NBA Thread now in 2015

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Wobbie said:

Rockets? No?

I think the Rockets could ruffle some feather in the playoffs, but they need EVERYTHING to go their way. The addition of Lou Williams give them a reliable option if Harden is on the Bench or not shooting well. I don't think they can win the Championship, but possibly make the Finals if Warriors misstep.

Clippers aren't winning a championship with Griffin and Jordan as their frontline - too poor defensively for a championship contender.

Would love to see Spurs get up to disrupt the building of Superteams

mrussel1

lastexit78 said:

mrussel1 said:

lastexit78 said:

Wow is the internet a scary place these days, constant misreporting on every front. I've read everything from Durant is out for the season to he'll be back for the Spurs game on the 29th. In reality he's likely out 6-8 weeks depending on how he recovers. Read GM Bob Myers full report and not click bait garbage. Worse case scenario he's back at the start of the 2nd round. If the Warriors can hold onto the 1 seed it's irrelevant because the 8 seed in the West this season is going to be a glorified scrimmage. Spurs have a decent shot at catching them though. Both remaining games are in San Antonio and if the Spurs win 1 of those they have the tie breaker.

I think Andrew Bynum had a similar injury and he was out 12 weeks. I think it's a lock that it's the rest of the season but I don't know that he'll be back for the first round. We shall see....

Are you kidding me? Andrew Bynum was one of the laziest wastes of NBA talent ever. I wouldn't compare him to KD in any way shape or form. Andrew Bogut had a similar injury last season and was playing in the Olympics 6 weeks later. Everyone heals at different rates, usually the best players faster because they actually take care of their bodies and are superior athletes. Look at Curry last season, everyone thought he was finished. I could probably go back and read quotes from this very thread saying as much. While he was never truly himself nobody seemed to notice when he dropped something like 17 points in OT on his first game back or when he dominated Westbrook in Games 5,6 and 7 of the WCF. He has a mediocre Finals and suddenly it was because he was hurt, its BS and that's coming from a Warriors fan. Give Kyrie credit for playing great basketball. I hate that nobody gets credit for anything anymore, it's always about so and so choked or so and so was hurt. It gets old after a while.

Also I love the narrative that the Warriors bench is so much weaker. Once again not factual, just like they don't play defense when they lead the NBA in most defensive metrics.

Speaking of their bench yes I would take last years bench if you could freeze them in time. But this seasons bench is crushing last years bench based on this season...

- Igoudala - Actually playing better than last season, more efficient. Better plus/minus.
- Livingston - Having his best season ever.
- McGee - Obviously a huge upgrade over Festus who's injured and nearly single handedly loss Game 7 with his horrific foul of LeBron's 3 pointer and other awful play throughout the playoffs.
- Ian Clark - Averaging more points than Barbosa this season on better shooting % and plays superior defense.
- David West - Doesn't have Speights shooting range but he's better in every other facet of the game. Is shooting 10% better than Mo this season as well. Way better team defender.
- Matt Barnes - Basically an upgrade over Brandon Rush, better defense and basketball IQ by a large margin.
- Looney, McAdoo, McCaw - All young players that are better than a year ago. McCaw was a steal in this years draft.
- Zaza - Not a bench guy but way more reliable than Bogut at this point. Actually makes his free throws and can hit a shot from outside 2 feet.

I was simply drawing a comparison of someone who had a similar knee injury. KD being less lazy doesn't necessarily mean he will heal faster. Maybe he will be more motivated but that could serve as a detriment.

I believe the Cavs bench is much stronger and much deeper, with superior experience than the Warriors. I don't even think it's close at this point. The Cavs bring substantial playoff and Olympic experience with players that have played meaningful minutes in those situations.
Regarding ZaZa.. I don't know how you say he's more reliable than Bogut. He's older than Bogut (although only by a year) and Boguts' lifetime stats are much stronger, particularly in the category most important to their respective roles, and that's rim protection.

tempo_n_groove

Now we are talking Bball!

KD will be back for the 2nd rd of the playoffs whether he's ready or not.

lastexit78

mrussel1 said:

lastexit78 said:

mrussel1 said:

lastexit78 said:

Wow is the internet a scary place these days, constant misreporting on every front. I've read everything from Durant is out for the season to he'll be back for the Spurs game on the 29th. In reality he's likely out 6-8 weeks depending on how he recovers. Read GM Bob Myers full report and not click bait garbage. Worse case scenario he's back at the start of the 2nd round. If the Warriors can hold onto the 1 seed it's irrelevant because the 8 seed in the West this season is going to be a glorified scrimmage. Spurs have a decent shot at catching them though. Both remaining games are in San Antonio and if the Spurs win 1 of those they have the tie breaker.

I think Andrew Bynum had a similar injury and he was out 12 weeks. I think it's a lock that it's the rest of the season but I don't know that he'll be back for the first round. We shall see....

Are you kidding me? Andrew Bynum was one of the laziest wastes of NBA talent ever. I wouldn't compare him to KD in any way shape or form. Andrew Bogut had a similar injury last season and was playing in the Olympics 6 weeks later. Everyone heals at different rates, usually the best players faster because they actually take care of their bodies and are superior athletes. Look at Curry last season, everyone thought he was finished. I could probably go back and read quotes from this very thread saying as much. While he was never truly himself nobody seemed to notice when he dropped something like 17 points in OT on his first game back or when he dominated Westbrook in Games 5,6 and 7 of the WCF. He has a mediocre Finals and suddenly it was because he was hurt, its BS and that's coming from a Warriors fan. Give Kyrie credit for playing great basketball. I hate that nobody gets credit for anything anymore, it's always about so and so choked or so and so was hurt. It gets old after a while.

Also I love the narrative that the Warriors bench is so much weaker. Once again not factual, just like they don't play defense when they lead the NBA in most defensive metrics.

Speaking of their bench yes I would take last years bench if you could freeze them in time. But this seasons bench is crushing last years bench based on this season...

- Igoudala - Actually playing better than last season, more efficient. Better plus/minus.
- Livingston - Having his best season ever.
- McGee - Obviously a huge upgrade over Festus who's injured and nearly single handedly loss Game 7 with his horrific foul of LeBron's 3 pointer and other awful play throughout the playoffs.
- Ian Clark - Averaging more points than Barbosa this season on better shooting % and plays superior defense.
- David West - Doesn't have Speights shooting range but he's better in every other facet of the game. Is shooting 10% better than Mo this season as well. Way better team defender.
- Matt Barnes - Basically an upgrade over Brandon Rush, better defense and basketball IQ by a large margin.
- Looney, McAdoo, McCaw - All young players that are better than a year ago. McCaw was a steal in this years draft.
- Zaza - Not a bench guy but way more reliable than Bogut at this point. Actually makes his free throws and can hit a shot from outside 2 feet.

I was simply drawing a comparison of someone who had a similar knee injury. KD being less lazy doesn't necessarily mean he will heal faster. Maybe he will be more motivated but that could serve as a detriment.

I believe the Cavs bench is much stronger and much deeper, with superior experience than the Warriors. I don't even think it's close at this point. The Cavs bring substantial playoff and Olympic experience with players that have played meaningful minutes in those situations.
Regarding ZaZa.. I don't know how you say he's more reliable than Bogut. He's older than Bogut (although only by a year) and Boguts' lifetime stats are much stronger, particularly in the category most important to their respective roles, and that's rim protection.

The Cavs bench is not that great. I know they have some former All Stars but they are WAY past their prime and defensively they are awful. Deron and Korver can't guard anyone at this point. Frye never defended to begin with and Bogut is a shell of what he was 2 or 3 years ago. He was awful in last years playoff run and he can't guard even mediocre pick and rolls at this point. This isn't NBA circa 2010. The game has changed dramatically in the past 5-7 seasons, I'd take Iguodala and Livingston over anything on the Cavs bench and that's not even close.

Regardless we can argue all day about this stuff. I still consider the Warriors a pretty significant favorite if KD is healthy. There's a reason Vegas has them as the biggest favorite in NBA history. I'd give the Cavs a legit shot because LeBron is still the best player in the world and Kyrie is obviously a big time player. Spurs can't be overlooked either, just don't think they have enough offense, But if everybody is healthy and playing their best the Warriors still outgun anyone. Hopefully KD is healthy come late May and we don't get a third straight "What If" Finals. I hate the long meaningless NBA season. We know who the best teams are after 50 games. Nothing good comes of the last 30 games. Only injuries which seem to alter almost every season. Would love to see them go to a 70 game season with no back to backs but it will never happen.

Wobbie

as I said, count out the Clips.

tempo_n_groove

Wobbie said:

as I said, count out the Clips.

Never even considered them, lol.

Wobbie

pretty crazy what happened to Bogut.

mrussel1

Wobbie said:

pretty crazy what happened to Bogut.

Horrible luck

tempo_n_groove

So everyone is talking about Kawhi Leonard again on ESPN...

He's good. Great player on both sides of the court but plays for small market San Antonio.

igotid88

Dirk reaches 30,000 points

tempo_n_groove

igotid88 said:

Dirk reaches 30,000 points

Who had the assist?

igotid88

Harris

tempo_n_groove

igotid88 said:

Harris

Awesome! He did get it!!!
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nba/dallas-mavericks/full-court-press-blog/article136530693.html

tempo_n_groove

So I'm predicting blowout on Saturday when the Warriors play the Spurs.

Warriors are in a minor tailspin so I'm predicting big things from Leaonard and crew.

Go Spurs.

Remember I said they were my spoiler!!!

tempo_n_groove

So... HUGE game tonight and Kerr is sitting Curry, Green, Thompson and Igoudala.. Damn...

Smart move by coach as his team is in a tailspin but it sucks as a fan.

I was really looking forward to this game.

mrussel1

tempo_n_groove said:

So... HUGE game tonight and Kerr is sitting Curry, Green, Thompson and Igoudala.. Damn...

Smart move by coach as his team is in a tailspin but it sucks as a fan.

I was really looking forward to this game.

I don't know if it's good move or not.. I mean that's going to tighten the race to a 1/2 game, presuming that the Spurs win.

tempo_n_groove

mrussel1 said:

tempo_n_groove said:

So... HUGE game tonight and Kerr is sitting Curry, Green, Thompson and Igoudala.. Damn...

Smart move by coach as his team is in a tailspin but it sucks as a fan.

I was really looking forward to this game.

I don't know if it's good move or not.. I mean that's going to tighten the race to a 1/2 game, presuming that the Spurs win.

They've lost 4/6 games since Durant went out. The teams cohesion is waning.

If the Warriors were to lose with everyone on the court it might shake them up more. They have a history of getting rattled when they have some adversaty.

Spurs by 10 tonight.

lastexit78

I get why Kerr is doing this. I hate that this trend started with Pop and the Spurs but I also understand it's not going to stop unless the NBA makes significant changes to their scheduling. Analytics have clearly shown that rest is extremely valuable and teams are not going to stop. Home court advantage is not what it once was with every series being a 2-2-1-1-1 format. How much did home court help the Spurs last year against the Thunder in the Conf Semi Finals? Or the Warriors vs the Cavs in the NBA Finals? The Spurs, Cavs and now Warriors have done this rest thing a lot over the past 4 seasons and those are clearly the top 3 teams in the NBA right now. So like I said it's not stopping.

With that said we all know the NBA schedule is way too long at 82 games. But the players union would never accept less games and less revenue and neither would the owners. So I hardly feel bad for either side. The best the NBA can do is start the season in early October and try to eliminate back to backs. In the meantime fans get the short end and I only mean the 20,000 who had tickets. The rest of us sitting on our couches can get over it.

mrussel1

lastexit78 said:

I get why Kerr is doing this. I hate that this trend started with Pop and the Spurs but I also understand it's not going to stop unless the NBA makes significant changes to their scheduling. Analytics have clearly shown that rest is extremely valuable and teams are not going to stop. Home court advantage is not what it once was with every series being a 2-2-1-1-1 format. How much did home court help the Spurs last year against the Thunder in the Conf Semi Finals? Or the Warriors vs the Cavs in the NBA Finals? The Spurs, Cavs and now Warriors have done this rest thing a lot over the past 4 seasons and those are clearly the top 3 teams in the NBA right now. So like I said it's not stopping.

With that said we all know the NBA schedule is way too long at 82 games. But the players union would never accept less games and less revenue and neither would the owners. So I hardly feel bad for either side. The best the NBA can do is start the season in early October and try to eliminate back to backs. In the meantime fans get the short end and I only mean the 20,000 who had tickets. The rest of us sitting on our couches can get over it.

All true.. ABC has to be pissed. It's the national game tonight and it's going to be a stinker.

23scidoo

Giannis ranks in the top-20 in pts, rebs, asts, stls & blks. No player in NBA history has done this for an entire season..
WOW!!!!