Would the Lakers send the #2 pick to Indiana for George?
NBA 2016-17
- Thread starter ArmchairCritic
- Start date
Dope innit
Not a chance.
They should go for Russ. He shoots the ball badly. Tee-hee.
I was a huge KD fan, but the whole move, and subsequent issues, have spoiled a lot of the respect i had for the guy. Respect isnt the right word, He went to win and thats great, but the whole underdog image completely went.
6'10 dudes with 7'4 wingspans are usually not underdogs.
Hes actually 7.
I always use the combine measurements.
I strongly disagree with this having watched both of them play considerably throughout the NCAA season as a fan of a rival team (Arizona Wildcats) who played both players multiple times. Fultz is good but benefited massively in a system which maximized his ability to play his own game (in a team that went 9-22). Ball lifted a much maligned program into the limelight due to his sheer ability to make other players perform beyond their level. I think Fultz will be better in the first couple of years but Lonzo will be better over the long run.
Thanks for the insight. I've only been able to see several highlights of both and read scouting reports, which is obviously different from watching them on a regular basis. I think Ball's shooting technique will need a complete rework though because it's not going to cut it in the NBA, and guards who cannot shoot well have little place in current league. The way he shoots the ball now, he will get blocked a lot by much bigger NBA players.
The point about Fultz performing better on a losing team is a good one. Ideally you want someone who has proven to be able to win but then again, I think Ben Simmons' LSU were pretty poor last year too and he went no. 1 as well. Shame we could not see Simmons in the NBA so far, this is Philadelphia luck.
They're in final again. Curry and KD are unbelievable players.
All I want now is for coach Kerr to return.
All I want now is for coach Kerr to return.
Lonzo's shooting technique is definitely awkward to see. All I will say is that against the athletic players that my team (Wildcats) has he didn't seem to have any issues getting his shot off in catch and shoot situations. It's weird but it's a quick release which is more important. His shooting mechanics really become a problem though when he tries to shoot off the dribble and this will definitely be a problem in the NBA.
The reason why I bring up the 9-22 record in the case of Fultz is not so much because I doubt his ability to win. In fact he was a very good second half player from what I remember but the issue was that his team was insanely over-reliant on him. As a result he knew he would always have the ball in his hands and could therefore focus on getting to work in multiple ways (free-throw line, dribble penetration, shoot off the dribble etc.).
My reasoning behind Fultz being better in the short term over Lonzo is that he can come into a team right away and be a volume scorer as he can score the ball in so many different ways. A team like Boston (or a a struggling team) can most immediately benefit from adding a player who can find his own shot and take over a game. Lonzo is not a volume scorer at this point in time so the stat-sheet will heavily favor Fultz early on. Over time though I just don't see Fultz having the same type of ceiling as Lonzo. Lonzo's best traits are making everyone around him better as an elite passer and pushing the ball in the open court (similar to Wall in this respect). Those two skills are natural to his game and won't go away. With time, he can learn how to score in the NBA as he adjusts his shooting mechanics. I think what you see with Fultz right now is largely what you will get in 5 years (albeit at an improved level).
All I want is for the Cavs to beat them. Cannot see it though unfortunately.
My guess is that he won't coach the finals unless things are going south. I think they will let Mike Brown continue but if things are not going well Steve Kerr will come back to try and rally/motivate the troops.
If Klay Thompson doesn't pick up his game the warriors aren't going to win...he can't shoot 30 odd percent from the field in the finals. Simply can't do it. Steph is going to have to slow things down at times - he always has a few turnovers in him, and you accept that because his tempo and ability to create are net gainers. But - against the Cavs...it'll cost them if he isn't careful.
Also KD has been lights out in the playoffs - talk about being efficient.
Also KD has been lights out in the playoffs - talk about being efficient.
Klay's offense is certainly troubling although his defense has once again been excellent. Hopefully he can snap out of his funk before the finals. Steph, on the other hand, is having the best post season of his career - shooting better than 50/40/90 from the field and also being second in defensive win shares and fifth in overall defensive rating. Also, believe it or not his turnovers are lower than in any post season of his career, with the six last night being an aberration as opposed to the norm. However, as you rightly pointed out, the Warriors as a whole are struggling with their turnovers and it is a problem they really need to sort out ASAP if they want to bring a Championship home.
As to KD, I suppose he comes in handy at a pinch.
More in terms of the Lebron/KD debate at the time when KD was seen as the leagues second best player behind lebron. it was easier to root for someone and not feel like bandwagoning when they arent universally seen as the best in their field.
Curry definitely is. Durant's lucky to be there.
Durant is excellent. Even without being the main man, he still gives superstar performances and incredible efficiency. He is shooting 56 - 42 - 89 in this playoff, averaging 25 points. You cannot ask more from him.
Yeah he's an all time great scorer, though pretty obvious that he's not in the group of players who would win you championships being the main man. Curry dominates games at a different level and most importantly, makes the entire team play to a high level. Same goes for Westbrook, excellent player but he'll never be someone who can lead a championship winning team. Or Harden for that matter. The Thunder lot don't have what it takes.
I'd rather have Durant than Curry if I was building a team for one season.
Well, there is a single player in the NBA who does that consistently. Bryant and especially Duncan were too others but they retired.
Curry wasn't even the best player in his team during the finals they won, and was quite bad the next year. This year, he has been great, but Durant is contributing as much as him. And the nice thing for Warriors, is that there seem to be absolutely no jealousy between them. They are playing for rings, not for personal glory.
As opposed to Durant's playoffs history? Last year at least he came back from injury, what's Durant's excuse of his performances vs the Warriors.
Only scoring wise offensively. Overall, it's not even close. Curry's influence on the team is far, far larger.
Depends, if it already has a strong leader and needs a scoring weapon, then Durant. But if the team needs a main man in offense who can lead the team from the front, then Curry. When it comes to clutch situation, not just the last few minutes but the ones where you need crucial buckets, there's no chance I'd ever choose Durant over Curry. Durant can score in more ways, and that's it. Mentally, he's never shown the amount of character as Curry has. Even in the last finals, Curry took the shot that would have won the Warriors a back to back. Obviously he missed and we know the rest but he's the man who will take a shot that important and back himself to pull it off, as would the rest of the team who looks towards him in most of such situations, Durant has never been that guy and never will. He's weak.
Last year, on Western finals, he scored more points than any other player (30 per match), was second in rebounds (Green was first) and joint first (with Green) on blocks. His three point shooting was off, but bar a game, he was very good in that series.
Curry is running the offense, but Durant is more than just a support player. He is scoring more efficiently than any other player in the league, and until he got injured, he was leading Warriors in points, rebounds and blocks.
I don't think that there is much between them. Durant was the better player during the first half of the season, since he got injured, Curry was the better player.
On playoffs both have been excellent. Just look at the first Spurs match, Curry exploded in the third quarter to bring Warriors back in game, Durant exploded in the fourth quarter to win the match for them.
I would say that LeBron is on a category of his own, then you have Curry, Durant and Kawhi in the category below LeBron. And really, there isn't much between them.
Kyrie explosion.
Big performance from Kryie when Cavs needed him after Lebron was in foul trouble. Imagine people think he would be nothing without Lebron, nothing but haters. The guy can dribble, shoot, pass and is just a pure finisher.
That comeback from 10 pts defect to win by 13 pts proves the strong mentality Cavs players have and proves people were too rush in their assumptions. Problem of this Cavs team is their indifference and uninteresting attitude they show in some games that leads to a mistaken judgement of them.
Irving is the second most important played in the team and one of the best in league no doubt. The only doubts people have with him is his ability to lead the team completely on his own when LeBron era ends, but this can't be proven to be true or not till we see it by ourselves, not based on some random games in regular season.
Enjoyed this series so far and Celtics did well to push it to game 5. Much better series than that sweep machine in the West.
Irving is the second most important played in the team and one of the best in league no doubt. The only doubts people have with him is his ability to lead the team completely on his own when LeBron era ends, but this can't be proven to be true or not till we see it by ourselves, not based on some random games in regular season.
Enjoyed this series so far and Celtics did well to push it to game 5. Much better series than that sweep machine in the West.
Not to forget, LeBron also got 34 pts even though it's not his best day. Such a legend.
No one gives a shit about meaningless scoring stats (something this Thunder lot is elite at) when you couldn't take your team to the finals after leading 3-1 in the conference finals while having players like Westbrook and Ibaka (who were also at fault obv) in your team. There are multiple players in the league such as LeBron, Kawhi, Curry and even the younger ones like AD and KAT who would have closed that motherfecking series right there, and played the finals instead of Golden State. Durant has absolutely no leadership skills, for a player who performs at such a high level he has never inspired anyone in his team in a crunch situation like Curry does. No one ever 'plays for' Kevin Durant, despite whatever he's doing on the court. That's what any great player has, and Curry has that. He is always individually good but that's far from what makes anyone a great player. He'd be remembered as a tremendous scoring machine but nowhere near the greatest players of all time which is absurd for someone who has those kinds of stats and consistency. His last comment about the fans pretty much summed up what a repulsive personality he is, and why he couldn't take those great Thunder teams to a championship while having the likes of Westbrook and Harden there.
In simple words, swap Durant and Curry and Thunder are in the NBA Finals, no question. He wouldn't score more than KD or anything, but he will do what is needed and take that team there. And the team will do it for him, as well. I don't what is in the water in Oklahoma but all three of these superstars just simply lack the fundamental concept of teamwork and caring about the rest of the team. They are all simply about individual glory, and unless Harden or Westbrook join another top team like Durant did and play under the shadow of someone else just providing individual brilliance, they won't win shit. Curry has already taken his team to three finals in a row, all time great regular season records while throughout being the central presence and the one they all depended upon ultimately to achieve that. Durant on this team is nothing more than a 30 ppg stat, he has no presence or aura about him whatsoever.
Currently touring California and started in San Francisco - the other half has got quite into the NBA to my surprise. Great for me because I get to go to sports bars when the games are on and she doesn't mind. Naturally she chose to support the Warriors (given it was her first time watching and we were in the Bay area) and is loving it. I'm a Raptors fan myself so...meh.
We still have a bit of learning to go - she referred to the court as the 'pitch' and the tip-off as the 'kick-off'. She'll get there though. I'm a Warriors fan by-proxy for the Final I'm afraid.
We still have a bit of learning to go - she referred to the court as the 'pitch' and the tip-off as the 'kick-off'. She'll get there though. I'm a Warriors fan by-proxy for the Final I'm afraid.
So who will win the title ? I don't know much about basketball but would Lebron be good enough to do it again against GS ?
Dubs will sweep Cavs
Dubs will sweep Cavs
I noticed by reading posts and comments that both set of fans truly dislike each other, I'm personally as neutral as it gets
Just hope to see some good matches is allThe same Curry who lost the finals despite that he was winning 3-1? Becoming the first ever team to lose the finals after getting that lead.
AD and KAT should maybe qualify first for playoff before we hypothesize what they can do. And Kawhi, well, Durant was the star of the semis when Thunders defeated Spurs 4-1, despite that Spurs had the home advantage.
Durant isn't a great leader, I grant you that. The comparisons with Tracy McGrady seem to hold not only for their style of play, but also for their lack of leadership compared with the other greats.
I think that part of the reason why Thunders didn't win something was Westbrook. It is impossible to play with that guy and win something. Harden wasn't a superstar back then, he wasn't that great.
Curry is probably a better leader, but not that much. On the first finals, Iguodala got MVP of the playoffs, and in the second finals, Curry totally flopped. Not a sign of great leadership IMO. He was the MVP of the regular season both those years.
This year, Durant has as much to do with Warriors having this record in the playoff. Both have been equally great (and Green has been almost as good as them to be fair).
I kind of disliked LeBron, but not after last season. Despite that I wanted Dubs to win, he showed the greatest performance in finals ever. And after that, it is impossible to not appreciate what he does.I noticed by reading posts and comments that both set of fans truly dislike each other, I'm personally as neutral as it gets
Fans disliking the other team is great. After a long time, we have an another rivalry.
Completely disagree, if you can look beyond the stats.
You need to consider also their defensive contribution. Durant has been an elite defender (not as good as Green, obviously), Curry is just a competent one.
Curry is more important for the warriors than Durant that is true and maybe you can say he's more of a 'leader' (although for golden state Green definitely take that role) but the notion that Durant is 'weak' is completely moronic and mostly driven by upset Westbrook fans.
We're talking about someone who scored over 30ppg on 55% shooting in the NBA finals against LeBron as a 23 year old. Weak' my ass.
We're talking about someone who scored over 30ppg on 55% shooting in the NBA finals against LeBron as a 23 year old. Weak' my ass.