The NBA thread

[Stoney Mason]

[McMenamin] Ty Lue says Dwyane Wade came to him and said he wants to come off the bench. JR Smith back to the starting 5.

[etiolate]

https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/922545796586917899

Don't you take that if you're NY?

[Beezy]

https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/922545796586917899

Don't you take that if you're NY?

No. Why? Knicks are rebuilding/going young also. Why give up part of their young core for Bledsoe? He's not taking them to the playoffs.

[Syph]

Phoenix has surprisingly little financial flexibility after signing Warren to a four-year, $50 million extension. Including team options, non-guarantees and a projected lottery pick (plus a protected pick from the Miami Heat), the Suns actually figure to be over the cap next summer.

what the actual fuck

[Tektonic]

https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/922545796586917899

Don't you take that if you're NY?

 

[etiolate]

https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/922545796586917899

Don't you take that if you're NY?

No. Why? Knicks are rebuilding/going young also. Why give up part of their young core for Bledsoe? He's not taking them to the playoffs.

Cuz if Nik and Hermangomez are your young core then your future is trash. I don't see either player being that great. I think Frank may bust. Bledsoe and Zingis PnRs would be deadly.

I mean do you really want Phil Jackson drafting your PG?

Perhaps I'll rephrase that: When you whiff on a draft pick you need to recognize it fast and maximize its trade value when you have time.

[Mandark]

Did you really miss the Phil Jackson news?

[etiolate]

No, I forgot about it because the Knicks still made no sense.

[etiolate]

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/923319974458023936

I am guessing they're not expecting Anthony Davis back from his knee injury soon.

[Stoney Mason]

They are desperate then...

Dude is only 31 but NOBODY would even give him a look last season.

[jakefromstatefarm]

Legit ridiculous that San Antonio are gonna get another 50+ wins in the West with what’s shaping to be a bottom 10 roster on paper

[Stoney Mason]

The Cavs mostly sucked tonight. They are even more completely Lebron-centric than they were in the past.

not a diss at lebron.

[TEEEPO]

i have a lot riding on this wiz lakers game

spoiler (click to show/hide)

my reputation

[close]

[team filler]

I feel like the lakeshow is going to be fun to watch again, like the eddie jones/nick van exel era!




Still miss Chick 

[team filler]

OT baby!

[TEEEPO]

unacceptable

what the fuck is this garbage

[team filler]

BBB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TEEEPO]

i'm never going to hear the end of this

kill me now

[team filler]

Might be time to make a LaVar avatar 

[etiolate]

man the Wiz fucked that up

[TEEEPO]

i'm always weirded out when i see other wiz fans outside of realgm, bulletsforever and reddit

[etiolate]

Boogie returns to Sacramento tonight. I expect him to drop 50.

[jakefromstatefarm]

This crop of rookies is gud. Tatum is responding to being thrust into more minutes than the Celtics were expecting him to be responsible for, Fox is producing really well off the bench in Sacramento, dsj is who we thought he was but Carlisle won’t let him off the hook -which is good, lauri is super Channing Frye with the ability to put it in the deck and he’s rebounding way better than I thought he would. Simmons: obv good; jury still out on Fultz but he’ll be fine; Lonzo assuming his role as the tall but slow version of Andre miller. OG and monk both look way ahead of schedule too. Other guys I liked like Isaac and kennard haven’t gotten a lot of burn, but I’m holding out hope.

[benjipwns]

John Collins is playing pretty well for Atlanta, 12/8 in 19 mpg

[etiolate]

Dillon Brooks and Mike James as well.

[jakefromstatefarm]

Also low key, Donovan Mitchell is fun to watch, stats look like dogshit but I think he’s better than what he’s shown.

Like, none of these guys are objectively good nba players obv (except maybe Simmons) but none of them really look lost either

[benjipwns]

Maybe this class will turn out to be one of those makeup classes for 2013 like 2003 was for 2000.

[benjipwns]

Okay, Mike James has played in Yurop for five years, I was wondering where he came from and why he was 27.

[etiolate]

Boooooogie

43/21/6

[benjipwns]

Other guys I liked like Isaac and kennard haven’t gotten a lot of burn, but I’m holding out hope.

Pistons are still determined to prove Stanley Johnson isn't a bust by playing him until it's so obvious they have to give up on him at age 21, but eventually SVG has to want to try some more shooting.

Speaking of the team, I have no idea why the team signed Boban to a three year deal if he's never going to play. Ever. It's like having Darko around again. Only he's 29. And gigantic. And actually can pass and shoot.

[jakefromstatefarm]

Other guys I liked like Isaac and kennard haven’t gotten a lot of burn, but I’m holding out hope.

Pistons are still determined to prove Stanley Johnson isn't a bust by playing him until it's so obvious they have to give up on him at age 21

I really swung and missed on this dude. Big as fuck for a sg, quick enough to play with the joneses defensively, not good bounce but strong enough that it didn’t matter, and most importantly had the Kobe asshole gene. And he just hasn’t produced at all since that first round series v Cleveland. I swear to god he had a legit corner 3 ball in college and that’s just completely disappeared .

Kennard’s got a good shot, not sure if he’s got anything else though.

[etiolate]

https://twitter.com/jerrybskinny/status/923792638485991424

hint: It's Vlade Divac

[benjipwns]

Johnson isn't really even good defensively despite that athleticism, dude still looks lost half the time. He's also got that classic bad defender move of overplaying for steals and he's good enough at grabbing a couple of those that it just encourages him to always play like that.

And half the time he can't shoot outside of like 2 feet yet he spends all his time on the perimeter. Barely drives. That corner three is actually the only shot he's halfway decent at.

Kinda wish they'd just send him over to Grand Rapids to work on his shot or rebounding to move to the 4 or something rather than trying to force him into being decent because it doesn't seem to be helping him or the team.

[etiolate]

I liked Johnson in SL and preseason his rookie year. I expected his shot to come around. He should be killer from the corner and beat up smaller SFs inside.

[Stoney Mason]

[benjipwns]

wow, dat perfect form after the fake despite the time, wouldn't have imagined that even a couple years ago from him

[benjipwns]

speaking of griffin and it's only four games in (three for Blake as that games' not in yet) but B-R's MVP tracker currently are only giving him (26/9/5) and Giannis (35/11/6) a shot

including this game he's hitting 2.5 threes a game at 44%

deandre seems to be doing alright despite no paul too, clips might be better than i even thought

/four game hot take

[etiolate]

Clips schedule has been pretty easy. Starting off with the Lakers and Suns is like extra training camp.

[benjipwns]

https://twitter.com/jerrybskinny/status/923792638485991424

hint: It's Vlade Divac

https://theundefeated.com/features/demarcus-cousins-sacramento-kings-new-orleans-pelicans-my-biggest-regret-is-not-leaving-when-i-had-a-chance/

“And there was plenty of times where I was a victim. But at the end of the day, it’s still on me. My biggest regret is not leaving when I had the chance.

“I had the chance, but I fought it. I had the chance to leave, but I didn’t.”

[benjipwns]

Since we talked about a little earlier, Kevin Pelton looked at some Bledsoe possibilities:

Suns get: Guard Emmanuel Mudiay and forward Kenneth Faried
Nuggets get: Bledsoe

Denver is the most logical Bledsoe destination by a wide margin. After signing Paul Millsap as a free agent this summer, the Nuggets are hoping to return to the playoffs for the first time since firing George Karl in 2013. Denver's weakest position is point guard, where Jamal Murray has star potential but has struggled in two games as a starter since the Nuggets unexpectedly waived veteran Jameer Nelson. Because Bledsoe could play with Murray or supplant him as a starter, Bledsoe would be an ideal bridge point guard to help Denver win now.

Suns get: Guards D.J. Augustin, Mario Hezonja and Elfrid Payton
Magic get: Bledsoe and guard Troy Daniels

If Orlando's new front office isn't sold on Payton as the team's answer at point guard, not having to make a decision on him as a restricted free agent next summer might also be a bonus.
...
The Suns would have to take on a bad contract in Augustin, who is signed through 2019-20 at $7.25 million a year. He's the only option to match salary until Shelvin Mack becomes eligible to be traded on Dec. 15. The fact that players signed as free agents this summer cannot yet be traded is among the challenges the Suns face in making a fair deal for Bledsoe.

Suns get: Guard Iman Shumpert, center Ante Zizic, protected 2021 first-round pick
Cavaliers get: Bledsoe

Bledsoe has long been linked to Cleveland because he's represented by Klutch Sports Management, which represents LeBron James, but Bledsoe also would fit well with the Cavaliers. Derrick Rose's sprained ankle has exposed how thin Cleveland is at point guard while Isaiah Thomas is sidelined by a hip injury. In any event, Bledsoe is a better fit than Thomas defensively to match up with the Golden State Warriors in a possible NBA Finals rematch.
...
This incarnation of a trade would cost the Cavaliers in terms of luxury tax, however. It's possible a larger deal could be worked out that would send Channing Frye back to Phoenix and bring Troy Daniels to Cleveland with Bledsoe.

The bigger question, of course, is whether the Suns would prefer a deal that doesn't bring them any young point guard in return. They'd have to really like Zizic -- or wing Cedi Osman, who could be the young player in the trade instead -- to choose Cleveland as a partner.

note: other than the Cavs one he limited any talk about tossing in picks into the write-up since there's a lot of moving parts to that kind of thing

I kinda like the Nuggets deal.

[etiolate]

to be clear: I don't think Cousins is going back to Sac. I think its just very awkward that the Kings GM liked a fan tweet suggesting it could happen.  May even fall under tampering clause.

Bledsoe on the Nuggets makes sense. I don't know if Phnx has any interest in Mudiay.

I think Faried would be very good on a different playoff contender but is awkward in Denver.

[Marhunchy]

it's partially related, but people shitting on the old MECCA court painting last night destroyed my will to live 

[jakefromstatefarm]

I kinda like the Nuggets deal.

i really like the nuggets deal. Faried is long overdue for a change of scenery and mudiay is poop

[eleuin]

Spurs getting absolutely waxed by the Magic rn

ORL are lowkey good this year wtf

[jakefromstatefarm]

It took them 3 years to figure out Gordon should be playing the 4; his shot also looks way improved. Fournier continues to be one of the most underrated players in the league and vooch has always been productive. Simmons is a decent piece and Isaac is gonna be solid.

The magic have always had talent they’ve just had terrible management wrt personnel and some of the worst coaching in the league over the past 5 years. Vogel is competent enough for the east

[jakefromstatefarm]

Also, if he wasn’t garbage, hezonja would be super popular. He’s white, good looking enough, and has legendary asshole soundbites

[TEEEPO]

i'm going to give the wiz a pass for my sanity

the game would've been different if we had our 4s; we were abused to hell on the boards and matchups. you can't match stretch 4s like oubre/porter with the likes of looney/west and randle/nance 30+ minutes a game. we need morris, badly. 

[etiolate]

Seems the Josh Smith experience may debut for the Pellies tonight.

[etiolate]

Cousins and Davis torching the Cavs right now. Lebron probably pissed at the Cavs rebounding effort.

[Stoney Mason]

So yeah... Lue, you are fucking up.

[benjipwns]

Rick Carlisle on Joel Embiid: “You have to be careful what you show in pregame edits, or you might scare the s— out of your team.”

[etiolate]

https://twitter.com/MarcJSpearsESPN/status/924757222248169472

trust that the process may never end

[benjipwns]

might explain why he couldn't hit a shot to save his life

[Nola]

[Phoenix Dark]

How Fultz got cleared to play is beyond me.

[Syph]

How Fultz got cleared to play is beyond me.

trust the process doctors...??

[Momo]

I havent watched NBA since penny hardaway and shaq were at the orlando magic, watched a bit of celtic vs spurs and liked it, but fuck is nba league pass expensive

[agrajag]

I havent watched NBA since penny hardaway and shaq were at the orlando magic, watched a bit of celtic vs spurs and liked it, but fuck is nba league pass expensive

 

[etiolate]

https://twitter.com/TonyXypteras/status/925420456722788352

still one of the weirdest things I've seen at a NBA game

[Stoney Mason]

I havent watched NBA since penny hardaway and shaq were at the orlando magic, watched a bit of celtic vs spurs and liked it, but fuck is nba league pass expensive

There use to be a mobile version that was cheaper that you could buy through itunes and such. Not sure if that still exists or not.