NBA 2022-2023

[Sarni]

Ya I think there are definitely better packages out there than what the Nets got ultimately. If KD is not fully bought in though its a big risk to give up what it would require.

Indeed, he’s a 34 year old superstar that you need to deliver immediately and would have to mortgage your entire future. It’s a risk.

I would probably put Portland’s package higher not because of players as it’s more or less equal (Bridges and Cam are easily better right now but Simons and Sharpe are much younger and have shown promise, plus Simons seems like he is actually a fun player to build around - even more so if you are currently a bad team) but picks have more certainty over them as you’d own the future of a team whose all best players are well over 30. Basically there would be no way that Portland are anything but absolutely terrible from 2026 onwards while Booker and Ayton are young enough to still have Phoenix at respectable level once CP3 and KD are gone.

 

[Andrade]

Curry's was no way near as long.... nor did he seem to overly care. But the NBA loves themselves for absurdist stat celebration, I mean I guess this is the prime stat. I'd be more impressed if he ends up at #2 on the assists leaderboard though, and insanely enough, it's pretty much inevitable as well at this point, since he's barely hinted at retiring and claimed a few more years the other week... but the scoring ones been inevitable for like 15 years. I wouldn't even consider retiring if I were him until I'm struggle to get 20 a night, and MJ was coasting to that after taking 3 years out 20 years ago at 40, while the league was average 20 less per game in general. What a freak! (but so's Lebron).

I view it similarly to some of the records Ronaldo broke, like the international goalscoring record. Just a function of playing a long time in an era when no opponent is allowed to even breathe on you. Longevity deserves respect in and of itself but it doesn't necessarily make you a better player than someone who had a shorter career.

 

[ExoduS]

As a Nuggets fan cause of Jokic I am disgusted by their trades. Traded Bones Highland for 2 draft picks. Pathetic. Durant trade to Suns makes me sick, absolutely sick. Suns are going from a failed season to title contenders, maybe even favorites. Such trades should be illegal in my opinion, but whatever. That's NBA.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

As a Nuggets fan cause of Jokic I am disgusted by their trades. Traded Bones Highland for 2 draft picks. Pathetic. Durant trade to Suns makes me sick, absolutely sick. Suns are going from a failed season to title contenders, maybe even favorites. Such trades should be illegal in my opinion, but whatever. That's NBA.

Eh maybe - I'm no expert on the Nuggets but it seems many feel like getting rid of Hyland is a case of addition by subtraction? Never seemed like he fully gelled with Jokic.

Think the Nuggets got better too by getting Bryant - a competent backup for Jokic had to be the priority and Bryant is a great option there. Obviously it sucks having the Suns suddenly super-powered but they now have limited wing depth and are still reliant on Chris Paul staying healthy for the playoffs. They look great on paper offensively but their defense is going to be a sieve. Don't think they're better than the Celtics, Bucks, Nuggets, or Sixers personally.

 

[Sarni]

As a Nuggets fan cause of Jokic I am disgusted by their trades. Traded Bones Highland for 2 draft picks. Pathetic. Durant trade to Suns makes me sick, absolutely sick. Suns are going from a failed season to title contenders, maybe even favorites. Such trades should be illegal in my opinion, but whatever. That's NBA.

Why should they be illegal? They gave a lot back in return and it came to a point where both sides were satisfied.

 

[ExoduS]

Why should they be illegal? They gave a lot back in return and it came to a point where both sides were satisfied.

I just hate what Durant and Kyrie are doing. Very annoying. I understand it is all legit, it just doesn't sit right with me. I wish Suns and Mavericks a disastrous season from now on as I dislike inorganic teams.

 

[JPRouve]

I just hate what Durant and Kyrie are doing. Very annoying. I understand it is all legit, it just doesn't sit right with me. I wish Suns and Mavericks a disastrous season from now on as I dislike inorganic teams.

Do you have an issue with Durant and Kyrie requesting trades or with the ExoduS that it provoked in other teams?

 

[Sarni]

I just hate what Durant and Kyrie are doing. Very annoying. I understand it is all legit, it just doesn't sit right with me. I wish Suns and Mavericks a disastrous season from now on as I dislike inorganic teams.

Well KD at least won Warriors titles and he brought a haul back to Nets when he was traded. Kyrie helped Cavs win the championship but then proceeded to be a problem at Boston and Nets and both of them sacrificed more than they got back from him or for him. They are not the same.

 

[MrMarcello]

I wonder if the Mavs even inquired on Durant's availability and if so did they have anything to get him instead of Irving?

If they didn't inquire, just imagine their shock when Durant got traded. "We didn't even think of asking."

 

[Sarni]

I wonder if the Mavs even inquired on Durant's availability and if so did they have anything to get him instead of Irving?

If they didn't inquire, just imagine their shock when Durant got traded. "We didn't even think of asking."

Well if Nets just decided they didn’t care about assets they receive and were desperate to send Durant to Dallas specifically, that deal could have happened. If that did not happen then no way at all Dallas would have been able to put anything close to what Suns gave and there would have been at least 3-4 other teams capable of giving Brooklyn more.

Also Durant was not available before Irving was traded, nor did he want to leave apparently. It all fell apart since Kyrie’s trade request.

 

[SinNombre]

Do you have an issue with Durant and Kyrie requesting trades or with the ExoduS that it provoked in other teams?

He has an issue with Jokic’s legacy if they fall to the Mavs or the Suns in the playoffs.

Happy with GP2 back to the Warriors. Hopefully Olynyk is available on the buyout market and I would be optimistic with the rotation.

 

[RORY65]

He has an issue with Jokic’s legacy if they fall to the Mavs or the Suns in the playoffs.

Happy with GP2 back to the Warriors. Hopefully Olynyk is available on the buyout market and I would be optimistic with the rotation.

Looks like Payton may not be going back to Golden State now, apparently there's been an issue with his physical exam which indicates he could be out for months.

 

[SinNombre]

Looks like Payton may not be going back to Golden State now, apparently there's been an issue with his physical exam which indicates he could be out for months.

Oh ffs - season is cooked then unless Steph is rushed back which would be dumb.

Not a good look for the blazers

Payton, according to sources, had been playing through pain in Portland. Sources added that the Blazers training staff had been pushing him to gut through it, giving him Toradol shots. This had not been relayed to the Warriors during the negotiation process.

 

[ExoduS]

He has an issue with Jokic’s legacy if they fall to the Mavs or the Suns in the playoffs.

Happy with GP2 back to the Warriors. Hopefully Olynyk is available on the buyout market and I would be optimistic with the rotation.

That is right. Nuggets need to have a great run this year as last 2 years were terrible. They didn't have best players and people talked sh1t about Jokic and how he is bad playoff player and undeserving MVP. This is the first year they might enter playoff with a full team after awhile. Looking forward to that but these 2 trades - especially Durant one - might make things complicated.

 

[Charlie Foley]

As a Nuggets fan cause of Jokic I am disgusted by their trades. Traded Bones Highland for 2 draft picks. Pathetic. Durant trade to Suns makes me sick, absolutely sick. Suns are going from a failed season to title contenders, maybe even favorites. Such trades should be illegal in my opinion, but whatever. That's NBA.

Why? What kind of trades should be permitted ?

 

[ExoduS]

Why? What kind of trades should be permitted ?

The ones that benefit the teams I like and not the competition.

When I look at the trade with a cooler head, it looks like "a fair trade". Initially it looked to me that Suns got Durant for not much as they didn't give any of the core players (Paul, Booker, Ayton). However losing Bridges can be very costly.

 

[R'hllor]

I dont have issue with KD trade one bit, its within the rules, i do however think its lame, give me GSW way any day of the week, you draft well, you develop those players, build a culture and then add remaining pieces that fit from outside.

West looks way more interesting now and thats good, still think GSW full healthy is team to come out from West.

 

[elmo]

I still don’t like the trade.

I’ve doubts over whether KD will bring us over the hump and get us a ring this year, because all this has done is just bring forward our championship deadline to this year and next year max because times ticking down for CP3.

Worst part is that we could have had a young team that’s a contender if James Jones just drafted Halliburton instead of Jalen Smith.

Inagine a lineup with CP3, Booker, Mikal, Cam and Ayton with Halliburton running the show when CP3 sits. We would have been a contender for at least the next 5 years.

 

[WeePat]

 

[SinNombre]

Klay and Poole bricking it in the 4th to lose to the Lakers. Warriors are cooked and will have to trade one of the big names in the summer.

 

[charlton66]

Klay and Poole bricking it in the 4th to lose to the Lakers. Warriors are cooked and will have to trade one of the big names in the summer.

For pretty much the entire season, I've believed that if the Dubs roster could get healthy and on the same page then the this team could be a top contender. Sad to say I'm now starting to believe that this year's Warriors truly are a five hundred team.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Celtics confirmed deepest team in the league? Tatum shot 3-16 (and didn't make a FG in the second half), no Brown, no Smart, no Brogdon and they still beat the Grizzlies.

 

[Sarni]

Magic released Ross yesterday and he immediately went to Suns. I think we are going to see quite a few players eager to jump at the chance to play for the new NBA super team and by the time they fill out their roster with buyout players they will be firm favorites.

 

[Skåre Willoch]

Celtics confirmed deepest team in the league? Tatum shot 3-16 (and didn't make a FG in the second half), no Brown, no Smart, no Brogdon and they still beat the Grizzlies.

For sure. Even without the guys you mention, Boston still had 8 players scoring double digit points!

 

[Sarni]

While Mavs offense definitely looks way better with Kyrie and Doncic, admittedly they are quite fun to watch, their defense is predictably disastrous. Wolves shot 58% last night, that's after Kings shot 54% (in a loss) and 51% (in a win) in consecutive games against them last weekend. This is also an issue you are not likely to address through buyout players as the market will be saturated with offensive score-first players rather than defensively astute veterans.

Green has looked good though as DFS replacement so if they can keep Kyrie beyond offseason, with all their future picks bar 2029 becoming unencumbered I reckon they could build something there. They won't have cap space but even your average mid-level exception player (they are going to make $12m or so a year next year) could help you greatly with the issues that they have. If you throw in a decent rim protector and a wing defender they could be up there with contending teams, the offense built around Luka and Kyrie is always going to be good enough.

 

[RobinLFC]

It's still Kyrie though, imo the first few weeks were always going to be going well - we know he's one of the best players in the league offensively if he feels like it.

Things *will* start going downhill at one point though, not to mention that he's basically a rental who expects a huge contract in the summer. Just like you can simply predict that AD will get injured, you can predict that Kyrie will cause chaos. He has the track record now to say that it's way more likely than not that he will (unfortunately, cause apart from his personality I love watching him play).

 

[Sarni]

Celtics confirmed deepest team in the league? Tatum shot 3-16 (and didn't make a FG in the second half), no Brown, no Smart, no Brogdon and they still beat the Grizzlies.

Like Toronto used to, they have a knack of finding use for average players and making them look a lot better in their system. Even someone like Muscala who is pretty average is going to look good there, and a pretty poor player like Kornet is able to get minutes there and not look terrible. Individually behind Tatum and Brown their team is not that amazing but they are all playing at 120% of their ability.

 

[MrMarcello]

I just don't get what analytics or reports or whatever it is they use in Dallas to make decisions like this. Ever since Cuban slashed the championship winning 2011 side they've been nowhere near legitimately competing for a title, last year was an aberration to get that far. I have no clue what their plan is going forward. Giving Irving a big contract is bordering on insanity.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Like Toronto used to, they have a knack of finding use for average players and making them look a lot better in their system. Even someone like Muscala who is pretty average is going to look good there, and a pretty poor player like Kornet is able to get minutes there and not look terrible. Individually behind Tatum and Brown their team is not that amazing but they are all playing at 120% of their ability.

Yeah it also helps that they have so many elite defenders and that the core of the team has been together for a while so they are more than the sum of their parts on that end - it's far easier for someone like Muscala's weaknesses to be somewhat minimized, at least over shorter stretches.

Mazzulla deserves a ton of credit as well for moving the team to a more flexible, pass-heavy offense too.

 

[Bubz27]

Great app-ortunity for anyone needing one. PM me. Hopefully it's clear enough what I'm saying.

 

[Sarni]

It's still Kyrie though, imo the first few weeks were always going to be going well - we know he's one of the best players in the league offensively if he feels like it.

Things *will* start going downhill at one point though, not to mention that he's basically a rental who expects a huge contract in the summer. Just like you can simply predict that AD will get injured, you can predict that Kyrie will cause chaos. He has the track record now to say that it's way more likely than not that he will (unfortunately, cause apart from his personality I love watching him play).

I just don't get what analytics or reports or whatever it is they use in Dallas to make decisions like this. Ever since Cuban slashed the championship winning 2011 side they've been nowhere near legitimately competing for a title, last year was an aberration to get that far. I have no clue what their plan is going forward. Giving Irving a big contract is bordering on insanity.

They have to offer him full max this off-season, maximum year and maximum salary. Anything less and he will feel offended and you risk losing him, and you just cannot lose him. Best case scenario is probably that he plays another season or two at this level before he inevitably sulks and you need to trade him to another team but with successful recruitment you may have some success before it happens. IMO lose him next June and they are almost certain to lose Luka soon as trying to surround him with talent will take years.

 

[charlton66]

In this day and age of players missing games due to "rest" the NBA really don't help themselves. Tonight the Dubs play the Clippers on a back to back. The Clips haven't played since Friday and the Warriors also have to travel. Why not move the game to tomorrow night? Yes, that would put the Clippers on a back to back but they would be playing their 2nd game in six days. The Dubs are now playing 3 games in 4 nights with a travel day included. Makes no sense to me.

 

[ExoduS]

In this day and age of players missing games due to "rest" the NBA really don't help themselves. Tonight the Dubs play the Clippers on a back to back. The Clips haven't played since Friday and the Warriors also have to travel. Why not move the game to tomorrow night? Yes, that would put the Clippers on a back to back but they would be playing their 2nd game in six days. The Dubs are now playing 3 games in 4 nights with a travel day included. Makes no sense to me.

NBA scheduling is the worst. Nuggets are playing Memphis (important game) away on 2/25 and next night Clippers at home. BS scheduling. They really need to reduce the greed and reduce the games to something players can manage. It's sad when a "competitive" games are treated like pre-season where best players can be rested. So stupid and getting out of control.

 

[JPRouve]

Early days but I didn't expect Conley to fit seemlessly, he plays with more urgency than I expected from a 35 years old player. Now some of his turnovers have been funny but in general Conley and McLaughlin looks like a good pairing of point guards, they allow pretty much any combination around them.

 

[Sarni]

I love my Blazers, they give you a glimmer of hope with great performance against Lakers, Thybulle will show that he can shoot 4-6 from three and you start hoping that maybe, just maybe his offense is not going to be hopeless and paired with his impeccable defense he may prove to be a shrewd acquisition, only to then follow this up with a dreadful blowout drubbing from the hands of mighty Washington Wizards.

 

[JPRouve]

I love my Blazers, they give you a glimmer of hope with great performance against Lakers, Thybulle will show that he can shoot 4-6 from three and you start hoping that maybe, just maybe his offense is not going to be hopeless and paired with his impeccable defense he may prove to be a shrewd acquisition, only to then follow this up with a dreadful blowout drubbing from the hands of mighty Washington Wizards.

There is no one in the world that understand what it is to be a Wolves fans outside of a Blazers fan.

 

[Sarni]

There is no one in the world that understand what it is to be a Wolves fans outside of a Blazers fan.

What I find the toughest to resist is the overhyping of each and every player we acquire via trade in what initially seems to be good value reclamation project. We've hardly ever succeeded, and the best one over the last decade is probably Moe Harkless who was still just about a decent rotation player in the NBA for a few years and is currently unable to find a team at 29, but every single time I fall for this anyway only to realize that there must have been a good reason why Sixers were happy to let Thybulle go for a pack of chips and why Knicks did not value Reddish even when everyone else was injured. The idea of these players is always much, much better than whatever the best possible outcome you can garner from them.

 

[JPRouve]

What I find the toughest to resist is the overhyping of each and every player we acquire via trade in what initially seems to be good value reclamation project. We've hardly ever succeeded, and the best one over the last decade is probably Moe Harkless who was still just about a decent rotation player in the NBA for a few years and is currently unable to find a team at 29, but every single time I fall for this anyway only to realize that there must have been a good reason why Sixers were happy to let Thybulle go for a pack of chips and why Knicks did not value Reddish even when everyone else was injured. The idea of these players is always much, much better than whatever the best possible outcome you can garner from them.

Thibs took that naivety away from me. The Rubio, KAT, Wiggins and Lavine had me convinced that in due time things would be great, then Thibs traded Lavine for Butler and jettisoned Rubio I hated it but Butler was a genuine superstar, then Butler did his thing and my innocence left with him.

Now even though I highly rate McDaniels and Edwards, I'm waiting for the scheduled disaster to happen.

 

[RobinLFC]

The GOAT turns 60 today. Time flies, man.

 

[JPRouve]

The GOAT turns 60 today. Time flies, man.

It's crazy that he is still leading the Lakers at that age.