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2018-19 NBA Season Thread

BigOrange1

By BigOrange1
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Vic Mackey
Vic Mackey
Thatguy
Thatguy

RW is from Lawndale. Most of the gangs down there are Hispanic. Not the same as the violence in South Central. I think he is paying homage to a guy who he had a lot of respect for. It's just that if y

Dutchrudder
Dutchrudder

The last guy to consistently shutdown KD was Westbrook in 2016. 

aggie08

aggie08 21379

Posted
Posted (edited)
37 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

  Correct. They are not as good defensively, and most importantly not as efficient offensively. However, as these discussions go, we are leaving a huge piece of why they are struggling out of the equation and that is the human element. Last year the Celtics ran DEEP in the playoffs. Kyrie went down and all the numbers went up for Rozier, Tatum, and Brown. Their efficiency went up as well. They likely left last year feeling like they turned the corner. Now you introduce Kyrie, who is not a rah rah guy, or a let me use my skills to get you an easier shot guy. I bet those guys have a lot of built up contempt. Here you have 3 dudes who all were being doted on by every media outlet  dropping back to pre-"sans Kyrie" productivity and I am sure they don't like it.

Or, or, now hear me out: Terry Rozier is just not a very good basketball player. We have over 3 years now of 37%/36%/77% shooting from Rozier that go a long way towards hinting that last postseason (in which he shot a blistering 41%/35%/82%) could just be a small sample size blip.

Kyrie isn't blameless in their struggles (and, again, I'd argue that, except for Brown, they've plateaued moreso than they've taken a step back), but the "better without him" argument is seriously flawed. It's not his fault that Terry Rozier is just Terry Rozier again. He may not make guys better than they are, but he doesn't make them worse.

Also, for the record: their offense during the playoffs last year was almost identical to their regular season efficiency (both pretty bad), and their playoff defense was slightly worse. They won a lot of close, ugly games. The ones they aren't winning now against stiffer competition.

Edited by aggie08
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Thatguy

Thatguy 8478

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Or, or, now hear me out: Terry Rozier is just not a very good basketball player. We have over 3 years now of 37%/36%/77% shooting from Rozier that go a long way towards hinting that last postseason (in which he shot a blistering 41%/35%/82%) could just be a small sample size blip.

Kyrie isn't blameless in their struggles (and, again, I'd argue that, except for Brown, they've plateaued moreso than they've taken a step back), but the "better without him" argument is seriously flawed. It's not his fault that Terry Rozier is just Terry Rozier again. He may not make guys better than they are, but he doesn't make them worse.

   Someone once said the same thing about Victor Oladipo. A 20 game sample is a big sample. Especially when you think that last postseason is the first chance that Terry Rozier had a chance to shine. Before that he was playing spot minutes behind IT and Kyrie. Some people don't do well if they cannot stay in long enough to get a rhythm.

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Aqua Buddha

Aqua Buddha 14488

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On 11/27/2018 at 9:53 AM, aggie08 said:

Somehow, after all these years, I'm still pleasantly bemused by Aqua's (there are others, but he may be in a class of his own) willful ignorance.  Milwaukee leads the NBA in offensive efficiency and net rating playing for a coach that got the fucking Atlanta Hawks to 60 wins and the ECF.  They're finally doing what anybody with eyes has been screaming for 3 years: put a bunch of shooters around Giannis, and look out.  Giannis is the early season MVP, and is having his most efficient AND prolific season.

...but the two games that Aqua happened to look up the box score for were losses with poor shooting, so they're hacks.

Then, when called on it, he doubles down instead of taking 5 seconds to google "giannis stats." It's fascinating to me.

Bucks won tonight.  Want to guess who took the most shots?  It's like it's fucking magic.

Keep telling us how Golden State is the greatest team in history, though.

 

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aggie08

aggie08 21379

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4 hours ago, Thatguy said:

   Someone once said the same thing about Victor Oladipo. A 20 game sample is a big sample. Especially when you think that last postseason is the first chance that Terry Rozier had a chance to shine. Before that he was playing spot minutes behind IT and Kyrie. Some people don't do well if they cannot stay in long enough to get a rhythm.

So, just to make sure I'm understanding your point correctly: the Celtics had a great regular season last year with Kyrie playing unselfish--if not always pretty--team basketball. In the playoffs, Rozier, Brown, and Tatum got to spread their wings a little bit, but started reading their own press clippings, thinking they had arrived prematurely.

Now, they're upset that they have to move back one spot in the team pecking order and can't cope. And the fringe bust point guard isn't getting enough minutes over the objectively better point guard to find his rhythm.

...and this is somehow Kyrie's fault?

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Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman 3903

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Posted

Let's turn the page and talk about everyone's favorite lightning rod, Lebron James and the Lakers.  At 11-9 a quarter way through the season, they sit in 7th place in the West, which is ironically led by the Clippers at this moment in time (Doc reminds folks he can coach).  Frankly, that's about where I thought they'd be at this stage.  A young team with Lebron trying to figure out how to play with all the Frankenstein pieces Magic assembled.  The pitch to Lebron in the offseason was to get more playmakers for Lebron to play with so he didn't have to carry so much of the offensive burden.  Let Lebron be a finisher, facilitator and playmaker in spurts.  Welp..... that lasted 20 games. 

Lebron, who bought in publicly, is back doing his thing.  Playing the point and facilitating the offense almost full time.  It's just how the guy is built and while drawing up a new scheme for him may work conceptionally, Lebron isn't built that way, nor is he really a patient person.  Windhorst, his personal ESPN blowhard, put a piece yesterday about how Lebron is back at the point and is now regularly ignoring Luke Walton's play calls.... LOL!!!!  Shocking, I know.... To Walton's credit, he gets it. 

All of sudden, the West is really wide open after the Warriors.  The Rockets are lost, Utah is a bust, Nuggets are up and coming but too young, and the Thunder are dealing with Westbrook injury issues.  A 2 or 3 seed is there for the taking for a team willing to make a move.... What will Magic and Lebron do?

 

Quote

James grumbled to Cavs management about the need to have more playmakers on the roster to ease this burden in recent years. It wasn't that the Cavs coaches and front office ignored him -- it was just that all their data showed they were better when James was the primary playmaker. They were sorry/not sorry about not taking the ball from him.

When James came to the Lakers, he relished the idea of being able to play off the ball more, to use his post-up skills and to generally expend less energy. That was the idea behind signing Rondo, and Lance Stephenson ... it would ease the need for James to do as much creating.

But as those who have been around James over the years will tell you, there isthe July version of James when he's sitting on a couch with a glass of wine and talking basketball philosophy. And there's the midseason version of James who wants to win above all else and trusts himself above all others to make it happen. As is typical, the latter has been showing itself as the games pile up......

And those post-ups? James is averaging half as many post-ups per game as he did with the Cavs. He can't post because most of the time the Lakers are either fast breaking or relying on James to be the playmaker on offense.

The scouts also have noticed that when James is running the point, he rarely looks toward the bench to receive playcalls from coach Luke Walton. Even when he has seen them, the scouts say, he ignores them and runs the play he prefers. Walton has adjusted, and now when James is running the show, Walton will typically just let him call the game. T

 

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Dutchrudder

Dutchrudder 11103

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Posted

Jerry West is the early front runner for Executive of the Year. I don't think the Clippers make it past the second round of the playoffs, but they are on the right track. Trading CP and Griffin, and letting DJ go were huge moves that didn't go over well initially. Signing Lou Williams for 8 million a year is incredible. He even traded the coach's son, and that takes some balls.  The have a very clean cap going forward and should be fighting for some good free agents, but we'll have to see if they can snag any of the A listers. 

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Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman 3903

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1 hour ago, Dutchrudder said:

Jerry West is the early front runner for Executive of the Year. I don't think the Clippers make it past the second round of the playoffs, but they are on the right track. Trading CP and Griffin, and letting DJ go were huge moves that didn't go over well initially. Signing Lou Williams for 8 million a year is incredible. He even traded the coach's son, and that takes some balls.  The have a very clean cap going forward and should be fighting for some good free agents, but we'll have to see if they can snag any of the A listers. 

No surprise on the West front.... best front office mind since Red.  The Clippers are really interesting as they're more than the sum of their parts and not a real championship contender and West understands this, so they could be the strange team who is a top 5 seed in their own conference and is a seller.  Their cap is clean as a whistle except for Gallo next year.  I think he'd be overjoyed to find a taker for Gallo, who is playing well right now but extremely fragile.  Or maybe he keeps him on the roster as an expiring for a S&T for this summer.  Other than him, they have affordable deals for buys like Avery Bradley and Lou Williams.  They'd love to move AB but guys like Lou and Harrell are on fantastic contracts and expiring in summer of 2020.

Their challenge is who do they get?  Most insiders are starting to understand that Klay Thompson isn't going anywhere.  Doubt KD is interested in being 2nd fiddle of Lebron in LA but they'll make the call.  They'll be interested if AD doesn't sign his supermax this summer but the Cans don't have to be in a rush to move him as he has another year under contract.  There's some thought Giannis will never stay in Milwaukee but no idea if true.  Kawhi will definitely listen.  Who else?  

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Dutchrudder

Dutchrudder 11103

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2 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

No surprise on the West front.... best front office mind since Red.  The Clippers are really interesting as they're more than the sum of their parts and not a real championship contender and West understands this, so they could be the strange team who is a top 5 seed in their own conference and is a seller.  Their cap is clean as a whistle except for Gallo next year.  I think he'd be overjoyed to find a taker for Gallo, who is playing well right now but extremely fragile.  Or maybe he keeps him on the roster as an expiring for a S&T for this summer.  Other than him, they have affordable deals for buys like Avery Bradley and Lou Williams.  They'd love to move AB but guys like Lou and Harrell are on fantastic contracts and expiring in summer of 2020.

Their challenge is who do they get?  Most insiders are starting to understand that Klay Thompson isn't going anywhere.  Doubt KD is interested in being 2nd fiddle of Lebron in LA but they'll make the call.  They'll be interested if AD doesn't sign his supermax this summer but the Cans don't have to be in a rush to move him as he has another year under contract.  There's some thought Giannis will never stay in Milwaukee but no idea if true.  Kawhi will definitely listen.  Who else?  

I saw a blurb today about Giannis buying a 1.8m dollar house in Milwaukee this week, so it's more likely he stays if offered the supermax. Would be nice to see him join another star though. Him and AD would be fun to watch. 

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Chad

Chad 1728

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Posted
5 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Let's turn the page and talk about everyone's favorite lightning rod, Lebron James and the Lakers.  At 11-9 a quarter way through the season, they sit in 7th place in the West, which is ironically led by the Clippers at this moment in time (Doc reminds folks he can coach).  Frankly, that's about where I thought they'd be at this stage.  A young team with Lebron trying to figure out how to play with all the Frankenstein pieces Magic assembled.  The pitch to Lebron in the offseason was to get more playmakers for Lebron to play with so he didn't have to carry so much of the offensive burden.  Let Lebron be a finisher, facilitator and playmaker in spurts.  Welp..... that lasted 20 games. 

Lebron, who bought in publicly, is back doing his thing.  Playing the point and facilitating the offense almost full time.  It's just how the guy is built and while drawing up a new scheme for him may work conceptionally, Lebron isn't built that way, nor is he really a patient person.  Windhorst, his personal ESPN blowhard, put a piece yesterday about how Lebron is back at the point and is now regularly ignoring Luke Walton's play calls.... LOL!!!!  Shocking, I know.... To Walton's credit, he gets it. 

All of sudden, the West is really wide open after the Warriors.  The Rockets are lost, Utah is a bust, Nuggets are up and coming but too young, and the Thunder are dealing with Westbrook injury issues.  A 2 or 3 seed is there for the taking for a team willing to make a move.... What will Magic and Lebron do?

 

 

It'll be interesting to see who the Lakers sign next season. I can't imagine KD or Kawhi wanting to come in and play second fiddle to Lebron even with the allure of LA and a max contract. A Kyrie/LeBron reunion tour is about as likely as hell freezing over. GS are favorites to retain Klay and Kristap is a RFA so it'll be difficult to pry him away from the Knicks. That leaves guys like Jimmy Butler and Kemba Walker as teams for the Lakers to target or even Boogie if he bounces back from his Achilles injury. If Philly makes a run this season it'll be difficult for him to leave, post season success is just as big of a factor to him as money which is evident with what transpired in Minnesota.

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UTDD

UTDD 362

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

This is fantastic on Steph's part..... Dude gets it.  Now that Duncan's gone, I think Steph may be the best organizational player leader in the league now.  Dirk is up there but past his prime.  Steph probably has my vote.  He truly is the heart of the Warriors.

 

There is no one I would rather have as the face and ambassador of the NBA than Curry due to his combination of elite talent and brand friendliness/good optics and there is no other player I'd rather have sponsor my brand especially into markets like China and Asia in general.  I think he might be the greatest organizational superstar I have seen in a long time, and Dirk is absolutely the right comparison in terms of that standard.

Edited by UTDD
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ztejas

ztejas 43244

Posted
Posted

Durant over his past 5: 40.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 6.4 apg on 53% FG 

Ws 3-2 in that stretch against OKC (13-7), POR (13-8), SAC (10-10), ORL (10-12) and @TOR (19-4)

He is working with icy-hot Klay, washed up Iggy, old Livingston, Jerebko, Looney, and a bunch of scrubs.

If the populace can't accept that he is the best player in the league at this point then they never will. Fuck the haters. 

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ztejas

ztejas 43244

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22 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

I love when they call traveling on role players like Jerebko and Iggy that, while accurate, they would never, ever call on a star. 

The one on Iggy was retarded. That was a high school AAU level call. 

Not that I give a fuck about the Warriors, but Durant is going to be that player where people 20 years from now look back and wonder "sooo.... why is he not one of the greatest 5 to ever play?"

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52-80

52-80 19066

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13 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

This is fantastic on Steph's part..... Dude gets it.  Now that Duncan's gone, I think Steph may be the best organizational player leader in the league now.  Dirk is up there but past his prime.  Steph probably has my vote.  He truly is the heart of the Warriors.

 

Debbie Downer time but a 9 year old didn't dictate that original letter.  And Steph didn't Mastermind the response....forgetting the fact that it wouldn't inconvenience himself selling his own shoes.

#teamUApr

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52-80

52-80 19066

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Posted
3 hours ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

I think its a PR move too. no way Steph writes like Walt Disney.

 

Very cool if its actually true, but i dont think I believe it

so did he write his response on jet white paper and then couriered it to Darren Rovell, or digitized it on a wacom tablet and then sent as PDF?

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ztejas

ztejas 43244

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Posted
2 hours ago, kopp0e said:

 

I don't understand why Durant doesn't get more credit for owning every match-up at his position for, what, 5 years now? 1 on 1 he OWNS LeBron and Kawhi - especially in the playoffs.

For as much as people wax poetic about MJ guarding the best teams player and scoring on their best defender, I rarely see it brought up with Durant. 


How are you gonna claim LeBron and Kawhi are better players when they can't guard this dude or score on him? LeBron doesn't even guard him in the playoffs because he knows he can't. He's the only player in the league that will repeatedly roast Kawhi's bitch-ass. He guarded Leonard the ENTIRE fourth quarter and OT in that game. Ws should have lost by 20 and he drug them to overtime on the road against the best team in the league. 

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ztejas

ztejas 43244

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Posted
2 hours ago, Goo Punch said:

He's been killing it since he entered the starting lineup a few weeks ago.

I knew he would have a breakout year. Dude was running fools off the court at Rico Hines over the summer. Those pick up games are hella fun to watch if anyone wants to go back and look at some of the matchups. Booker played a lot, Harden and CP3 got out there, Simmons, Durant played in quite a few. 

Fascinating to watch NBA players play pick up against each other and also any college kid/semi-pro that wants to try and hang. Bobby Brown was out there crossing fools and hitting 3s - dude still has major game. Pick-up is a different beast. 

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