NBA 2018-2019

[charlton66]

CP3 didn't lead his team in assists last season too. And to plbe fair he played more like a 2 than 1, with Harden keeping more the ball.

Steph is easily the best PG in the league. He just shares the ball much more than other PGs and that is for the good of the team.

Chris Paul has led the entire NBA in assists 4 times in his career and has a career average of almost 10 per game. He is the archetypal point guard. Last year he only started 58 games whereas James Harden started 72 and there was less than 1 assist per game between them. I'd be interested to see what Harden averaged in assists in games that he played without CP3.

EDIT: As a quick reference, James Harden had 4 triple doubles last year and had 50 total assists in those games. Chris Paul did not play in any of them.

 

[VanHaal'sRedArmy]

Liverpool stakeholder mentioning Man Utd in the same category as the Lakers, Celtics, Pats

Other than that, interesting interview from LeBron. Extracts can be found on the ESPN Twitter account for those who are interested.

Tbf he sees LFC as an investment opportunity rather than having an interest in being a supporter (a fan's perspective).

I'm sure if the Glazers extended that opportunity to become a part owner he would have taken it.

 

[RobinLFC]

Tbf he sees LFC as an investment opportunity rather than having an interest in being a supporter (a fan's perspective).

I'm sure if the Glazers extended that opportunity to become a part owner he would have taken it.

He got a small stake in FSG because he allowed them to be his worldwide exclusive marketing representatives or something like that, so it's probably business-minded yeah. He has always maintained he's a fan of the club as well, although that could just be to get our fans to warm to him. Either way, good investment on his part.

 

[villain]

Liverpool stakeholder mentioning Man Utd in the same category as the Lakers, Celtics, Pats

Other than that, interesting interview from LeBron. Extracts can be found on the ESPN Twitter account for those who are interested.

Hilarious that he mentioned us at all to be fair, he really didn’t need to because he made his point already, or at least he could’ve mentioned Liverpool in the same sentence.
I do think he’s a Liverpool fan though.

 

[kouroux]

Lebron officially becomes my favorite NBA player now

 

[charlton66]

@Revan FYI. Thought you might be interested.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/patric...s-look-like-this-time-next-year/#6a1ae4ea7802

 

[Sarni]

I reckon Durant could leave after this season. If it wasn’t for the new arena which I think will be ready in 2019-20 I would be almost certain of that but with that factor I could maybe see him staying for an extra year to add fourth title.

 

[charlton66]

I reckon Durant could leave after this season. If it wasn’t for the new arena which I think will be ready in 2019-20 I would be almost certain of that but with that factor I could maybe see him staying for an extra year to add fourth title.

If all of this were taking place in a vacuum there's no real reason why he should leave but if the outside chatter continues to get to him he might decide that enough is enough and find a new team. Personally, I think he will play at least one year in the new arena and maybe a second if the Dubs are still winning.

The factor that is not really being taken into account is that Durant is supposedly a real "techie" and like LeBron wanted to be in Hollwood, KD seems to like it in Silicon Valley.

 

[Revan]

Durant will stay you mofos. Dubs in a year or two should go for AD. Curry - Durant - AD will be incredible and Dubs can likely afford him if they give up Klay and Green.

 

[ZDwyr]

Durant is not staying at the Warriors after next season. I'd say there's a 10% chance he goes for two more, but very unlikely. Even if they told him they could get AD, I doubt it would convince him. The guy is so insecure about his standing in the league and how others view him. He needs to get away from the GSW and carve out a legacy with a team where he will be remembered fondly.

An OKC reporter said a few weeks ago that Durant doesn't really have a basketball 'home.' Yeah, sure, Warriors fans like him but it's pretty obvious that this team will be remembered Steph's. He burned so many bridges in OKC that no one there wants to claim him. He just lacks a place. LeBron has the Cavs, Kobe has the Lakers, Duncan has the Spurs etc. He needs to go and achieve something somewhere else.

 

[Akshay]

I really doubt KD has taken discounts and waited for the Dubs to acquire his Bird rights just to walk away from the supermax and sign somewhere else. It'd make no sense.

 

[Sarni]

Durant will stay you mofos. Dubs in a year or two should go for AD. Curry - Durant - AD will be incredible and Dubs can likely afford him if they give up Klay and Green.

They can only acquire him via trade, they will never be able to get him in free agency. And if teams start offering Pelicans trade packages I expect Boston to come up with a much more enticing one.

 

[Sarni]

I really doubt KD has taken discounts and waited for the Dubs to acquire his Bird rights just to walk away from the supermax and sign somewhere else. It'd make no sense.

I don’t think he cares that much about money. He could have easily signed longer deals and secured it long term if he cared that much. I don’t think the benefit of taking discount and then accepting a supermax would even be that big.

 

[Sarni]

Durant is not staying at the Warriors after next season. I'd say there's a 10% chance he goes for two more, but very unlikely. Even if they told him they could get AD, I doubt it would convince him. The guy is so insecure about his standing in the league and how others view him. He needs to get away from the GSW and carve out a legacy with a team where he will be remembered fondly.

An OKC reporter said a few weeks ago that Durant doesn't really have a basketball 'home.' Yeah, sure, Warriors fans like him but it's pretty obvious that this team will be remembered Steph's. He burned so many bridges in OKC that no one there wants to claim him. He just lacks a place. LeBron has the Cavs, Kobe has the Lakers, Duncan has the Spurs etc. He needs to go and achieve something somewhere else.

I also think this way. I reckon he will try to get East and build a team there. I would put New York as my favorite to acquire him, they will have cap space, they got one of the most iconic arenas in the league which is packed and buzzing when they are doing fine.

The longer he stays at Golden State the worse it is for the league. If he moves anywhere next season the NBA will become balanced and will start making sense again. Warriors need to become Curry, Klay and Draymond again.

 

[Akshay]

I don’t think he cares that much about money. He could have easily signed longer deals and secured it long term if he cared that much. I don’t think the benefit of taking discount and then accepting a supermax would even be that big.

I think his reasoning behind taking discounts was he knew he'd get paid big eventually, once the Warriors had his Bird rights. This way he gets the money and gets the rings (although I think Dubs would have managed anyway, discount or no). I'd be surprised if he chooses to walk in 2019 of all times.

 

[Sarni]

I think his reasoning behind taking discounts was he knew he'd get paid big eventually, once the Warriors had his Bird rights. This way he gets the money and gets the rings (although I think Dubs would have managed anyway, discount or no). I'd be surprised if he chooses to walk in 2019 of all times.

They had his Early Bird rights this year if I'm not mistaken so the only difference will have been the length of the contract (he can get 4 now as opposed to 5 next year).

 

[Revan]

They can only acquire him via trade, they will never be able to get him in free agency. And if teams start offering Pelicans trade packages I expect Boston to come up with a much more enticing one.

Better than Klay and Green?

 

[RobinLFC]

Better than Klay and Green?

Both will be over 30 at that time, while Boston will have many young assets.

 

[charlton66]

They had his Early Bird rights this year if I'm not mistaken so the only difference will have been the length of the contract (he can get 4 now as opposed to 5 next year).

They did, but signing a 4 year deal when you are 29 (30 in September) is quite a bit different than signing a 5 year deal when you are 30 going on 31. He would be getting max money at 35/36. Not sure he could find a team willing to match that at such an age.

Both will be over 30 at that time, while Boston will have many young assets.

AD's contract runs through season 20/21 but the last year is a player option so he could enter free agency at the end of the 2019/20 season at which point he could leave for nothing. If the Pelicans want to do a trade it would most likely be at the end of next season while he still has a year left on his contract at which point both Klay and Draymond would be 29. Having said all that if the Dubs can put together a decent bench I would be more than happy to go back to Steph, Klay and Draymond. In fact if Steph has still got something left in the tank and can play like he did pre-KD I'd almost prefer it. Remember last 22 games without KD on the floor and Steph plays they are 22-0.

 

[Sarni]

Better than Klay and Green?

Yes. If you are Pelicans and trading your best player I don't think you do that to win now, you do that to rebuild and Celtics have multiple young players and good picks that can turn into talent in the next two drafts. Besides, you'd need to extend both Klay and Green for them to have value and Green can only be extended in 2020 - the same year Davis expires so there's not a point where it would actually be doable to do that trade.

 

[charlton66]

LaVar puckering up early it seems.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nb...e-lonzo-ball-idolized-lebron-james/ar-BBLqz9z

 

[charlton66]

I don't usually like to mix sports and politics but I was really glad to see Adam Silver stand up for LeBron against Donald's idiotic rantings.

 

[Sarni]

I don't usually like to mix sports and politics but I was really glad to see Adam Silver stand up for LeBron against Donald's idiotic rantings.

I loved it too.

 

[charlton66]

@Revan FYI. Thought you might be interested.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/patric...s-look-like-this-time-next-year/#6a1ae4ea7802

@Revan FYI. The above was part I discussing the core four of the roster. This is part II of a three part look at the Dubs. This article discusses the prospective supporting cast post next summer. Part III will discuss the young players who Dubs management are possibly looking at to take over if some of the veterans leave.

 

[charlton66]

Alright I'm a sucker for cats (usually the domestic kind).



My cat gnaws on me all the time.

 

[kouroux]

I don't usually like to mix sports and politics but I was really glad to see Adam Silver stand up for LeBron against Donald's idiotic rantings.

It even made the quiet Jordan speak too. Trump is the king of WUMs

 

[charlton66]

Interesting viewpoint but the Russell/Chamberlain comparison is very apt.

https://thebiglead.com/2018/08/06/i...ink-lebron-james-was-better-than-steph-curry/

"Fifty years from now, LeBron’s record in the NBA Finals (3-6) is going to matter more than it does now. We know this because of Wilt Chamberlain. He was obviously the best player of his era — he averaged 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds per game for his career, yet nobody cares because Chamberlain lost twice as many Finals as he won and Bill Russell won 11 championships. Because of this, Russell is almost universally considered the superior player, even though, statistically, Russell was a shadow of the player Chamberlain was. Bill Russell never managed so much as 19 points per game in a single season...."

"LeBron will always have his defenders. But history, as they say, is written by the winners, and in his time, in this era, that’s Stephen Curry."

 

[Eboue]

if you think russell is superior you dont understand team sports

 

[charlton66]

if you think russell is superior you dont understand team sports

Actually I think the article is saying exactly that, that Chamberlain was superior - to quote "He was obviously the best player of his era — he averaged 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds per game for his career, yet nobody cares because Chamberlain lost twice as many Finals as he won..."

But what it is also saying is that fans/pundits, the media in general often don't seem to care that Chamberlain was superior when they are putting their greatest player ever lists together since Russell is often ranked above Wilt because of his record.

 

[Eboue]

come at me bros

 

[Scarecrow]

It was 50 years ago who cares

 

[Kasper]

Interesting viewpoint but the Russell/Chamberlain comparison is very apt.

https://thebiglead.com/2018/08/06/i...ink-lebron-james-was-better-than-steph-curry/

"Fifty years from now, LeBron’s record in the NBA Finals (3-6) is going to matter more than it does now. We know this because of Wilt Chamberlain. He was obviously the best player of his era — he averaged 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds per game for his career, yet nobody cares because Chamberlain lost twice as many Finals as he won and Bill Russell won 11 championships. Because of this, Russell is almost universally considered the superior player, even though, statistically, Russell was a shadow of the player Chamberlain was. Bill Russell never managed so much as 19 points per game in a single season...."

"LeBron will always have his defenders. But history, as they say, is written by the winners, and in his time, in this era, that’s Stephen Curry."

What? What a weak straw man to build up only to force that Curry/LeBron comparison on it.
LeBron will most likely go down as the goat, while Curry will probably end up in the Larry Bird tier, both apt I would say.

 

[Sarni]

Actually I think the article is saying exactly that, that Chamberlain was superior - to quote "He was obviously the best player of his era — he averaged 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds per game for his career, yet nobody cares because Chamberlain lost twice as many Finals as he won..."

But what it is also saying is that fans/pundits, the media in general often don't seem to care that Chamberlain was superior when they are putting their greatest player ever lists together since Russell is often ranked above Wilt because of his record.

Who ranks Russell above Wilt? It's insane.

 

[RobinLFC]

Curry will be rememberd as the greatest shooter of all time. This era will be remembered as the LeBron James era though, and definitely not the Curry one.

 

[Revan]

What? What a weak straw man to build up only to force that Curry/LeBron comparison on it.
LeBron will most likely go down as the goat, while Curry will probably end up in the Larry Bird tier, both apt I would say.

Really unlikely that LeBron wil will go down as GOAT.

I am not sure that Curry will even be remembered as even the second greatest player of his generation.

 

[Skåre Willoch]

Really unlikely that LeBron wil will go down as GOAT.

I am not sure that Curry will even be remembered as even the second greatest player of his generation.

That would be KD.

 

[Revan]

That would be KD.

Yeah, their careers are far from over but at this moment, KD is clearly the second greatest player of his generation and I have both him and Curry quite below Kobe, Shaw, Bird and Duncan.

 

[charlton66]

Who ranks Russell above Wilt? It's insane.

These are the four most recent rankings I could find - all from 2017/18

https://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/ranking-the-25-greatest-players-in-nba-history-100716 (2017)

Russell 7th, Wilt 8th

https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/top-10-greatest-nba-players-of-all-time-sstl/3 (2018)

Russell 5th Wilt 6th

https://www.slamonline.com/nba/slams-top-100-players-of-all-time-lebron-james-no-2/ (2018)

Russell 7th, Wilt 8th

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...ayers-of-all-time-where-do-lebron-curry-rank/ (2017)

Russell 6th, Wilt 3rd


EDIT: I thought I would include this one as well even though it's most influential rather than greatest. History tends to give more credence to something like this as opposed to just pure ability.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbarank22932314/nbarank-game-changers-25-most-influential-basketball-players-ever (2018)

Russell 4th Wilt 5th

I think this latter list points out some of the strengths and weaknesses of the original article. It does have Steph Curry ranked 10th because of the way he has changed the game on the court but also because of the way he has influenced a whole generation of kids. However, the article fails to take into account the effect LeBron also has had on influencing the game. When all is said and done I still think LBJ will be thought of as the greatest player of this generation in 50 years time but I would not be shocked if the era is remembered as LeBron vs Steph in the same way the 80s have become Magic vs Bird.

 

[Revan]

These are the four most recent rankings I could find - all from 2017/18

https://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/ranking-the-25-greatest-players-in-nba-history-100716 (2017)

Russell 7th, Wilt 8th

https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/top-10-greatest-nba-players-of-all-time-sstl/3 (2018)

Russell 5th Wilt 6th

https://www.slamonline.com/nba/slams-top-100-players-of-all-time-lebron-james-no-2/ (2018)

Russell 7th, Wilt 8th

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...ayers-of-all-time-where-do-lebron-curry-rank/ (2017)

Russell 6th, Wilt 3rd

I thought the original article was an interesting take and not one I would have considered myself even though I am a big Steph Curry fan. The Wilt/Bill Russell rankings by the media 50 years later though does give you food for thought or at least it does me because IMLTHO Wilt was obviously the more dominating player.

EDIT: I thought I would include this one as well . Even though it's most influential rather than greatest, history tends to give more credence to something like this as opposed to just pure ability.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbarank22932314/nbarank-game-changers-25-most-influential-basketball-players-ever (2018)

Russell 4th Wilt 5th

I think this latter list points out some of the strengths and weaknesses of the original article. It does have Steph Curry ranked 10th because of the way he has changed the game on the court but also because of the way he has influenced a whole generation of kids. However, the article fails to take into account the effect LeBron also has had on influencing the game. When all is said and done I still think LBJ will be thought of as the greatest player of this generation in 50 years time but I would not be shocked if the era is remembered as LeBron vs Steph in the same way the 80s have become Magic vs Bird.

Considering that KD is both better (and 50 years from now, finals MVP will decide that, cause similar to how you don't watch every game of Wilt or Russell, neither will the peope in 2070 watch every game of Steph and KD) and more famous, I really doubt it. LeBron - long gap - KD - Curry is how the era will be remembered.

Similar to how the nineties isn't Jordan vs whoever, this won't be remembered as LeBron vs Curry or LeBron vs KD. It will be LeBron and then KD and Curry.

 

[RobinLFC]

Considering that KD is both better (and 50 years from now, finals MVP will decide that, cause similar to how you don't watch every game of Wilt or Russell, neither will the peope in 2070 watch every game of Steph and KD) and more famous, I really doubt it. LeBron - long gap - KD - Curry is how the era will be remembered.

Similar to how the nineties isn't Jordan vs whoever, this won't be remembered as LeBron vs Curry or LeBron vs KD. It will be LeBron and then KD and Curry.

Durant is definitely not more famous than Curry. The whole of Asia walks around with Curry jerseys after LeBron and even in Belgium (maybe Europe to an extent, I have no idea), Curry has a bigger reach and influence. He's the second name people know if they are not into basketball.

Curry has also topped the NBA Jersey Sales list in three consecutive seasons if I'm not mistaken. He is the face of their franchise, not Durant even though he might be the better player.