NBA 2024-25 Season Thread

[Aqua Buddha 14500]

9 hours ago, Scraps said:

 

 

Fake news. He played in the 1st qtr.

 

I guess I missed him because he was too small.  
 

That’s another thing I noticed.  Size relative to position on the wing players.  Every single one of OKC’s players were taller and/or longer.  Jabari Smith might be 6’10” but he plays like he’s 6’4”.  Totally overwhelmed by Jalen Williams, who has freakishly long arms.  
 

Houston’s core three of Green, Sengun, and Smith are each at least a tier below their OKC counterpart of SGA, Chet, and JW.  Glad Houston locked down Green and Sengun into long term deals.  Good thing they blew their #3 pick on….an undersized guard.

[Message Board User 12389]

14 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

Warriors need a TO. Getting their ass kicked

 

14 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

Need another TO. Cavs with 18 straight. 20-2

 

13 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

48-24. The Cavs heading for 10-0.

 

13 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

Our boy Ty Jerome with a 4-4, 11 point run. Cavs up by 34. Time to rest Steph.

 

13 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Got damn! Can we just skip to the conference finals? Boston v. Cleveland, OKC v. whoever 

 

13 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

Cavs with franchise record 83 points in first half.

Kerr's/Golden State's influence on Kenny Atkinson has been easy to see this season and Steph/Dray had high praise for the Cavs after the game last night.

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/pro/cavs/2024/11/09/cleveland-cavaliers-10-0-start-kenny-atkinson-golden-state-warriors-stephen-curry-draymond-green/76135898007/

CLEVELAND — New Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green used the same three words to describe how Cleveland dominated during a historic first half Friday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

“Drive, kick, swing. That's kind of our motto, and I thought we did a hell of a job in the first half,” Atkinson said.

A Warriors assistant coach the past three seasons, Atkinson explained the Cavs emphasized “drive, kick, swing” during shootaround Friday morning. Then they defeated the Warriors 136-117 and improved to 10-0 this season.

The NBA's only remaining undefeated team, the Cavs led 83-42 at halftime, tying the regular-season franchise record for most points in a half. The 41-point advantage through two quarters set a club record for largest halftime lead. It's also tied for the eighth-largest halftime lead by any NBA team in the shot clock era (1954-55).

 

“They beat us by [41 points] in a half, and you are as good as your record says you are,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “So they're pretty damn good right now.”

The Cavs are the only team in league history to start a season 10-0 and score 110-plus points in every game. The last team to go 10-0 was the 2015-16 Warriors, who established a league record for the best start to a season by going 24-0. The LeBron James-led Cavs rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to defeat the Warriors for the title the same season. But the Warriors beat the Cavs in the 2015, 2017 and 2018 Finals.

Green explained he sees Atkinson's Cavs playing with a style similar to those Warriors teams because of the ball movement and players “flying around” the court. Atkinson helped Golden State claim another championship in 2022, so he knows a winning formula. The Cavs had 22 assists on 28 successful field goals in the first half.

 

“They're so intentional about the extra pass, and that is a staple for us,” Green said. “The drive, kick, swing is what we've preached for years, and they diced us up with it.

“I was telling Steph like in the fourth quarter, 'I feel like they just beat us with what we've beat teams with for years.'”

Are the Cavs just scorching hot out of the gate or should the rest of the NBA expect them to be really good under Atkinson?

“They've been building to this for several years,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “This is not just like all of a sudden the Cavs are good. They've been good. So the continuity matters, and they're obviously off to a great start. Clearly one of the best teams in the league.”

The Cavs have virtually the same roster they had last season, when they went 48-34 in the regular season, defeated the Orlando Magic 4-3 in the first round of the playoffs and lost 4-1 to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

But the Cavs made a monumental change in the offseason by firing coach J.B. Bickerstaff and replacing him with Atkinson. The organization hoped Atkinson would elevate the offense, and it has been an overwhelming success thus far. They have scored at least 130 points in five games this season, tying a single-season franchise record through merely the first 10 games.

The Cavs no longer heavily rely on a pick-and-roll offense, which Green noted and added, “A lot easier to guard last year. A lot tougher to guard this year.” Cleveland leads the league in points per game (124.5 points) and offensive rating (122.7 points per 100 possessions).

“Kenny's doing a great job with them, and they're playing at a high level,” Kerr said. “So I don't know [how they compare with Cavs teams of the past]. I'll leave answer up to the analysts. I just know they kicked our ass.”

 

 

Edited Saturday at 03:11 PM by Message Board User

[Fastbreak 3955]

Basically 1/10 of the way through the season, so I wanted to do a 10% for 10 recap of MY ratings of team and players (if you don't like them, make your own or eat a dick).

Teams


Players

[MNLonghornFUKM 8799]

Crazy how OKC and MN despite being in the same division (don’t think they even matter anymore besides a guaranteed 4 games) don’t play their first H2H until NYE.

I think around the AS break we play 3 outta 4 times then. Quirky scheduling

[Chewbacca 7729]

Crazy how OKC and MN despite being in the same division (don’t think they even matter anymore besides a guaranteed 4 games) don’t play their first H2H until NYE.

I think around the AS break we play 3 outta 4 times then. Quirky scheduling

Meanwhile, the Nuggets and OKC have already played twice. Scheduling is strange. Nuggets have a back to back with Memphis coming up.

[ztejas 43260]

12 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Suns are 8-1 with only a +3.3 average point differential for the season. Good enough for 8th best...in the West. That's crazy. Every game is close, and it helps to have some guy named Durant.

I'm not buying into them until that +/- gets a little better. Granted they've played the 5th toughest schedule so far and are 1st in the West.

They are better coached and move the ball amazingly well. They need Booker to be better and to get 60+ out of BB and KD and get to the playoffs healthy. 

11 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

I was at the game.  OKC is better than Houston at every position.  Everyone said they should have taken Sengun.  Maybe.  Chet is better.  Sengun would be the fourth best on OKC’s roster.  Rockets guards are all small and they drafted an even smaller one.  Houston was down like 25 or something and I noticed that Reed still hadn’t hit the floor.  Oh, another #3 pick (Jabari Smith) had 4 points.  They have a #1 pick and two #3’s and this is what they are. Glad they gave Sengun and Green all that money.  Green went 5-14.  Sengun went 3-12.

Roster is a bunch of undersized guys and some B players paid like A’s.

M

The Jalen Green contract is one of the better things they have on their cap table tbh.

---

How about Ant having the 3rd most 3P makes through 9 games in league history? Dude canned 9 more last night. 

 

[Vic Mackey 46927]

.

[Vic Mackey 46927]

.

[Aqua Buddha 14500]

3 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

.

Wow.  Who could have seen that coming?

See ya next season, big man.

[Aqua Buddha 14500]

On drafting Reed Sheppard #3, I am not a fan of undersized players.  If they're undersized, they need to be elite or borderline elite.  (Steph, Dame, Kyrie, etc.)  They're always going to be at a disadvantage on defense so you'd better be elite on the other end.  Nothing about Sheppard says he'll be anywhere close to borderline elite.  Sure, she can shoot but so can Isiah Joe and OKC got him off the free agent wire and he's 6'5" and athletic and can defend multiple positions.

OKC found some guy named Ajay Mitchell in the second round and he's quite frankly a better prospect.  NBA body, athletic, can guard multiple positions, good shooter.  Meanwhile, Houston has a whole background full of undersized guys.  Even at forward, they have this Amen Thompson.  He seems OK but he's a non stretch 4 and is only 6'7" and 200.  That's basically a guard sized body.

[Dutchrudder 11109]

Then tell us who you would have drafted at #3 instead big guy. Every analyst said it was a shitty draft as far as top end star talent goes, and that the majority of these high picks would become role players.

Reed played at Kentucky, shot over 50% from 3, was a willing passer, active defender, led the SEC in steals, and was thought to project as a 3+D guy. He's 6'2, which is probably an inch or two under the average height for a SG, but nothing out of the ordinary. He's a little young at 20 years old, so plenty of time for him to get better, but a sharpshooter with that kind of game is a pretty good pick to develop. Need to revisit it in a few years, it's too early to tell right now.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8799]

KD with a calf strain, minimum 2 weeks. when was the last calf strain that was back within a month?

 

damn not good for suns fans 

[Aqua Buddha 14500]

1 hour ago, Dutchrudder said:

Then tell us who you would have drafted at #3 instead big guy. Every analyst said it was a shitty draft as far as top end star talent goes, and that the majority of these high picks would become role players.

Reed played at Kentucky, shot over 50% from 3, was a willing passer, active defender, led the SEC in steals, and was thought to project as a 3+D guy. He's 6'2, which is probably an inch or two under the average height for a SG, but nothing out of the ordinary. He's a little young at 20 years old, so plenty of time for him to get better, but a sharpshooter with that kind of game is a pretty good pick to develop. Need to revisit it in a few years, it's too early to tell right now.

Well, they already signed Van Fleet, who is generously listed at 6'0".  (I wouldn't have done that.)  That being considered, I wouldn't have draft a "SG" that is generously listed at 6'2".  With both of them being that small, you basically can't play them at the same time.  Also, a 6'2" SG isn't a thing.  If there is a good one out there, I could be missing it.

Basically, the guy the took at #3 can't be on the floor at the same time as they guy they just signed to be the starting PG.  Oh, wait, they signed that undersized PG for 3 years and $130M.  Lulz.

I know it was a weak draft but I would have taken anyone else but him.

[Message Board User 12389]

 

[Fastbreak 3955]

5 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Well, they already signed Van Fleet, who is generously listed at 6'0".  (I wouldn't have done that.)  That being considered, I wouldn't have draft a "SG" that is generously listed at 6'2".  With both of them being that small, you basically can't play them at the same time.  Also, a 6'2" SG isn't a thing.  If there is a good one out there, I could be missing it.

Basically, the guy the took at #3 can't be on the floor at the same time as they guy they just signed to be the starting PG.  Oh, wait, they signed that undersized PG for 3 years and $130M.  Lulz.

I know it was a weak draft but I would have taken anyone else but him.

Stockton and Hornecek my man...

[Fastbreak 3955]

The NBA needs a few more stars injured. I only have 8 of my 13 man fantasy team out.

[Derka 5929]

 

[Aqua Buddha 14500]

7 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

Stockton and Hornecek my man...

What year was that again?  I doubt that starting back court would both start today for a title contender.

[ztejas 43260]

9 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

The NBA needs a few more stars injured. I only have 8 of my 13 man fantasy team out.

The Suns had a nice 10 game run.

[Chewbacca 7729]

KD with a calf strain, minimum 2 weeks. when was the last calf strain that was back within a month?
 
damn not good for suns fans 

Must be the year of the calf strain. Aaron Gordon is currently out with one as well.

[ztejas 43260]

Durant's body at the end of the day will be the thing that keeps him from likely being a top 5 player of all time. Ignore everything else or every other injury - just give him another 3k points up to this point and the GS 3-peat and it likely elevates his status 3 or 4 spots. 

It's why he deserves infinite praise for the shit he's done for USAB. Dude's a fucking baller that takes any opportunity he can get and very selflessly took those opportunities for the US the past two Olympics. We don't win shit in Tokyo without him and he was kind of huge in Paris as well.

I'm at peace with his legacy and frankly don't expect anything more at this point. He's my favorite athlete of all time and 2nd place isn't close. I'm going to be a mess for a week when he hangs em up.

(Sorry for the weird tangent)

[Vic Mackey 46927]

Lol

[aggie08 21413]

On 11/8/2024 at 6:11 PM, Dutchrudder said:

Golden State = pretenders confirmed  

Or, Cleveland is the best team in the history of ever.

[Message Board User 12389]

In a losing effort tonight, Brunson, Hart, and Bridges each played over 40 minutes while OG played almost 39.  Mind you, it is November 10.  Thibs gonna Thibs and WorldWideWob had some thoughts.

 

[Blotto 23424]

On 11/8/2024 at 8:11 PM, Dutchrudder said:

Golden State = pretenders confirmed  

They beat the Celtics and OKC on a 4-1 road trip. I dont expect to see them in the finals, but thats not too shabby. And they took out Holmgren. I gotta believe every OKC fan grimaces every time they see that elaborate collections of toothpicks hit the deck hard

 

[aggie08 21413]

Let me just say that I'm glad that Draymond Green wasn't involved in the awkward on-court incident for a change.

[Dutchrudder 11109]

56 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Or, Cleveland is the best team in the history of ever.

They comin for that 73 win season title! 

Ah, I'm just kidding, I'm sure GS and their wiley vets are probably good for a 5-8 see, I just thought they would put up more of a fight on defense. Giving up 83 points in the first half is like NBA Allstar Game level defense.

The main thing for Cleveland is that Garland has really stepped up his offense from last year and appears to have finally taken that next step. They still have 2 smallish guards for starters, but they also have a stable of lanky forwards to help cover those defensive liabilities and spread out rotations to help maintain good defense. Garland's shooting splits are waaaaaaaaay up this season, and I believe he's currently in the 50/40/90 club at the moment. 

This is pretty much the same team as last year, but the other big differences are having a much better head coach in Atkinson, and that nobody is injured yet (knock on wood). Last year Garland had a freak facial fracture around this time and missed like 25 games. Mitchell and Allen missed like 30+ games each during the season too, so you never know when the bug will hit. Hopefully they can continue riding this hot streak to the NBA IST Championship at the very least, and get that title for shits and giggles. 

[Message Board User 12389]

6 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

and that nobody is injured yet (knock on wood).

Max Strus hasn't played yet and it'll be interesting to see how Atkinson integrates him into the lineup and whose minutes decrease.

[Fastbreak 3955]

The Cavs also really seem to like playing with each other.  I know it's easier to be happy when winning, but they were really pumping each other up in the BRK game.

[aggie08 21413]

8 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

They comin for that 73 win season title! 

Ah, I'm just kidding, I'm sure GS and their wiley vets are probably good for a 5-8 see, I just thought they would put up more of a fight on defense. Giving up 83 points in the first half is like NBA Allstar Game level defense.

Golden State was up 30 in OKC when I typed that. So, yeah, who knows. I'll take a 4-6 seed.

[Dutchrudder 11109]

5 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

Max Strus hasn't played yet and it'll be interesting to see how Atkinson integrates him into the lineup and whose minutes decrease.

Ah yeah, that's true. Forgot about him. I'm guessing he will come of the bench for 25 minutes a game and take away from Ty Jerome and Dean Wade. That's another 3+D guy that will fit right in, or maybe become trade bait at the deadline. 

[Message Board User 12389]

3 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

Ah yeah, that's true. Forgot about him. I'm guessing he will come of the bench for 25 minutes a game and take away from Ty Jerome and Dean Wade. That's another 3+D guy that will fit right in, or maybe become trade bait at the deadline. 

I think Okoro & Wade are the ones most likely to lose minutes when Strus comes back.

Jerome is an interesting case; a month ago it would have made some sense to get rid of him as dumping his salary would allow the Cavs to get under the tax.  Not too big of a deal this year, but the Cavs are destined for the repeater tax for the foreseeable future (the Mobley extension kicks in next year so starting next year, just Mobley/Garland/Mitchell will be costing $120 million a year).  Getting under the cap this year probably saves about $50 million in 2027 or 2028.  So there is quite a bit of incentive to get under the tax line (the Cavs are less than $2 million above that tax line right now and Jerome is only earning $2.5 million this year.

But he's played so well that I can't imagine getting rid of Jerome is on the table at this point.  He's been so effective it's allowed Mitchell and Garland to stay under 30 minutes a game and there is no drop-off when he comes in the game.  And I had no idea he was 6'5".

 

[Dutchrudder 11109]

4 hours ago, Blotto said:

They beat the Celtics and OKC on a 4-1 road trip. I dont expect to see them in the finals, but thats not too shabby. And they took out Holmgren. I gotta believe every OKC fan grimaces every time they see that elaborate collections of toothpicks hit the deck hard

 

Yikes, pelvic fracture confirmed. Expected to return later this season.  

 

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunder star Chet Holmgren left Sunday's 127-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors because of injury, and the team later announced he suffered a pelvic fracture.

The Thunder detailed the injury as a right iliac wing fracture and said an update on Holmgren's status will be provided in eight to 10 weeks. The team said Holmgren is expected to return this season.

Holmgren took a hard fall when he went to challenge an Andrew Wiggins drive midway through the first quarter. After a midair collision, Holmgren fell on his right side.

The Thunder big man remained on the floor in apparent pain for a moment before needing help off the court and into the locker room. He didn't put any weight on his right leg as he left with 6:50 to go in the first quarter.

[Fastbreak 3955]

Now the thunder don’t have a center

[Derka 5929]

 

[aggie08 21413]

Less than a month into the season, and there are only two teams left in the East with winning records. Boston and Cleveland are both going to comfortably be 60+ win teams.

[Scraps 13537]

5 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

Now the thunder don’t have a center

Probably wish they had Sengun right about now 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8799]

Probably wish they had Sengun right about now 

Damn no chill

[Braff Zacklin 13406]

Sucks to learn Chet was seriously injured on that play. Wiggins did the right thing, imo. Even if Chet had blocked him, going hard to the hoop like that likely gives Chet pause before stepping up in the future. But a pelvic fracture, damn, that's rough.

Watching Holmgren and this young OKC team develop has been very entertaining--hope to see him healthy soon!

Draymond, on the other hand, should be out of the league. It's just stupid at this point. So sick of his chickenshit antics. Wish Dort would have let one fly and broken Dray's jaw.

 

[Dutchrudder 11109]

So when does Hartenstein get back from injury? Should be pretty soon, right?

[Aqua Buddha 14500]

34 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

So when does Hartenstein get back from injury? Should be pretty soon, right?

I think it's in a week or two.  They'll still be solid with him.  The other Jaylin Williams is injured, too, and he'll be back.

They say Chet will be back in Jan/Feb or something.  Assuming that and some conditioning by the playoffs and they might be fine.  It all depends on the recovery, though.

[Fastbreak 3955]

Deandre Ayton watch

3 straight games with no free throws attempted. 4 straight with no free throws made.

8 free throws taken in 11 games.

[PittsburghTiger 6137]

14 hours ago, Blotto said:

They beat the Celtics and OKC on a 4-1 road trip. I dont expect to see them in the finals, but thats not too shabby. And they took out Holmgren. I gotta believe every OKC fan grimaces every time they see that elaborate collections of toothpicks hit the deck hard

 

On ESPN it is reported that he has a pelvic fracture. Not sure how serious, or how long it will keep him out.

[PittsburghTiger 6137]

5 hours ago, Derka said:

 

It’s a shame that he is such an asshole because he does play hard and is good but, the asshole factor is so hard to overcome.

[Message Board User 12389]

3 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

They say Chet will be back in Jan/Feb or something.

Not likely.  

They are saying his status will merely be updated in 8-10 weeks, which means they could decide to shut him down until next Fall depending how he's healing.

If Chet is back at all this season, it likely won't be until March or April.

 

[aggie08 21413]

Damn. That sucks. That makes the West wide fucking open.

[aggie08 21413]

I like Giannis a lot, but can you imagine another legit star in the league calling LeBron, Steph, KD, or Jokic a "child" like Jaylen Brown just did to him?

[MrX 709]

Man the East is trash so far. 
 

[ztejas 43260]

1 hour ago, aggie08 said:

I like Giannis a lot, but can you imagine another legit star in the league calling LeBron, Steph, KD, or Jokic a "child" like Jaylen Brown just did to him?

I can't imagine any of those guys doing the lame ass shit that led JB to say that. 

So no.

[Js1 85084]

Giannis is a bitch