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Friday, September 22, 2023

OT - NBA Off-Pre-Early Thread for the end of 2023

I estimate only 10-12 Primates care about the NBA, and hopefully some of them have regard for human life. Boom shakalaka.

Hombre Brotani Posted: September 22, 2023 at 04:57 PM | 643 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: nba, off-topic

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101. Athletic Supporter's aunt's sorry like Aziz Posted: October 01, 2023 at 11:50 PM (#6143079)

If people think the Celtics need better players, and they need them soon, then what other way is there to get them than trading picks?

hire their parents?

A buddy and I discussed this scenario the other day.

Say Luka Doncic comes out as gay and marries, say, Torrey Craig or some other solid but unspectacular NBA player.

The next offseason, Doncic is a free agent, and a team signs both Doncic and Craig to max contracts.

Would this be investigated for salary cap shenanigans? The WNBA has plenty of couples, has this ever happened there? Or women's soccer? Obviously there is some low level nepotism (eg Giannis's brothers), but it seems like there is room for legitimate exploitation.

(In related news, I am tired of waiting for the season to start.)

102. MHS Posted: October 02, 2023 at 12:53 AM (#6143081)

I have the emails that folks sent me. If the site goes poof, I’ll reach out.

I don’t think the Celtics materially improved this off-season.

I suspect a big reason for some of the moves was to put in place a roster closer to what Mazzula likes vs what Ime liked.

I suspect the Celtics are will probably try and play close to 5 out all year. Though to do that, they’ll need to add another big as Luke Kornet is not that guy stylistically and the timing of having to move on from Moose and Grant was unfortunate. I think one of them would almost certainly be on the roster if the deals could have happened in some different order.

103. PJ Martinez Posted: October 02, 2023 at 08:31 AM (#6143083)

I don’t think the Celtics materially improved this off-season.

By most statistical measures, IIRC, the Celtics were the league's best team during the regular season last year. (The Bucks were just slightly better by won-loss, of course.) Then we all know what happened during the playoffs. So I would assume these moves were made with an eye not only toward general improvement but specifically toward fixing their achilles heel the last couple of years, which is offensive execution late in close games.

I can see the argument that they've basically treaded water, but I think if their bodies hold up then Holiday is better than Smart and Porzingis is better than Williams at this point (if Williams regains his past form than that becomes debatable). I wasn't a fan of Brogdon's play with the Celtics (probably to an irrational degree). I was baffled by Mazzulla's unwilling to play Grant Williams more, but, given that, it's hard to see him as a big loss as far as the playoff goes (though I wish they'd kept him and repaired things between him and the coach).

I think you're probably right that the moves have something to do with Mazzulla's strategies vs. Udoka's, and that the Celtics will probably play five-out — which, IIRC, they did while Rob was out at the beginning of last season, with a lot of success.

104. Crosseyed and Painless Posted: October 02, 2023 at 08:33 AM (#6143084)

I didn't think anyone would be negative about this trade for Boston Seems very good to me. Also, seems like Boston at least has enough draft stuff left in the bank that they can upgrade the back of their rotation at some point in the way Milwaukee can't.

Current title odds at Circa
+400 Bucks
+400 Celtics
+475 Nuggets
+775 Suns

105. PJ Martinez Posted: October 02, 2023 at 09:41 AM (#6143089)

ESPN Sources: In what’s expected to be a continued attempt to push for a trade, Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden isn’t in attendance for the team’s media day today. Harden remains upset that the organization hasn’t moved him to the Clippers.

106. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: October 02, 2023 at 09:48 AM (#6143090)

Wish Jrue the best

Bucks are no better than what was in place before. Any offense gained wiped out on defense

Chances a super old team holds up to win a championship pretty low. So a flashy move that excites fans but ultimately won’t get the desired result.

So Giannis leaves maybe two years later than before. I guess that matters.

Not trying to be negative. Just pragmatic

107. asinwreck Posted: October 02, 2023 at 09:49 AM (#6143092)

Saw a Nets promo on YES that featured Ben Simmons in an attempt to sell tickets. (Sure.)

Meanwhile, does Harden think the Clippers are more likely to trade for him now that Jrue is in Boston?

108. jmurph Posted: October 02, 2023 at 09:55 AM (#6143093)

Chances a super old team holds up to win a championship pretty low. So a flashy move that excites fans but ultimately won’t get the desired result.

Lillard is a month younger than Jrue. They don't strike me as a super old team, but maybe that's just because Giannis is still only 28.

109. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: October 02, 2023 at 10:05 AM (#6143097)

When all but one of your best players are in mid 30’s I think that qualifies Plus Middleton and Brook have to be considered fairly high risk due to combo of age and injury history.

Maybe Bucks get lucky. I think it’s more likely one or more guys break down at key time and it’s the same old, same old in playoffs.

110. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 02, 2023 at 12:18 PM (#6143116)

Some great images of Jimmy Butler at media day, courtesy of his LiveJournal.

111. jmurph Posted: October 02, 2023 at 12:35 PM (#6143119)

Shamit Dua @FearTheBrown
Griff says Zion has hired independent people to help him take care of his body: "This is the first summer Zion has taken his profession seriously in that regard"

That's surprisingly strong language.

112. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 02, 2023 at 01:19 PM (#6143127)

It's not even true. Zion has definitely hired people to help him take care of his body before. There was a lot of posting about it on twitter.

Admittedly, I wasn't familiar with some of the moves, but the tornado trick exercise that one of the consultants tweeted about sounded like it was a pretty comprehensive full body exercise.

113. Dandy Little Glove Man Posted: October 02, 2023 at 01:19 PM (#6143128)

Really interested in the Timelord component of the Jrue trade. Are the Blazers planning to:
A) use him for 15-18 minutes a game as Ayton's backup,
B) play Ayton and Rob Williams together in any significant part, or
C) trade him?

If they're considering the last option, I'd like to see OKC consolidate some assets for him. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Poku, and draft picks seems like a reasonable framework to me. Pretty sure OKC still has 14-15 first rounders in the next 7 years, plus a bunch of extra second rounders. And Rob and Chet together protecting the rim would be all kinds of fun (health permitting).

114. jmurph Posted: October 02, 2023 at 01:28 PM (#6143132)

I think Robert Williams has more offensive talent than people realize if they don't watch him regularly. Really solid passer, and he's a competent (but reluctant, which was frustrating last year) short to mid range shooter. I'm not saying he's ever going to score 20 a game, I think that's really unlikely, but he's not just a lob catcher, he's capable of more than that. I will definitely miss watching him play and hope he's good in Portland or wherever he ends up.

115. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 02, 2023 at 01:57 PM (#6143136)

I think Robert Williams has more offensive talent than people realize if they don't watch him regularly. Really solid passer, and he's a competent (but reluctant, which was frustrating last year) short to mid range shooter. I'm not saying he's ever going to score 20 a game, I think that's really unlikely, but he's not just a lob catcher, he's capable of more than that. I will definitely miss watching him play and hope he's good in Portland or wherever he ends up.

Robert Williams took 84% of his shots within 5 ft, and shot 83.7% on those shots.

He took 29 shots from outside of 5 ft, and made 9 all season last year.
He went 1/7 from midrange.

(Admittedly, basketball reference does have slightly different numbers, but could just be slightly different buckets)

116. jmurph Posted: October 02, 2023 at 02:34 PM (#6143143)

That's why I specifically said reluctant!

117. jmurph Posted: October 02, 2023 at 03:02 PM (#6143147)

Malika Andrews @malika_andrews
Kevin Durant says that he is playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

118. Athletic Supporter's aunt's sorry like Aziz Posted: October 02, 2023 at 04:35 PM (#6143166)

jeremy taché @jeremytache

“The Chicago days, skip a team, the Philly days, and now here.”

That’s how Jimmy Butler refers to his time in the league

119. Gaelan Posted: October 02, 2023 at 04:50 PM (#6143171)

I think you guys are not giving Boston enough credit.

Porzingis is a big upgrade on R. Williams, who maxes out at a 24 minutes a night guy even if he is healthy.

Holiday is a big upgrade on either Smart or Brogdan. You might say he is not more valuable than both combined, but there are only five spots on the court, and they've upgraded the 3rd and 4th spot at the cost of the 6, 7, 8 spots. Hard not to see that as a clear win.

Now the other side of this is that none of this will matter unless Tatum and Brown stop abandoning team basketball in the 4th quarter. Through three quarters last playoffs Boston often looked like a machine on offense, and then it would entirely go away and one terrible possession would follow another. This happens to a lot of teams, I recognize, but it was particularly egregious with Boston.

Another way of saying this is that Boston's real problem is that Jaylen Brown is the worst "star" player in the league, and they didn't do anything about that problem.

120. smileyy Posted: October 02, 2023 at 04:58 PM (#6143173)

Well, they did *something* about the problem! They validated it by giving it a ####### of money. Pouring gasoline on a fire, but it's something!

121. My name is Votto, and I love to get Moppo Posted: October 02, 2023 at 05:10 PM (#6143174)

Maybe Bucks get lucky. I think it’s more likely one or more guys break down at key time and it’s the same old, same old in playoffs.

That's definitely a risk, but getting Dame improves the team's upside. His bad defense can (theoretically) be mitigated by their huge other players. Jrue and Giannis are excellent players, but certainly have limitations on offense that Dame addresses.

122. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 02, 2023 at 05:32 PM (#6143176)

there are only five spots on the court, and they've upgraded the 3rd and 4th spot at the cost of the 6, 7, 8 spots. Hard not to see that as a clear win.

The problem here is that Boston's model is to have the best 4th and 5th player on the court.

Tatum is not going to be the best player against Milwaukee, Philadelphia or Miami.
Brown is not going to be better than the second best player against Milwaukee, Philadelphia or Miami.
Porzingis/Jrue is about the same as the third best player on a standard contender (maybe a bit better).

The 4th and 5th guys are really where you see Boston's talent advantage.

This is sort of the late stage Tim Duncan Spurs or the Detroit Pistons model. Those teams that go on to win typically have synergies that make the team more than the sum of their parts. It's possible that this Boston team will be the same way.

123. jmurph Posted: October 02, 2023 at 07:05 PM (#6143198)

I can't imagaine giving Philadelphia and Embiid the benefit of the doubt when discussing a playoff matchup! But anyway last year Tatum was clearly the best player in the series. The previous time they played (bubble, 4-0) Tatum was the best player in the series.

I don't really agree with the overall approach but, regardless, I think Jrue is pretty obviously better than the 3rd best player on every other team in the East. Boston's problem, if it is one, is that he might be their 2nd best player! And yeah he's probably a bit underqualified for that.

Also AND I'M ALREADY REGRETTING TYPING THESE WORDS here at Butler Think Factory, but two years ago Tatum was probably the best player in the ECF that ended in a win on Miami's home floor. Two years before that in the bubble he was better than Butler in the series that Miami won. Last year against Miami he shot very poorly, I'm not going to argue that one. He's generally been very good in the playoffs, not really out there getting washed by the other team's best player.

124. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 02, 2023 at 07:31 PM (#6143204)

I think Jrue is pretty obviously better than the 3rd best player on every other team in the East.

Is he obviously better than Kris Middleton? I thought they were pretty equal when they were both on the Bucks. Middleton was worse in the regular season, but Jrue was awful in the playoffs. Obviously, Jrue is not as good as Caleb Martin.

[Tatum's] generally been very good in the playoffs, not really out there getting washed by the other team's best player.

He got washed by Steph, and he was generally terrible in that Finals.
He's generally gotten outplayed by Giannis.

His overall playoff record is pretty poor for the kind of player who is expected to be the best player on a championship favorite. There's only about 5 of those guys in the league, and Tatum has been pretty clearly outside of that group.

This is overly simplified, but career playoffs BPM:
LeBron - 10.0
Steph - 7.0
Giannis - 8.2
Kawhi - 8.2
Jokic - 10.4
Durant - 6.7

Tatum - 4.3
This isn't a case where his early years are dragging him down. Tatum has never had a single playoffs as good as those guys' average.

125. jmurph Posted: October 02, 2023 at 07:40 PM (#6143205)

Tatum is definitely not as good as LeBron, Steph, Giannis, Kawhi, Jokic, or Durant.

126. jmurph Posted: October 02, 2023 at 07:46 PM (#6143207)

Though he did significantly outplay Durant in the 1st round sweep the season before last.

127. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 02, 2023 at 07:49 PM (#6143208)

That's kind of the tier you have to be in to win a title most of the time.

In the last 20 years, here are the teams to not feature a player in that tier of performance:

2014 Spurs
2011 Mavericks (depends on the advance stat, Dirk is there in some, not in others)
2004 Pistons

It's a pretty uncommon model for a champion.

128. jmurph Posted: October 02, 2023 at 07:59 PM (#6143211)

I think on paper, right now, the Celtics are definitely good enough to win the title this year. As are, off the top of my head, Milwaukee, Denver, the Lakers, maybe Phoenix (and obviously Miami when they get seventy points a game throughout the playoffs from oh let's go with Duncan Robinson this year). I can imagine the Clippers putting something together, maybe the Sixers if they manage a great deal for Harden. It would probably be crazy to write off Golden State. Regardless of the shape of the individual performances, I don't think the Celtics should expect to be big underdogs against any of those other teams, even if they ultimately don't pull it off.

129. Slivers of Maranville descends into chaos (SdeB) Posted: October 02, 2023 at 08:20 PM (#6143216)

It's a pretty uncommon model for a champion.

First you said Tatum wasn't good enough to get the Celtics to the Finals, then you back that up by comparing him to a bunch of players in the West. The question is -- can Boston beat Philly, Milwaukee, or Miami? Well, they've beaten all of those teams in the playoffs in the last two years.

130. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 02, 2023 at 08:53 PM (#6143223)

First you said Tatum wasn't good enough to get the Celtics to the Finals, then you back that up by comparing him to a bunch of players in the West. The question is -- can Boston beat Philly, Milwaukee, or Miami? Well, they've beaten all of those teams in the playoffs in the last two years.

I didn't say that. I said that he's not as good as the typical "best player on a championship team", and that the Celtics are instead pursuing the 2004 Pistons/2014 Spurs model. Those two teams won the championship! If Tatum were on a team constructed like the Nuggets, he would not be good enough to get them to the Finals.

I think that the pre-season pick for the East Finals team is probably pretty close to 40% Celtics, 40% Bucks, 20% field.

131. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: October 02, 2023 at 08:58 PM (#6143224)

121--I don't know how Dame doesn't get hunted big time in the playoffs. His Blazer teams had lots of other options so he wasn't as exposed. With Bucks he will be the best option to go after. Plus no idea how perimeter defense gets handled

So regular season everyone will be happy and then holy #### what just happened come the playoffs.

132. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 02, 2023 at 11:36 PM (#6143255)

121--I don't know how Dame doesn't get hunted big time in the playoffs. His Blazer teams had lots of other options so he wasn't as exposed. With Bucks he will be the best option to go after. Plus no idea how perimeter defense gets handled

giannis covers most sins on that end of the floor, which is convenient, because lillard can cover most sins on the offensive end of the floor. it's what charles shackleford might call semi-ballistic.

ESPN Sources: In what’s expected to be a continued attempt to push for a trade, Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden isn’t in attendance for the team’s media day today. Harden remains upset that the organization hasn’t moved him to the Clippers.

surely, this will end well. the sixers are a world-class organization that would never allow off court drama to derail...literally everything. surely...

133. jmurph Posted: October 03, 2023 at 08:02 AM (#6143270)

121--I don't know how Dame doesn't get hunted big time in the playoffs. His Blazer teams had lots of other options so he wasn't as exposed. With Bucks he will be the best option to go after. Plus no idea how perimeter defense gets handled

So regular season everyone will be happy and then holy #### what just happened come the playoffs.

This is legit but I think good well-coached teams can work with this, especially when they have guys like Giannis and Lopez on the court.

134. jmurph Posted: October 03, 2023 at 08:10 AM (#6143273)

San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell has agreed on a five-year, $146 million contract extension, agents Andrew Morrison, Rich Beda and Mitch Nathan of CAA Sports told ESPN on Monday.

The new contract numbers are really going to take some getting used to.

135. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 03, 2023 at 09:22 AM (#6143277)

San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell has agreed on a five-year, $146 million contract extension, agents Andrew Morrison, Rich Beda and Mitch Nathan of CAA Sports told ESPN on Monday.
The new contract numbers are really going to take some getting used to.

180 ####### million ####### dollars.

136. jmurph Posted: October 03, 2023 at 09:23 AM (#6143278)

Tobias?

137. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 03, 2023 at 09:24 AM (#6143279)

Ben Simmons: "This is the best I've felt in a long time... Every day is a lot easier." #NetsOnYES pic.twitter.com/aErnTKKMyp

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 2, 2023

138. PJ Martinez Posted: October 03, 2023 at 10:32 AM (#6143292)

So, Ujiri was asked about getting an extension done with Siakam, and this is what he said:

We do believe in Pascal. We believe that a lot of our players didn’t play the right way last year and we want to see them play the right way. I said that we were selfish, I’m not running away from that. We were selfish and we did not play the right way. So let us see it when we play the right way.

Maybe Ujiri knows Siakam so well that he's confident Siakam will respond well to that kind of comment being made publicly, and he will in fact play less selfishly this year, and the team will benefit, and then they really will get an extension done... but that's the only way I could see it being wise to say this at a press conference.

139. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 03, 2023 at 11:35 AM (#6143303)

Dame getting hunted is a concern, but you have to identify who is going to hunt him.

There isn't a guy in the East you're really worried about hunting Dame. Donovan Mitchell or Jalen Brunson are kind of the guys you might be concerned about.

140. jmurph Posted: October 03, 2023 at 12:22 PM (#6143314)

Dame getting hunted is a concern, but you have to identify who is going to hunt him.

There isn't a guy in the East you're really worried about hunting Dame. Donovan Mitchell or Jalen Brunson are kind of the guys you might be concerned about.

The other thing is these guys all have the same problem, more or less (though I guess Lillard is worse).

Add Trae Young to the list.

141. Mellow Mouse, Benevolent Space Tyrant Posted: October 03, 2023 at 01:16 PM (#6143320)

Are you suggesting Lillard is worse than Trae Young on defense? Is that even possible?

142. Der-K's no Kliph Nesteroff. Posted: October 03, 2023 at 01:56 PM (#6143330)

ther eare worse defenders than trae! somewhere. in theory.
(dame isn't one of them.)

143. jmurph Posted: October 03, 2023 at 02:34 PM (#6143335)

Are you suggesting Lillard is worse than Trae Young on defense?

If I did, I didn't intend to! I meant "add Trae Young" to tship's short list of guys who could give Lillard trouble (while Lillard is on defense) in the pick and roll.

That said... they're all pretty bad on defense. Lillard is stronger, I guess?

144. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 03, 2023 at 06:18 PM (#6143382)

Austin Krell @NBAKrell
Patrick Beverley is Pat Bev. It's the only way he knows.

People think the Sixers have a second round 'problem', he sees it differently.

When teams get punched, they have to punch back.

"That's what I'm here for," he says.

From day one of camp:

145. smileyy Posted: October 03, 2023 at 08:51 PM (#6143408)

Make the worst player in the league:

Dillon Brooks shooting
Trae Young's defense
[...]

146. smileyy Posted: October 03, 2023 at 08:53 PM (#6143409)

Ben Simmons finishing around the rim

147. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 03, 2023 at 08:57 PM (#6143413)

Make the worst player in the league:

Dillon Brooks shooting
Trae Young's defense

lonzo ball's shoes.

148. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 03, 2023 at 09:24 PM (#6143421)

Make the worst player in the league:

Dillon Brooks shooting
Trae Young's defense
[...]

Rudy Gobert's handle
Andrea Bargnani's rebounding

149. TFTIO was writing C programs in the '90s Posted: October 03, 2023 at 09:30 PM (#6143422)

Bismack Biyombo’s hands.

150. Paul D(uda) Posted: October 03, 2023 at 09:34 PM (#6143423)

Kawhi's laugh

151. Dolf Lucky Posted: October 03, 2023 at 10:09 PM (#6143429)

KAT’s poise in big games

152. asinwreck Posted: October 03, 2023 at 10:36 PM (#6143435)

Cam Reddish's motor.

153. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: October 03, 2023 at 10:59 PM (#6143444)

Apologies

154. jmurph Posted: October 04, 2023 at 09:09 AM (#6143464)

Zion Williamson's personal decision-making.

155. My name is Votto, and I love to get Moppo Posted: October 04, 2023 at 10:05 AM (#6143473)

Kyrie's self-awareness

156. asinwreck Posted: October 05, 2023 at 04:17 PM (#6143669)

Ramona Shelburne:

The Golden State Warriors have been one of the most successful NBA franchises over the past decade. They want to do the same in the WNBA, which announced Thursday morning that it had approved the organization as an expansion franchise starting in the 2025 season.

"We're coming in here, number one, to win," Warriors chairman Joe Lacob told ESPN. "Number two, we want to see this league and women's basketball grow, and we hope to be a big part of it.

"We think it's a watershed event for us to come in and commit to it in a big way. We're going to bring all of our resources. We can put this machine to work, and we're going to do that."

157. jmurph Posted: October 06, 2023 at 01:43 PM (#6143745)

Come on guys we had real NBA basketball yesterday! Sort of...

(I put it on a for a bit but didn't really pay attention.)

158. Mellow Mouse, Benevolent Space Tyrant Posted: October 08, 2023 at 09:33 AM (#6143897)

Clearly, the Timberwolves are now an unstoppable juggernaut - because the preseason games in the desert mean everything.

That said they look much better than the offense a bit less clunky, so maybe they are starting to figure out how their pieces fit together. Or maybe Dallas is bad and/or not really trying yet.

159. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 08, 2023 at 10:30 AM (#6143898)

My thoughts on the Lakers/Warriors game:

My word, Christian Wood is really dogshit. Just never sets a good screen.

Chris Paul is somehow a great fit.

Kuminga is probably going to get traded midseason.

160. smileyy Posted: October 08, 2023 at 04:22 PM (#6143906)

I'll go at least 50% Dallas is bad

161. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 08, 2023 at 08:41 PM (#6143935)

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
Joe Mazzulla challenging a call with under 2 minutes left in a preseason game I will see you in hell sir

162. PJ Martinez Posted: October 08, 2023 at 09:36 PM (#6143938)

And then Nurse called a timeout down 8 with 15 seconds left. A teachable moment, presumably.

163. smileyy Posted: October 09, 2023 at 08:06 PM (#6144021)

Always good to practice your inbounds plays when the other team dgaf

164. asinwreck Posted: October 09, 2023 at 09:09 PM (#6144032)

This is fun.

165. asinwreck Posted: October 10, 2023 at 09:26 PM (#6144151)

Supposedly the coach who Zion had the closest bond with in New Orleans now gets to coach Kahleah Copper.

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
Basketball Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon is finalizing a deal to become the new head coach of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Weatherspoon – one of best players in WNBA history – spent the past four years as a Pelicans assistant coach.

166. Der-K's no Kliph Nesteroff. Posted: October 11, 2023 at 10:57 AM (#6144175)

Just never sets a good screen.

That's part of why advance metrics only have him as a "good" player, not an excellent one. He is, after all, an efficient scorer near the basket and capable of stretching defenses from the perimeter. Two level scorer for the minimum? He's gonna have some flaws.

167. Der-K's no Kliph Nesteroff. Posted: October 11, 2023 at 04:22 PM (#6144215)

new nba podcast alert - shea serrano (who i like) and jason concepcion (who i love) have started '6 trophies'. expect fun rambling more than serious analysis.

168. Hombre Brotani

Posted: October 11, 2023 at 06:27 PM (#6144220)

That's part of why advance metrics only have him as a "good" player, not an excellent one. He is, after all, an efficient scorer near the basket and capable of stretching defenses from the perimeter. Two level scorer for the minimum? He's gonna have some flaws.

He's there for the 35 starts the Lakers will need him for when AD takes his annual injury sabbatical.

169. Der-K's no Kliph Nesteroff. Posted: October 11, 2023 at 09:11 PM (#6144240)

There’s an arrest warrant out for Miles Bridges, who appears to have violated a protective order.

######’ Hornets.

170. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 11, 2023 at 09:30 PM (#6144242)

He's gotta be done, right? Unless the circumstances are very, very misleading, he just has to be done. No one wants to touch him.

Edit: wait, this warrant is for smashing in his ex's windshield in *January*. What the hell has taken so long to serve the arrest warrant?

171. Athletic Supporter's aunt's sorry like Aziz Posted: October 11, 2023 at 09:43 PM (#6144243)

######’ Hornets.

I'm watching Kai Jones with sort of mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's entertaining and I get why you would not want to be a Charlotte Hornet, but on the other, I can't figure out if this is mental health worrisome.

[Miles Bridges has] gotta be done, right? Unless the circumstances are very, very misleading, he just has to be done. No one wants to touch him.

You would hope so, but... we'll see.

172. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 11, 2023 at 10:09 PM (#6144252)

he'll be a sixers by the end of the year.

173. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 11, 2023 at 10:18 PM (#6144254)

Austin Krell @NBAKrell
Nick Nurse says he used 3 timeouts in the first half to tell Tyrese Maxey:

"Porzingis is on you. Like, you got to go. There's no more running stuff. We gotta clear the space and you gotta rock and roll on that."

174. jmurph Posted: October 12, 2023 at 08:10 AM (#6144293)

Edit: wait, this warrant is for smashing in his ex's windshield in *January*. What the hell has taken so long to serve the arrest warrant?

This is in the ESPN article:

The incidents that led to the criminal summons being issued Wednesday occurred Tuesday and involved the same woman, according to the case summary in Mecklenburg District Court.

175. smileyy Posted: October 13, 2023 at 02:02 AM (#6144426)

I often confused Miles Bridges with Mikal Bridges. Don't have to worry about that anymore.

176. DCA Posted: October 13, 2023 at 12:31 PM (#6144460)

I never confused them, but my brain keeps wanting them to be brothers like the J. McDanielses.

177. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 13, 2023 at 03:30 PM (#6144475)

Gina Mizell @ginamizell
In true Friday news dump fashion, James Harden just spoke for the first time since ending his holdout. When asked if his relationship with the Sixers' front office can be repaired, he gave an emphatic "no" and compared it to losing a trust in a marriage.

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
James Harden: “When I got traded here, my whole thing is I wanted to retire a Sixer. I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer. And the front office didn’t have that in their future plans.” pic.twitter.com/YC7NPyoLvK

178. SteveF Posted: October 13, 2023 at 07:43 PM (#6144497)

Wembanyama really does try to leak out on rebounds while his teammates continually fail to get defensive rebounds. Probably not what you want out of a dude that's 7'5".

179. SteveF Posted: October 13, 2023 at 08:43 PM (#6144499)

First month will be rough on him, but the dude is going to be an all NBA player in short order.

180. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 13, 2023 at 09:41 PM (#6144501)

Wemby looks like an awesome defensive player, making plays I have never seen before on the court. In particular, I am impressed by his ability to defend out on the perimeter.

He looks to have a ton of bad habits/destructive tendencies in his offensive game. He is a turnover machine, and makes some really bad shot decisions. That is totally normal, and will have to be ironed out. He might be a net positive in year 1 just due to the defense.

181. jmurph Posted: October 16, 2023 at 01:23 PM (#6144599)

I think we touched on this a bit in the previous thread on the Pistons/Athletic guy in particular , but as I vacuum up all of the preseason NBA preview pods it's really incredible how many podcasters/local media guys talk about their local team's GM/PBO with the reverence of a kid talking about their cool older brother.

Say what you want about the ESPN crowd but at least they don't have that problem.

182. PJ Martinez Posted: October 16, 2023 at 01:30 PM (#6144600)

Did you just listen to Lowe's conversation with the Cavs guy, too? Had a very similar thought while taking that in.

Meanwhile:

The longtime front-office executive told me that information from insider reporters could even help a GM save a buck. “Woj or Shams might say, ‘Hey, don’t get levered up on Player X; he’s not gonna get an offer from his team,’” the executive said. “There are times when they have information that has prevented me from making a mistake in terms of the magnitude of a contract offer or the inclusion of a specific asset in a deal.”

183. Athletic Supporter's aunt's sorry like Aziz Posted: October 16, 2023 at 05:32 PM (#6144630)

The role they play (which makes total sense) as collusion producers is interesting, although I'm not sure it's that much weirder than agents or guys like World Wide Wes coordinating between teams. I guess the difference is that it's de facto teams colluding with each other which is illegal whereas players colluding with each other is legal (IANAL or CBA expert).

184. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 16, 2023 at 07:35 PM (#6144647)

If that excerpt is true, shouldn't there be a lawsuit?

185. SteveF Posted: October 16, 2023 at 08:28 PM (#6144657)

Tyrese Maxey to the locker room with what looks like some back discomfort.

186. PJ Martinez Posted: October 17, 2023 at 11:14 AM (#6144718)

Stephen Noh attempts to rank the top 100 defenders in the league. (That link is 100-11, with the top ten still to come.) A somewhat quixotic effort, by its nature, but I admire the attempt. Here's his methodology:

Ten percent of the ranking was determined by defensive DARKO, a predictive metric which was named the best in a survey of NBA insiders. Another 10 percent of the ranking was taken from voting results for Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defensive Teams.

The other 80 percent was determined by my subjective eye test. I am a firm believer that there is no better substitute for evaluating defense than watching extremely closely, taking note of a team's defensive scheme and how well a player performs in it. This list is thus a ranking of how strong a defender I expect a player to be on his given team next season.

This list also tried to balance out positions so as not to have too heavy of a bias toward big men, who are generally the most impactful defensive players in the game. Of the 100 players ranked, 30 are bigs, 43 are wings and 28 are guards.

187. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 17, 2023 at 01:30 PM (#6144725)

ESPN Sources: The Houston Rockets are trading G Kevin Porter Jr., and two future second-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder — who are waiving Porter Jr., immediately. Thunder are sending the Rockets Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in the transaction.

Per Woj.

I don't get the deal for Houston. Why not just waive KPJ yourself? Do you really want Jeremiah Robinson-Earl that much?

188. DCA Posted: October 17, 2023 at 01:36 PM (#6144728)

Unless I'm missing someone, it looks like the top 10 is some permutation of

Mobley
JJJ
Bam
Draymond
AD
Brook
Giannis
Caruso
Jrue
Embiid

Which is reasonable, I think.

189. DCA Posted: October 17, 2023 at 01:44 PM (#6144729)

Per Woj.

I don't get the deal for Houston. Why not just waive KPJ yourself? Do you really want Jeremiah Robinson-Earl that much?

JRE has positive value, and they save $4.5 million. Surely each of those things is worth a future 2nd rounder.

190. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 17, 2023 at 01:45 PM (#6144731)

Eh. Brook is kind of overrated, IMO. He turns into a pumpkin in the playoffs.

191. DCA Posted: October 17, 2023 at 01:52 PM (#6144732)

I agree with you, but he was first team all-defense last year and isn't in #11-100, so he's gotta be top 10.

192. Athletic Supporter's aunt's sorry like Aziz Posted: October 17, 2023 at 03:20 PM (#6144740)

Presti's approach reminds me of when I tried to hoard all the $1 bills in Monopoly and refused to make change, forcing people to round up to the nearest $5 to pay me rent.

Like, all the second rounders, specifically, the going rate is five for a Saddiq Bey. You can try to corner the market and hope the prices go up, but there is a good chance what you're accumulating won't help you at all when you land on Park Place with a hotel on it (aka Wembanyama Lane).

193. asinwreck Posted: October 17, 2023 at 09:24 PM (#6144763)

How else is he going to secure the rights to half the players in Europe? You never know which one might be the next Vasilije Micić.

194. jmurph Posted: October 18, 2023 at 11:11 AM (#6144798)

We're less than a week from the regular season it must be time for us to make some terrible predictions.

195. jmurph Posted: October 18, 2023 at 11:32 AM (#6144801)

The Athletic @TheAthletic
James Harden has not been present with the 76ers since Sunday, sources tell
@ShamsCharania.

He missed practice Wednesday, and it’s unclear when, and if, Harden will return to the 76ers team activities as he awaits a trade

Gosh you truly do hate to see it.

196. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 18, 2023 at 11:46 AM (#6144804)

record predictions are whatever.

Who will be the first head coach fired?
Which team will have the most players ejected throughout the season?
Which player will have the highest number of technical fouls by the end of the season?
What is the most impressive record that will be broken this season? (LeBron career scoring record not counted)
What will be the longest winning streak in the NBA this year? (tiebreak:) Which team will have that streak?
Will any player get a triple-double in a losing effort? Who?
Who will be second in sixth man of the year voting? (The bench winner of the bench player award)
Which team will make the "biggest" non-deadline trade?
Will any team come back from a 30-point deficit to win a game?
Which rookie will have the highest scoring game of the season?

I will mail the winner a random gift card that we have had for more than a year and not used (I will not check before-hand if it is still good).

197. a brief article regarding 57i66135 Posted: October 18, 2023 at 12:15 PM (#6144806)

Derek Bodner @DerekBodnerNBA
There was definitely about a week period where things didn't feel uncomfortable enough.

It's on us. We should have known better.

198. jmurph Posted: October 18, 2023 at 12:41 PM (#6144809)

Will any player get a triple-double in a losing effort? Who?

I'll spend more time on the rest of these, which are fun, but I just want to be the first person to put Ben Simmons here.

199. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: October 18, 2023 at 01:08 PM (#6144810)

My responses:

Who will be the first head coach fired? - Wes Unseld, Jr.
Which team will have the most players ejected throughout the season? - Minnesota
Which player will have the highest number of technical fouls by the end of the season? - Draymond
What is the most impressive record that will be broken this season? (LeBron career scoring record not counted) - This one is so hard. Most 3s attempted in a game (single player) The record is 24.
What will be the longest winning streak in the NBA this year? (tiebreak:) Which team will have that streak? - 14 games, Memphis Grizzlies
Will any player get a triple-double in a losing effort? Who? - YES, Russell Westbrook
Who will be second in sixth man of the year voting? (The bench winner of the bench player award) - Norm Powell
Which team will make the "biggest" non-deadline trade? - Miami
Will any team come back from a 30-point deficit to win a game? - NO
Which rookie will have the highest scoring game of the season? - Sasha Vezenkov

200. kcgard2 Posted: October 18, 2023 at 02:18 PM (#6144816)

Who will be the first head coach fired? - dang, Jamahl Mosely?
Which team will have the most players ejected throughout the season? - Memphis
Which player will have the highest number of technical fouls by the end of the season? - Draymond
What is the most impressive record that will be broken this season? (LeBron career scoring record not counted) - Most 3-point FG made without a 2-point FG made (12 would be the new record)
What will be the longest winning streak in the NBA this year? (tiebreak:) Which team will have that streak? - 15 games, Bucks
Will any player get a triple-double in a losing effort? Who? - Yes, Luka
Who will be second in sixth man of the year voting? (The bench winner of the bench player award) - IQ (who shouldn't be a bench player but prolly will be)
Which team will make the "biggest" non-deadline trade? - This seems quite subjective, but ummm...the Bulls?
Will any team come back from a 30-point deficit to win a game? - Absolutely
Which rookie will have the highest scoring game of the season? - Brandon Miller (tied with Amen Thompson, but for purposes of my answer, Miller)

Having answered these questions, I feel like I only like two or three of my own answers.

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