NBA 2016-17

I would hope he puts up some numbers considering he has by far the highest usage rate of all time.

Do you think if other players in the league had his usage they would put up the same numbers?
 
I would say two or three others, maybe. Anyway, you can knock him but he shot over 50% too. The turnovers aren't ideal (one he was credited with actually wasn't correct either) but considering all that he does and has to do I can live with it.
 
Interesting article. Sums up an awful lot of my feelings about Russ.

".....only this time, KD’s playing with an alpha point guard whose ridiculous tendencies actually help his team. A 30-footer from Curry with 18 seconds left on the shot clock causes a defense to cower; the same decision from Westbrook bails you out. So it goes with Westbrook’s infuriating infatuation with his pull-up elbow jumper, where Curry will at least use his never-ending dribble to get to the rim, and with Westbrook’s last-second, unexpected, “no-you-shoot-it” passes to bewildered teammates versus Curry’s unnecessarily elaborate behind-the-back routine.

In each case, the upside is higher with Curry. You hate his dumb passes, but you’ll tolerate his process when it leads to such fantastic results on such a regular basis. You hate the “Stephen Curry Ball-Handling Extravaganza,” until he splits four defenders and finds Klay Thompson with wide-open in the corner for a dagger triple. And you absolutely hate his ludicrous shot selection, unless you realize how it opens up the offense for others (to say nothing of how effective Curry is at shooting from the next zip code).

For all Westbrook’s splendor, he doesn’t make a team better like Curry does. The Thunder point guard is fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not on Curry’s level in terms of overall impact....."

http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/...-kevin-durant-to-embrace-stephen-curry-021117
 
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Just seen you can pay £9.99 a month to watch all your teams games. That seems decent value. Might start watching the Raptors again.
 
Durant, Curry, Harden, LeBron, Butler(I think), CP3, Davis, and Wall, that's 8 off the top of my head.

Harden is putting up numbers rivaling his with 7% less usage rate.

I doubt Curry, Paul, Harden, Butler and Wall could get the rebound numbers. If I meant purely points and assists then I'd agree with most of the list. Harden is not getting his rebound numbers and has a much, much better team around him than Westbrook. Westbrook would have his assist numbers if he was kicking the ball out to Andersen or Gordon instead of Roberson/Sabonis/whoever.

Westbrook has taken 400 more shots than either Curry, Durant or Bron lol

Lebron has Kyrie, Love, Smith to pass too. Curry has Green, Durant, Thompson, Iggy, Livingston. Durant has Curry, Thompson, Green, iggy, Livingston lol. Is it any surprise he has taken more shots?

Interesting article. Sums up an awful lot of my feelings about Russ.

".....only this time, KD’s playing with an alpha point guard whose ridiculous tendencies actually help his team.
A 30-footer from Curry with 18 seconds left on the shot clock causes a defense to cower; the same decision from Westbrook bails you out. So it goes with Westbrook’s infuriating infatuation with his pull-up elbow jumper, where Curry will at least use his never-ending dribble to get to the rim, and with Westbrook’s last-second, unexpected, “no-you-shoot-it” passes to bewildered teammates versus Curry’s unnecessarily elaborate behind-the-back routine.

In each case, the upside is higher with Curry. You hate his dumb passes, but you’ll tolerate his process when it leads to such fantastic results on such a regular basis. You hate the “Stephen Curry Ball-Handling Extravaganza,” until he splits four defenders and finds Klay Thompson with wide-open in the corner for a dagger triple. And you absolutely hate his ludicrous shot selection, unless you realize how it opens up the offense for others (to say nothing of how effective Curry is at shooting from the next zip code).

For all Westbrook’s splendor, he doesn’t make a team better like Curry does. The Thunder point guard is fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not on Curry’s level in terms of overall impact....."

http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/...-kevin-durant-to-embrace-stephen-curry-021117

First bold: Westbrook's tendencies do help the team. In a playoff spot despite having an awful roster, I'd say he is helping them.
Second: Curry's a better shooter, we know that. Westbrook takes too many ill-advised 3's but he has to take some or he's too predictable.
Third: Legitimately never happens. if anything it is reversed and he gets the ball chucked to him with no time left on the clock and is forced to take a bad shot.

Overall, I don't like arguing between Curry and Westbrook. Different players on vastly different teams. Curry makes his team better? Ok, well he is playing with three other all-stars and another star in Iggy. If you swapped Curry and Westbrook I would think Westbrook would probably make his team better because his teammates would be better.
 
First bold: Westbrook's tendencies do help the team. In a playoff spot despite having an awful roster, I'd say he is helping them.
Second: Curry's a better shooter, we know that. Westbrook takes too many ill-advised 3's but he has to take some or he's too predictable.
Third: Legitimately never happens. if anything it is reversed and he gets the ball chucked to him with no time left on the clock and is forced to take a bad shot.

Overall, I don't like arguing between Curry and Westbrook. Different players on vastly different teams. Curry makes his team better? Ok, well he is playing with three other all-stars and another star in Iggy. If you swapped Curry and Westbrook I would think Westbrook would probably make his team better because his teammates would be better.
This is just a quote from an article although as I said I think the article as a whole has a lot of merit. As to your response, I do agree that Curry and Westbrook are completely different players. What's interesting to me though is that if you swapped both of them so that Curry played for the Thunder and Westbrook played for the Dubs, IMLTHO both teams would get significantly worse. I'm almost certain Curry couldn't carry OKC to the level that Westbrook does, although I do think they would be significantly more balanced. However, at the same time I don't think Russ has it in him to be able to maximize the resources that would be available to him if he played for the Warriors. OKC needs him to be that do-it-all ball of energy, the Warriors wouldn't. At the end of the day, I think Russ would be Russ no matter the circumstances. Kevin Durant obviously thought so.
 
This is just a quote from an article although as I said I think the article as a whole has a lot of merit. As to your response, I do agree that Curry and Westbrook are completely different players. What's interesting to me though is that if you swapped both of them so that Curry played for the Thunder and Westbrook played for the Dubs, IMLTHO both teams would get significantly worse. I'm almost certain Curry couldn't carry OKC to the level that Westbrook does, although I do think they would be significantly more balanced. However, at the same time I don't think Russ has it in him to be able to maximize the resources that would be available to him if he played for the Warriors. OKC needs him to be that do-it-all ball of energy, the Warriors wouldn't. At the end of the day, I think Russ would be Russ no matter the circumstances. Kevin Durant obviously thought so.

Interesting, and I would probably agree with that.

I probably go over-the-top with defending Russ but since Durant left he's become a legend to all Thunder fans. If Durant had stayed I think the rivalry between OKC and the Warriors would have been absolutely epic too, and I am really annoyed at Durant for robbing basketball fans of that.
 
Good trade for Blazers last night. Plumlee and a 2018 2nd round pick sent to Denver in exchange for Nurkic and Memphis 2017 first round pick.

Not only do we have three 1st round picks this season, we also get a center who will be on a low contract for two more years (Plumlee is RFA this year and will comfortably get $15M+ which would have put Portland in luxury tax).

Plumlee developed well over the last couple of seasons but was still a bit of a liability on defense and could not consistently score, even though he was a very good passer and a good rebounder. Nurkic in top firm will be an improvement, he is a better defender, shot blocker, rebounder and post scorer than Plums.
 
Good trade for Blazers last night. Plumlee and a 2018 2nd round pick sent to Denver in exchange for Nurkic and Memphis 2017 first round pick.

Not only do we have three 1st round picks this season, we also get a center who will be on a low contract for two more years (Plumlee is RFA this year and will comfortably get $15M+ which would have put Portland in luxury tax).

Plumlee developed well over the last couple of seasons but was still a bit of a liability on defense and could not consistently score, even though he was a very good passer and a good rebounder. Nurkic in top firm will be an improvement, he is a better defender, shot blocker, rebounder and post scorer than Plums.

Got to admit I'm not intimately familiar with either player (have seen more of Plumlee) but on paper it looks like a steal for the Blazers.

If you look at their stats per 36 minutes, Nurkic is younger, has more rebounds and scores more points.

Age
Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS

26 POR NBA C 54 54 1516 5.6 10.5 .532 0.0 0.1 .000 5.6 10.4 .538 3.0 5.3 .567 2.8 7.4 10.3 5.1 1.2 1.5 2.1 3.5 14.2


22 DEN NBA C 45 29 807 6.7 13.3 .507 0.0 0.0 .000 6.7 13.3 .507 2.5 5.0.496 4.0 7.6 11.6 2.6 1.1 1.6 3.7 3.9 16.0

Admittedly straight up per game Plumlee has better stats because he plays more (28 minutes/game vs 18 minutes/game), but since Nurkic is still only 22, potentially I think he may have more of an upside.

They were discussing this on the NBA channel last night and seemed to indicate that the Nuggets were really going for it with this trade to try and get that 8th spot. I've got to admit I was surprised at their POV. If Mason Plumlee is your difference maker then you're really not winning much any time soon.
 
Just seen you can pay £9.99 a month to watch all your teams games. That seems decent value. Might start watching the Raptors again.

League Pass is excellent, I have had it for a number of years. Worth it for me to get Clyde on commentary for our (Knicks) games.
 
Got to admit I'm not intimately familiar with either player (have seen more of Plumlee) but on paper it looks like a steal for the Blazers.

If you look at their stats per 36 minutes, Nurkic is younger, has more rebounds and scores more points.

Age
Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS

26 POR NBA C 54 54 1516 5.6 10.5 .532 0.0 0.1 .000 5.6 10.4 .538 3.0 5.3 .567 2.8 7.4 10.3 5.1 1.2 1.5 2.1 3.5 14.2


22 DEN NBA C 45 29 807 6.7 13.3 .507 0.0 0.0 .000 6.7 13.3 .507 2.5 5.0.496 4.0 7.6 11.6 2.6 1.1 1.6 3.7 3.9 16.0

Admittedly straight up per game Plumlee has better stats because he plays more (28 minutes/game vs 18 minutes/game), but since Nurkic is still only 22, potentially I think he may have more of an upside.

They were discussing this on the NBA channel last night and seemed to indicate that the Nuggets were really going for it with this trade to try and get that 8th spot. I've got to admit I was surprised at their POV. If Mason Plumlee is your difference maker then you're really not winning much any time soon.

As I said, Plumlee is a good passer, even excellent one for a center. He managed assists-rebounds double-double even in the playoffs last year. The problem with him is that he's poor defensively and cannot protect the rim, and while he's good at passing the ball from the perimeter, he has literally zero mid-range shot. He's a good player and if you put him next to a defensively solid power forward who can stretch the floor, he's going to be good but we don't have such player nor do we have anyone with potential to become one. Nurkic does not pass as well but he passes better than Plums did at Brooklyn so there's hope for him, it's not like he is a terrible passer either. He's a MUCH better defender, a MUCH better low post scorer and a great rebounder too. He could be our Whiteside lite. I liked Denver's Balkan duo at the beginning of season but never thought we would be able to get one of them, and even have a pick added in the process!

Plumlee was also up for extension in the Summer and Blazers would not have been able to offer him anything without putting themselves in the luxury tax. Nurkic will only make $3M next year and will be RFA next year at which point we'll clear cap space to extend him, if he succeeds.

Okafor is apparently going to be traded to either Chicago or Portland today or the latest tomorrow. I don't see why we'd be moving for another center hours after getting one but truth is Leonard is hopeless as a back up and Ezeli is never going to be fit again and will likely be traded for cap space soon. Okafor is a completely different type of center than Nurkic, he doesn't have a clue defensively but can score. He's also likely to be available for little and we have picks to deal (Philly were apparently ready to deal him for Ajinca and a lotto protected pick, we have two non-lottery picks this year at least). If we could offload Crabbe in the process and free ourselves from his mammoth contract it'd actually be a decent move. Maybe even a late move for Ibaka could be in the works if that happens as we'll have cap space to extend him in the Summer (not much to offer once we let Crabbe go, though).

Basically now we need to find a way to move Crabbe, get someone who will take Leonard's contract and maybe try to see if someone's willing to offer anything of significance for Aminu, Davis or Harkless. It's rebuilding time and Nurkic plus a pick is an excellent start!
 
I doubt Curry, Paul, Harden, Butler and Wall could get the rebound numbers. If I meant purely points and assists then I'd agree with most of the list. Harden is not getting his rebound numbers and has a much, much better team around him than Westbrook. Westbrook would have his assist numbers if he was kicking the ball out to Andersen or Gordon instead of Roberson/Sabonis/whoever.

First: They would get the rebound numbers if they'd do the same brutal stat padding Westbrook does. He leads the league in uncontested rebounds per game and of all the players who average more than 5 rebounds/game he has the lowest percentage of how many of his rebounds are contested. Now, getting uncontested rebounds isn't a bad thing itself but if you look deeper into his stats it becomes clear what he sacrafices in order to push his rebounding stats. He is dead last in the whole NBA amongst players with more than 30 minutes per game when it comes to the amount of shots he has contested, a whole total of 192(!!). Too compare that, Harden has more than double that amount with 486. Even worse is that only 3 players with >=30mpg have less contested 3pointers, all centers (Gasol, Drummond and Gobert). So instead of contesting, he's constantly leaving his man open hanging around the paint in order to get defensive rebounds. Thats one of the reason why he's one of the worst guards with. Adding to that is the fact that he's getting an absurd high number of uncontested rebounds from missed FTs because OKC sets it up that way so that he can get them. What's worse is that 6 of his 8.7 defensive rebounds per game are from missed FGA from 13+ feet. He's a PG supposed to be guarding his man, hat is he doing so close to the basket getting all those rebounds?
So yeah, his rebounding is massively overrated, the whole OKC concept is set up that way to get him those, big mans boxing out the offensive big mans and he's hanging around the paint instead of guarding & contesting shots in order to grab more uncontested rebounds.

Second: Harden (and other players on that list like Paul and Wall) are much better passers than Westbrook, he wouldn't get as many assists as Harden does in that Houston team if he'd be asked to play the same role. Yes the teammates are slightly better but Harden (or Paul for that matter) is showing a variety of creating shot opportunities for his teammates compared to Westbrook who mostly relies on drive and kick it out.
 
Does Harden really have much better teammates? I really don't think Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon are much better than Oladipo, Kanter and Adams. The inferiority of this Thunder team is blown out of proportion. They have some decent players, obvious gap at small forward position but other than that they are fine.
 
Does Harden really have much better teammates? I really don't think Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon are much better than Oladipo, Kanter and Adams. The inferiority of this Thunder team is blown out of proportion. They have some decent players, obvious gap at small forward position but other than that they are fine.

Harden is probably my least favorite great player to watch in the league, but he's clearly had a superior season to Russ. He's just a far more efficient player that has consistent range out from beyond the arc which makes him more of a threat off the ball as well.
 
Nuggets 24-40 3 pointers. Credit where credit's due.

Denver's scoring has been insane lately. Nice to see a good game from Hernangomez too. I think they have the potential to be a very good team, they have drafted much better than some other lottery teams in recent years and should be an example for the likes of Kings to learn from.
 
Important win in Portland tonight, another OT win I think we're 4 of 4 in OT this season. Lillard somehow anti-clutch this year, I hope he gets it back together, really like him as a player.
 
Important win in Portland tonight, another OT win I think we're 4 of 4 in OT this season. Lillard somehow anti-clutch this year, I hope he gets it back together, really like him as a player.

We did try very hard to lose this game and succeeded. It looked like we wouldn't manage this when we went 7 ahead in overtime but boys did not disappoint in the end.

Is there a worse center in the league than Meyers? And why does Connaughton get minutes?
 
Is Jokic quietly the most talented young big in the league? While Embiid and Towns are getting the spotlight, he's producing better than either of them. Absolute monster of a player.

Read a funny story about his brother coming back from the US and seeing a 17-year old fat Nikola at home in Serbia. They did not even hope that he'd turn into a half decent basketball player given the fact that he was overweight. Barcelona scouts came to watch him play at Mega Basket and he was appaling, they never returned. Nuggets took a gamble at 41st pick in 2014 draft and he had the best season of his career in Europe during the following year, so they decided to bring him to Denver. He's going to be a centerpiece of that franchise.
 
@Sarni

Jokic -
Games - 48
Minutes - 26.8
Points: 16.3
FG % - 58.8%
Rebounds: 8.8
Blocks: 0.8
Assists: 4.3
Steals: 0.8

Embiid -
Games - 31
Minutes - 25.4
Points: 20.2
FG % - 46.6%
Rebounds: 7.8
Blocks: 2.5
Assists: 2.1
Steals: 0.9

KAT -
Games - 55
Minutes - 36.4
Points: 23.7
FG % - 51.7%
Rebounds: 11.8
Blocks: 1.5
Assists: 2.9
Steals: 0.7

Embiid and KAT are both doing more at the defensive end. Offensively, Jokic is way more efficient and is distributing the ball better.

As such I wouldn't say he is producing better than either of them - as for the attention, you know why Embiid is getting the attention (long injury lay off...downtrodden sixers organization, great personality)

KAT is already a legit player and will be an awesome player in years to come...Jokic has the potential to be superb, Embiid - injuries man...injuries.
 
Yeah, Jokic does not have the blocking ability of Embiid, he could get close to Towns here though. He's as good a rebounder as either of them IMO and is a more efficient offensive player as already said. He has to be mentioned with them as the best center prospect in the NBA I think, and the fact that he was drafted 41st only shows what a massive steal he was for Nuggets.
 
Kevin Love out for 6 weeks. More minutes for LeBron - man he's gonna be gassed come the Finals
If he's got any sense, he'll take nights off when he thinks he needs them. Within reason, the Cavs can lose as many games as they like. As long as they finish in the top 8, being in the East, they are a virtual shoe in to make the finals.
 
Ibaka to Toronto for Ross and the 2017 first rounder. Raptors know that they have to go for it otherwise they'll waste Lowry's prime.
 
Good trade for Raptors. Orlando have effectively traded Oladipo, Sabonis and Ilyasova for Ross and a pick which will be around #22. Wow.
 
What's ironic is that the better Ibaka makes Toronto, the lower Orlando's first rounder will be.
It doesn't really matter much. It will be a very late 1st rounder. Terrible trading from Orlando but they are great at this idiotic trades. Literally nothing they do makes sense, fully expect them to move Vucevic for a top 55 protected second round pick or something. Would be so typical.
 
It doesn't really matter much. It will be a very late 1st rounder. Terrible trading from Orlando but they are great at this idiotic trades. Literally nothing they do makes sense, fully expect them to move Vucevic for a top 55 protected second round pick or something. Would be so typical.
Oops deleted my post, meant to edit. Fortunately you have saved it for posterity. :)
 
Good trade for Raptors. Orlando have effectively traded Oladipo, Sabonis and Ilyasova for Ross and a pick which will be around #22. Wow.
They are trying to out-Sacramento Sacramento. And doing quite well at it.
 
I really enjoy watching Boogie playing. Best center in the league despite the occasional brainfarts.
 
I really enjoy watching Boogie playing. Best center in the league despite the occasional brainfarts.
Easily. If he was less crazy he'd probably be top 5 players in the league although when I come to think of it, maybe actually being less crazy would have made him worse.