Question time:

Who will play more games on the remainder of their current contracts (2+ years for each): Lonzo Ball or Jonathan Isaac?

I would still guess Lonzo because he seems like a more useful player. It's conceivable that Orlando just writes off Isaac's contract and he doesn't get picked up anywhere.

And now Durant is out for a good chunk of the rest of the season. Sprained his ankle in warm ups.

And now Durant is out for a good chunk of the rest of the season. Sprained his ankle in warm ups.


The Lakers winning the Western Conference is way too likely.

Question time:

Who will play more games on the remainder of their current contracts (2+ years for each): Lonzo Ball or Jonathan Isaac?

as a sixers fan, i believe i am expert in this particular field of inquiry.

lonzo's injury issues are chronic. he may play again if he manage/eliminate the pain; he'll probably even be good again because his skillset is more reliant on BBIQ/court vision/playmaking/positional defense/size/length/shooting than on run/jump/wiggle athleticism; but he'll never be the same player he was. he was already kind of a deliberate player; now he's going to be on the level of kyle anderson and post-sixers andre miller.

otoh:
isaac's injury issues appear to be a lengthy series of acute injuries. ankles, knees, hamstrings, hips; one after another after another. if he can figure out how to hit the whackamole, there's no reason he couldn't have an embiid/ilgauskas outcome (in terms of playing time; not skill level).


at this point, i will say that i love every single player i mentioned in this post. lonzo; isaac; embiid; anderson; okafor; miller; ilgauskas (well, that one's a stretch...but i was an enjoyer of his work)

Ball "doesn't have his normal gait" (as quoted by KC Johnson) after two surgeries. Joe Cowley wrote that there's suspected nerve damage. I will be surprised if he ever plays again.

I will be surprised if he ever plays again.

He'll stick around at least a couple more seasons. 10 games here, 20 games there. Really doubt he even gets more than 40 games in a season, and he will be greatly reduced in what he can do. AS Stiggles said, he does have those old man skills that stick around.

I'm no Draymond lover, but he really kills Dillon Brooks here, which I think we can all support. “I’m trying to figure out why they like you in Memphis. Or do they like you in Memphis? That’s a better question. ”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpi_zb8vm2_/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=&source=thebounce_newsletter&campaign=6319226

I'm no Draymond lover, but

I mean, if you have to say it....

The list of coaches who changed their schools’ fortunes more sharply than Boeheim is not a long one.

That success, for a while, made Boeheim teflon. In 2011, he passionately defended Bernie Fine, an assistant coach whom multiple men accused of molesting them as children. (Four men accused Fine, but one recanted and said he had lied.) The school saw enough reason to fire Fine but did not discipline Boeheim, who had cast two of Fine’s other accusers as liars out for money. (The school and the coach later settled a defamation lawsuit that those two accusers brought.) In 2019, Boeheim struck and killed a man with his car. Police never charged Boeheim with a crime, but investigators said he was speeding by at least 10 miles per hour in the seconds immediately before the crash. A later lawsuit filed by the estate of the man he hit did not get Boeheim bounced either.
[...]
Boeheim has had curmudgeonly qualities for ages, but he has looked downright on edge this year. He bullied a student reporter for asking a benign question after a loss, then extensively defended himself by arguing he hadn’t done what he’d done. He accused a couple of ACC teams of “buying” players, then pretended he hadn’t.

oof.

Twitter has informed me that Brooks/Draymond may get into a fight, so I'll put this on tv.

Jordan Poole is not a serious basketball player.

Jordan Poole is not a serious basketball player.

He's been so very poor. They probably need to move on from him in the offseason when he becomes tradeable. He doesn't seem to be capable of coexisting with Draymond.

oof.

This is always great reading when discussing the Boeheim legacy.

Game 12 (video link: Here)

Blazers (tshipman) 0-1 @ Hawks (Dolf Lucky) 0-1

Starting Lineups:

Blazers

Magic Johnson
Otis Birdsong
Scottie Pippen
Dennis Rodman
Bill Walton

Hawks

Jason Kidd
James Harden
Peja Stojakovic
Kevin Garnett
Dikembe Mutombo

Synopsis:

The beginning was a muddy mess, as scoring was hard to come by. The Hawks tried to get KG going, with his size advantage over Rodman, but The Ticket kept missing bunnies. The Blazers were also trying to find a crack as their big man Walton had little chance to score in the pivot against Dikembe. There was a little bit of breathing room when Walton picked up his 2nd foul, after which Mutombo began to run the lane. He finished the quarter with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and two blocks. Magic led the Blazers with six points, and the Hawks held a 28-24 lead. In Quarter Two, James Harden got hot from range, ultimately scoring 15 points in the quarter. I say he got hot, but really he hit a normal percentage on high, high volume. He’s option A and B. That scoring, combined with continued poor shooting from the Blazers (31% FG% at the half), made it 60-39 at halftime. From there, it was mostly even the rest of the way. Harden’s first half shooting seemed to open up driving lanes in the 2nd half, as the Hawks ran a lot of pick-and-roll. On the other side, Magic looked really good but beware to any other Blazer trying to drive the lane. Ultimately, the Blazers never shot well enough to threaten. Final score: Hawks 114 (1-1), Blazers 90 (0-2).

Key stat:

The Hawks blocked 13 shots, while the Blazers managed only two.

Nail in the coffin:

The game might have been over as soon as Harden found his range, but let’s go with the time KG slipped past Rodman to catch a J-Kidd bullet and laid it in to put his team up 22 with about 8 minutes remaining.

Player of the game:

The Beard rocked a 37/8/7 line, buffeted by 7-22 shooting from deep.

Strong in defeat:

Magic excelled, putting up 23/6/8 on just 15 shots. If he wasn’t programmed to be unselfish, his team would probably be better off.

Stifled:

Rudy Gobert may be frustrated by his diminished playing time (21 minutes in this game) but he’s channeling that frustration well. Gobert had 4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists(!), and…EIGHT BLOCKS.

Size matters:

An interesting matchup in this game was KG and Rodman. The Worm definitely did his job on defense, as Garnett was inefficient, especially early. But KG’s rebounding prowess was unaffected as the big man ended the game at 23 and 19.

A real headache:

With the Hawks’ centers ably controlling the middle, the Blazers turned to Scottie Pippen to provide mid range scoring. He came up small, logging six points on 2-13 shooting.

The next game up is the Celtics (Winter) and Bulls (Willard) in a meeting of 1-1 teams. Should be posted tonight or tomorrow morning…

Re: 1114 (Boeheim)

A whole lot of that stuff doesn't mean a lot to me. Like Boeheim hitting a person walking/standing on a highway in terrible weather. Why is that listed exactly? No crime was deemed to have occurred. It feels very much like the writer had made up their mind, and then wrote the article.

If you coach for 50 years, some athletes are going to have bad behavior that needs to be punished. Honestly that list of things seems pretty tame when we're thinking about things that have happened in college, including this year.

The academic/drug stuff is the big stuff. I always get conflicted about this sort of stuff. Similar with Kelvin Sampson's improper phone calls. Like how big of a deal is it that some extra phone calls were made or players who were smoking pot were allowed to play? Not very, in my mind. The academic stuff isn't good, but I think a lot of similar stuff happens around the landscape and we only hear some of it, and even some of what we hear - like UNC, who IIRC had much a much more systemic problem with this - gets acted on. I guess because they're a blue blood?

Yeah, I don't remember the 2019 highway death at all, but he clipped a guy who was on a highway after a crash in the dark? Tragic, but I'd suggest focusing on knowledge and defense of abuse and assault cases, and systematic academic fraud, not whether he was going 10 MPH over the speed limit on a major road.

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Matisse Thybulle: "For me, specifically, I feel like there was a lot more fear-based play in Philadelphia as opposed to what I’m doing here in Portland.” Former Sixers G back to having fun as member of Trail Blazers: ‘It’s been really nice to feel wanted’ inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-…

this organization did not treat thybulle well.

i mean, who among us hasn't killed someone standing on the side of the road? sometimes, even without a car.

A whole lot of that stuff doesn't mean a lot to me. Like Boeheim hitting a person walking/standing on a highway in terrible weather. Why is that listed exactly? No crime was deemed to have occurred. It feels very much like the writer had made up their mind, and then wrote the article.

FWIW:

-- in terrible weather, best practice is to drive 10 MPH under the speed limit, rather than 10 MPH over the speed limit. and

-- when there's a disabled car on the side of the road (or a police car; or construction workers; or a flock of bicycle people), best practice is to slow down, and to change lanes to make room (when possible).



i'm not saying that boeheim should have been thrown in prison, but the idea that he wasn't driving irresponsibly or carelessly or recklessly is kinda bullshit.

i'm not saying that boeheim should have been thrown in prison, but the idea that he wasn't driving irresponsibly or carelessly or recklessly is kinda bullshit.


I have problems with the police - but the police report concluded exactly that - that he was not driving recklessly. I don't know about you, but I drive like 7-10mph over the speed limit as a default, and a lot of other people do too. I wouldn't do it when it's icy, but it's unclear exactly how the weather affected the driving conditions on this specific road.

It was dark out, and it's unclear to me from what I'm reading right now if the situation is such that we should reasonably expect him to have gotten over earlier - this can be impacted by is someone in the other lane, were the crashed car's lights on, visibility and lighting on the road.

It's tragic, but I think the main takeaway here is cars are killing machines, society over relies on them, and do not walk on a high speed road at night.

I have problems with the police - but the police report concluded exactly that - that he was not driving recklessly. I don't know about you, but I drive like 7-10mph over the speed limit as a default, and a lot of other people do too. I wouldn't do it when it's icy, but it's unclear exactly how the weather affected the driving conditions on this specific road.

It was dark out, and it's unclear to me from what I'm reading right now if the situation is such that we should reasonably expect him to have gotten over earlier - this can be impacted by is someone in the other lane, were the crashed car's lights on, visibility and lighting on the road.. I wouldn't do it when it's icy, but it's unclear exactly how the weather affected the driving conditions on this specific road.

yeah, that's fine as a default, but when there's ice or snow or fog or when it's raining so hard that you can't see more than 1/4 mile down the road, you need to slow down.

it's not just about controlling your own car; it's about increasing the amount of time you have to react when #### happens, which is far more common in bad weather.

It's tragic, but I think the main takeaway here is cars are killing machines, society over relies on them, and do not walk on a high speed road at night.

the implied victim blaming here is a bit unseemly, imo, but yeah; as terrorists and republicans already know: cars can be 2-ton murder machines.

The post-deadline Lakers are so much more enjoyable to watch than the pre-deadline version.

D-Russell with seven points in the last 3:30. Lakers with 39 points in the 2nd quarter, with AD pitching in just 2 points. I love it.

Somehow, Jarred Vanderbilt is the perfect player to pair with AD, and the Lakers basically got him for free.

My favorite Laker since Caruso.

The Lakers respond to our kind words by going on a 2-19 run to open the 3rd quarter.

Look, things are better, but that doesn't mean they're always good.

OG Anunoby has 29 points on 11-11 shooting.

Lakers storm back in the 4th! It’s a totally different team from what it was the last two years. Feels so great.

Something mildly interesting happened at the end of the game. The Lakers are up 122-110 with about 40 seconds left on the clock. Russell dribbles the ball and let's the Shot clock expire. Typically, the other team would just let the clock run out but Anunoby dunks the ball. Now, I do believe there is some promotion where fans get something free from a fast-food restaurant if the Lakers win and hold the other team to fewer than 111. So that garbage time dunk cost some fans so free fast food.

The fact that the Lakers can put up 122 points with only eight coming from AD, and LBJ not playing, shows how different this team is now compared to before the deadline. Lonnie Walker was probably the teams third best player and he was dnp coach's decision today.

Game 13 (video link: Here)

Celtics (Winter) 1-1 @ Bulls (Willard) 1-1

Starting Lineups:

Celtics

Nate McMillan
Tracy McGrady
Elgin Baylor
Chris Webber
Marc Gasol

Bulls

Gary Payton
Michael Jordan
Vince Carter
Dirk Nowitzki
Patrick Ewing

Synopsis:

We almost had a first round knockout. The Celtics game plan clearly involved attacking Dirk Nowitzki on defense. Dirk picked up his second foul before two minutes had elapsed and he had to go to the bench, replaced by Draymond Green. Meanwhile, the Celtics were hitting shot after shot, nearly reaching a double digit lead halfway through the first. The tide turned when Gary Payton picked Nate McMillan’s pocket, then found a streaking Ewing on the break. Thereafter, the Bulls punished the Celtics down low, especially after Marc Gasol sat out for a rest. At the end of one, the Bulls led the Celtics 28-24. In the second, the surge continued for the Bulls, as Allen Iverson scored 11 and Dirk hit three triples. The Celtics fought back late, led by Chris Webber (14 points at halftime) and Kevin Durant (8 points in Q2). Both players took advantage of Dirk’s decidedly passive defense, presumably scared to take another foul. At the half, the Bulls led by just two, 53-51. Quarter Three was the Dirk show, but not in a good way. The primary set for the Bulls involves a guard or a wing getting a high screen, driving in to be met by help defense, then flinging the ball to the top of the arc, where a wide open Nowitzki is positioned. It’s an effective way to get great looks, but it’s kind of, like, contingent on Dirk hitting those shots. He didn’t, the Bulls floundered, and the Celtics took a 76-71 lead into the final period. The 4th got wild. Elgin Baylor scored 11 points in the fourth but the Bulls, mainly on the ability of Payton and Iverson to get past their defenders, kept pace. The score was within one in the final minute, as MJ and Dirk hit three straight clutch shots, but ultimately the Celtics didn’t miss their free throws at the end and were able to ice the game. Final score: Celtics 108 (2-1), Bulls 102 (1-2).

Key stat:

Second chance points favored the Celtics, 14-2.

Nail in the coffin:

Down by three points with only 20 seconds left, Patrick Ewing made a cut to the basket. He had Gasol beat and Gary Payton lofted an alley-oop. The pass was not perfect, however, and Ewing could only manage an awkward, off-balance layup attempt. He missed and the game was essentially over.

Player of the game:

Tracy McGrady led the Celtics with a 22/9/7 effort.

Strong in defeat:

Allen Iverson put up 22 points on 15 attempts. He’s funny to watch in the video game because his character appears to transport 8-10 feet instantaneously, in an effort to replicate his speed. Fun player.

Mr. Clutch:

Elgin Baylor was quiet through the first 36 minutes. Then he flat out dominated. He had three 3-pointers (including one from Downer’s Grove), a last minute bunny over Jordan, a steal, and a shocking block of an MJ dunk attempt. All this came in the 4th.

The glue guy:

Science has shown that no one has ever thought about Marc Gasol. Not even a passing thought. But the Celtics’ big man kept several possessions alive through his fighting for offensive rebounds. Gasol ended the game with 17 points and 19 rebounds.

A wing and no prayer:

Michael Jordan and Vince Carter, ostensibly the heart of the Bulls team, put up a combined 32 points on 36 shots. VC was the more inefficient of the two, and he missed all five of his chances from deep.

A pair of 0-1 teams are up next, as the Warriors (JTSports) take on the Suns (Obscura). Look for it to be posted on Monday…

Starting Lineups:

Blazers

Magic Johnson
Otis Birdsong
Scottie Pippen
Dennis Rodman
Bill Walton

So, I don't want to complain, and this is all just for fun, but Otis Birdsong shouldn't be in the starting lineup.

but Otis Birdsong shouldn't be in the starting lineup.

Sheed and Rick Barry spend their nights at the bar, complaining about their coaches to reporters.

Talen Hurton Tucker is having a moment right now, 27p/7a/5r on 55.4/38.5/87.5 shooting over the last three games.

one of my NBA guilty pleasures is the mean nickname phenomenon.

Anthony "Day to" Davis
Kah-"week to week" Leonard
The 3-6 Mafia (back when that was accurate)
Pandemic P
Ason Kidd
Corey "Bad Porn" Magette
Web Embiid

Anyway, this is to say that THT has one of my favorite mean nickanmes: Talentless Hopeless Chucker.

You've reminded me of Kyrie Earthling.

The Desert Princess and Big Chief Triangle.

"Hot Plate" Williams was my favorite.

I've been trying to get The Mayor of Jingdezhen to catch on stateside, but no luck.

Felton Spencer has passed away at just 55.

Bad loss for the Lakers. The Knicks were playing their second road game back to back, and didn't have Jalen Brunson. Davis was mediocre on offense, and went 1-5 from the free throw line in a tight game. The Lakers needed that one.

OG Anunoby has 29 points on 11-11 shooting.

This is the very first mention I've seen anywhere of Anunoby since the week prior to the trade deadline when the internet tried to convince us all he was going to get traded for 3 firsts.

And while it's not crazy that someone would feasibly give up 3 first round picks for Anunoby (three late firsts? sure, those aren't worth that much anyway), the way it's presented as if it's the starting bid and that teams would be crazy to not get Anunoby instead of someone like Caruso or Crowder.

"First round picks" as a category are probably overvalued right now.

Damon Stoudamire is apparently taking the Georgia Tech job (he's currently a Celtics assistant).

loved hot plate as a nickname. also, AS, thanks for reminding me about that thread.

i don't know that first round picks are overrated. i do think that "flattening their value" by lumping picks of wildly different values together is an issue.

Game 14 (video link: Here)

Suns (Obscura) 0-1 @ Warriors (JTSports) 0-1

Starting Lineups:

Suns

Tim Hardaway
Ray Allen
Billy Cunningham
Tim Duncan
Bill Russell

Warriors

Walt Frazier
Sidney Moncrief
Larry Bird
Anthony Davis
Nikola Jokic

Synopsis:

In real life, Larry Bird averaged 1.9 three point attempts per game over the course of his career. In later years, as both the league and Bird’s body were changing, Larry peaked at 3.3 3PA per game. Placed in a modern era setup with Steve Kerr as his coach and well, sir, his game looks a bit different. Bird hit 5 of 8 three point shots in the first quarter of this one as he scored 17 points en route to a 30-29 first quarter lead. Tim Hardaway helped the Suns keep pace, as he scored 13 points on perfect 6-6 shooting. In the second quarter, the Warriors emphasized ball movement as Anthony Davis found himself set up with great looks at the rim, time and again. Meanwhile, Hardaway embodied the Suns’ sudden turn to frigid: He went 1-8 for the quarter, and the Suns’ big men were producing very little. The Warriors had a 52% field goal rate in the first half, and they led 66-45 at the break. In the third, Duncan and Russell finally woke up and they cut the lead down to ten about midway through the quarter. The run was unsustainable, however, and the Warriors ran it up to 89-67 by quarter’s end. More pressure from the Suns got the game within single digits fairly late, but ultimately the margin was too big to overcome. Final score: Warriors 110 (1-1), Suns 98 (0-2).

Key stat:

The Warriors’ bench scored 19 points…not fantastic but clearly better than the mere 11 points put up by the Suns’ bench

Nail in the coffin:

The entire fourth quarter, the Suns kept chipping away. Down eleven with about four minutes left, Tim Hardaway unleashed a straightaway three. It was a good look but an unsuccessful shot and the miss signaled that there would be no miraculous comeback.

Player of the game:

Anthony Davis went 23/11/6 and five blocks. I think 14 of his 23 points came from dunks as he benefited greatly from excellent passing and ball movement from his teammates.

Strong in defeat:

Ray Allen scored 34 points on the strength of 7-14 shooting from long range.

Mr. Cool:

Surrounded by bigger players who won accolades for their playmaking ability, it would be understandable to overlook the importance of Walt Frazier. It would also be a mistake. Clyde led his team with 10 assists and was generally a defensive pain in the ass (4 steals, one block).

Belaboring a point:

I mentioned above that the Suns managed only 11 points from their bench, a detail that becomes more curious when you consider that Luka Doncic should be in position to dominate the bench-unit minutes. Instead, Luka shot 3 for 15 for nine points. A modest performance from him would have changed the game significantly. Joe Dumars also gets mention for his 1-5, -19 outing.

The Legend:

The Warriors are one of the more interesting teams to me in this exercise because how do you translate the otherworldly court vision of Bird and Jokic into a series of video game ratings? For one game, at least, the flow of play makes one suspect that said translation is possible, although Jokic often feels invisible on the digital court. Not so for Bird, who finished with 33/9/4 on 7 made triples.

Next up are the 0-1 Rockets (Scott) against the 1-1 76ers (Harlond). Probably coming Wednesday…

i don't know that first round picks are overrated. i do think that "flattening their value" by lumping picks of wildly different values together is an issue.

Ben Taylor had this in a podcast, so I'm doing this from memory.

The average spot of all first round picks traded for stars (or any trade where multiple FRPs were given up) since the KG to Boston trade was 17. So while we remember vividly the hits of Tatum and Brown being drafted, we often forget the misses (Timofey Mozgov ended up being traded for two FRPs which turned into Furkan Korkmaz and Harry Giles.).

So when you look at the KD trade, for instance, if the listed value were just 4 #17 overall draft picks plus Mikael Bridges and Jae Crowder, people would describe that as awful value. But when you describe it as 4 UNPROTECTED First Round Picks, people view it differently.

The average spot of all first round picks traded for stars (or any trade where multiple FRPs were given up) since the KG to Boston trade was 17. So while we remember vividly the hits of Tatum and Brown being drafted, we often forget the misses (Timofey Mozgov ended up being traded for two FRPs which turned into Furkan Korkmaz and Harry Giles.).

So when you look at the KD trade, for instance, if the listed value were just 4 #17 overall draft picks plus Mikael Bridges and Jae Crowder, people would describe that as awful value. But when you describe it as 4 UNPROTECTED First Round Picks, people view it differently.

Yeah - context matters. But I think the context here is that in a few years, Durant and Paul will be done, so there's a reasonable pathway to those picks being good.

At the end of the day, there is a huge drop off after pick #2. And then IIRC a steady drop after like 3-5. Getting a #1 or #2 pick is really what you're trying to do. It's unlikely, but those are the picks that turnaround a franchise. I think Ben Taylor was incorrect on the value with this trade. I think Durant's age and injury issues (which have already reared up) could have him providing little playoff value to Phoenix these next few years. I think the stacking of the FRPs unprotected greatly increase the chances of getting a top 2 pick. And then, they got 2 young wings - one who is a quality starter (Johnson) and the other who looks like he could be a fringe all-star level player.

Well, draft value is not linear. Like, the #1 and #32 picks put together are VASTLY more valuable than the #16 and #17 spots. So really what you want is the % of first round picks traded for stars that ended up in the top 5 or something.

Getting a bite at the #1-#2 apple, as Spivey says, is really the name of the game. I also think in today's game (free agency, injuries, etc) any unprotected pick a few years out is a candidate to be really high.

Last time each team lotteried a top 5 pick (regardless of whether it was traded):

2022 ORL OKC HOU SEA DET
2021 CLE TOR
2020 MIN GSW CHO CHI
2019 NOP MEM NYK LAL
2018 PHX SAC ATL DAL

19 teams have had at least one top 5 pick, out of 25 picks, the last 5 years. That's a lot of spread! That includes the Warriors with Wiseman, surely a team that a few years prior would have been rated the least likely team to pick in the lottery a few years down the road.

Incentives certainly might change willingness to tank, but point being, it really isn't the same teams picking in the top 5 every year, quite the opposite.

At the end of the day, there is a huge drop off after pick #2. And then IIRC a steady drop after like 3-5. Getting a #1 or #2 pick is really what you're trying to do. It's unlikely, but those are the picks that turnaround a franchise. I think Ben Taylor was incorrect on the value with this trade. I think Durant's age and injury issues (which have already reared up) could have him providing little playoff value to Phoenix these next few years. I think the stacking of the FRPs unprotected greatly increase the chances of getting a top 2 pick. And then, they got 2 young wings - one who is a quality starter (Johnson) and the other who looks like he could be a fringe all-star level player.

The point is that even in the worst case scenario, it's often not as bad as you think.

Take a couple of disaster deals: the Lakers acquiring Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.

The Lakers gave up a ton of draft capital. The picks to Orlando turned into: Landry Shamet (not a bad player), Dario Saric and a couple of guys in the second round who were nobodies.
The Suns got Nemanja Nedovic (who?), Mikal Bridges and a couple of guys in the second round who were nobodies.

The trade was an absolute disaster for the Lakers. And yet ... it ended up not being that bad. The guy who hurt the most to lose out on was Bridges, but the over under on future all star games that Bridges makes is probably 0.5 and I take the under.

one of my NBA guilty pleasures is the mean nickname phenomenon.

I saw someone on Reddit refer to Kyrie as 'World B. Flat' and I still chuckle about it from time to time.

One I remember from the Hawks was 'Jon Contract' (Koncak) because of that big deal he signed despite averaging like 5 points per game.

Oh man! I forgot about Jon Contract. That was an amazing one.

The guy who hurt the most to lose out on was Bridges, but the over under on future all star games that Bridges makes is probably 0.5 and I take the under.

I'll take the over after watching Bridges in Brooklyn, but even if not, he's the type of player every competitive team -- especially the Lakers! -- needs and made a total of $17.6 million on his four-year rookie contract. You can't talk about the value of draft picks and look only at production while ignoring the contracts.

Also worth noting the Lakers *did* protect those picks, so they kept the one sent for Nash so long (becoming all three No. 2 picks: Russell, Ingram and Ball) that one due to Orlando for Howard never conveyed.

Here's a thought experiment a buddy and I were talking about.

Suppose you get the second best player from every NBA team in a given year. Would this team win the title?

Let's assume it's a cloning situation, so their original team gets to keep them.

first thought - yes

roster (i let an algorithm pick the players ... with minimal edits on my part, so don't yell at me for having towns over edwards from minny or whatever)

jjj / bam / turner? robinson?
a.davis / gordon / siakam (sorry sabonis and draymond)
leonard / edwards / ingram
booker / jaylen / beal (very reasonable to have him over kp)
jrue / harden / garland / kyrie ... maybe you don't want kyrie

i presume that people aren't losing their mind and being disruptive about being the 8th man or whatever.

RIP Felton Spencer, only 55.

A really great guy. I grew up in Louisville so always rooted for the Cardinals. Sometime in the late 90s I was at a bar when a dude over 7 feet tall walked in. I went over thinking I might just get 15 seconds of his time, to say hi and let him know I was a fan. Wound up hanging out with him, drinking beer, for about 20 minutes. I’ll always appreciate his friendliness, making me feel like part of his crew for a brief time instead of getting the usual brush-off that famous athletes give to fans.

roster (i let an algorithm pick the players ... with minimal edits on my part, so don't yell at me for having towns over edwards from minny or whatever)

Can I yell at you for having Kawhi as the Clippers' second best player?

Suppose you get the second best player from every NBA team in a given year. Would this team win the title?

I think this is a clear yes to me.

You can. Paul George ranked ahead of him, as health is a skill. (Not one either of those two have, really.)
---
I think Koncak was the first player on a team I rooted for that I ever disliked?

I think the question isn't if that team would win the title, I think the question is if they would be the best team of all time. This is even doing things like not having Kawhi/Beal/Siakam/Edwards rated as their teams best players, which imo they all clearly are.

You're still getting very good players in their place.

You can. Paul George ranked ahead of him, as health is a skill. (Not one either of those two have, really.)

This is Zubac erasure.

I think the question isn't if that team would win the title, I think the question is if they would be the best team of all time. This is even doing things like not having Kawhi/Beal/Siakam/Edwards rated as their teams best players, which imo they all clearly are.

IMO the more interesting question is how far down can you go and still be the title favorites.

I think the third best guy on every team is probably still the title contender, but the fourth best guy team is probably like a 6 seed?

Third best guy team:

Nic Claxton (not sure if counts)/Zubac/Capela
Aaron Gordon/Harrison Barnes/Michael Porter Jr.
Middleton/Franz Wagner/OG Anunoby
Klay/Bane/Caruso
Garland/Derrick White/Melton

I think that might still be the title favorite? They'd be deep as hell.

Third best guy team:

Nic Claxton (not sure if counts)/Zubac/Capela
Aaron Gordon/Harrison Barnes/Michael Porter Jr.
Middleton/Franz Wagner/OG Anunoby
Klay/Bane/Caruso
Garland/Derrick White/Melton

180 ####### million ####### dollars and he isn't even on this ####### list of the 15 best third best ####### players on their own ####### teams.

This is even doing things like not having Kawhi/Beal/Siakam/Edwards rated as their teams best players, which imo they all clearly are.

To be clear, I'd agree with you on all four, with the caveat on Leonard/George and I think FVV versus Pascal is close. (They were behind George/Porzingis/VanVleet/Towns)

IMO the more interesting question is how far down can you go and still be the title favorites.

Also agree.

Claxton third? Who is ahead of him - Bridges and ?
Not sure you can have Aaron Gordon and MPJ. :)

There's also the question of how that team would play - if they played like a normal NBA team with a normal rotation, they'd be X good, if they played like a Paul Westhead team at an ultra high pace to force other teams to run 12 guys deep, they'd be 2X good.

Game 15 (video link: Here)

76ers (Harlond) 1-1 @ Rockets (Scott) 0-1

Starting Lineups:

76ers

Oscar Robertson
Eddie Jones
Paul Pierce
David Robinson
Moses Malone

Rockets

Jerry West
Klay Thompson
Dominique Wilkins
Dolph Schayes
Hakeem Olajuwon

Synopsis:

This game was uncharacteristically marred by turnovers and sloppy play early as both teams struggled to find their groove. Eventually, the nerves settled and the game entered a more graceful rhythm. For the first quarter, Jerry West led all scorers with 13 points, but it was the balanced attack of Pierce, Robinson, and Malone that proved slightly better as the 76ers held a 27-25 advantage after one. One of the byproducts of the Sixers starting Robinson and Malone together is that they encounter stretches when both men are on the bench. Indeed, the 76ers went small in the second; on one hand, their three ball handler lineup of Oscar/Cassell/Simmons led to several great looks at the rim but on the other hand Olajuwon got loose, finishing the half with ten points and 8 rebounds. It was 53-52, 76ers at the half. The third period was less about how good the Rockets were as much as it was cold, cold shooting from the Sixers. One emblematic scene showed yet another miss by the 76ers, followed by seeing Oscar, Moses, and the Admiral all on the bench while Coach Rivers stared at the ground. The Rockets led 77-66 after three. In a nasty counter punch, made possible by Hakeem sitting out for 8 minutes or so, the Sixers ground their way back. All the way back. David Robinson’s layup with 58 seconds left tied the game. A Rockets miss was rebounded by Olajuwon but he couldn’t convert the put back. The Big O drained a corner three with 27 seconds remaining. On the return possession, Hakeem backed Malone down, made his move, and got stuffed by Malone. A pair of Eddie Jones free throws iced the game. Final score: 76ers 103 (2-1), Rockets 98 (0-2).

Key stat:

The twin tower approach by the 76ers led to a 56-42 advantage on points in the paint.

Nail in the coffin:

I didn’t get to see Moses Malone play in his prime. I don’t think he was a great defender and I’m not sure it would make sense for Malone to play the five if Robinson is on the court with him. But for one shining digital moment, Malone rejected on of the all-time great post players in the crunchiest of crunch time moments. Props, fo-fo-fo.

Player of the game:

Oscar Robertson went 29/4/9, shooting 12-16 overall and 5-5 from deep.

Strong in defeat:

Despite the ignominious ending, Olajuwon scored 20, racked 19 boards, and blocked three shots.

Thanks for showing up:

Through the first three quarters, Eddie Jones was something like oh-for-eight. Dreadful performance…until he showed up bigly in the final frame with nine clutch points.

The underdog:

I always had a soft spot for Dominique Wilkins, which was probably a function of my penchant for being disagreeable in the midst of a giant cultural love affair with Michael Jordan. And one of the best details in the 2K game is Wilkins’s Reebok Pumps. It’s cool, to me. Not cool was Wilkins’s 13/2/2 line on 4-11 shooting or his -23 +/-. He’s too often outclassed in this game, I fear. Maybe underdogs are that way for a reason.

The overdog:

Conversely, I remember being in middle school and having classmates fawn over David Robinson’s neatly folded socks or his made-for-canned-interviews personality. I was indifferent but he’s very much fun to watch in this reenactment. Was he made to play the 4? I’m not quite sure but he plays lockdown defense and snatches damn near every rebound. He finished the game with 18 points on 16 shots and added 19 boards.

On deck are the 2-0 Spurs (Stiggles) against the 1-0 Pistons (Slivers). Should be up tomorrow…

On deck are the 2-0 Spurs (Stiggles) against the 1-0 Pistons (Slivers). Should be up tomorrow…

i'll break you in half. like a boy.

Half of Shaq is still better than most players. :-P

If the Lakers drop this one in Houston, AD or no AD, it'll be the worst lost since the trade deadline. There's not many games left.

Heat killing Grizz.

Penny in the lane.

The Logo with time running out, stepback against Oscar.

'Nique, into the lane. Then Sabonis' block triggers a break that ends in a human highlight film.

Eddie from the corner.

Penny using Dream's moving screen.

Moses blocks on one end, finishes on the other.

This was Big O's game. Drive to open up the half. From deep. To the rack. Spins off Penny. To take the lead.

Obligatory Ben Simmons highlight.

That was a bad Laker loss. Very bad.

It was the second game of a back to back without LeBron, AD, or importantly in this game Mo Bamba. The Lakers lost because they shot horribly but also because the Rockets lived in the paint. Wenyen Gabriel was really their only big man and the Rockets really had free reign in the paint.

That's a bad loss. I really don't know what to think about the Lakers right now. I legitimately can see them making a title run but also could see them missing the play-in tournament as well. They are only a half game up on the Jazz and the Pelicans.

The Ben Simmons highlights are my favorite part of this thing, and that's saying a lot because this thing is awesome.

Curry puts up 50 against the Clippers and they shot 47% from three but the Warriors still lose. They can't buy a road win right now.

Steph Curry might be one of the MVP frontrunners if the Warriors had a better record.

Curry hasn't played enough games to be part of the MVP race, I don't think, even if the Warriors were better. He's going to finish with, at most, 56 games played, which I believe would be fewer than any MVP has ever played in a non-lockout-shortened season.

Curry is on pace for another 50%/40%/90%/30 PPG season though. He has the only one to date (in 2015-16). Larry Bird did score 29.9 per game in one of his 50/40/90 seasons.

Curry puts up 50 against the Clippers and they shot 47% from three but the Warriors still lose. They can't buy a road win right now.

I watched the first half and it almost was a home game, there were at least as many cheers for the Dubs as there were for the Clippers.

Game 16 (video link: Here)

Pistons (Slivers) 1-0 @ Spurs (Stiggles) 2-0

Starting Lineups:

Pistons

Steve Nash
John Havlicek
Grant Hill
Karl Malone
Shaquille O’Neal

Spurs

Kyrie Irving
Drazen Petrovic
Kawhi Leonard
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Yao Ming

Synopsis:

The Pistons came out firing, making five of their first six buckets and with the one miss leading to an offensive rebound and successful put back. On the other end of the court Kyrie Irving was on an early hot streak, hitting his first four shots and scoring all of the Spurs’s first nine points. Unfortunately, he spent the rest of the quarter in heat check mode and he missed all but one of his next six shots. The Pistons were the model picture of an efficient inside/outside approach. Shaq was a true center of gravity, leading to open three point shots. The Pistons hit 4 of 7 for the quarter and John Havlicek led the way with 10 points as the Pistons jumped to a 34-17 first quarter lead. The second quarter was more of the same. At the half, the Pistons were shooting 60% from deep, compared to 19% for the Spurs. Steve Nash hit all four of his triples in the first half. For the Spurs, Kyrie continued to score, reaching 26 points at the half. However, none of his teammates had more than four at the midway mark. The Pistons leaned more on Derrick Rose’s driving ability in the third, which was effective, but not as effective as a Spurs offense committed to ball movement. A very pretty quarter from Team Kyrie cut the deficit to 14, with a score of 92-78 heading into the fourth quarter. From there, Karl Malone played the part of hero, hitting several midrange jumpers to make sure the margin never got too uncomfortably close. Final score: Pistons 126 (2-0), Spurs 105 (2-1).

Key stat:

The Pistons missed seven three pointers in the game (10-17). The Spurs missed 31 (13-44). Also, Coach Popovich had a stroke.

Nail in the coffin:

After sticking a couple of fadeaways in Giannis’s eye, Karl Malone burrowed deep into the paint, received the entry pass, and muscled his way to a layup, bumping the lead to 18 with about seven minutes remaining.

Player of the game:

Shaq Diesel dropped a 22/17/5 line on 9-15 shooting, adding a steal and a block. He also made all four of his free throw attempts.

Strong in defeat:

Kyrie is the first player to crack the 40 point ceiling, as he dropped 43 points on 29 shots.

In perfect balance:

Shaq’s 22 points were mentioned above, but the scoring leaderboard for the Pistons was as flat as Earth itself: D-Rose had 24, Nash had 19, Hondo 19, Mailman 18.

In particular:

Derrick Rose is emerging as the perfect backup to Steve Nash, as his slashing style keeps the offense moving when the second unit is in. Rose added six assists to his 24 points, on efficient 10-18 shooting.

In perfect balance, part 2:

Giannis and Yao combined for 11 blocked shots. They also combined for 10 points scored.

Next up are a pair of 2-0 teams, matching the Bucks (DCA) and Heat (JJ1986). Probably early next week…

Hawks extend Bogdan for 4/68

confirmation more than new news but lonzo to get another knee surgery, miss most or all of next season

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Lonzo Ball will undergo a cartilage transplant in his left knee, team says.

This strikes me as the step before calling the injury career-ending for the purposes of having insurance cover the contract.

I think at this point it's reasonably unlikely that Lonzo ever plays in the NBA again.

The over/under for future career games played has to be like ... 25?

I loved his game, it's a shame that this has happened.

I agree with everything. I love Lonzo. I think some of us - at least me - had some questions about the Pels not giving him that deal. But they may have had some info on his health.

I just hope at this point he's able to be healthy in day-to-day life. He was a very good player for 2-3 years, got the bag.

i think? that that's what jordan adams (a fellow bruin!) had, who ended up missing a few years and last i heard was playing in a lower level int'l league. now, lonzo was way better than adams ever was but - oof.

What a horrible loss for the Lakers against the Mavericks. The Lakers are up 109-105 with 38 seconds left and have the ball. They take their time with the clock but miss. Anthony Davis than fouls the three point shooter, Maxi Kleber, who makes all 3 free throws. There are 8 or 9 seconds left and AD gets fouled. He goes 1-2 so the Lakers are up 110-108 with 8 seconds or so left. They try to keep it away from Irving who played awesome today and passes the ball to Kleber who hits the game winning three right in AD's face as time expires.

The Lakers shot 19-31 from line and only went 5-20 from 3. Dallas went 16-34 from 3(47.1%)

The Lakers losing these last two games probably makes the six seed unreachable. Their best case scenario now is the 7th or 8th seed.

Second game this year they lost by 1 point by giving up a three point at the buzzer.

Really, really disappointing.

The new "worst loss of the year" for the Lakers. They're running out of air.

Insert Simpsons meme: "The worst loss of the year so far!"

Of course Edwards rolls his ankle the night before I go to see the Wovles. Of course.

Yeah, I was busy and looked at the game on my phone and it was in the 4th Q, and Edwards had played like 8 minutes.

This season ... I would be fine with doing badly. I am a Wolves fan, I mean I have practice. But the injuries this year have just been brutal, and especially on top of the Gobert integration/experiment. Ant and Jaden were the bright lights of hope for the season and now ...

My decision to cancel my cable TV package keeps looking better and better. I thought about getting the NBA streaming package, but maybe next year.

The Lakers losing these last two games probably makes the six seed unreachable. Their best case scenario now is the 7th or 8th seed.

Second game this year they lost by 1 point by giving up a three point at the buzzer.

Really, really disappointing.

The new "worst loss of the year" for the Lakers. They're running out of air.

imagine having 2 of the 10 best players in the NBA, and still spending the last 6 weeks of the season begging and pleading to slink into the playoffs as a 10-seed.

imagine having 2 of the 10 best players in the NBA, and still spending the last 6 weeks of the season begging and pleading to slink into the playoffs as a 10-seed.

If you have two of the top 10 players, but they only play a half season each, is that like having one great player?

Plus, there was the Russell Westbrook of it all.

If you have two of the top 10 players, but they only play a half season each, is that like having one great player?

i root for joel embiid (always injured) and james harden (only plays half the game, anyway). boo ####### hoo.

Plus, there was the Russell Westbrook of it all.

*cuts own dick off*

"why would god do this to me?"

Hey, *I* didn't want that trade! None of the Lakers fans here did. Sometimes, teams do things that turn out really badly, and you either rage about it or step away from it (which is what I did). I figured someone who rooted for the team that drafted Okafor and Simmons and Fultz would know that better than anyone.

Hey, *I* didn't want that trade! None of the Lakers fans here did. Sometimes, teams do things that turn out really badly, and you either rage about it or step away from it (which is what I did). I figured someone who rooted for the team that drafted Okafor and Simmons and Fultz would know that better than anyone.

i cannot overstate how disgusted i am by your calm and reasonable demeanor here.


if that #### was happening in philly, the entire organization would be burning to the ####### ground.

I root for a team with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani and 89 losses. I live here.

if that #### was happening in philly, the entire organization would be burning to the ####### ground.

It's a bit easier to be calm when you've won 9 championships in the last 40 years.

Or even just one more recently than 40 years ago. Or even been to the Finals in the last 20 years.

Man, I hate the Grizzlies. But I'm also ####### sick of Klay's tired and cringey ass counting his rings every time their team lays a huge ####### egg, which is like every other game. Dude, we get it, you were the 4th best player on a great team, and you now are average.

We talk about bad injury luck, but it seems like every year there's a team that just gets lucky with injuries, thus avoiding giving minutes to replacement level players and overachieving in the regular season. These teams usually don't fare super well in the playoffs, but it would be something if the Kings, who I'm pretty sure don't have a top 20 player in the league, end up being the exception to that part. The West seems questionable enough that it seems at least possible with a few make or miss league games that they could make the Finals.

As a fan, I don't see the point of raging or despondency about my sports teams. Why do that to myself? Being angry or despondent or whatever sucks.

Don't be delusional about it, but look for the upside.

Look at the Timberwolves, no matter what my feelings are the reality is exactly the same. My mood doesn't influence the team, outcomes of games, front office, players, or anything other than me.

So why obsess over past failures, be angry about the Gobert trade, and despair over injuries to KAT, and now Ant? I won't feel better about the situation if I focus on the negative stuff. Acknowledge it? Sure. None of that is great. But I would rather enjoy the progress both Ant and Jaden have made this year, the improvements the team has made incorporating Gobert, and the amazing play of Kyle Anderson (who has been pretty great to follow this year).

I would prefer less suck, of course, but wallowing in it doesn't make me feel better about it. And if it does make some people feel better to wallow? Well, OK, sure.

Right now I just would like the whole team to be healthy for five or six games before going into the playoffs. Sadly that feels like a big ask.

Mouse has a much healthier relationship to sport than I do, although my time to follow teams is so attenuated by having two small kids that the rage never really gets to the critical stages it has in the past.

I still want them to do well, because of course I do, but I no longer really expect anything, good or bad. I remember where I was when I heard about the Sprewell and Cassell trades, and I remember where I was when I saw Cassell sprain his groin with his stupid big balls thing. Sigh.

The Nuggets have struggled badly of late, but they looked good in Brooklyn this afternoon.