idiot GMs are back in the same place they were before the new TV contract -- capped out on marginal players. Nobody is going to overpay for an undersized ball dominant point guard who can't play defense and can't even stay healthy. 

[d2o 1603]

1 minute ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Those comments were made a year ago when he thought he would be healthy. He's not getting anywhere near max money. 80% of the league is over the cap. The bump from 2016 has been absorbed and now the idiot GMs are back in the same place they were before the new TV contract -- capped out on marginal players. Nobody is going to overpay for an undersized ball dominant point guard who can't play defense and can't even stay healthy. 

A thousand times this.   Set up rules to save themselves from themselves.   Figure out a way to get around the rules.   Rinse, repeat.

 

[d2o 1603]

49 minutes ago, Jhawk said:

Isaiah seems like the kind of guy who will get a max offer from Orlando, take it, and then tell the media halfway thru the first season that the team sucks and management should want him to be happy so they should trade him to the warriors.  I think he wants a billion dollar contract with no regard for the contract limits and he wants to play on the best team with no regard for the cap. Once Orlando informs him that it is logistically impossible to send him to the warriors he will throw a fit Like the baby he is.... or, in Isaiah’s dreamworld, let’s say he is traded for he warriors for klay and some pieces. He would bitch to hell that he isn’t getting 20 shots a game and how he should be the 1st option, not the 3rd or 4th. 

He will never be satisfied because he thinks he’s the best player in the league and teams should see that whether he has actually produced or not. He is like a drugged out, disease riddled, midget of a poor mans Carmelo Anthony in that regard. Brings almost nothing to a team but a decent ability to score if conditions (his body) are perfect but otherwise is just a ball dominant defensive liability with a me first bad attitude. 

No player has done more on the court to tank their reputation in the league than Isaiah. At least Stephen Jackson and Latrell sprewell can say they were defending themselves from fans assaulting them. Isaiah is just a whiny bitch. The dude should save himself the embarrassment he is going to experience in free agency and just retire. 

He isn't getting anywhere near a max deal from anyone.  PS:  All that hate is gonna eat you up son.

[Chapo 104]

Prediction:

Rockets vs Wolves  - Rockets in 4
Warriors vs  Spurs - Warriors in 4, Kawhi nowhere to be seen.
Blazers vs Pelicans - Blazers in 6
Thunder vs Jazz  - Jazz in 7, PG13 off to LA.

Toronto vs Washington - Raptors in 5
Boston vs Milwaukee - Bucks in 6
Philly vs Miami - 76ers in 7
Cleveland vs Indiana - Cavs sweep, the King is the still the King.

[ChickenSandwich 9952]

2 hours ago, Chapo said:

Prediction:

Rockets vs Wolves  - Rockets in 4
Warriors vs  Spurs - Warriors in 4, Kawhi nowhere to be seen.
Blazers vs Pelicans - Blazers in 6
Thunder vs Jazz  - Jazz in 7, PG13 off to LA.

Toronto vs Washington - Raptors in 5
Boston vs Milwaukee - Bucks in 6
Philly vs Miami - 76ers in 7
Cleveland vs Indiana - Cavs sweep, the King is the still the King.

I still think Boston wins in 7, add a game for the spurs and wolves at home and this looks dead on

[Aqua Buddha 14803]

3 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Those comments were made a year ago when he thought he would be healthy. He's not getting anywhere near max money. 80% of the league is over the cap. The bump from 2016 has been absorbed and now the idiot GMs are back in the same place they were before the new TV contract -- capped out on marginal players. Nobody is going to overpay for an undersized ball dominant point guard who can't play defense and can't even stay healthy. 

This.  I'm amazed at the number of pro sports teams that get buried in bad contracts.  You're better off as a franchise having no superstars and no bad contracts than you are have one or two starts but tons of dead money.  Look at Detroit's payroll.  Josh Smith is still getting paid and we all know how the Blake Griffin story will end.

Say what you want about OKC but the worst contract they ever had is Kyle Singler.  They've always had tons of flexibility.

Thomas would be a millstone of a max contract.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18962]

1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Say what you want about OKC but the worst contract they ever had is Kyle Singler.  They've always had tons of flexibility.

Wait until Carmelo opts in next year for $28 million and Westbrook's supermax kicks in. Throw in another $25 per for Steven Adams and god forbid if PG stays there, you are looking at cap room hell for the next five years.

And as an OKC fan, salary cap management is the last thing you should be bragging about since it essentially cost you James Harden plus who knows how many opportunities at rings and indirectly Kevin Durant.

[Chapo 104]

2 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

This.  I'm amazed at the number of pro sports teams that get buried in bad contracts.  You're better off as a franchise having no superstars and no bad contracts than you are have one or two starts but tons of dead money.  Look at Detroit's payroll.  Josh Smith is still getting paid and we all know how the Blake Griffin story will end.

This year was the first time i see teams do smart things with their excess salary space ( e.g. Reddick and KCP massive 1 year contract). You gotta keep that flexibility. But then you still have the Kings giving massive long term contracts like candies.

[Aqua Buddha 14803]

2 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Wait until Carmelo opts in next year for $28 million and Westbrook's supermax kicks in. Throw in another $25 per for Steven Adams and god forbid if PG stays there, you are looking at cap room hell for the next five years.

And as an OKC fan, salary cap management is the last thing you should be bragging about since it essentially cost you James Harden plus who knows how many opportunities at rings and indirectly Kevin Durant.

Melo is only for that one year, though.  They could prolly trade him next year to some team wanting the expiring cap space.  Steven Adams' contract is a solid contract.  Same with PG if he stays.  They're young and healthy.

Cap issues were different when they had Harden.  Even then they got multiple pieces, trades, and flexibility out of that.  Hell, had they drafted Giannis instead of Steven Adams, no one would still be talking about the deal and Adams has turned out to be a very good player.  They were losing Harden regardless.

[Dutchrudder 11240]

 They were losing Harden regardless.

New board, same old delusional bullshit from you.

[Aqua Buddha 14803]

1 minute ago, Dutchrudder said:

 

 

New board, same old delusional bullshit from you.

 

jenniferlawrenceok.gif

Harden told everyone he was leaving.  It wasn't a secret.  OKC even made an offer close to Houston's.  He was gone.

Looking back, you can make the case they should have traded Westbrook for a cheaper and more traditional PG, and kept Harden and Ibaka.  However, they had already signed Westbrook and Durant so that ship sailed.

[aggie08 21792]

Dude, what are you talking about? They were a few million dollars off in extension talks. That's it. But OKC wanted no part of the luxury tax, so they traded him.

Even if OKC didn't want to tie up their entire cap (and pay luxury tax) for 3 guys, it was absolutely inexcusable to not run it back with Harden a year after making the Finals to see how things unfolded. I was the idiot saying that they should pick Ibaka over Harden if they HAD to choose (they didn't if they weren't so tax averse), and even I couldn't believe they'd dump a key player currently under contract on a legit championship contender for future assets. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[Aqua Buddha 14803]

4 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Dude, what are you talking about? They were a few million dollars off in extension talks. That's it. But OKC wanted no part of the luxury tax, so they traded him.

Even if OKC didn't want to tie up their entire cap (and pay luxury tax) for 3 guys, it was absolutely inexcusable to not run it back with Harden a year after making the Finals to see how things unfolded. I was the idiot saying that they should pick Ibaka over Harden if they HAD to choose (they didn't if they weren't so tax averse), and even I couldn't believe they'd dump a key player currently under contract on a legit championship contender for future assets. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Meh.  No one back then was going over the tax and little didn't they know the salary cap would balloon in a few years.  (Cap was very punitive.)  Do you guys seriously think OKC wanted to trade Harden?  If they were only a few million off, doesn't that mean Harden left for reasons other than money?  (I don't blame him for wanting to leave, BTW.)

Also, no one knew how good Harden would later be.  I, too, thought he was a B+ player and would have kept Ibaka if forced to choose because they would have been left with no bigs.  Their starting bigs would have been Nick Collison and Kendrick Perkins.  They'd get blown out in the second round at best.

Personally, I would have loaded up for one or two years and made a title run and eaten the luxury tax for a year or two.  I can understand why they were hesitant due to the punitive nature of the tax, though.

Edited April 14, 2018 by Aqua Buddha

[Goo Punch 4275]

Whoa.

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

41 minutes ago, Goo Punch said:

Whoa.

They'll go 0-82 playing with only four on the court. 

[Radical Larry 28819]

[Machinator 32103]

 

[Aqua Buddha 14803]

Am I the only one who thinks Paul George would be a better fit in Philly than Bron?  He's only 27 compared to Bron's 33 and his game fits better with Simmons and Embid.

I don't see any chatter about PG to Philly and I wonder why.....

[Dutchrudder 11240]

Cause he's going to LA with Bron and Boogie.

[Dutchrudder 11240]

But yeah, he would make a lot more sense as a fit for the team on the court and as a more amenable personality. Kawhi would also be a great get for them, but costs assets.

[d2o 1603]

1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Am I the only one who thinks Paul George would be a better fit in Philly than Bron?  He's only 27 compared to Bron's 33 and his game fits better with Simmons and Embid.

I don't see any chatter about PG to Philly and I wonder why.....

He doesn't need the ball as much as LBJ which leaves the ball in Simmons hands more.   Simmons not having the ball would severely limit his effectiveness IMO so yes, I do think he fits better.

[Goo Punch 4275]

If Cleveland goes out early what are the chances they give up on LeBron coming back and trade him?

[BigOrange1 6611]

zero.

1. he has a player option for next season that he is going to decline even if he decides to go back to cleveland.

2. he has a no trade clause.

[aggie08 21792]

3. The only way he'd opt in for next season is because he wants to go to a team that can't afford him as a FA and needs to give them a way to dump salary in a trade of his choosing (a la CP3 and Houston)

[d2o 1603]

14 minutes ago, BigOrange1 said:

zero.

1. he has a player option for next season that he is going to decline even if he decides to go back to cleveland.

2. he has a no trade clause.

this here,  he could however do like CP3 did and opt in to force a trade to where ever he wants to go regardless of cap situation

 

[Brothahorn 10097]

 

Won't be long before those guys are making 50k+. NCAA is fucked then. Hell, 35k isn't a bad thing now.

[Brothahorn 10097]

Carmelo Anthony is the biggest waste of basketball flesh, I have ever seen. His whole game is trash.

[Goo Punch 4275]

3 hours ago, d2o said:

this here,  he could however do like CP3 did and opt in to force a trade to where ever he wants to go regardless of cap situation

 

Yeah, this is really what I was asking about. If Cleveland goes home in round one he has all of that time to sit around doing what he does- crafting his next team. What if he has one team in mind and tells the Cavs to make it happen?

[aggie08 21792]

3 minutes ago, Goo Punch said:

Yeah, this is really what I was asking about. If Cleveland goes home in round one he has all of that time to sit around doing what he does- crafting his next team. What if he has one team in mind and tells the Cavs to make it happen?

If the Cavs like the package, then they have no choice but to do it. That would be ideal for them to get a young star, an expiring, and a lottery pick if LeBron is gone anyway. If they don't like the package, they can tell him to "Piss off, we're not absorbing Ryan Anderson's contract just so we can say that we didn't lose you for nothing. Find another way to reunite the banana boat."

[ChickenSandwich 9952]

2 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

On 4/17/2018 at 11:25 AM, Machinator said:

 

Won't be long before those guys are making 50k+. NCAA is fucked then. Hell, 35k isn't a bad thing now.

 

needs to be 100k before you see a big shift. That is shit money and the team isn’t paying for their room/board and meal plan. Add to that zero team ownership or control so your “development” might be in your hands - agent or you pay for private training or maybe you moonlight in a foreign league to double up. 

35k is hard living compared to a full ride at Duke or Kentucky. 

Edited April 19, 2018 by ChickenSandwich

[Underdog 29162]

11 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

On 4/17/2018 at 12:25 PM, Machinator said:

 

Won't be long before those guys are making 50k+. NCAA is fucked then. Hell, 35k isn't a bad thing now.

Bluebloods pay more than that. 

[d2o 1603]

1 hour ago, Underdog said:

Bluebloods pay more than that. 

Only for the top guys

[Grade of D as in David 13255]

I know they have legal weed in California but what the fuck are the Lakers smoking? Reading reports that they think they will get LeBron and PG, plus they will go strong after Kahwi? Why stop there? Get a time machine and take Shaq and Kobe back to when they were young and didn't have beef, and grab a pre HIV Magic while they're at it.

[d2o 1603]

18 minutes ago, Grade of D as in David said:

I know they have legal weed in California but what the fuck are the Lakers smoking? Reading reports that they think they will get LeBron and PG, plus they will go strong after Kahwi? Why stop there? Get a time machine and take Shaq and Kobe back to when they were young and didn't have beef, and grab a pre HIV Magic while they're at it.

Meh, you miss 100% of the shots you dont take.

[Grade of D as in David 13255]

Pretty sure that's how Magic got HIV

[immortal13 4059]

57 minutes ago, Grade of D as in David said:

Pretty sure that's how Magic got HIV

Repped

[Dutchrudder 11240]

That feeling you get when you forget to log into your sock account.... lol...

[Brothahorn 10097]

On 4/18/2018 at 11:16 PM, ChickenSandwich said:

 

needs to be 100k before you see a big shift. That is shit money and the team isn’t paying for their room/board and meal plan. Add to that zero team ownership or control so your “development” might be in your hands - agent or you pay for private training or maybe you moonlight in a foreign league to double up. 

35k is hard living compared to a full ride at Duke or Kentucky. 

 

On 4/19/2018 at 8:30 AM, Underdog said:

Bluebloods pay more than that. 

All well and good, if I have blue blood talent. What if I have random P5 talent? Why not go make $35k and get closer to the NBA than go play school?

 

And don't discount the freedom and appeal of going to the league, even for some of the blue blood talents.

[Dutchrudder 11240]

Because going to college is fun and awesome in some cases. Probably a hell of a lot more fun if you play for the men's basketball team too. Having your pick of P5 schools would be great, you get to do recruiting to scout out the talent on campus and see where you want to live as a demi-god for a few years. Sounds pretty sweet to me compared to working for 35k a year. 

Edited April 23, 2018 by Dutchrudder

[ChickenSandwich 9952]

1 hour ago, Brothahorn said:

 

All well and good, if I have blue blood talent. What if I have random P5 talent? Why not go make $35k and get closer to the NBA than go play school?

 

And don't discount the freedom and appeal of going to the league, even for some of the blue blood talents.

I believe the opposite, if you are a blue blood you should go to the NBA or at least have a tough decision (see Lebron and Duke etc).  The random p5 talents have the most to lose in benefits by passing on a full ride at a University.  The percentage of random p5 talent playing in the NBA is less than 1%.  They would be forfeiting the full scholarship, room/board, classroom assistance, training, health care and exposure for the 1% chance to make the NBA.  That is a bold move and would be disastrous for those high school kids who get bad advise. 

35K for six months is about 4600 a month or 2300 a month if you are trying to make that last a full year. 

Full ride and college pussy or a taste of poverty straight out of high school?  That's not even enough to have a blow-up doll for an entourage or buy anything flashy, can't buy mom a house or uncle a car.  Kids will be broke and in debt worse than any college student by trying to keep up with their peers and live like they belong.  $35K is damn sure poverty level for the Austin Spurs trying to pay rent in Austin, better find some roommates.

I think you grossly overvalue $35K vs the benefits of a full ride to almost anywhere

 

Estimated probability of competing in men's professional basketball

Total: 18.712, Draft Eligible - 4,158,

1.2% to the NBA, and 19.3% to some sort of pro career

 

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/mens-basketball

Edited April 23, 2018 by ChickenSandwich

[Dutchrudder 11240]

I guess we need a general offseason thread?  Anyways, big storyline this summer will be PG's destination, whether he stays in OKC or goes elsewhere, it will be a big deal. 

 

Paul George Rumors: Thunder Star 'Gone,' Will Join New Team in Free Agency

Quote

Paul George's stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder will reportedly come to an end after one season. 

Per ESPN's Ryen Russillo on the latest episode of his podcast, George won't be re-signing with the Thunder as a free agent this summer. 

"Today is the first time I've heard from anybody that I trust that George is gone," Russillo said, via SLAM Online's Ryne Nelson. "... I don't know where. It's a 'he's gone' deal.”

After Oklahoma City's season came to an end on Friday with a 96-91 loss against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, George noted he wanted to keep a dialogue open with key figures from the team. 

"I think the biggest thing is just trying to keep a relationship with Sam [Presti], continue to talk with Sam," George said, via ESPN.com's Royce Young. "Continue to talk with Billy [Donovan], with Russ, and figure out the direction we want to go as a group."

George holds a $20.7 million player option for the 2018-19 season, per Spotrac. He can receive a max deal worth $177 million over five years from the Thunder, compared to $132 million over four years if he signs elsewhere, per USA Today's Sam Amick. 

The 27-year-old George averaged 21.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game with the Thunder this season. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2773714-paul-george-rumors-thunder-star-gone-will-join-new-team-in-free-agency