2019-2020 NBA Season Thread

[Sbbruin 21708]

4 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

I know. Lebron got in ADs ear and had him demand a trade while he was signed with another team. Amazing.

Now your on the trolley!

[MNLonghornFUKM 8799]

This was funny tho

 

 

 

[Beantown Express 2.0 6554]

14 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

Exactly. Draft picks for top teams are just assets. They use them to get proven players. Kind of the opposite of what Boston did who hoarded all these picks with nothing to show for it.

 

You do realize Boston (and other teams) wanted to trade for Anthony Davis but he only wanted to go the Lakers and stated so.  I guess they could have done a Kawhi type of deal and given up Jalen Brown, Smart and 2-3 draft picks to have him for one year but that wouldn’t have been smart for the Celtics to do in my opinion.  I have no problem with free agents going to a team but I have an issue with a player demanding a trade only to one team when under contract.  Maybe Giannis demands a trade this year but only to the Miami Heat and the Heat will give up crap like Jae Crowder, Olynk and a draft pick.  I am sure everyone would be happy with that, right?

[aggie08 21424]

32 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

Draft picks are assets.  They turned those assets into AD.  That’s how you do it.

They didn't exactly just go get AD like they did Shaq. They orchestrated a tamper-happy arrangement with a dude with two years left on his contract--that he signed in good faith--that made it untenable for him to continue playing mid-season games for the team paying him $26M, and then sabotaged any possibility that they could trade him anywhere but LAL. I get that that's the way some NBA superstars operate now, but one year of humble pie wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.

[usmc0331horn 934]

3 minutes ago, Beantown Express 2.0 said:

You do realize Boston (and other teams) wanted to trade for Anthony Davis but he only wanted to go the Lakers and stated so.  I guess they could have done a Kawhi type of deal and given up Jalen Brown, Smart and 2-3 draft picks to have him for one year but that wouldn’t have been smart for the Celtics to do in my opinion.  I have no problem with free agents going to a team but I have an issue with a player demanding a trade only to one team when under contract.  Maybe Giannis demands a trade this year but only to the Miami Heat and the Heat will give up crap like Jae Crowder, Olynk and a draft pick.  I am sure everyone would be happy with that, right?

Why would anyone care? 

[Thatguy 8492]

26 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

Why?

and a hard left turn to the political board

[TommyGufano 6021]

1 hour ago, Vic Mackey said:

Thought it was cool seeing Rondo get another ring. I wished we could have kept him around in Dallas.

Counter: I wish Dallas would have cut his ass the second they realized he was intent on being a complete shithead. Which should have been about 2.5 hours into his tenure with Dallas

That team with Brendan Wright was fun, too. Fuck Rondo

[Sbbruin 21708]

40 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

They didn't exactly just go get AD like they did Shaq. They orchestrated a tamper-happy arrangement with a dude with two years left on his contract--that he signed in good faith--that made it untenable for him to continue playing mid-season games for the team paying him $26M, and then sabotaged any possibility that they could trade him anywhere but LAL. I get that that's the way some NBA superstars operate now, but one year of humble pie wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.

When you create a culture and image that draws top players, good things happen.

[Sbbruin 21708]

46 minutes ago, Beantown Express 2.0 said:

You do realize Boston (and other teams) wanted to trade for Anthony Davis but he only wanted to go the Lakers and stated so.  I guess they could have done a Kawhi type of deal and given up Jalen Brown, Smart and 2-3 draft picks to have him for one year but that wouldn’t have been smart for the Celtics to do in my opinion.  I have no problem with free agents going to a team but I have an issue with a player demanding a trade only to one team when under contract.  Maybe Giannis demands a trade this year but only to the Miami Heat and the Heat will give up crap like Jae Crowder, Olynk and a draft pick.  I am sure everyone would be happy with that, right?

Yeah, well fuck the Celtics.  

[TommyGufano 6021]

5 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

When you create a culture and image that draws top players, good things happen.

And what an impressive culture it was that drew most of these players to the Lakers

[threesheets 1652]

1 hour ago, Vic Mackey said:

Thought it was cool seeing Rondo get another ring. I wished we could have kept him around in Dallas.

The fuck???

[MNLonghornFUKM 8799]

When you create a culture and image that draws top players, good things happen.

I know I know. Just admit they broke the rules by tampering and shit. If rules applied to LeGM they could probably get AD to force a trade to LA this upcoming off season and it wouldn’t look so obvious

[UpperWestside 6134]

29 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

Yeah, well fuck THOSE GUYS

Fify

[Radical Larry 28528]

 

[aggie08 21424]

1 hour ago, Sbbruin said:

When you create a culture and image that draws top players, good things happen.

Or you happen to be located in a city where the best player in the world--and, thus, Klutch Sports--would like to live and raise their children in. Tomato tomado.

[aggie08 21424]

...and I don't even mean that as a bad thing; by all means, take advantage of your geographical gifts. But spare me with the culture they were creating with Magic quitting and publicly calling Pelinka a rat. The Lakers got extremely lucky that LeBron wanted to spend his twilight years in Los Angeles, and that's that. Organizationally, they've done almost nothing else right over the past decade.

[Carl Spackler 3461]

Lotta butthurt on this thread.

[Sgt Hulk 13644]

In the year of Kobe, I am glad the lakers brought it home, i'm happy for thier fans,  I'll still forever be team fuck lebron, so he can get fucked, but happy for the lakers, I doubt this shit hole holds a parade because of the rona, but i'll go if they do 

[Thatguy 8492]

8 hours ago, Beantown Express 2.0 said:

You do realize Boston (and other teams) wanted to trade for Anthony Davis but he only wanted to go the Lakers and stated so.  I guess they could have done a Kawhi type of deal and given up Jalen Brown, Smart and 2-3 draft picks to have him for one year but that wouldn’t have been smart for the Celtics to do in my opinion.  I have no problem with free agents going to a team but I have an issue with a player demanding a trade only to one team when under contract.  Maybe Giannis demands a trade this year but only to the Miami Heat and the Heat will give up crap like Jae Crowder, Olynk and a draft pick.  I am sure everyone would be happy with that, right?

But then you would have to live in Boston....

[Harrison Stafford 3325]

10 hours ago, hobbes2702 said:

Why?

Why didn’t I watch the finals or why was the viewership down 48% from last year?

[d2o 1602]

Ratings guy is always funny

 

[Harrison Stafford 3325]

11 hours ago, naija said:

but you're here

Connect the dots.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8799]

Lotta butthurt on this thread.

Bruin has gotten quiet. lol

[Mitch Cumsteen 18523]

9 hours ago, aggie08 said:

...and I don't even mean that as a bad thing; by all means, take advantage of your geographical gifts. But spare me with the culture they were creating with Magic quitting and publicly calling Pelinka a rat. The Lakers got extremely lucky that LeBron wanted to spend his twilight years in Los Angeles, and that's that. Organizationally, they've done almost nothing else right over the past decade.

All of this. They have the biggest brand in the league smack dab in the entertainment center of the universe. They have the largest built in advantage of any team in all of professional sports. But organizationally, they have been a  joke really since Phil Jackson left. If you want to go back further, really since Jerry West left and Mitch Kupcheck was able to hold it together for a few years after that.

But they botched that last several years of Kobe's career -- no thanks to him and his unwillingness to take a penny less than he could grab -- and the highlight of their youth movement was Deangelo Russell telling the world on social media that Swaggy P was cheating on his fiancé. And even in the Anthony Davis deal where they had a gun to the Pelicans head, they still gave up too much. Does anybody still think it was a better move insisting that Kuzma not be dealt instead of Brandon Ingram? Does anybody think Danny Green was a good signing? Lebron and Davis cover up all of their sins.

So congrats on Lebron wanting to maximize his brand and colluding with Anthony Davis to team up with him. But don't give me that other bullshit. 

[ztejas 43262]

1 hour ago, Harrison Stafford said:

why was the viewership down 48% from last year?

God damn. It was that bad? I mean I guess it makes sense. I don't think I watched more than 6 quarters. 

You can bitch about the Warriors but they were must watch TV. 

[ztejas 43262]

11 hours ago, aggie08 said:

They didn't exactly just go get AD like they did Shaq. They orchestrated a tamper-happy arrangement with a dude with two years left on his contract--that he signed in good faith--that made it untenable for him to continue playing mid-season games for the team paying him $26M, and then sabotaged any possibility that they could trade him anywhere but LAL. I get that that's the way some NBA superstars operate now, but one year of humble pie wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.

Yeah lol. The Nets are more organic than this Lakers team. 

[ztejas 43262]

12 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

Kind of the opposite of what Boston did who hoarded all these picks with nothing to show for it.

Boston has been a game away from the Finals 2 of the past 3 years. And that's with Hayward eating money on the books. That's pretty damn good.

[d2o 1602]

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/stanley-cup-final-tv-ratings-nbc-tampa-bay-lightning-dallas-stars#:~:text=NBC draws average 2.15m,Dallas Stars in six games.&text=This year's Stanley Cup Final,according to Sports Media Watch.

 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/10/06/nfl-has-told-teams-not-to-worry-about-lower-ratings/

 

Sports ratings are down in general.   There's a lot of shit people are worrying about.   Bringing up NBA ratings w/o context shows your agenda.

[d2o 1602]

Just now, ztejas said:

Boston has been a game away from the Finals 2 of the past 3 years. And that's with Hayward eating money on the books. That's pretty damn good.

Meh, I was told getting close doesn't matter.

Ainge held on to those "assets" too long.  He passed on Jimmy Butler, passed on PG, passed on Kawhi.   Refused to take the chance on AD.   A couple of those picks that were so valued ended up not being nearly as good as expected.   Now what?

[totallynotabuttpirate 5342]

21 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

All of this. They have the biggest brand in the league smack dab in the entertainment center of the universe. They have the largest built in advantage of any team in all of professional sports. But organizationally, they have been a  joke really since Phil Jackson left. If you want to go back further, really since Jerry West left and Mitch Kupcheck was able to hold it together for a few years after that.

But they botched that last several years of Kobe's career -- no thanks to him and his unwillingness to take a penny less than he could grab -- and the highlight of their youth movement was Deangelo Russell telling the world on social media that Swaggy P was cheating on his fiancé. And even in the Anthony Davis deal where they had a gun to the Pelicans head, they still gave up too much. Does anybody still think it was a better move insisting that Kuzma not be dealt instead of Brandon Ingram? Does anybody think Danny Green was a good signing? Lebron and Davis cover up all of their sins.

So congrats on Lebron wanting to maximize his brand and colluding with Anthony Davis to team up with him. But don't give me that other bullshit. 

Calm your titties, Mitch. 

[ztejas 43262]

9 minutes ago, d2o said:

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/stanley-cup-final-tv-ratings-nbc-tampa-bay-lightning-dallas-stars#:~:text=NBC draws average 2.15m,Dallas Stars in six games.&text=This year's Stanley Cup Final,according to Sports Media Watch.

 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/10/06/nfl-has-told-teams-not-to-worry-about-lower-ratings/

 

Sports ratings are down in general.   There's a lot of shit people are worrying about.   Bringing up NBA ratings w/o context shows your agenda.

I don't think citing hockey ratings is that relevant to the discussion. NFL ratings are only down marginally, and NFL and CFB are still hitting #1 in their time slots pretty easily.

I mean I guess the NBA can hope that it's some political agenda that made it tank, but I don't think that accounts for half of the viewers from last year not tuning in. Neither does other sports being on. The NBA's average viewer is not boycotting games due to politics. 

[d2o 1602]

Just now, ztejas said:

I don't think citing hockey ratings is that relevant to the discussion. NFL ratings are only down marginally, and NFL and CFB are still hitting #1 in their time slots pretty easily.

I mean I guess the NBA can hope that it's some political agenda that made it tank, but I don't think that accounts for half of the viewers from last year not tuning in. Neither does other sports being on. The NBA's average viewer is not boycotting games due to politics. 

Its sports ratings and its compared to their previous yrs ratings not compared to some other sport so yeah its relevant.  NFL and CFB were always number one but they are still down.  Just pointing out sports ratings are down across the board.

I dont really give a shit about ratings anyway so I'm not gonna argue it.   If you don't wanna watch then don't.    I just don't get why so many feel the need to tell others that they aren't watching the NBA.   Its curious.............at best.

Regardless, those who arent watching are missing out IMO.    The series was great as was the bubble in general.   I thoroughly enjoyed the games and particularly the schedule that the bubble situation provided.

[Sbbruin 21708]

12 hours ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

It’s criticism because bruins all “back where they belong”.


Besides, there’s no lakes in Los Angeles.

No es la verdad.

[Sbbruin 21708]

 

[Vic Mackey 46932]

1 hour ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

All of this. They have the biggest brand in the league smack dab in the entertainment center of the universe. They have the largest built in advantage of any team in all of professional sports. But organizationally, they have been a  joke really since Phil Jackson left. If you want to go back further, really since Jerry West left and Mitch Kupcheck was able to hold it together for a few years after that.

But they botched that last several years of Kobe's career -- no thanks to him and his unwillingness to take a penny less than he could grab -- and the highlight of their youth movement was Deangelo Russell telling the world on social media that Swaggy P was cheating on his fiancé. And even in the Anthony Davis deal where they had a gun to the Pelicans head, they still gave up too much. Does anybody still think it was a better move insisting that Kuzma not be dealt instead of Brandon Ingram? Does anybody think Danny Green was a good signing? Lebron and Davis cover up all of their sins.

So congrats on Lebron wanting to maximize his brand and colluding with Anthony Davis to team up with him. But don't give me that other bullshit. 

How did they give up too much? Their goal was to win a ring when they traded for AD. They did. Mission accomplished. Lakers are not building for the next decade. They are going all in for the next 5 years. And year 1 was a success. You make that trade any day of the week. The assets they gave up were nowhere near the talent they got in return who when paired with Lebron would instantly make them a Finals contender. Were they supposed to stick with those draft picks that and role players?

[d2o 1602]

1 hour ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

All of this. They have the biggest brand in the league smack dab in the entertainment center of the universe. They have the largest built in advantage of any team in all of professional sports. But organizationally, they have been a  joke really since Phil Jackson left. If you want to go back further, really since Jerry West left and Mitch Kupcheck was able to hold it together for a few years after that.

But they botched that last several years of Kobe's career -- no thanks to him and his unwillingness to take a penny less than he could grab -- and the highlight of their youth movement was Deangelo Russell telling the world on social media that Swaggy P was cheating on his fiancé. And even in the Anthony Davis deal where they had a gun to the Pelicans head, they still gave up too much. Does anybody still think it was a better move insisting that Kuzma not be dealt instead of Brandon Ingram? Does anybody think Danny Green was a good signing? Lebron and Davis cover up all of their sins.

So congrats on Lebron wanting to maximize his brand and colluding with Anthony Davis to team up with him. But don't give me that other bullshit. 

NO was insisting on Ingram not Kuz.   The Lakers claiming Kuz was off limits was spin hoping to make teams to want him more. 

Your analysis discounts their ability to draw other players over the next couple yrs.    They are not building for 5 yrs.   They are trying to win now and now they have.   The next step is to upgrade the weak points of the roster to win more.  Draft picks are wonderful but they are not only way to build a team.     Especially with shitty teams selling draft picks and giving up on prospects too soon.

[Vic Mackey 46932]

21 minutes ago, d2o said:

NO was insisting on Ingram not Kuz.   The Lakers claiming Kuz was off limits was spin hoping to make teams to want him more. 

Your analysis discounts their ability to draw other players over the next couple yrs.    They are not building for 5 yrs.   They are trying to win now and now they have.   The next step is to upgrade the weak points of the roster to win more.  Draft picks are wonderful but they are not only way to build a team.     Especially with shitty teams selling draft picks and giving up on prospects too soon.

Draft picks are assets to the top teams. It's going to be a low pick and the odds they are going to be great is low. They dont' need them and want to pawn them off on lower teams to draw one of their stars from them. Those top teams are usually thinking short term while the bottom feeders have a decade long, slow simmer plan. Lakers were not about the "'Process' like the Sixers who are just spinning their wheels. They are going all in right now.

[washparkhorn 9935]

1 hour ago, d2o said:

Regardless, those who arent watching are missing out IMO.    The series was great as was the bubble in general.   I thoroughly enjoyed the games and particularly the schedule that the bubble situation provided.

Agree. NBA patching together a competitive tournament by creating a bubble at Disneyworld was impressive. We had competitive games and series. And we saw the emergence on young superstars. 

And remember - the Lakers won it all for us!

 

 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18523]

11 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

How did they give up too much? Their goal was to win a ring when they traded for AD. They did. Mission accomplished. Lakers are not building for the next decade. They are going all in for the next 5 years. And year 1 was a success. You make that trade any day of the week. The assets they gave up were nowhere near the talent they got in return who when paired with Lebron would instantly make them a Finals contender. Were they supposed to stick with those draft picks that and role players?

They obviously still won the trade and you make that trade every single time, but they were bidding against themselves. Davis was going to LA no matter what. The Pelicans had zero leverage and still managed to get Ingram, Ball, the #4 pick that they moved to get Jaxon Hayes plus another first round pick and like 3 other first round picks from the Lakers. They didn't have to do that. New Orleans had zero other offers.

4 minutes ago, d2o said:

NO was insisting on Ingram not Kuz.   The Lakers claiming Kuz was off limits was spin hoping to make teams to want him more. 

Your analysis discounts their ability to draw other players over the next couple yrs.    They are not building for 5 yrs.   They are trying to win now and now they have.   The next step is to upgrade the weak points of the roster to win more.  Draft picks are wonderful but they are not only way to build a team.     Especially with shitty teams selling draft picks and giving up on prospects too soon.

I get all of that, but Lebron makes $40 million per and they are about to pay Anthony Davis another $40 million. I suppose they can fill out the rest of their roster with vets on minimum deals but there is no better value in the NBA than good young players on rookie deals. They really hit the jackpot this year with Rondo and Howard and they got great minutes out of Markieff Morris too. All of those guys plus Caruso are on minimum deals. Kuzma is still on a rookie deal.  Also, KCP played well above his value in the playoffs too and he's only up for one more year. Granted, Davis and Lebron make the game easier for everybody else but I don't know if how they finished out their bench this season is replicable or sustainable. 

If you look at Lebron's previous stops, the Heat couldn't fill out their bench and pay everybody and they went to shit. Either could Cleveland -- they were hamstrung with terrible deals (most of which were crammed down their throat by Clutch and there's no reason to think they won't do the same the Lakers). The Warriors bench went from strength to weakness when they had to pay everybody. It's just the natural order of the NBA. 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8799]

No es la verdad.

Pfft. Those look like reservoirs. No log cabin, no lake.

[ztejas 43262]

2 hours ago, d2o said:

Its sports ratings and its compared to their previous yrs ratings not compared to some other sport so yeah its relevant.  NFL and CFB were always number one but they are still down.  Just pointing out sports ratings are down across the board.

I dont really give a shit about ratings anyway so I'm not gonna argue it.   If you don't wanna watch then don't.    I just don't get why so many feel the need to tell others that they aren't watching the NBA.   Its curious.............at best.

Regardless, those who arent watching are missing out IMO.    The series was great as was the bubble in general.   I thoroughly enjoyed the games and particularly the schedule that the bubble situation provided.

Using hockey as a comparison doesn't make sense for a lot of reasons but it's not something I feel like getting into.

Look man - you REALLY love basketball. More so than maybe anyone here. So you want to think that a large reason half as many people are watching is because of some closet-racist political agenda that has nothing to do with the product or entertainment value. 

Many people here have shared anecdotally why their interest waned this year. In my case, my team wasn't playing, my favorite player wasn't playing, the most entertaining player wasn't playing, and I had no desire to watch the Lakers win a championship. 

On top of that, there are other things to watch that there wouldn't be normally that fill up part of my sports watching capacity each week. 

The bottom line is that there are a lot of sports being played on top of each other, and the NBA in its current form cannot go head to head with the NFL - especially when 2 of its largest 3 superstar names are not playing. 

All of the political stuff, like the BLM stuff in the NBA rubbing people the wrong way, or the fact that sports are being played at all right now rubbing people the wrong way are much smaller factors, and I would guess that the latter has much more of an impact. I just don't know where you would find diehard NBA fans that are suddenly turned off by the league's politics.

[Rockethorn1978 6061]

I didn’t watch because it was boring as fuck but if you say you didn’t the other side of the aisle says you have an “agenda”. 
 

baseball and basketball have been boring as hell to watch with no fans, hockey is boring no matter what is going on. Only way to improve it is to have a strippers at every intermission then I’ll watch it.

[d2o 1602]

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

Using hockey as a comparison doesn't make sense for a lot of reasons but it's not something I feel like getting into.

Look man - you REALLY love basketball. More so than maybe anyone here. So you want to think that a large reason half as many people are watching is because of some closet-racist political agenda that has nothing to do with the product or entertainment value. 

Many people here have shared anecdotally why their interest waned this year. In my case, my team wasn't playing, my favorite player wasn't playing, the most entertaining player wasn't playing, and I had no desire to watch the Lakers win a championship. 

On top of that, there are other things to watch that there wouldn't be normally that fill up part of my sports watching capacity each week. 

The bottom line is that there are a lot of sports being played on top of each other, and the NBA in its current form cannot go head to head with the NFL - especially when 2 of its largest 3 superstar names are not playing. 

All of the political stuff, like the BLM stuff in the NBA rubbing people the wrong way, or the fact that sports are being played at all right now rubbing people the wrong way are much smaller factors, and I would guess that the latter has much more of an impact. I just don't know where you would find diehard NBA fans that are suddenly turned off by the league's politics.

I've said nothing about political stuff nor do I care about who is not watching or why they arent watching.    Its just funny that so many feel the need to make a point that they are not watching.   I dont see those kind of proclamations about other leagues.       

[TommyGufano 6021]

anyone who opted to not watch missed out on some good fucking basketball

[d2o 1602]

2 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

They obviously still won the trade and you make that trade every single time, but they were bidding against themselves. Davis was going to LA no matter what. The Pelicans had zero leverage and still managed to get Ingram, Ball, the #4 pick that they moved to get Jaxon Hayes plus another first round pick and like 3 other first round picks from the Lakers. They didn't have to do that. New Orleans had zero other offers.

I get all of that, but Lebron makes $40 million per and they are about to pay Anthony Davis another $40 million. I suppose they can fill out the rest of their roster with vets on minimum deals but there is no better value in the NBA than good young players on rookie deals. They really hit the jackpot this year with Rondo and Howard and they got great minutes out of Markieff Morris too. All of those guys plus Caruso are on minimum deals. Kuzma is still on a rookie deal.  Also, KCP played well above his value in the playoffs too and he's only up for one more year. Granted, Davis and Lebron make the game easier for everybody else but I don't know if how they finished out their bench this season is replicable or sustainable. 

If you look at Lebron's previous stops, the Heat couldn't fill out their bench and pay everybody and they went to shit. Either could Cleveland -- they were hamstrung with terrible deals (most of which were crammed down their throat by Clutch and there's no reason to think they won't do the same the Lakers). The Warriors bench went from strength to weakness when they had to pay everybody. It's just the natural order of the NBA. 

I'm honestly not really getting your point.    Yeah they are all in to get a title now.   They got one.    They are in a very good position to get more over the next 2-3 yrs.     You deal with the rest later.     As long as ownership wants to spend they can make opps to get more talent.    Its pretty rare that teams have a superstar/championship level team and then simultaneously draft/groom their next guy anyway.   

As we've seen shit changes really fast so you can have a very loose plan for 5+ yrs down the line but the focus is and should always be on the most current season.    When LBJ finally retires (or decides to sign wherever Bronny gets drafted), they still have AD and the draw of playing in LA and being the next star there. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18523]

7 minutes ago, d2o said:

I'm honestly not really getting your point.    Yeah they are all in to get a title now.   They got one.    They are in a very good position to get more over the next 2-3 yrs.     You deal with the rest later.     As long as ownership wants to spend they can make opps to get more talent.    Its pretty rare that teams have a superstar/championship level team and then simultaneously draft/groom their next guy anyway.   

As we've seen shit changes really fast so you can have a very loose plan for 5+ yrs down the line but the focus is and should always be on the most current season.    When LBJ finally retires (or decides to sign wherever Bronny gets drafted), they still have AD and the draw of playing in LA and being the next star there. 

My only point is that I think they are going to have trouble building out a quality supporting cast without any assets other than Lebron and AD. They aren't going to have much cap space and they don't have any young assets or picks to trade. Their only real avenue is free agency.

Maybe it doesn't matter -- those two dudes are so good that they can just surround them with vets on the minimum and they can win no matter what. Maybe they can find some ring chasers or pick up enough guys off of buyouts at the trade deadline and maybe they can buy a pick or two. I still think the rest of the team makes a difference. I just don't know that they are going to be able to pick up guys that worked out as well as Rondo, Howard and Morris did this year. I don't think Rob Pelinka is that great of a GM and he's going to have to start overpaying Clutch's clients as well. 

[Harrison Stafford 3325]

5 hours ago, d2o said:

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/stanley-cup-final-tv-ratings-nbc-tampa-bay-lightning-dallas-stars#:~:text=NBC draws average 2.15m,Dallas Stars in six games.&text=This year's Stanley Cup Final,according to Sports Media Watch.

 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/10/06/nfl-has-told-teams-not-to-worry-about-lower-ratings/

 

Sports ratings are down in general.   There's a lot of shit people are worrying about.   Bringing up NBA ratings w/o context shows your agenda.

This is where diehard NBA fans post and have always considered myself as such.  Have been watching the NBA finals since 1965 when ABC began broadcasting the games and most people in this country could give a shit about the league.  Perhaps, hard core fans would want to know just how much trouble is ahead for the league if people are tuning out...especially fans who are familiar with the product.  A 50% drop in viewership should be disconcerting for anyone interested in the NBA.  You have a legendary franchise with the best basketball player on the planet and you can barely beat celebrity family feud.  Sunday Night Football featured Minnesota vs Seattle and had almost twice the viewers as Sunday's NBA final.  That's just sad.  Adam Silver has said there will be no more "messages" on the courts next year to tone down the politics.  I can't pinpoint why I didn't care this year, but I didn't. Maybe this season felt like drinking Diet Coke instead of the real thing. No matter what the reasoning behind the ratings are, the NBA has to figure it all out,  And, the coronavirus still looms. 

17 hours ago, usmc0331horn said:

The NBA is saddened to hear about your lack of viewership and is looking into sucking your dick next year so you'll watch.

There is no "looking into".  At this point, Adam Silver will even suck your dick it you promise to continue watching.  

[d2o 1602]

7 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

My only point is that I think they are going to have trouble building out a quality supporting cast without any assets other than Lebron and AD. They aren't going to have much cap space and they don't have any young assets or picks to trade. Their only real avenue is free agency.

Maybe it doesn't matter -- those two dudes are so good that they can just surround them with vets on the minimum and they can win no matter what. Maybe they can find some ring chasers or pick up enough guys off of buyouts at the trade deadline and maybe they can buy a pick or two. I still think the rest of the team makes a difference. I just don't know that they are going to be able to pick up guys that worked out as well as Rondo, Howard and Morris did this year. I don't think Rob Pelinka is that great of a GM and he's going to have to start overpaying Clutch's clients as well. 

 

The Heat had more trouble than the Lakers cause they had 3 max guys.    That is why I didn't think they needed to go after Kawhi last offseason.   It would have been overkill and made them too top heavy.   I thought they needed to fill out with mid level guys.    They ultimately had to do that after Kawhi turned them down settling for what was left (Danny Green) and had to overpay.   They have 40M tied up between Green, KCP, Avery Bradley, Javale and the corpse of Luol Deng.    As those deals drop off they will have money available.   They also may be able to trade some of them as teams (usually shit teams) are willing to take expiring deals in exchange for picks or other assets.    Sometimes to facilitate larger deals with other teams.    

Yeah they will also have good vets that are willing to jump on to run for a title (Ray Allen) like the Heat did when LBJ was there. 

Rondo has a player opt for 2.5 next season.    I doubt he goes anywhere but may want another yr or two added.   KCP has a player opt so he might try and get out and get more money but he got his overpay a couple yrs back.   He/Klutch may stay for similar to what he is getting just with a longer deal.   

They also might be able to get Boogie to come back and give it another go which would be huge if he can anything remotely close to what he was.

Lastly, rookies are generally overrated when it comes to championship level teams.   Put simply, this season would you rather have a guy like Rondo or Tyler Herro?   Herro was one of the best rookies out there this yr and he completely disappeared when he was made a point of focus while Rondo made plays throughout the series.    With the picks that they would have had they would be very lucky to get a player as good as Herro.

 

 

 

[Patrick Bateman 3903]

Congrats to the Lakers and Lebron, AD and all the guys.  Turbulent and crazy season and while the bubble proved to be the best idea for the protection of COV, it was probably a pretty difficult undertaking being under lock and key for a couple of months.  On to next offseason where the NBA has the best ones.... always crazy with trades, UFA signings, and such.

 

[staboner 4957]

2 hours ago, TommyGufano said:

anyone who opted to not watch missed out on some good fucking basketball

agreed. some of the most intense ball i have ever seen