2018-19 NBA Season Thread

[UTDD 362]

1 hour ago, Machinator said:

 

It took about a week longer or so than I expected.  Shocker.  Such a talented team, but I have some skepticism on their playoff prospects this year, especially if they run into Boston.

[Chad 1,728]

Jimmy Butler is the Terrell Owens equivalent in the NBA. Talented, but a cancerous head ache that turns every locker room he's a part of upside down. Philly took a gamble and it doesn't appear to be panning out for the time being.

[UTDD 362]

15 hours ago, Roofle said:

Harden got fucking obliterated on the attempt too, but after that KD out-of-bounds bullshit, someone on GSW could have pulled a gun and shot him and not had a foul called on them.

That KD out of bounds missed call would be all anyone was talking about if Harden missed.  The NBA should consider itself lucky to have dodged a small bullet versus this happening for example with these same teams in Game 7 of the WCF.  They can't miss a call like that in a seven game series this summer.  They just can't allow that to happen and need to have a proactive solution to avoid this scenario.

Edited January 4, 2019 by UTDD

[UTDD 362]

16 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

Today's players are so unbelievably talented. It's amazing. Players from the 80's may as well be George Mikan and Bob Cousy at this point. Imagine if pro basketball is still a thing 100 years from now...200 years from now...fuckin 500 years from now!?! What do players look like 150 years after Giannis? 

I think the skill demands of an average NBA player just to run their normal sets now are higher than they were a generation ago, especially at a position like center.  I am confident the top players of any era being born today would fare just fine as naturally their skills/development would match this era more closely, but I think average player in the NBA now is much better than the average player a generation ago.

[BigOrange1 6,422]

6 minutes ago, UTDD said:

I think the skill demands of an average NBA player just to run their normal sets now are higher than they were a generation ago, especially at a position like center.  I am confident the top players of any era being born today would fare just fine as naturally their skills/development would match this era more closely, but I think average player in the NBA now is much better than the average player a generation ago.

HOW FUCKING DARE YOU DISRESPECT EVERY PLAYER WHO WAS BORN BEFORE 1984!!!!!!!!!1111!!!11!!  I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT SIR

[Goo Punch 4,275]

57 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Lulz on Brown having a strong personality, otherwise Butler would be a model citizen up to this point since coming over.  If this thing ever gets cleaned up, it's on Embiid.  Simmons isn't going to help here, and there's no one else on the roster (maybe Reddick) that could set Butler straight.  

Sixers have two choices here after the season ends.  Sign a near 30 year old malcontent to a 9 figure contract and *hope* things are ok in the years to come, or cut him loose and roll the dice in free agency.

brown is a pop disciple who's not all that indifferent from pop. he might be fairly low key, but he's strong willed. he's from new england, he's tough. he played for rick pitino at BU where he was team captain, immediately became an assistant upon graduation, took a part time job at AT&T to save money for a trip to Oceania, and then while there made a cold call to the coach of the Melbourne Tigers who was so impressed with him that he offered him his first professional coaching job. all of this is to say that brown is not someone to let a player walk all over him, even if he's a generally unassuming guy. he's got plenty of backbone. 

[immortal13 4,059]

3 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

lol, wow. okie dokie. that's the lamest excuse for negging someone i've ever heard of. let's start here:

hi, i'm derka; have we met before? i mean i know i'm new around here, and that nobody here really knows my style by this point (can you sense the sarcasm? because i'm laying it on pretty thick), but i've been known to dabble in hyperbole when making a point.

no fucking shit the 80's had talented players. you've got be the densest motherfucker on this board to not get my point. also ignorant, because yes, players today are insanely more talented than the players from the 80's. This is one of the most obvious points anyone could make about today's game. This is not up for debate, as this is a universal truth across literally every major sport.

You're clearly too young to even know what you're talking about, but the NBA of the 80's featured thousands of players who would never sniff the league today, because the talent level is nowhere close. of course the very very best from that generation will stack up well with the any other generation, but the further you go down the line the more comically wide the gap in talent becomes. whoever the 50th, and 100th, and 150th best player is in today's NBA >>>>> his counterpart from any random heat in the 80's.

you know what, i can't believe i'm even sitting here explaining this to you. you're retarded. the fact that you don't even know that today's players are insanely more talented than those in the 80's should be exactly what i expect from you. jesus. 

We only wish we didn't know who the fuck you were. And your take is stupid. If a guy like JR Smith can start in today's NBA, any 80's era player could. 

Goddamn your fucking vitriol whenever someone disagrees with you is beyond asinine. Please dear god I wish your fingers would fall off your fucking hands so you couldn't post ever again. 

[SilasCoade 2,620]

1 hour ago, Kermit said:

Jimmy Butler needs some good weed and therapy. That truculent motherfucker fucks up every goddamn locker room he walks into. 

Truculent? You studying for the SAT?

[Goo Punch 4,275]

17 minutes ago, UTDD said:

I think the skill demands of an average NBA player just to run their normal sets now are higher than they were a generation ago, especially at a position like center.  I am confident the top players of any era being born today would fare just fine as naturally their skills/development would match this era more closely, but I think average player in the NBA now is much better than the average player a generation ago.

well said. it's not as if anyone who wasn't an all star in the 80's couldn't have played today, it's simply that there has been so much evolution in sports science, technology, specialized training from an early age, the globalization of the game, the boom in popularity of the league- all of these things have predictably led to a league where the average player is *much* more skilled than the average player of just a couple generations ago. this is the same across all sports. 

mans saying that the players from the 80's may as well be Cousy and Mikan at this point is obviously just my way of saying that these developments and advancements have happened so rapidly that the game and its players have evolved at an accelerated pace. we've gone from hulking low block centers and power forwards with very little perimeter/guard skill as recently as the 90's, to seven footers who dribble like Iverson, shoot like Larry, and pass like Magic. Pointing this out is no different than pointing out that Jay Novacek and Dwight Clark aren't exactly on par skill wise with Travis Kelce and Greg Kittle. 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

11 minutes ago, immortal13 said:

We only wish we didn't know who the fuck you were. And your take is stupid. If a guy like JR Smith can start in today's NBA, any 80's era player could. 

Goddamn your fucking vitriol whenever someone disagrees with you is beyond asinine. Please dear god I wish your fingers would fall off your fucking hands so you couldn't post ever again. 

you contribute nothing to this board but childish anger, and i take shits that know more about basketball than you do. you also have no idea what "vitriol" means. hint: look at every single post you make for a clue. i'm not a dick to anyone for disagreeing with me, i simply return the favor when some belligerent child like you or VYmyHero brings it my way first. That's pretty much SOP for everyone everywhere. 

by the way, if this board were a meritocracy you would have lost your posting privileges years ago. the irony of your post claiming that someone else is clueless and vitriolic is surely lost on you, but i doubt there's anything anyone could do to change that. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by Goo Punch

[immortal13 4,059]

Just now, Goo Punch said:

you contribute nothing to this board but childish anger and i take shits that know more about basketball than you do. you also have no idea what "vitriol" means. hint: look at every single post you make for a clue.

if this board were a meritocracy you would have lost your posting privileges years ago. the irony of your post claiming that someone else is clueless and vitriolic is surely lost on you, but i doubt there's anything anyone could do to change that. 

No one agrees with you. That has been proven on numerous threads. Start a poll if you need proof. And what makes you so knowledgable about basketball? Clearly your fat ass never played.  

[Goo Punch 4,275]

for the edification and peace of mind of the many decent posters in this thread, i've put the child on ignore and will not be responding to him any more. i simply say this- let the record show that i rarely if ever start shit with any of you. most of you post here with me every single day without any problems, even when we disagree. the fact that i haven't gone nuclear on Kyle in the Making a Murderer thread speaks volumes to my newfound patience in my old age. did i just rage on the guy who disagreed with me on brett brown? no i did not. i've had a million disagreements on the UT hoops team this year with zero vitriol or fighting. it's not hard to discuss shit with me- that's a fact. 

i wish i didn't feel the need to make this disclaimer about myself, but i do. all i can say is that 95% of the people who post on the same threads as me on a daily basis (NBA, NCAA, MLB, Texas hoops, texas baseball, Varsity, Other Sports, etc) don't ever have problems with me, while 95% of the people who act as if i'm still the combative and immature dick head that i once was don't actually post anywhere that i do in the first place. i apologize for responding to VY and immortal's incendiary posts in kind. my bad. it's done. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by Goo Punch

[immortal13 4,059]

9 minutes ago, Goo Punch said:

for the edification and peace of mind of the many decent posters in this thread, i've put the child on ignore and will not be responding to him any more. i simply say this- let the record show that i rarely if ever start shit with any of you. most of you post here with me every single day without any problems, even when we disagree. the fact that i haven't gone nuclear on Kyle in the Making a Murderer thread speaks volumes to my newfound patience in my old age. did i just rage on the guy who disagreed with me on brett brown? no i did not. i've had a million disagreements on the UT hoops team this year with zero vitriol or fighting. it's not hard to discuss shit with me- that's a fact. 

i wish i didn't feel the need to make this disclaimer about myself, but i do. all i can say is that 95% of the people who post on the same threads as me on a daily basis (NBA, NCAA, MLB, Texas hoops, texas baseball, Varsity, Other Sports, etc) don't ever have problems with me, while 95% of the people who act as if i'm still the combative and immature dick head that i once was don't actually post anywhere that i do in the first place. i apologize for responding to VY and immortal's incendiary posts in kind. my bad. it's done. 

Your lack of self-awareness is hilarious. The post I quoted was you having a bitch fit over someone merely DISAGREEING with your take. Jfc you are the biggest clown I have ever seen on any message board...I have seen you have a thousand meltdowns on this board and the old board, with countless different members. Myself on the other hand less than a handful...majorharsin, a couple of cloakroom idiots, and of course you. But hey keep telling yourself that everyone else is the problem. I would take 100 Rocko's over 1 of  your fat ass. 

[52-80 19,093]

4 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

So is this the weekly cry about the NBA thread posts?

This board sucks.  This website sucks.  Moderators suck.  Admin sucks. Posters suck.  Everyone is an idiot and they all harbor illogical grudges against me. 

 

But I'm gonna keep going back anyways because they kicked me off livejournal and blogspot.

[Vic Mackey 46,936]

for the edification and peace of mind of the many decent posters in this thread, i've put the child on ignore and will not be responding to him any more. i simply say this- let the record show that i rarely if ever start shit with any of you. most of you post here with me every single day without any problems, even when we disagree. the fact that i haven't gone nuclear on Kyle in the Making a Murderer thread speaks volumes to my newfound patience in my old age. did i just rage on the guy who disagreed with me on brett brown? no i did not. i've had a million disagreements on the UT hoops team this year with zero vitriol or fighting. it's not hard to discuss shit with me- that's a fact. 
i wish i didn't feel the need to make this disclaimer about myself, but i do. all i can say is that 95% of the people who post on the same threads as me on a daily basis (NBA, NCAA, MLB, Texas hoops, texas baseball, Varsity, Other Sports, etc) don't ever have problems with me, while 95% of the people who act as if i'm still the combative and immature dick head that i once was don't actually post anywhere that i do in the first place. i apologize for responding to VY and immortal's incendiary posts in kind. my bad. it's done. 

You put him on ignore and you still had to make this post telling us why? C'mon man.

[ztejas 43,266]

Michael Jordan played against milkmen and plumbers you idoits. They didn't even have central heating in those days and had to retrieve the basketball from the peach basket after every scored field goal. LeBron would have averaged 8 billion points a game in 1987.  

Actually though I'm done. Y'all can watch this if you want, or not, I don't give a shit.

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by ztejas

[hobbes2702 12,834]

1 hour ago, immortal13 said:

We only wish we didn't know who the fuck you were. And your take is stupid. If a guy like JR Smith can start in today's NBA, any 80's era player could. 

Goddamn your fucking vitriol whenever someone disagrees with you is beyond asinine. Please dear god I wish your fingers would fall off your fucking hands so you couldn't post ever again. 

Goddamn your fucking vitriol whenever Derka posts literally anything. 

[hobbes2702 12,834]

This thread would be way better if the three of you could get a room and go fuck each other instead of having slap fights on a message board. 

[immortal13 4,059]

33 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

This thread would be way better if the three of you could get a room and go fuck each other instead of having slap fights on a message board. 

Suck a dick

[hookem48 4,631]

11 hours ago, ztejas said:

You disrespected an entire decade of NBA players. Fuck out of here with that stupid shit. Players in the 80s weren't talented? Magic Johnson? Larry Bird? Kevin McHale? Dr. J? Hakeem?

I mean wtf are you even talking about. 

and let those players play with the dribbling is optional rules of today, fucking Dr J getting to take 3 steps, that would be fun.

[hobbes2702 12,834]

1 hour ago, immortal13 said:

Suck a dick

Cool. Maybe we can get back to basketball instead of y’alls message board vendetta.

[immortal13 4,059]

21 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

Cool. Maybe we can get back to basketball instead of y’alls message board vendetta.

Ok cool, hook em

[Michael Knight 12,897]

7 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

lol, wow. okie dokie. that's the lamest excuse for negging someone i've ever heard of. let's start here:

hi, i'm derka; have we met before? i mean i know i'm new around here, and that nobody here really knows my style by this point (can you sense the sarcasm? because i'm laying it on pretty thick), but i've been known to dabble in hyperbole when making a point.

no fucking shit the 80's had talented players. you've got be the densest motherfucker on this board to not get my point. also ignorant, because yes, players today are insanely more talented than the players from the 80's. This is one of the most obvious points anyone could make about today's game. This is not up for debate, as this is a universal truth across literally every major sport.

You're clearly too young to even know what you're talking about, but the NBA of the 80's featured thousands of players who would never sniff the league today, because the talent level is nowhere close. of course the very very best from that generation will stack up well with the any other generation, but the further you go down the line the more comically wide the gap in talent becomes. whoever the 50th, and 100th, and 150th best player is in today's NBA >>>>> his counterpart from any random heat in the 80's.

you know what, i can't believe i'm even sitting here explaining this to you. you're retarded. the fact that you don't even know that today's players are insanely more talented than those in the 80's should be exactly what i expect from you. jesus. 

You realize only about 3000 players have played in the NBA over the past 50 years.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Michael Knight

[Goo Punch 4,275]

right now the milwaukee bucks have 141 points and nobody on the team has more than 19. 😱 they are scary when they are on. 

also atlanta is terrible. 

[APMP 685]

right now the milwaukee bucks have 141 points and nobody on the team has more than 19. they are scary when they are on. 
also atlanta is terrible. 

This is why Houston needs to mortgage the future sell off the grandkids at the deadline. Complete win now mode, and they have no depth. Couldn't get Butler (in hindsight, thank god) for four first round picks, but maybe use some up to get a Vucevic, Ross, KCP, or Bazemore. Hell, call the Pelicans and offer everything that isn't bolted down for Brow before he ends up in L.A. or Boston. Work your magic, Morey.

[Radical Larry 28,528]

Can we talk about ESPN's use of Whodini's "The Freaks Come Out At Night" in their commercial promoting the Bucks/Rockets game next week? That is outstanding. 

[immortal13 4,059]

12 minutes ago, Radical Larry said:

Can we talk about ESPN's use of Whodini's "The Freaks Come Out At Night" in their commercial promoting the Bucks/Rockets game next week? That is outstanding. 

Yeah, that was dope

[immortal13 4,059]

2 hours ago, Michael Knight said:

You realize only about 3000 players have played in the NBA over the past 50 years.

Derka meltdown in 3...2...1....

[Goo Punch 4,275]

14 minutes ago, Radical Larry said:

Can we talk about ESPN's use of Whodini's "The Freaks Come Out At Night" in their commercial promoting the Bucks/Rockets game next week? That is outstanding. 

i'm all for it. 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

love the realness from KD: 

 

[goatsaag 279]

2 hours ago, APMP said:

2 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

right now the milwaukee bucks have 141 points and nobody on the team has more than 19. they are scary when they are on. 
also atlanta is terrible. 

This is why Houston needs to mortgage the future sell off the grandkids at the deadline. Complete win now mode, and they have no depth. Couldn't get Butler (in hindsight, thank god) for four first round picks, but maybe use some up to get a Vucevic, Ross, KCP, or Bazemore. Hell, call the Pelicans and offer everything that isn't bolted down for Brow before he ends up in L.A. or Boston. Work your magic, Morey.

The Rockets have no depth when Paul, Gordon, and Ennis are all hurt and Knight is being brought back along slowly. When those guys are all back, the Rockets really only lack a backup 4.

[kopp0e 1,135]

That's cool..!

 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

would anyone here be in favor of one thread for NBA basketball discussion and another for sharing social media?

[hobbes2702 12,834]

Luka is obviously the ROTY at this point but what does everyone think of some of the other rooks? Who would your first team all rookies be? Biggest surprise? Biggest flop?

For me the first team rookies would have to be Luka, Ayton, Jackson Jr, Sexton?, SGA?. I don’t see how Trae can make it even with his scoring. His shooting is just so bad at this point. Biggest surprise for me has been JJJ. I knew he was good but just didn’t see this sort of impact this quickly. SGA has been awesome but I dunno if he has the numbers to get on the team. Mo has looked decent in light minutes. What are y’all s thoughts on this years rookie class?

[Vic Mackey 46,936]

What a finish!

 

[Vic Mackey 46,936]

Fan view of the Harden shot the other night.

 

[d2o 1,602]

1 hour ago, hobbes2702 said:

Luka is obviously the ROTY at this point but what does everyone think of some of the other rooks? Who would your first team all rookies be? Biggest surprise? Biggest flop?

For me the first team rookies would have to be Luka, Ayton, Jackson Jr, Sexton?, SGA?. I don’t see how Trae can make it even with his scoring. His shooting is just so bad at this point. Biggest surprise for me has been JJJ. I knew he was good but just didn’t see this sort of impact this quickly. SGA has been awesome but I dunno if he has the numbers to get on the team. Mo has looked decent in light minutes. What are y’all s thoughts on this years rookie class?

I said the day he got drafted JJJ went to the perfect org for his talent.  I am surprised by the offensive side but I knew he could make a major contribution on defense.   Even moreso on a team that emphasizes defense like the Grizz

 

[Goo Punch 4,275]

Big fan of JJJ and had high hopes for him coming into this year. His stats don't rival those of Luka and Ayton, but his play has been very good. Once he's able to consistently hit threes he could be a real problem on offense. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by Goo Punch

[Drew 2,331]

I've been impressed a bunch of the rookies.  Might be the best rookie season in a long long time.  Not sure it stays that way(hell, I still see some people saying Luka is still a fluke and won't get better at all, might even regress).  But JJJ, Ayton, Sexton have all been really impressive.  And some on good teams, or teams that I thought would suck, but are in the middle of the playoff hunt.

[hobbes2702 12,834]

31 minutes ago, Drew said:

I've been impressed a bunch of the rookies.  Might be the best rookie season in a long long time.  Not sure it stays that way(hell, I still see some people saying Luka is still a fluke and won't get better at all, might even regress).  But JJJ, Ayton, Sexton have all been really impressive.  And some on good teams, or teams that I thought would suck, but are in the middle of the playoff hunt.

I’ve seen the same in regards to Luka and I just don’t understand. It seems to me that it’s realistic to think he will 1) get in better shape and 2) get more efficiency scoring. He’s got all the skills already, as is body gets better the other things should get better as well, especially finishing at the rim. He’s a European James Harden

[NowThis 931]

20 hours ago, ztejas said:

Michael Jordan played against milkmen and plumbers you idoits. They didn't even have central heating in those days and had to retrieve the basketball from the peach basket after every scored field goal. LeBron would have averaged 8 billion points a game in 1987.  

Actually though I'm done. Y'all can watch this if you want, or not, I don't give a shit.

 

Karl Malone was a mailman and Larry Bird was briefly a garbageman. Hell, Dennis Rodman was a janitor at DFW airport. 

[immortal13 4,059]

4 minutes ago, NowThis said:

Karl Malone was a mailman and Larry Bird was briefly a garbageman. Hell, Dennis Rodman was a janitor at DFW airport. 

Lmao repped

[d2o 1,602]

1 hour ago, hobbes2702 said:

I’ve seen the same in regards to Luka and I just don’t understand. It seems to me that it’s realistic to think he will 1) get in better shape and 2) get more efficiency scoring. He’s got all the skills already, as is body gets better the other things should get better as well, especially finishing at the rim. He’s a European James Harden

I will say that there have been some ROYs that had very good rookie yrs that didn't turn out to be that great.    Tyreke Evans and MCW come immediately to mind.    That isnt to say that Doncic will repeat that but there is some recent precedent

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by d2o

[Goo Punch 4,275]

Doncic is the absolute real deal and has been for some time. 

[52-80 19,093]

2 hours ago, NowThis said:

Karl Malone was a mailman and Larry Bird was briefly a garbageman. Hell, Dennis Rodman was a janitor at DFW airport. 

[NowThis 931]

[kopp0e 1,135]

 

[kopp0e 1,135]

 

[kopp0e 1,135]

 

[Patrick Bateman 3,903]

On 1/4/2019 at 1:24 PM, Goo Punch said:

@aggie08 @Patrick Bateman is this what you wanted? is this better than 50 memes and ig and twitter posts every day? now we're all going to sit around talking about how today's players aren't any more skilled than the players from the 80's? that's what hot in the streets? saying indefensibly stupid shit like that and then negging anyone with the common sense to know otherwise? come on y'all, get off the sidelines, get into the game, and add some motherfucking sense to this retarded discussion. surely our two most prolific nba poster have some thoughts regarding to overall talent level of today vs 30 years ago. spill it. 

 

lol, i mean im still over here shaking my head. i just went back and read my OP that led to this. literally all i said was, "look how far we've come since the 80's; what will players look like 150 years from now?" and yet somehow that's controversial. jesus. 

I'm a little late to the party and thus it may have ended but don't understand the reference.  Neither of us, that I'm aware of, lent any insight to the really silly argument about which generation was more engaged in winning.  Is the conversation retarded?  Maybe.  I haven't read the entire exchange, I don't have the time.  To me, the overall talent is much better today then it was 30 years ago, when we didn't have open global markets of talent and before the "Dream Team Effect".  I enjoy exchanging different ideas about basketball, pro or college, and this seems like a good place to do so.  Specifically, I enjoy the pros as it incorporates an economic aspect not involved with the college game, which dovetails into my limited expertise.

I also realize that any thread started on this site (or any other public site) is not specifically mine or anyone else's, it's the communities to decide which direction it may take and this will affect my decisions to participate or not.  I see you started another "catch all" thread for social media and I hope that thread is healthy as well, without cannibalizing this one.  I love the NBA and think it's in a healthy place with crazy talent coming from throughout the globe.  I'm intrigued by the back and forth of the community here and recognize not everyone has the same level of interest or intellect.  This community is one of my favorites but also realize it's not the best for high level expertise that may challenge some of our thoughts or conventions.  That written, it's January, none of us (me included) know exactly what will transpire. 

Additionally, I don't neg people with different opinions than me (Off subject, I think rep is truly a terrible aspect of some sites including this one as grown men, or women, getting into silly "rep wars" which I think is the antithesis of what I consider healthy intellectual conversation).  I don't actually engage in rep (good or bad), although I truly appreciate those that have sent me positive rep (sorry, I don't do the same; doesn't mean I don't appreciate your contributions as well).  So, my thought is, let's talk basketball, pro or not, on this thread and if it's gets off on a silly tangent, I'll usually say something or sit it out.  

This post is really way too much about my thoughts, so to bring it back to the subject at hand....

1.  Is Denver a true contender or reg season success story?

2.  Is this the last Warrior go around (starting to think so and to start the season I was in the opposite camp)?

3.  Do we still think Boston is the team to beat in the East or are the Bucks a real threat?

4.  Utah and Houston starting to get going.... can they make it to the Conference semis?

5.  Love the East is relevant again but seems to be still the weaker side, am I right?

Let's talk...... and only intelligent opinions welcome. so I'll listen...

 

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by Patrick Bateman