NBA 2023-2024 Thread

[Kingspoint]

I see we're not through the "anger" stage of loss yet. So yeah, probably too soon for the tissue box. My bad! Would a toy work better? I hear Damian Lillard Funko Pops might be on clearance.

Trading Maxey for one guaranteed season of Jrue Holiday...no thank you. Portland received no player approximating Maxey's overall future value for Lillard and won't get that for Holiday either.

Anger? You are so clueless. But, what else would one expect from a Steelers' fan. I couldn't be happier for Dame. You obviously decided to ignore the posts (your favorite pasttime whenever something doesn't agree with your narrow-minded narrative) that emphatically stated that I hope Milwaukee wins the next three NBA Championships. Dame loves Portland just as everyone here loves him. He immediately thanked all of Portland fans for their love and support, stating that even though his business is now in Milwaukee, his home will remain in Portland, and he looks forward to wearing the Blazer uniform again.

[SteelSD]

Yup. Definitely still in the "anger" stage.

[Kingspoint]

This was the list of Blazers 11 months ago, including the 2-ways and the dead money guys:

Damian Lillard,
Jerami Grant,
Jusuf Nurkić,
Josh Hart,
Nassir Little,
Justise Winslow,
Keon Johnson,
Greg Brown III,
Trendon Watford,
Anfernee Simons,
Gary Payton,
Jabari Walker,
Shaedon Sharpe,
Drew Eubanks,
Didi Louzada
Olivier Sarr 2-way
John Butler 2-way

dead $$$$: Andrew Nicholson, Eric Bledsoe

The survivors: Grant, Simons, Walker, Sharpe, Butler

- - - Updated - - -


Yup. Definitely still in the "anger" stage.

How'd those Steelers look today?

[Mutaman]

What kind of a defensive player is Lillard?

[KoryMac5]

What kind of a defensive player is Lillard?

Pretty bad

Among 263 players to log 1,000 or more minutes, Lillard's defensive rating ranked No. 242.

[Kingspoint]

"Where's Harden?"


More from the delusional mind of Mr. Morey...

"Who says that the Celtics and Bucks passed us up? As long as we have Embiid, we're as good as anyone on the floor."

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP. 6fcjqyOiFT12GVqQvF-dmQHaHa%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=778fe63ff241e466137f1a6c76192a65a81d1547527df0 b0a49b03c2a7c0c496&ipo=images

- - - Updated - - -


What kind of a defensive player is Lillard?

Very bad. Bottom 5% in the NBA amongst Gaurds. Middleton is already a better player than anyone Dame has ever played with. The Bucks entire team can make up for his poor Defense, just like the Warriors have always done for Curry. He's not lazy, though.

There's only one result that can come from watching Lillard up closely. You'll fall in love with him. He makes those around him better. He was the #1 Offensive Guard in the NBA last season. He's a perfect fit for the Bucks and Giannis, and they are for him. It's nice to see Dame in a situation that can take advantage of his greatness.

[Kingspoint]

Sacramento Kings getting completely disrespected by the Oddsmakers.

At least 6 Western Conference Teams have better odds to win the Western Conference.

There are two bets that look really good right now...

Bet on the Kings to get to the Western Conference Finals.

Bet on the Rockets to make the playoffs.

Wait, one more...

Take the over on the over/under wins for the Rockets.

Probably a pretty good bet...

Take the under on the over/under wins for the Blazers. Chauncey is still the Coach and their goal is still to get a very good lottery pick for one more season by playing as many young players as possible (which helps their future as they get experience while also losing so they get a better 2024 draft pick).

Jimmy Butler, Pat Riley and the Miami Heat Fans....

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP. oPmtQsIcBaU-yl-rOrsyxQHaFj%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=f2bdc79f56942575e689b368bd6ae03c6002f383d163a3 b177f9e35c848adc2f&ipo=images

Jimmy "Bieber" Butler

[SteelSD]

LOL. All he's got is "Steelers".

Enjoy the Blazers off season of Brewster's-Millioning away the Lillard escape returns, KP.

So far, they've got a dramatically overpaid center the Sun's couldn't wait to unload, a bench guard, a backup big, a couple of super-low first rounders that might as well be seconds, and distant pick swaps that'll never be exercised.

Portland might as well be the NBA East's farm club. Dame's gotta be watching this in horror. But I'll bet he's also thrilled that he'll finally make it back to the playoffs, and with a legit contender for the first time in his career. He should have been paired with a better player, like Giannis, or Curry, or Embiid, or...there are just so many...long ago.

[Kingspoint]

LOL. All he's got is "Steelers".

Enjoy the Blazers off season of Brewster's-Millioning away the Lillard escape returns, KP.

So far, they've got a dramatically overpaid center the Sun's couldn't wait to unload, a bench guard, a backup big, a couple of super-low first rounders that might as well be seconds, and distant pick swaps that'll never be exercised.

Portland might as well be the NBA East's farm club. Dame's gotta be watching this in horror. But I'll bet he's also thrilled that he'll finally make it back to the playoffs, and with a legit contender for the first time in his career. He should have been paired with a better player, like Giannis, or Curry, or Embiid, or...there are just so many...long ago.

Your opinion obviously doesn't matter.

All of the media outlets give the Blazers "A's" and "A-'s" for the Lillard trade, and that's even before the rest of the assets we'll receive via Brogden.

Blazer fans are giddy about the upcoming season that begins today. Everyone is looking forward to the Scoot Henderson era while watching Shaedon Sharpe alongside of him, Kris Murray, Jabari Walker, DeAndre Ayton (now that he's finally separated from his frat boys in Phoenix so he can grow up and be the man he's meant to be), the backup in Robert Williams (without any expectations for number of games played as he's a backup, not a starter, but one hell of a backup), Matisse coming off the bench, a very, very nice group and core of young players to watch develop over the next few seasons. They'll hand the ball to Simons and let him finish Top-5 in the NBA in 3-pt shooting, while scoring 30 points per game and increasing his trade value, and they'll get whatever they can out of Grant as he helps to cushion the bumps of the younger players before he, too, is replaced by a lottery pick or Kris Murray/Jabari Walker in the Starting lineup.

It's certainly going to be more fun than watching the 76er's spin their wheels as they flounder once again in the playoffs by failing to give Embiid any help whatsoever. Got to feel for the 2023 MVP.

It's good times in Portland. Fans haven't been this excited since Dame waived bye-bye to Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

[SteelSD]

You keep trying to craft silk purses out of sow ears, KP. Told ya that the Blazers haven't and wouldn't get a single player the quality of a Tyrese Maxey, and no matter how many preseason excitement banners you try to hang, that's still 100% true.

[Mutaman]

Eric Nehm
@eric_nehm
·

Robin Lopez joked that you often get the question, "Who is the hardest worker you've ever played with?"

He said his go-to answers have always been, "Dame (Lillard), Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Jimmy (Butler)."

[Kingspoint]

Apologies, btw, to goReds2. I have no ill will towards the 76ers. Sorry that you are receiving any collateral damage. I like Embiid. I wish him and them the best. Harden makes me puke, but he does that to a lot of people.

[SteelSD]

I would also like to apologize to the other Portland Trailblazers fan online. And I will as soon as I can locate her.

[Kingspoint]

Jared Weiss, who covers the Celtics for The Athletic, tweeted today that Holiday appreciated the work of Trail Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin, and especially his communication skills, during the transition period:

Jrue Holiday on Blazers working with him on trade: “Portland blessed me. Joe Cronin did a great job of communicating with me on how I wanted to proceed…Working with him was very easy, very seamless, and made all of this possible.”

Meanwhile Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers indicates that Malcolm Brogdon, one of the players the Celtics sent in return for Holiday, plans to stay in Portland despite rumors that the Blazers will also deal him for draft picks.

“They want me here, I want to be here. There’s a lot of misleading information out there about they need to trade me or I want to go… I’m embracing being here.” — Malcolm Brogdon

The Blazers are currently in the midst of fall training camp in Santa Barbara, California. Their first preseason game comes Thursday, October 12th against the Phoenix Suns.

[Kingspoint]

The most underated player that changed hands in the Damian Lillard extravaganza was the 53rd player taken in the 2023 NBA draft.

He went to Dayton (Ohio) last season, earning 1st Team All-Conference and 1st Team All-Defense after spending the the year before with Dayton, and two years with Georgia.

He came from Belgium and seems to be blossoming over the last 12 months.

His 6'-8", 220-lb frame fills the need where an opportunity exists in Portland. Currently, Sharpe and Thybulle will compete for the "3" position, while Thybulle's continued shooting struggles caused him to be benched by Australia during the World Basketball tournament. Interestingly, the reason was because teams were packing the paint on Australia's Center, a player the Blazers also added to their roster this season.

Sharpe's future, as stated by Cronin last April, is as the Starting Shooting Guard, or "2" position for the Blazers, but because of Simons and Brogden currently on the team, that position is log-jammed at least for the 1st Half of this NBA season.

They also kept Kevin Knox, who is probably a 14th or 15th player on any team's bench, including the Blazers, but it's still the position that Toumani Camara plays.

Jabari Walker, Jr. is also going to try to get himself onto the court any way he can, and while his natural position is the "4", something occupied by Jeremi Grant and Robert Williams (who is also the backup C to Ayton), Jabari Walker may see some time at the "3". He's an excellent 3-pt shooter and the team's best Rebounder,...better than Ayton.

Then there's Kris Murray, the team's 2nd 1st Round pick from this season. Murray is experienced coming out of Iowa and NBA-ready, so he's going to get minutes at the "4" and "3".

So, for Toumani Camara to find minutes, it's going to be an uphill battle. Injuries always happen in the NBA (we have Robert Williams, Jr.), and opportunities will arise.

The team invested into a G-League team finally, after not being a part of one for many years. (Their home games are at The Chiles Center of University of Portland, 3 blocks from our house...I went to get tickets and they were sold out immediately.) I'm guessing he'll spend the maximum number of games there, but that's still just 40 games.

Anyway, he's going to be on a race to improve as it's highly likely that the Blazers get a Top-5 lottery pick in 2024 and use it on a player who plays his position, the "3", leaving as an upside for him in Portland as a backup/rotation player, at best, while Kris Murray and Jabari Walker, Jr. are competing to see if one of them can deserve the Starting PF or "4" spot vacated when Jeremi Grant eventually gets traded, whenever that happens.

[Kingspoint]

Looking forward to a fresh, exciting season from the Pacers this year. No true expectations as there have been in year's past.

A great article on the depth of the team is written here:

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2023/10/04/pacers-deep-roster-and-what-it-means-for-competition-and-chemistry/70978540007/

"This is a bit of a rare situation," Carlisle said. "We have a roster full of young, talented guys on great contracts. There are a lot of decisions that are going to have to be made in the coming months. Right now, we laid it out (Sunday) night at our team meeting, what we're going to be about. The term that I like is competitive integrity. If you really want to be a championship teammate, you have to do all the hard things. You gotta be a tenacious competitor defensively. You have to fight like hell competing against a guy you're directly competing for for minutes and then you have to encourage him if he's playing ahead of you."

This is not to say that previous seasons didn't include competitive camps, but last season for instance, they had key pieces out with injuries when camp began, including Turner and Theis. Mathurin and Nembhard were rookies, and James Johnson Jr. was on the roster much more for veteran leadership than on-court production. This team is healthy and young and they all hope to play, and it's been clear throughout non-mandatory work that the competition is having a positive effect.

"You've seen that through the whole summer," Haliburton said. "I think guys understand that guys are going to be fighting for minutes. I think you'd rather have that than know what your set nine or 10 are and everybody else is kinda loafing through camp. You want guys competing and fighting for minutes."

[Assembly Hall]

Looking forward to a fresh, exciting season from the Pacers this year. No true expectations as there have been in year's past.

A great article on the depth of the team is written here:

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2023/10/04/pacers-deep-roster-and-what-it-means-for-competition-and-chemistry/70978540007/

"This is a bit of a rare situation," Carlisle said. "We have a roster full of young, talented guys on great contracts. There are a lot of decisions that are going to have to be made in the coming months. Right now, we laid it out (Sunday) night at our team meeting, what we're going to be about. The term that I like is competitive integrity. If you really want to be a championship teammate, you have to do all the hard things. You gotta be a tenacious competitor defensively. You have to fight like hell competing against a guy you're directly competing for for minutes and then you have to encourage him if he's playing ahead of you."

This is not to say that previous seasons didn't include competitive camps, but last season for instance, they had key pieces out with injuries when camp began, including Turner and Theis. Mathurin and Nembhard were rookies, and James Johnson Jr. was on the roster much more for veteran leadership than on-court production. This team is healthy and young and they all hope to play, and it's been clear throughout non-mandatory work that the competition is having a positive effect.

"You've seen that through the whole summer," Haliburton said. "I think guys understand that guys are going to be fighting for minutes. I think you'd rather have that than know what your set nine or 10 are and everybody else is kinda loafing through camp. You want guys competing and fighting for minutes."

ECF or bust!

[M2]

There's going to be a surprise team or two in the NBA this year, and Indiana looks like one of the more likely candidates.. If Obi Toppin steps up, they are going to be a tough team to stop. The question with them is how much defense will they play?

[Assembly Hall]

There's going to be a surprise team or two in the NBA this year, and Indiana looks like one of the more likely candidates.. If Obi Toppin steps up, they are going to be a tough team to stop. The question with them is how much defense will they play?

Hope you are right. And I don't care what kind of defense they play that gets them to the ECF. lol

[Kingspoint]

There's going to be a surprise team or two in the NBA this year, and Indiana looks like one of the more likely candidates.. If Obi Toppin steps up, they are going to be a tough team to stop. The question with them is how much defense will they play?

The sky's the limit with Toppin.

[M2]

The sky's the limit with Toppin.

Though 18/10 would do the trick.

[Assembly Hall]

The sky's the limit with Toppin.

IIRC, with Obi, the Pacers have 5 players drafted in '20.

[Kingspoint]

IIRC, with Obi, the Pacers have 5 players drafted in '20.

And, they have some nice draft picks.

[Kingspoint]

Detroit is also going to be very interesting to watch for the major reason that Monty Williams is now their Head Coach. Watching their transition as the season goes along makes for entertaining daily monitoring.

I was so upset when Portland failed to make a move ensure that either Jalen Duren or Tari Eason would be drafted by them, and both of them have already passed several good players on their team's depth charts, actually to the point of changing each organization's plans because of these two frontline players. Both are excellent rim protectors while they both posess other skills that make others around them better...rebounding, shooting, intelligence, a mean streak and a desire to win every loose ball.

[M2]

Just wondering, anybody looking at the Suns and thinking that's not going to go well?

[Kingspoint]

Just wondering, anybody looking at the Suns and thinking that's not going to go well?

I think they are going to win the Western Conference. They have great balance of Offense and Defense, spacing in the half-court and perfectly built for the playoffs. They are going to be an outstanding passing team that moves the ball extremely well, one of the Top-5 Rebounding teams in the NBA that will give them more chances than their opponents.

I think Durant wins the MVP.

[Kingspoint]

Going to be a lot of interesting teams to watch.

What does MEM look like without Brooks for the season and without Ja for the first 25 games?

Sacramento still getting incredibly disrespected.

The first pre-season game showed that Gobert and Towns can work together. The key is Conley controlling things, which he did on Thursday. MIN and DAL play again Saturday.

The mystery of Zion Williamsons takes another chapter.

I love ATL's Head Coach, so there's hope there for that reason, but the Trey Young issue of not making an effort on Defense, and not knowing what to do when he does, is real. They'd be better off trying to find some sucker to trade for him (like Chicago).

I'll love watching MIA lose.

Thib's next season in New York will surely get better again.

Don't know what to think about ORL or CHA.

CLE is the team nobody is talking about in the East that is a legitimate threat.

Clippers are going to trade for Harden and that's going to be a comical disaster, reminiscent of the Clippers days of old.

DET and HOU will have greater improvements in Win/Loss totals than SAS.

OKC gets a #1 pick in Chet Holmgren added to their roster. Every year they are going to be adding major talent to an already very talented roster.

SGA will finish 3rd in MVP voting. Giannis 2nd. Jokic 4th. Embiid 5th.

[SteelSD]

Just wondering, anybody looking at the Suns and thinking that's not going to go well?

I'm with you. On offensse, there's only one basketball and that team is likely to be a steaming pile defensively. Smells a bit too much like what Durant tried to cook up in Brooklyn for my liking.

[M2]

It's starting to sound like the Clippers will include Terance Mann in the Harden offer. Supposedly what they need is a second 1st round pick to seal the deal (L.A. can only move one of their own). That begs the question of who on the Clips could be moved for a 1st round pick. Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac seem like the mostly likely candidates. Utah could perhaps use a shooter and it's got a pile of picks.

Yet I'm most interested in how this shakes out for Philly. Mann + 2 1sts + ~$25M in other dudes to balance out the money (almost has to include either Batum or RoCo) makes the 76ers a sneaky good team.

[SteelSD]

It's starting to sound like the Clippers will include Terance Mann in the Harden offer. Supposedly what they need is a second 1st round pick to seal the deal (L.A. can only move one of their own). That begs the question of who on the Clips could be moved for a 1st round pick. Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac seem like the mostly likely candidates. Utah could perhaps use a shooter and it's got a pile of picks.

Yet I'm most interested in how this shakes out for Philly. Mann + 2 1sts + ~$25M in other dudes to balance out the money (almost has to include either Batum or RoCo) makes the 76ers a sneaky good team.

If Philly were able to grab Mann and 2 first rounders, I wonder about a potential path to Zach LaVine. It would be a little messy to make the money work, but it's something I'd explore if I were Morey.

[M2]

If Philly were able to grab Mann and 2 first rounders, I wonder about a potential path to Zach LaVine. It would be a little messy to make the money work, but it's something I'd explore if I were Morey.

The $25M in extra dudes that would come with Mann could make the money work. In fact, I wonder if that's the deal he's trying to pull off. Mann + dudes + 3 1sts for Lavine?

[SteelSD]

The $25M in extra dudes that would come with Mann could make the money work. In fact, I wonder if that's the deal he's trying to pull off. Mann + dudes + 3 1sts for Lavine?

Oh, yeah. I've already Trade Machined it out. There's also a permutation involving Tobias Harris along with Mann to Chicago that nets the Sixers both Lavine and Norm Powell, but the math is pretty tough.

Glad the NBA is back. Watched the Sixers/Celtics preseason tonight. The Celts were fully stocked for the home crowd, with Embiid, Harden, and Melton sitting this one out for Philly. Close contest until the Sixers went full G-league against the Celtics' NBA bench guys. The offense looks completely different than under Rivers. Maxey was the best player on the court for much of the night. His defense has improved. Jaden Springer got 24 minutes of run and was very good off the bench even against the Celtics' starters. Springer had an insane point-blank block of a Tatum dunk attempt, and his offensive game looks radically more refined than it did two years ago. Other than Pat Bev, who was super solid in 14 mintues, I was not impressed by the Sixers' vet-minimum offseason vet bench aquisitions though.

[Kingspoint]

Clippers look more focused than I've seen them in a very long time.

The "you can't rest your starters" command from the commish is going to have an impact on this team. Moreso, I think Leonard and George are tired of being irrelevant when it comes to the regular season AND the playoffs. I think they are going to lead the Clippers to a Top-4 finish in the West AND at least a 1st Round playoff victory putting them into the Final Four in the West.

I think the Lakers are going to have a much better regular season as they have a lot more depth that is balanced, but I still think they don't get out of the 1st Round.

[KoryMac5]

Clippers look more focused than I've seen them in a very long time.

The "you can't rest your starters" command from the commish is going to have an impact on this team. Moreso, I think Leonard and George are tired of being irrelevant when it comes to the regular season AND the playoffs. I think they are going to lead the Clippers to a Top-4 finish in the West AND at least a 1st Round playoff victory putting them into the Final Four in the West.

I think the Lakers are going to have a much better regular season as they have a lot more depth that is balanced, but I still think they don't get out of the 1st Round.

Lakers biggest issue is Father Time and can AD and Lebron stay healthy...

Plus can they get anything out of Christian Wood...

[klw]

SA and OKC went head to head last night. Wemby vs Chet. Chet looked like he was able to bulk up a bit during his lost season.

[M2]

SA and OKC went head to head last night. Wemby vs Chet. Chet looked like he was able to bulk up a bit during his lost season.

It's good that he's started eating food.

[klw]

It's good that he's started eating food.

It could be the most impactful bulking up job by a Chet since "Weird Science"

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kDDH8-E5yMM/maxresdefault.jpg

[Kingspoint]

How Tax-Apron Teams Have Taken Advantage Of Transition Trade Rules

October 11th, 2023 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined in detail last month, the salary-matching rules that apply this season to a club whose team salary is over either tax apron are only temporary. Rather than immediately implement all the new restrictions that will affect over-the-apron teams in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement at once, the NBA is gradually rolling them out. Most of those new rules will take effect once the 2023/24 season is over. That slow rollout of the new trade rules is working out well for many of the teams with the league’s highest payrolls in ’23/24. Several deals completed this offseason, including major recent moves like the Bucks‘ acquisition of Damian Lillard and the Celtics‘ trade for Jrue Holiday, have only be possible because the new restrictions on apron teams have yet to be enacted. The biggest trade-related change coming next offseason for teams over the second tax apron relates to salary aggregation — the act of combing the outgoing cap hits of two or more players in order to match an incoming player’s salary. This is how the Bucks matched Lillard’s incoming cap charge, which exceeds $45MM. Milwaukee aggregated Holiday ($36.86MM) and Grayson Allen ($8.93MM) in order to meet the league’s salary-matching rules. The Celtics took a similar approach when they landed Holiday, aggregating Malcolm Brogdon ($22.5MM) and Robert Williams ($11.57MM) to ensure they’d included enough outgoing salary.

Neither of those structures would have been possible next offseason, when a team whose salary is over the second apron will be prohibited from aggregating salaries in a trade. If that had been the case this summer, Milwaukee wouldn’t have been able to acquire Lillard without trading Giannis Antetokounmpo. In other words, that deal wouldn’t have been possible. While teams over the second tax apron won’t be able to aggregate player salaries in a trade beginning next summer, teams over either tax apron will face even more restrictive salary-matching rules. They’ll be unable to take back more salary than they send out in a trade. This offseason, teams over either tax apron have been permitted to take back up to 110% of their outgoing salary. For example, when the Celtics acquired Holiday, the combined salaries of Brogdon and Williams ($34.07MM) fell a little short of Holiday’s $36.86MM cap hit. But the Celtics were permitted to take back up to 110% of their outgoing figure, which was more than enough to cover Holiday’s salary.

That won’t be possible next year. In fact, if this salary-matching rule and the new rule preventing second-apron teams from aggregating salaries had been effect this year, there literally would have been no way for the Celtics to acquire Holiday, whose salary is higher than anyone else’s on Boston’s roster. Even if they had sent out Kristaps Porzingis, who was formerly their highest-paid player, the C’s only would’ve been able to take back up to $36,016,200, the amount of Porzingis’ cap hit — that wouldn’t have been enough for Holiday. And Boston wouldn’t have been able to aggregate another player’s salary with Porzingis’ in order to reach Holiday’s figure. Teams over the second tax apron are, by definition, not shy about spending their money, but beginning next summer, they won’t be permitted to add cash as a sweetener to complete a deal. So the $5.7MM in cash that San Antonio received from the Suns in the Cameron Payne trade in July, which will cover most of Payne’s $6.5MM salary for 2023/24? Phoenix was allowed to send that money this year, but it won’t be an option for any team over the second apron once the ’23/24 season ends.

This rule won’t put as many constraints on teams above the second apron as the first two we discussed, but it will take one more tool away from those clubs when they try to negotiate trades. When a team creates a trade exception in one deal, it can use that exception in a subsequent deal in order to acquire a player whose salary fits in the exception without sending out another outgoing salary.
Beginning after the 2023/24 regular season ends though, teams over either tax apron won’t be allowed to use a trade exception that they generated in a prior year. For the purposes of this rule, the “prior year” is defined as the end of one regular season to the end of the following regular season.

That means that a team whose salary is over the first or second apron at the end of the 2023/24 season will essentially lose any trade exception generated in a prior deal. A team could still generate a trade exception in June and then use it to accommodate a separate move in July, but a trade exception created at February’s deadline would be off the table in the offseason. Who would’ve been affected by this rule if it were in effect this summer? Well, the Clippers acquired Kenyon Martin Jr. from Houston using a traded player exception that they generated in February when they sent Reggie Jackson to Charlotte. That $2.13MM TPE was just big enough to absorb Martin’s $1.93MM salary. If all of the new CBA’s trade rules had been implemented this offseason, the Clippers would’ve lost access to that Jackson TPE and would have had to send out a player making at least $1.93MM in order to acquire Martin.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/10/how-tax-apron-teams-have-taken-advantage-of-transition-trade-rules.html

[Kingspoint]

I think Caris LeVert is going to be the most improved player in Cleveland this season.

Only twice in his career did he play more than 58 games (his 2021-2022 total), back in his 2nd season when he played 71 games, and last season when he played his career-best 74 games. Hopefully, there's no remission and that he goes on to have his healthiest season, yet. Not a coincidence that he had career best's in 3-pt shooting at a remarkable .392, but he had his best eFG% of .517, bettered only by his rookie season. I expect his eFG% to be a new career best, while he takes more 3-pt attempts with a slight dip in 3-pt%.

His FT attempts, Assist Totals have all gone down steadily over the last four years, but his TO's have steadily gone down, too. I'm assuming his usage rate has gone down and that would explain the numbers, as his shot attempts have gone down, too. While I don't see his usage rate taking too much of an uptick, there is a possibility that with injuries to Mitchell, Garland and/or Rubio that his usage-rate could take a significant jump during those games.

With that, I think he's going to increase his points-per-game totals by 33% over the length of the season, moving from the 12.1 he averaged last season to 16.2 this season.

[texasdave]

Jabari Smith looks and plays like a completely different person. Granted, it's only 2 exhibition games in.

Cam Whitmore, in those 2 games, has scored 23 points in 26 minutes.

[M2]

Jabari Smith looks and plays like a completely different person. Granted, it's only 2 exhibition games in.

Cam Whitmore, in those 2 games, has scored 23 points in 26 minutes.

Smith looked completely different in the Summer League too. This is more like who he was supposed to be than the utterly dismissible guy who occupied his body last season. Good to see it. I hope it's for real because I thought Smith had the chance to be something special back in the 2022 draft.

And I still can't believe Whitmore fell that far.

[Kingspoint]

Jabari Smith looks and plays like a completely different person. Granted, it's only 2 exhibition games in.

Cam Whitmore, in those 2 games, has scored 23 points in 26 minutes.

As they continue to say, he showed the difference in Summer League, so it's more than just two pre-season games. There was a different attitude and aggressiveness. It's clear he worked on a lot during the off-season.

NBA TV had Whitmore 3rd on the depth chart at his position. That's not going to last.

I'm jealous of how loaded OKC (and more will be added), HOU (and more will be added) and DET are. These teams' depth goes so deep with great talent.

[KoryMac5]

Smith looked completely different in the Summer League too. This is more like who he was supposed to be than the utterly dismissible guy who occupied his body last season. Good to see it. I hope it's for real because I thought Smith had the chance to be something special back in the 2022 draft.

And I still can't believe Whitmore fell that far.

If I remember correctly Whitmore bombed his pre-draft interviews and workouts which turned off a few teams...I think Woj reported it during draft night.

[Mutaman]

This Lillard fellow might be ok.

[Kingspoint]

This Lillard fellow might be ok.

Wait til Middleton gets involved, while Lopez being able to shoot the "3" consistently is huge and that Pat Connaughton always makes the right decision while being able to do all things in a support role. Bobby Portis might have his best season as a pro.

I really, really love their new Head Coach. Makes me very jealous.

[SteelSD]

Soooo...ahem...

Houston dealt Kevin Porter Jr. and two 2nd rounders to OKC for Victor Oladipo and Jermiah Robinson-Earl. The deal saves the Rockets 5.5M is salary. OKC will, reportedly, immediately waive Porter Jr.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38679542/sources-thunder-acquiring-kevin-porter-jr-waiving-him

[BuckeyeRed27]

Soooo...ahem...

Houston dealt Kevin Porter Jr. and two 2nd rounders to OKC for Victor Oladipo and Jermiah Robinson-Earl. The deal saves the Rockets 5.5M is salary. OKC will, reportedly, immediately waive Porter Jr.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38679542/sources-thunder-acquiring-kevin-porter-jr-waiving-him

I don’t quite get this one. Why is OKC paying $16M for a couple second round picks?

[SteelSD]

I don’t quite get this one. Why is OKC paying $16M for a couple second round picks?

Oladipo's contract is 9.5M, so you need to deduct that plus what Robinson-Earl makes (@2M, I think). The latter would have likely been a victim of OKC's roster crunch, so better to move him in a 2-for-1 (now really a 3-for none, with Porter Jr. waived) than to just waive him.

[M2]

Soooo...ahem...

Houston dealt Kevin Porter Jr. and two 2nd rounders to OKC for Victor Oladipo and Jermiah Robinson-Earl. The deal saves the Rockets 5.5M is salary. OKC will, reportedly, immediately waive Porter Jr.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38679542/sources-thunder-acquiring-kevin-porter-jr-waiving-him

Now that's a coyote-arm trade. I was baffled what Houston thought Porter was bringing to the table in recent years when they were trying to act like he was a PG.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Oladipo's contract is 9.5M, so you need to deduct that plus what Robinson-Earl makes (@2M, I think). The latter would have likely been a victim of OKC's roster crunch, so better to move him in a 2-for-1 (now really a 3-for none, with Porter Jr. waived) than to just waive him.

Ok why is OKC paying $6M for a couple of second round picks?

[M2]

Ok why is OKC paying $6M for a couple of second round picks?

They're crazy about picks. Gives them lots of trade padding moving forward.

[SteelSD]

Ok why is OKC paying $6M for a couple of second round picks?

That's pretty close to the actual cash purchase price of two second round picks. Plus, OKC's roster was at 18 players. So, if they couldn't find a 1-for-0 trade for any of the guys they wanted to waive, they'd have to eat their salaries with nothing to show for it. I mentioned this before, but there are actual business reasons for a team to acquire, then release, a player they have no intention of having play for them. As for the specifics for this deal, you'd have to ask OKC's GM.

[Kingspoint]

They're crazy about picks. Gives them lots of trade padding moving forward.

It's crazy what they've got.

Just their 1st's are something like

2024 (4)
2025 (4)
2026 (5)
2027 (3)

[M2]

NBA over/under time

EAST

Boston Celtics - 54.5

This is their Kill Arthur Dent (https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Agrajag) team. If this team stays healthy (and Porzingis can be a dicey proposition on that front), it doesn't have any excuses for not owning the season and winning a title. The fit of Jrue Holliday with this crew seems perfect Tatum and Brown should be some version of All-NBA again. Over because they have no excuses.

Milwaukee - 53.5

Dame and the Freak sounds like a '70s TV show, but it should make for great watching. Yet I don't trust Khris Middleton (been two very banged up years for him), I'm not in love with their depth (Malik Beasley might be very important for them) and I thinking Dame and the Freak are saving their very special episodes for sweeps (playoffs). So I'm going under for them.

Cleveland Cavaliers - 50.5

They beat this number last season, they're still a young team and their regular season defense seems like a lock. On the flip side, their offense is pretty bad and their backcourt can be exposed on defense. I expect a big season from Donovan Mitchell. And Darius Garland is a great throwback PG. They're fun, but maybe they're 49-win fun, so I 'm picking under for them.

Miami Heat - 48.5

Last year I think they had the same over/under as this and I picked the under. Didn't think they had the juice to win that much during the season. I was right. Obviously they become a different crew in the playoffs, but they lost Max Strus and Troy Vincent from their rotation. Tyler Herro is back after an injury and a summer in trade rumors (with no takers). Maybe he has something, but that "something" needs to be that he can play defense. So I'm going under because it's not Playoff Jimmy season.

Philadelphia 76ers - 48.5

The James Harden situation kind of clouds over that they've got the reigning MVP and a crew of guys who can play basketball. And if Harden gets traded, I'm assuming that turns into more guys who can play basketball. I also like Tobias Harris to put up a shiny season now that he's in a walk year. And if Harden sticks around, he's probably winning another assists title by distributing to Embiid, Harris and Tyrese Maxey. I'm with the over for them.

New York Knicks - 44.5

They're an up and down team, and they were up last year. I get the sense they're saving their powder for something, but I can't figure out what it is. Yet Jalen Brunson is awesome. And they've collected other Villanova guys to play with him. So, go Wildcats. I'm a little skeptical about Julius Randle maintaining his level and I've always been out on RJ Barrett, so I'm picking the under, not by a lot, but I think this year will be more a struggle for them.

Atlanta Hawks - 41.5

Is trading John Collins addition by subtraction? If yes, then they only need to add one win to reach the over. However, if the fatal flaw on the team is named Trae Young, then it could be another frustrating season for Hawks fans. I do sort of wonder in Quin Snyder's grand plan is to trade Trae for a higher quality superstar (do it for Luka Doncic because it would be hysterical). That said, I'm taking the over because it's not a heavy lift.

Indiana Pacers - 38.5

First off, no way in hell only seven teams in the East finish above .500. I'm calling shenanigans on that. Second, the Pacers have the potential to be an actual good team. A full season from Tyrese Haliburton, a step forward from Bennedict Mathurin and the unleashing of Obi Tobbin and I'm thinking this team could be this season's revelation. Also a really deep crew. An easy over pick.

Brooklyn Nets - 37.5

The Nets are a great team starter kit. Just add a superstar and watch them win. Mind you, they don't have a superstar, so that's why their line is this low. Yet Mikal Bridges is pretty great. I'm curious if Cam Thomas (of the back-to-back-to-back 40-point games) gets fully deployed. Even without a top tier stud they've got shooting, perimeter defense and a quality young big in Nic Claxton gives them the makings of a respectable team. I'm giving them an over pick.

Chicago Bulls - 37.5

Probably the highest chances of any team in the league for being disassembled. DeRo (a free agent after this season) is almost surely going somewhere and Zach LaVine should start humming "Philadelphia Freedom" as he's walking around. I like some of their kids, but they'll probably need to crash the car a bit after they're handed the keys. This group has big lottery energy. Pound that under button.

Orlando Magic - 36.5

I love Paolo and Franz, but the backcourt is hampered by Markelle Fultz's lack of range and Jalen Suggs' general rawness. I don't get the Anthony Black pick at all (also range-challenged). So I think the Magic could blast past this number if they get quality, consistent backcourt play. Since I haven't seen that from them and I don't think it's a given that they'll get it, I'm picking the under. Too much tease potential.

Toronto Raptors - 36.5

Toronto also has major disassembly potential, if they stop acting like their okay guys are Olympians. They have enough guys to be all right, which is all they need to be to beat this number. A lot hinges on Scottie Barnes not being ass for a second straight season. There's enough guys in the shop window that they're probably going to get plenty of production. Even if those guys eventually get moved, they should provide enough for the team to hit the over.

Charlotte Hornets - 30.5

You don't have to be particularly good to beat this number, but the Hornets are not particularly good. Some are pointing to how Miles Bridges is back, but unfortunately it looks like he's all the way back (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38636653/suspended-hornets-f-miles-bridges-criminal-summons-issued). Maybe Brandon Miller is for real, maybe LaMelo can stay healthy, maybe Mark Williams is a wall. Too many maybes - under.

Detroit Pistons - 28.5

The Pistons could be a lot better this season and still miss the over. That's how far back they were. Cade Cunningham is back. Ausar Thompson has a lot of promise. Not sure those two play at the same speed, and no idea what speed Jaden Ivey plays at. There's a decent shot this team shows signs of life. It could sneak up on opponents who take them too lightly. Yet then I see Marvin Bagley and I pick the under.

Washington Wizards - 24.5

Maybe I'm crazy, but the Wizards have some depth and two feature scorers in Poole and Kuzma. I mean, that should be enough to get them 25 wins. They could still be the worst team in the NBA and get 25 wins. I think it's a signal of the overall depth in the league. Like, on some night this year, Deni Avdija is absolutely going to go off and win his team a game. The Wizlets have a few guys like that, which is why they smell like an over to me.

WEST

Denver Nuggets - 52.5

They won so convincingly last season it instantly got people speculating on whether they can be a dynasty. Why not? Jokic is surreal. Jamal Murray has ice water in his veins. Aaron Gordon fills in a ton of cracks. Though there is a question of how obsessed they'll be during the regular season. That might hinge on Michael Porter and how good the bench is. I'm thinking they step up and Denver hits the over.

Phoenix Suns - 52.5

Are you kidding me? They've got what looks like a matador defense. There's only one ball for Durant, Booker and Beal. Will they share it or will it be a whole lot of ball stopping.? And they added Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen like that's going to help? I simply don't get how this team is supposed to be elite. Durant and Booker are great players, but I don't trust anything around them. I'm pounding the under on them.

Golden State Warriors - 48.5

At face value this seems just about right. 48 or 49 wins are a reasonable target. Though I am concerned they're a bit too Steph dependent. Are they good without him? And will they win on the road this year? Chris Paul is the X factor. He'll certainly have space and plenty of good targets to pick out. It would be nice if any of their kids were good. Could have a trade up up their sleeve. However, until then they look like a slight under to me.

Los Angeles Lakers - 47.5

I'm amazed at how much they've added when they had almost no assets and no cap space. Austin Reaves is a real player, and now there's a team around him, LeBron and AD. I suspect D'Angelo Russell turns into someone else before the end of the season (though if that's Kyrie, no bueno). This looks like a good team, and I don't trust too many of the other supposed top teams in the West, so let's give the Lakers a big, fat over.

Los Angeles Clippers - 46.5

Speaking of not trusting other teams. I like Russ' fit on this team, but Kawhi and PG simply can't stay on the court. And I really don't get James Harden's supposed fit on this team if they trade for him. This team needs to do something dramatic or to find a miracle health elixir. Any way, I think the door is wide open for other teams to vault to the top of the West because these guys seem headed under.

Memphis Grizzlies - 45.5

I am not in love with this roster. Plus, Ja is suspended for 25 games and it's an open question if he's actually learned anything from the experience. Yet they're big (Brandon Clarke is back) and they've got shooting. They've also been good for a couple of seasons, so they should have cool heads. And big points for shedding Dillon Brooks. Make way for Santi Aldama. They're an over for me by process of elimination.

Dallas Mavericks - 44.5

Look, it's Kyrie Irving. Let's see how far down he can drag this team. Shouldn't be too hard. Luka Doncic is incredible, but it's questionable how many other guys on this roster could get minutes on a decent team. Honestly, take away Luka and I think you've got the worst roster in the NBA along with the most cancerous player in the NBA. They seem like a lock for the under, and they'd better hope Luka doesn't make a trade demand.

Minnesota Timberwolves - 44.5

With all these overrated teams above them, it makes for a pretty open field. Mike Conley directing traffic helps matters immensely. If ever a team needed good decision-making, this is it. Jaden McDaniels seems primed to take another leap too. Ant and KAT given them star power. If they put it all together and finished 2nd in the West, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise. So, over for them.

New Orleans Pelicans - 44.5

During the first 1/3 of last season they looked like the best team in the West. Then Zion broke again and they flatlined. That shouldn't have croaked them. That said, they've got players. I dig Trey Murphy and Herb Jones. CJ McCollum makes a great 3rd option. There's a question of whether Brandon Ingram is a willing 2nd option. But the team is due for something to go right so I'm thinking it's the over for them.

Oklahoma City Thunder - 44.5

I get the optimism with them. They're young and they've got a bunch of fun players. They play with pace. They play aggressive. They aren't intimidated by anyone. However, look at all the teams around them here. All of them are loaded, a little further down the road and they generally shoot better. OKC has to climb over that pile. I think it's a year early for the,, so I'm giving them an under.

Sacramento Kings - 44.5

I'm surprised to see them this low. They proved pretty definitively last season that what they've got works. If anything they should be trending toward better. Sabonis and Fox are early in their primes. Keegan Murray is going to improve. There's going to be all kinds of open looks for their shooters. Their time is now. The led the league in O rating last season and were 2nd in eFG%. Light the beam and give them the over.

Utah Jazz - 35.5

They were a surprise for much of last season as Lauri Markkanen took a star turn. Walker Kessler also turned out to be a first-class rim protector. They beat this number last season. Yet they've got some rookies they'll be throwing minutes at and that's rarely a recipe for wins. So it looks like a step-back-before-they-take-a-step-forward team to me. Going under this season isn't the worst thing in the world.

Houston Rockets - 31.5

My "Jabari Smith might be good" mood is offset by my "oh no, Dillon Brooks" misgivings. Yet then Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson look like a blast and Fred Vanvleet gives them an adult on the court. It would help if Jalen Green took fewer shots, but that's not happening. Ime Udoka has his work cut out for him banging this team into something that works. Might hit the under while he's doing that.

Portland Trail Blazers - 28.5

I suppose the question is how long will veterans like Jerami Grant and Malcolm Brogdon be around? And what's the plan with Deandre Ayton and the Time Lord? Scoot Henderson will be allowed to run the show, which doesn't bode well for a winning season, but he's got enough pieces around him for 29 wins. And Shaedon Sharpe might go off. So let's give them an over due to their fairly low bar.

San Antonio Spurs - 28.5

Wemby will do absurd things, but I've got a pretty low opinion of the rest of the roster. Keldon Johnson is a guy who'd be better if he shot less. This team was 29th in O rating and 30th in D rating. I don't think that's turning around this quick. Popp still needs a lot more talent before this team comes out the other side. So let's give them the under and another high draft pick next summer.

[Kingspoint]

I'll be shocked if POR wins more than 25.

- - - Updated - - -

Adrian Griffin's insecurity caused Terry Stotts to resign today.

[M2]

I'll be shocked if POR wins more than 25.

Grant, Brogdon and Ayton have all been 20-point scorers in the league. Though it kind of hinges on whether they play any defense.

[Rojo Rijo]

Orlando frees up 30 million between the expiring contracts of Fultz and Gary Harris after this season. Also Isaacs 17.4 million dollar contract for 24/25 is not guaranteed due to the amount of time missed due to injury. There could potentially be around $50 million in cap space created for 24/25. My hope would be that in the continued absence of a star level lead guard they would go to the market and buy one.

[M2]

Orlando frees up 30 million between the expiring contracts of Fultz and Gary Harris after this season. Also Isaacs 17.4 million dollar contract for 24/25 is not guaranteed due to the amount of time missed due to injury. There could potentially be around $50 million in cap space created for 24/25. My hope would be that in the continued absence of a star level lead guard they would go to the market and buy one.

I'm wondering if they ball up those assets to make a deal. Orlando's never been a major free agent destination and not sure there's going to be the right fit on the open market, so the trade market might be where they look to make a splash. The question is who?

[Kingspoint]

Grant, Brogdon and Ayton have all been 20-point scorers in the league. Though it kind of hinges on whether they play any defense.

Good luck with that. Chauncey is still the Coach.

- - - Updated - - -


Orlando frees up 30 million between the expiring contracts of Fultz and Gary Harris after this season. Also Isaacs 17.4 million dollar contract for 24/25 is not guaranteed due to the amount of time missed due to injury. There could potentially be around $50 million in cap space created for 24/25. My hope would be that in the continued absence of a star level lead guard they would go to the market and buy one.

They hit the jackpot with Paulo. The Wagners have been great. They have several other good pieces. They're ready to stop tanking (not that they ever were) and start heading towards the playoffs.

[Kingspoint]

Why Most Teams Will Finalize Roster Cuts On Saturday

October 20th, 2023 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams have until Monday night (Oct. 23) to officially set their rosters for the 2023/24 regular season. However, a majority of NBA teams will likely have their rosters ready to go on Saturday, with far more roster cuts expected today and tomorrow than on Sunday or Monday. Why is that? Well, releasing a player on Saturday will ensure he clears waivers on Monday, before the regular season gets underway.

Players who are cut during the season are also paid for each day they spend on waivers, so a player who hits waivers on Sunday and doesn’t clear until the first day of the season on Tuesday would technically earn one day’s worth of pay, even if his contract isn’t guaranteed. A player released on Monday would spend two regular season days on waivers. For players with partial or full guarantees, spending the first day or two of the regular season on waivers doesn’t really matter, since they’re getting their full 2023/24 salary (or their partial guarantees) no matter when they’re released. But if a team waits until Monday to cut a player with a non-guaranteed salary, that team will be on the hook for two days’ worth of dead money for the player. Two days’ worth of dead money won’t exactly break the bank — it would range from about $13-37K for a minimum-salary player. Still, most teams already know which players are in and which are out, so there’s no need to take the decision down to the wire on Monday. They’ll make those cuts on Friday or Saturday and will avoid adding extra cap charges to their books for ’23/24. Even that small amount of savings could be important for teams who are right around the tax line or up against a hard cap.

While many teams will make their cuts on Saturday, a handful of clubs can afford to wait an extra day or two if they want to, since they’ll be waiving (or trading) players who have full or partial guarantees. The Wizards, for instance, have 17 players on fully guaranteed contracts and will need to reduce that number to 15. Waiting until Sunday or Monday to make their cuts won’t affect their cap outlook at all, since all 17 of those players will receive their full-season salaries either way. Additionally, teams whose final roster moves won’t involve placing a player on waivers can afford to wait until Monday to finalize those moves. For example, the Spurs currently have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, a pair on two-way contracts, and Charles Bediako on an Exhibit 10 deal. While we don’t know exactly what the team’s plan is, San Antonio could simply convert Bediako to a two-way contract on Monday in order to set its roster for the regular season, with no further cuts required.


https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/10/why-most-teams-will-finalize-roster-cuts-on-saturday-2.html

[Rojo Rijo]

I'm wondering if they ball up those assets to make a deal. Orlando's never been a major free agent destination and not sure there's going to be the right fit on the open market, so the trade market might be where they look to make a splash. The question is who?

Anunoby
Simons

[M2]

Anunoby
Simons

Neither one seems like the right fit to me. Anunoby is a forward, so they'd need to play Paolo at the 5. And I'm thinking Kingspoint would gift wrap Simons for you. He makes really bad decisions and gets roasted on defense. I was looking around and there's not really an obvious guy, at least one who might be available. The dream option is hope Luka decides he's not longer doing Dallas and go all-in for him. Yet I'm wondering if they need to be after a Cam Thomas type who can fit it up and isn't getting the minutes.

[M2]

Random thoughts looking through yesterday's preseason box scores:

- Are we sure the Hawks won't try to move one of Trae or Dejounte Murray? They don't seem to fit together.

- I suspect one of the reason the Sixers are in no hurry to move James Harden for a meh offer is because they're very happy with the backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and De"Anthony Melton.

- Looks like both Ziaire Williams and Santi Aldama want that starting SF role with the Grizz, which bodes well for the Grizz.

- I wonder if Giannis and Dame are going to play "my turn, your turn" by quarters. First time out, one guy kills the opposition. Next shift when the defense adjusts, the other guy kills them.

- It looks like Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren will be the starting C/PF combo rather than either of the former #2 overall picks on the Pistons roster.

- How much does Josh Green play for the Mavs when both Luka and Kyrie are in the lineup? Could he be had for a veteran frontcourt player?

- I appreciate how Spo throws minutes at his bench during preseason. The Heat aren't trying to prove anything in games that don't count.

- Amen Thompson is going to take minutes away from someone on the Rockets roster. Is it FVV, Jalen Green or Dillon Brooks? Because I'm pretty sure he's better than all those guys.

- Is Popp really going to start Zac Collins next to Wemby? That seems like a recipe for extra losing.

- Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are scoring a bit in the preseason. Does anybody think that will continue once the Warriors start their season?

[SteelSD]

- I suspect one of the reason the Sixers are in no hurry to move James Harden for a meh offer is because they're very happy with the backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and De"Anthony Melton.

Maxey put up 12 assists against the Hawks last night, which was encouraging. Without Harden, it looks like a backup rotation including Pat Bev, Kelly Oubre (who I don't love, but he can get hot), Paul Reed, Danny Green (who's playing like a spry 32-year old again), and Jaden Springer. Springer, who just turned 21, has been very very good this preseason. Last night, neither Murray nor Young could drive on the kid. Murray, in particular, was bamboozled by Springer seemingly teleporting in front of him every time he tried to get to the paint. Mix in a 7-for-8 preseason from deep, plus a much better handle, and he may get heavy minutes before it's all said and done. That being said, we've all seen preseason heroes fall flat when the games start counting, so my enthusiasm is appropriately tempered.

There were also a few interesting minutes with Embiid and Reed (in the dunker spot) on the floor at the same time last night, and it was refreshing to see an actual modern offense run. Still, I'm not really happy with the lack of high-level outside shooting. Oh, they'll have their games, but I'm a little concerned about potential 5-minute scoring droughts that plagued them last season. Speaking of scoring, or the lack thereof, P.J. Tucker posted 49 minutes over three games this preseason, missed all six of his shots (all treys), and scored 0 points. That makes me wonder if the Reed/Embiid on the floor simultaneously was a bit of a Nick Nurse forward-thinking experiment, because the Sixers just can't afford to get nothing offensively from Tucker's forward spot as a starter. Reed doesn't have a reliable shot from deep, but he can mix it up on the interior better than Tucker can, and Nurse wants to run, cut, and finish inside. Tucker, well...can't do any of those things.

We'll see if Harden's back for the season opener in Milwaukee. Regardless, that game is going to be an uphill battle. And, in a really brutal bunch of scheduling stupidity, Philly then has to travel to Toronto, and back to Philly for a home opener that's the second half of a back-to-back. Ugh.

One thing I should mention that I was unaware of until recently is that if folks have Max (formerly HBO Max), the TNT NBA games, including the in-season tourney games, are going to be on there and free until March for current subscribers. If everyone already knows that, disregard. Otherwise, check it out.

[Kingspoint]

Random thoughts looking through yesterday's preseason box scores:

- Are we sure the Hawks won't try to move one of Trae or Dejounte Murray? They don't seem to fit together.

- I suspect one of the reason the Sixers are in no hurry to move James Harden for a meh offer is because they're very happy with the backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and De"Anthony Melton.

- Looks like both Ziaire Williams and Santi Aldama want that starting SF role with the Grizz, which bodes well for the Grizz.

- I wonder if Giannis and Dame are going to play "my turn, your turn" by quarters. First time out, one guy kills the opposition. Next shift when the defense adjusts, the other guy kills them.

- It looks like Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren will be the starting C/PF combo rather than either of the former #2 overall picks on the Pistons roster.

- How much does Josh Green play for the Mavs when both Luka and Kyrie are in the lineup? Could he be had for a veteran frontcourt player?

- I appreciate how Spo throws minutes at his bench during preseason. The Heat aren't trying to prove anything in games that don't count.

- Amen Thompson is going to take minutes away from someone on the Rockets roster. Is it FVV, Jalen Green or Dillon Brooks? Because I'm pretty sure he's better than all those guys.

- Is Popp really going to start Zac Collins next to Wemby? That seems like a recipe for extra losing.

- Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are scoring a bit in the preseason. Does anybody think that will continue once the Warriors start their season?

I figured the writing was on the wall for Trey Young when they traded for Murray. McMillan tried to get Trae to play Defense and Young ran him out of town. By getting a player much better than Young in Murray, it just seems inevitable that they are going to have to separate the two moving forward. They can either try to play Murray's way or Young's way. They can't do both. Young's way will win you nothing.

Just can't think of anyone who would want Harden. Can't believe the Clippers are seriously thinking of destroying a promising season by bringing that turd into town...and paying for the privilege. Kawhi and George whine and whine way too much about their teammates. They've done this everywhere they've been. They need to shut up and play.

Playing for 25 games without Morant and Brooks gives Jackson a chance to place a leadership mark on this team. They could really use that from the Defensive Player of the Year.

Dame has always played one way...defer to his teammates, try to get them involved and going during the 1st Half of games. Try it again for the first half of the 3rd Quarter, then take over Offensively midway through the 3rd Quarter towards the rest of the game. With the best Offensive talent (never mind the stark contrast in Defensive talent) he's ever had around him, he won't have to take as long to get his other teammates going, which will give him the luxury of being more Offensively aggressive in the first halves of games. When he got there, he said, "This is basically the same Offense I ran for 9 years in Portland". They must have immediately put into place a lot of Stotts' Offense. With Stotts now gone, there's going to definitely be a change in the Offense, and it's going to be interesting what they are going to run. I think they will struggle as Griffin will try to change it away from what Stotts brought in so he can establish his own stamp on the team. Fortunately, Dame and Giannis are Hall-of-Fame players in their primes and could implement anything, especially with Middleton and Lopez and Connaughton around. I'm not a Malik Beasley fan. They'd be much better if he came off the bench and didn't play a whole heck of a lot of minutes.

Pretty certain that Dame will be deferring to Giannis, Lopez and Middleton a lot the first couple of months just to help get the Offense in as efficient a place as possible, since it's going to be pretty new for most of the team. I'm expecting Dame to average 18 shots per contest, with 8 of them being "3"'s. Giannis should get about 22 shots per contest. Lopez 14. Middleton 14. Porter 10. Connaughton 8. Beasley 13. The Defense under a Rookie Head Coach is going to be the biggest question-mark. The Offense will be Top-5 all season long, probably #1 when the season ends. But, can the Defense continue to be Top-5 like it has been the last few years?

That's the right call in Detroit. I really wanted POR to acquire another 1st Round pick so they could get Duran or Eason. I considered them asleep at the wheel for not filling that need with one of those two. Detroit is so deep in quality players with high upside (see HOU, OKC). With Monty Williams, will be one of my favorite teams to watch this season.

Spoelstra, after screwing up the Dame option, realizes that they don't have any assets, and that they better start developing something out of nothing again if they have any plans to make the play-in this season. Looks like they'll not make it at this point. They don't even have basic rotation depth right now.

Nobody on HOU should be playing more than 30 minutes per game. FV is up there in age while he's played a ton of minutes the last couple of years. Brooks plays too hard to play too many minutes per game. Cam Whitmore looks like he should have been a Top-5 pick. Jabari Smith is lucky he had a big improvement this off-season because Whitmore and Thompson are both already as good as he is. I'm hearing that Smith is going to have to perform the Defense that he was drafted for in order to keep pace because there is no way he's going to keep pace with Whitmore and Thompson Offensively. These two are Stud #1 and Stud #2. What a perfect coach to have at the perfect time and with a lot to prove. Think Udoka doesn't have a chip on his shoulder? He's got Brooks as the enforcer that fits his style in both practices and games. He'll do exactly what Bruce Bowen did for San Antonio when Udoka was a player there.

Zac is there to protect Wemby. Zac has never ever taken anything phyically from anyone. Collins won't let anyone get physical with Wemby without immediate retaliation. Collins is an excellent 3-pt shooter, so he can help space the floor on Offense, while he's a great shot-blocker and can recover around the rim when Wemby tries to block someone's shot leaving the rim unprotected. For this season, it will work.

The Warriors core players are old. They're going to have to find ways to rest them. They couldn't win a road game last year.

Maxey has been excellent.

[M2]

I figured the writing was on the wall for Trey Young when they traded for Murray. McMillan tried to get Trae to play Defense and Young ran him out of town. By getting a player much better than Young in Murray, it just seems inevitable that they are going to have to separate the two moving forward. They can either try to play Murray's way or Young's way. They can't do both. Young's way will win you nothing.

They definitely don't mesh. Though I wouldn't count on Trae being the guy they move. Could be a sweepstakes for Murray this winter.


Playing for 25 games without Morant and Brooks gives Jackson a chance to place a leadership mark on this team. They could really use that from the Defensive Player of the Year.

Doesn't seem like JJJ has the offense to truly lead a team. I'm thinking it's Desmond Bane who'll be their nominal team leader.


Spoelstra, after screwing up the Dame option, realizes that they don't have any assets, and that they better start developing something out of nothing again if they have any plans to make the play-in this season. Looks like they'll not make it at this point. They don't even have basic rotation depth right now.

Bold call. I have a hard time thinking the Heat won't at least make the play-in.


Think Udoka doesn't have a chip on his shoulder? He's got Brooks as the enforcer that fits his style in both practices and games. He'll do exactly what Bruce Bowen did for San Antonio when Udoka was a player there.

Brooks is too much of a bonehead. Fake tough guy, not actual tough guy. Also, he'll be taking minutes from Smith, Whitmore and Eason.

[Kingspoint]

From NBC Sports...

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Zach Collins has signed a two-year, $35 million contract extension with the Spurs. Z-Co averaged career highs across the board with 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 51.8 percent shooting, though he played only 22.9 minutes per contest. He and Victor Wembanyama looked great playing alongside one another in the preseason, and Collins is expected to play more minutes in 2023-24. The sizable extension is a vote of confidence from the team that he can expand on his productive 2022-23 campaign.


Steven Adams will undergo season-ending knee surgery, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Adams was cleared for training camp in early October after dealing with this injury at the end of last season and throughout the offseason, but he will get surgery because the “non-operative rehabilitation did not resolve ongoing knee instability.” With Brandon Clarke (Achilles) out and without a timeline for return, suddenly Xavier Tillman gets a huge boost in fantasy value. Santi Aldama and Kenny Lofton should also be called on more off the bench.

[Kingspoint]

...and just like that, 25 minutes per game just became available. Whitmore will benefit the most from this.

From NBC Sports...

Tari Eason (stress reaction, left leg) will be sidelined for two to three weeks. Rockets coach Ime Udoka announced the news on Sunday, stating that Eason will be shut down for two to three weeks. With that being the case, the Rockets will be down a key member of their bench rotation.

Source: Vanessa Richardson on Twitter

[Rojo Rijo]

Neither one seems like the right fit to me. Anunoby is a forward, so they'd need to play Paolo at the 5. And I'm thinking Kingspoint would gift wrap Simons for you. He makes really bad decisions and gets roasted on defense. I was looking around and there's not really an obvious guy, at least one who might be available. The dream option is hope Luka decides he's not longer doing Dallas and go all-in for him. Yet I'm wondering if they need to be after a Cam Thomas type who can fit it up and isn't getting the minutes.

Yeah my search for potential targets came up pretty dry. OJ would enhance the defense but the hope would be he could play off guard, though he is far more of a SF, not sure we'd get the needed shooting range there. Simons is from the Orlando area and would be a great fit for scoring volume and shooting but is currently on a deal that overpays him and he is a zero on defense.

[M2]

We haven't really kicked it around, but Ben Simmons has been playing preseason games for the Nets and he's been pretty good. He sort of looks like he did when he was making All-Star Games and All-NBA teams. Is it a mirage or is it real?

I don't know, but the Nets are going to be pretty damn good if it's real.

[SteelSD]

We haven't really kicked it around, but Ben Simmons has been playing preseason games for the Nets and he's been pretty good. He sort of looks like he did when he was making All-Star Games and All-NBA teams. Is it a mirage or is it real?

I don't know, but the Nets are going to be pretty damn good if it's real.

I dunno. The only game he was decent in, from what I'm seeing, was the Lakers game. He was pretty terrible against Philly (8 TO, 5 fouls, 8 points). He'll get his assists, because he can pass and won't shoot, but I didn't see much to suggest he'd turned a corner.

[M2]

Made a baseball post in the NBA thread. Oops.

[Mutaman]

Guess Giannis wasn't too upset about Terry Stotts leaving.

[Kingspoint]

Guess Giannis wasn't too upset about Terry Stotts leaving.

He was pretty happy about Dame arriving.

Mission accomplished.

Hey Miami! No Beal. No Dame. No Giannis.

Giannis could have waited until next July to do this and gotten even more money, but getting Dame was all he needed to sign on the dotted line.

As far as Stotts, it would have been too weird even for the most confident Rookie Head Coach. The history of Dame and Stotts would have been too uncomfortable for most Head Coaches. Yeah, he should have had more confidence in himself, but it's hard enough being a Rookie Head Coach with expectations of Championship or the season is a failure (which is why he should have kept Stotts around...the Carlisle system of Offense is pretty good).

- - - Updated - - -

Btw, all Dillon Brooks does is win and makes his teams better with him than without him.

[M2]

Btw, all Dillon Brooks does is win and makes his teams better with him than without him.

Most idiotic player in the NBA. Takes a ton of bad shots and commits stupid fouls. He was a glaring problem when Memphis got bounced from the playoffs the last two seasons. His career Net Rating is -11. Last season he ranked 184th out of 190 in PER for all qualified players. He was so toxic Memphis didn't even bother to talk to him about an extension.

[Rojo Rijo]

Regarding the potential future of the Orlando Magic and trade/FA targets I could see Donovan Mitchell as a potential get if things dont go well in Cleveland over the next two seasons. He's locked into that deal through next season but has a PO for '25/'26.

Pairing Mitchell with Paolo and Franz would create quite the potent offense.

[M2]

Regarding the potential future of the Orlando Magic and trade/FA targets I could see Donovan Mitchell as a potential get if things dont go well in Cleveland over the next two seasons. He's locked into that deal through next season but has a PO for '25/'26.

Pairing Mitchell with Paolo and Franz would create quite the potent offense.

Mitchell would be the right fit. The questions around him are whether the Cavs will move him (they've got a contending team) and whether the reason they'd be moving him (only wants to sign with New York) would prevent teams like the Magic from trading for him.

[Kingspoint]

Most idiotic player in the NBA. Takes a ton of bad shots and commits stupid fouls. He was a glaring problem when Memphis got bounced from the playoffs the last two seasons. His career Net Rating is -11. Last season he ranked 184th out of 190 in PER for all qualified players. He was so toxic Memphis didn't even bother to talk to him about an extension.

Yet, one of the most respected Head Coaches around the league, Ime Udoka, specifically asked to get him and be a leader for his team. I think I'll take Udoka's (and mine, and I know him a lot better than most NBA fans) opinion about him over yours or Steel's. You don't even think, like most people, that HOU will make the play-in. Not only will they make the play-in, but they'll be competing for the #6 seed going into the final week of the season. Dillon Brooks' presence will be a major reason for this happening. He'll help turn those soft young players into grizzled veterans quickly.

The guy's a cheat, a dirty player, but he's effective and will instantly turn the Rockets into a playoff team every year he's on the club. There's a reason he was the Defensive Player of the tournament this Summer. It's because he was the most effective Defensive player in the tournament. He's one of the most effective players in the NBA when it comes to helping his teams win. Any losses by Memphis in the playoffs were never a fault of his doing. He's the one that got them there in the first place.

"idiotic" is a terrible word to use if you're trying to describe Brooks. He has one of the highest basketball IQ's in all of the league. He's constantly looking for a way to gain an edge on an opponent. He's an extremely more talented version of Draymond Green and Bruce Bowen.

[Kingspoint]

No more awards given to players based soley on reputation and not on in-season accomplishments.

Marc Stein clarifies in his latest Substack article that the new 65-game minimum for end-of-season awards only applies to MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, All-NBA, and All-Defense. That means a player wouldn’t necessarily have to play 65 games to win Sixth Man of the Year or Rookie of the Year, or to be named to an All-Rookie team.

With bonuses and payscales attached to how many All-NBA teams one is a member of, players aren't going to earn those anymore if they can't keep themselves on the court and in front of the fans. It's about time.

[Kingspoint]

Here's Pat Riley speaking out of both sides of his mouth...

Speaking to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, Heat president Pat Riley said the club has never actively looked to move Herro, but tacitly acknowledged that it would have been willing to discuss him in the right deal. “We have never shopped him and had no interest in ever trading the guy,” Riley said of Herro. “But when you’re talking about acquiring one of the top five players in the league, there isn’t anybody on our team that won’t be discussed.”

- - - Updated - - -

Really looking forward to this season. Lot's of teams in both conferences that should be fun to follow.

[Kingspoint]

This will give a different twist to the start of the Pistons' season, and actually a twist that I think will be a good thing for the team. I didn't like that they were relying on so much of a usage rate out of Morris and Bogdanovic, preferring that their younger players get more aggressive early in the season. This is going to open up that opportunity and completely change their approaches as the season goes along. I think DET benefits from this "setback".

Pistons’ Bogdanovic, Morris To Miss Multiple Weeks

October 24th, 2023 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons will be missing multiple rotation players to start the season, announcing today in a press release (Twitter link) that forward Bojan Bogdanovic, guard Monte Morris, and forward Isaiah Livers will all remain sidelined for at least the next few weeks. According to the team, Bogdanovic will be reevaluated in four weeks due to a right calf strain, while Morris will be reevaluated in three weeks after straining his right quad during a recent rehab session (he had been recovering from lower back soreness). It’s an unfortunate turn of events for a Pistons team that enters this season with aspirations of moving up the Eastern Conference standings after winning no more than 23 games in each of the past four seasons. Cade Cunningham is back in action this fall after a leg injury limited him to 12 appearances a year ago, lottery pick Ausar Thompson appears poised to play a significant role, and new head coach Monty Williams has a track record of turning lottery teams into playoff contenders.

Bogdanovic’s and Morris’ injuries won’t necessarily derail the Pistons’ year – they could both be back in action before the end of November – but the two veterans had been projected to play key roles for the team to open the season. Bogdanovic led the Pistons in 2022/23 with 21.6 points per game, posting an impressive shooting line of .488/.411/.884 in 59 games (32.1 MPG). Morris, acquired from Washington in an offseason trade, averaged 10.3 PPG and 5.3 APG on .480/.382/.831 shooting in 62 games (27.3 MPG) and brought some additional veteran stability to Detroit’s backcourt. As for Livers, his diagnosis – a Grade III left ankle sprain – isn’t new. Detroit announced at the start of training camp that he would miss at least six-to-eight weeks as a result of the injury. The club’s announcement today indicates that Livers will be reevaluated in four weeks, at the same time as Bogdanovic.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/10/pistons-bogdanovic-morris-to-miss-multiple-weeks.html

[Kingspoint]

What are the Grizzlies going to do with Steven Adams out the entire season, Brandon Clarke to miss much of the season as he recovers from an Achille's tear and Morant missing the first 25 games? Should they punt before the season even begins? Of course not. Like many teams (and MIA showed last season), if you can get hot from the "3" in the playoffs while having an established identity as a strong Defensive team, there's no limit to how far you can go in the playoffs. MEM certainly qualifies as a team that has an established identity as a strong Defensive team (Jackson and Smart have both won DPOY Awards), while Kennard, Bane and Morant could all get hot from "3" in the playoffs. They are built for the playoff style of halfcourt basketball. But, Adams was an integral part of that.

As other teams experience season-ending injuries to front-court players, the Grizzlies competition for aquiring front-court help will increase. Better to make a move earlier than later as it won't likely cost as much, would be more effective as their needs are greatest right now, while it's possible that they get nothing from Brandon Clarke this season.

Head coach Taylor Jenkins said on Monday that there’s no replacing Adams, who is one of the NBA’s best rebounders, especially on the offensive end. However, Jenkins is hopeful that the team can look to “collectively” improve its rebounding rather than relying on a specific player to take on that responsibility. Memphis’ fifth-year coach also acknowledged that a roster addition in the frontcourt is a possibility. “I’m working with (general manager) Zach (Kleiman) on that,” Jenkins said, per Cole. “There is more to come, for sure. We are having great dialogues right now, you know, with the newness of the news over the weekend. We will sit down and process where this team is at and how we can move forward.” The Grizzlies have a full roster, but will be granted an extra roster spot after the season’s first five games, when Ja Morant can be moved to the suspended list for the remainder of his 25-game ban.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/10/grizzlies-notes-adams-frontcourt-smart-bane.html

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2023/10/22/steven-adams-injury-memphis-grizzlies-center-roster-nba-free-agent-xavier-tillman-ja-morant/71282198007/

Teams with good center depth on non-championship contenders and quality players on expiring contracts make the most sense as likely trade partners.

Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams, Utah Jazz big man Kelly Olynk, New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson and Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela fit the mold of potential candidates.

Williams is a starting-caliber center who is currently slated to back up Deandre Ayton. Olynk started last season for the Jazz, but Utah acquired forward John Collins in the offseason, which will put Olynk in a reserve role.

Robinson is an elite rebounder who previously has received strong reviews from Adams. The Knicks have a logjam at forward and could get more of that talent on the floor by playing Julius Randle more at center and using backup big Isaiah Hartenstein. Robinson is in the second year of a four-year deal that has a base salary of $15.7 million this season.

Capela has been one of the NBA's best rebounding and rim-protecting centers in his career. He's a starter for the Hawks, but Atlanta has a promising backup center in Onyeka Okongwu, who was one of the team's top reserves last season. Capela currently has two seasons left on his $46 million deal.

[Kingspoint]

Hoops Rumors had a vote on over/under and here are the final results. Most vote tallies were closer to 1000 votes than 200 votes.

Here are the five “under” bets that received the largest vote shares:

Charlotte Hornets (31.5 wins): 65.8%
Los Angeles Clippers (46.5 wins): 64.6%
Chicago Bulls (37.5 wins): 61.9%
Atlanta Hawks (42.5 wins): 61.1%
New Orleans Pelicans (44.5 wins): 60.8%


These were the five “over” bets that received the largest vote shares:

Milwaukee Bucks (54.5 wins): 76.9%
Sacramento Kings (44.5 wins): 71.3%
Boston Celtics (55.5 wins): 67.6%
Indiana Pacers (38.5 wins): 64.1%
Orlando Magic (37.5 wins): 60.7%


None of the Major Cities, Los Angeles (Clippers or Lakers), New York (Knicks or Nets), Chicago, Philadelphia or Atlanta were on either extreme end. The more populated cities received closer splitting the over/under votes than the less populous areas.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/10/2023-24-nba-over-unders-recap.html

[Kingspoint]

LAL @ DEN DEN -4.5

I'm going with Denver winning this one, 128-110.

PHO @ GSW GSW -2.5

I'm going with Phoenix winning this one, 128-107.

[Mutaman]

Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters that Thanasis Antetokounmpo - "aka GM TA" - advised him on the best move to make and that led to him reversing his prior stance of waiting to decide on a contract extension.

Never again will you hear a Buck fan complaining about Thanasis occupying that last seat on the bench. Meet Thanasas, Milwaukee's version of Udonis Haslem.

[M2]

Yet, one of the most respected Head Coaches around the league, Ime Udoka, specifically asked to get him and be a leader for his team. I think I'll take Udoka's (and mine, and I know him a lot better than most NBA fans) opinion about him over yours or Steel's. You don't even think, like most people, that HOU will make the play-in. Not only will they make the play-in, but they'll be competing for the #6 seed going into the final week of the season. Dillon Brooks' presence will be a major reason for this happening. He'll help turn those soft young players into grizzled veterans quickly.

The guy's a cheat, a dirty player, but he's effective and will instantly turn the Rockets into a playoff team every year he's on the club. There's a reason he was the Defensive Player of the tournament this Summer. It's because he was the most effective Defensive player in the tournament. He's one of the most effective players in the NBA when it comes to helping his teams win. Any losses by Memphis in the playoffs were never a fault of his doing. He's the one that got them there in the first place.

"idiotic" is a terrible word to use if you're trying to describe Brooks. He has one of the highest basketball IQ's in all of the league. He's constantly looking for a way to gain an edge on an opponent. He's an extremely more talented version of Draymond Green and Bruce Bowen.

Brooks is a professional bricklayer who can't lay off shots he can't make. He's better at getting himself and his whole team untracked than he is the opposition. He doesn't pass or rebound well. Did I mention the career -11 Net Rating? I feel like that deserves its own headline. He got punted by the Grizz, which had Bird rights on him and didn't even consider using them. Udoka crapped the bed on that move.

Meanwhile, Draymond Green is going to the Hall of Fame.

[SteelSD]

Brooks is a professional bricklayer who can't lay off shots he can't make. He's better at getting himself and his whole team untracked than he is the opposition. He doesn't pass or rebound well. Did I mention the career -11 Net Rating? I feel like that deserves its own headline. He got punted by the Grizz, which had Bird rights on him and didn't even consider using them. Udoka crapped the bed on that move.

Meanwhile, Draymond Green is going to the Hall of Fame.

Imagine. The Grizz front office knows they'll have a long wait to get Morant back from an impending suspension, understands that Steven Adams is iffy (now out, period), yet almost their first order of offseason business is to virtually throw Dillon Brooks out of the stadium.

Brooks leads the league in cheap-arse nut shots and stupidly waking sleeping lions, but that's about the extent of his impact.

[M2]

Jokic goes 29-13-11 in a season opening win over the Lakers. Basically gnawed on AD like a chew toy.

[KoryMac5]

Stayed up a bit later to watch Wembanyama debut...for a big man he has great touch from the outside, its unreal how good he is at 19. However I think teams will follow the same blueprint to get him in foul trouble early and send him to the bench for periods of time. As he matures he will learn to avoid dumb fouls.

Dereck Lively II was great in his debut just what Dallas needed to get spacing for Doncic who had another 30 pt triple double...

It's a fun time to watch NBA basketball...so many good players to watch the Boston Knicks game was as advertised. Wasn't sure how KP was going to work with Tatum and Brown and I think we got a taste last night. Knicks shot poorly luckily their bench scoring kept it close.

[dubc47834]

Stayed up a bit later to watch Wembanyama debut...for a big man he has great touch from the outside, its unreal how good he is at 19. However I think teams will follow the same blueprint to get him in foul trouble early and send him to the bench for periods of time. As he matures he will learn to avoid dumb fouls.

Dereck Lively II was great in his debut just what Dallas needed to get spacing for Doncic who had another 30 pt triple double...

It's a fun time to watch NBA basketball...so many good players to watch the Boston Knicks game was as advertised. Wasn't sure how KP was going to work with Tatum and Brown and I think we got a taste last night. Knicks shot poorly luckily their bench scoring kept it close.

The Knicks FT shooting lost them that game. It was atrocious!

[RichRed]

Guys, I’m starting to worry the Wizards might not be good.

[SteelSD]

The Knicks FT shooting lost them that game. It was atrocious!

That was dismal (as was Randlee for most of the game). I was rooting for the Knicks, if for no other reason than to shut up Doris Burke, who absolutely FAWNS over the Celtics every time she sees them.

Not sure why Boston was playing their bench short minutes, but I encourage them to continue playing their starters 38 to 40 minutes per game. I'm also excited to see how long Jaylen Brown is happy getting 10 shots per game after being played (and paid) as a "1A" option to Tatum.

[Assembly Hall]

Guys, I’m starting to worry the Wizards might not be good.

Go Pacers!

[M2]

Guys, I’m starting to worry the Wizards might not be good.

First game, so I wouldn't freak out too much. They're not going to play defense, but that's nothing new for them. They can be their 30-win selves this season. My takeaway from that game is Indiana's loaded.

[M2]

Yesterday's leading scorer: Cam Thomas with 36 in 25 minutes. How does Brooklyn not give that guy starter's minutes?

Mark Williams (Charlotte) leads the league with 15 rebounds and Russell Westbrook (Clips) leads the league with 13 assists, both in winning efforts.

[KoryMac5]

That was dismal (as was Randlee for most of the game). I was rooting for the Knicks, if for no other reason than to shut up Doris Burke, who absolutely FAWNS over the Celtics every time she sees them.

Not sure why Boston was playing their bench short minutes, but I encourage them to continue playing their starters 38 to 40 minutes per game. I'm also excited to see how long Jaylen Brown is happy getting 10 shots per game after being played (and paid) as a "1A" option to Tatum.

I really dislike the 3 person booth in basketball...I don't mind it as much in baseball as I felt Darling and Francour brought different perspectives but I feel like Burke is constantly trying too hard to be heard.

[Assembly Hall]

I really dislike the 3 person booth in basketball...I don't mind it as much in baseball as I felt Darling and Francour brought different perspectives but I feel like Burke is constantly trying too hard to be heard.

C'mon man. Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, and Al McGuire.

[texasdave]

PJ Tucker still starting and still putting up goose eggs for Sixers.

[SteelSD]

Home cooking. OMG.

P.J. Tucker is called for a block on an obvious Giannis charge. Nurse challenges. They win the challenge, but refuse to call the charge AND give Giannis the basket.

Giannis drives the baseline, gathers, and puts the ball up. Airball over the rim. Giannis catches the ball on the other side. Everyone but the officials realized it was a travel.

Embiid drives the lane and is fouled by Lopez, then gets hammered by Giannis. Foul is challenged by Milwaukee. Not only is it overturned, they ignore the clear Giannis foul AND give the ball to the Bucks.

Anyone see a freakin' pattern here? Good lord. Philly would have won that game regardless if Embiid would have made his free throws, but Jesus. After the complete trash officiating was last year, I have to watch this crap game one this season too?

[Mutaman]

Home cooking. OMG.

P.J. Tucker is called for a block on an obvious Giannis charge. Nurse challenges. They win the challenge, but refuse to call the charge AND give Giannis the basket.

Giannis drives the baseline, gathers, and puts the ball up. Airball over the rim. Giannis catches the ball on the other side. Everyone but the officials realized it was a travel.

Embiid drives the lane and is fouled by Lopez, then gets hammered by Giannis. Foul is challenged by Milwaukee. Not only is it overturned, they ignore the clear Giannis foul AND give the ball to the Bucks.

Anyone see a freakin' pattern here? Good lord. Philly would have won that game regardless if Embiid would have made his free throws, but Jesus. After the complete trash officiating was last year, I have to watch this crap game one this season too?


Its so unfair.

[SteelSD]

Its so unfair.

If I were you, given the expectations for Milwaukee this year, I'd be terrified that the officials had to step in to salvage the game for the Bucks.

[SteelSD]

PJ Tucker still starting and still putting up goose eggs for Sixers.

In a game like that, I'd be perfectly fine with him getting 15 to 18 minutes using up his fouls just hacking away at Giannis every time he drove to send him to the line. But 26 minutes of consistent nothing offensively doesn't help. Hopefully, Nurse will learn. Maxey, Tobias Harris, and especially Kelly Oubre were all very good tonight. A couple of weird bench lineups, but that's probably a bit experimental.

[Mutaman]

If I were you, given the expectations for Milwaukee this year, I'd be terrified that the officials had to step in to salvage the game for the Bucks.

Thanks for the advice- send me a bill.

[Mutaman]

Damian Lillard -as advertised.

[SteelSD]

Thanks for the advice- send me a bill.

Sure. You feel free to be overconfident. The officials aren't going to be able to make up new rules every night to bail out the Bucks.

[Mutaman]

[QUOTE=SteelSD;4649319 You feel free to be overconfident. .[/QUOTE]

All comes down to being healthy in April.

[KoryMac5]

17 out of 17 from the stripe is unreal...Lillard for his career 89.5% that's going to win a lot of games in the East if he keeps going to the rim.

[goreds2]

NBA League Pass free trial until October 30th.

[M2]

In a game like that, I'd be perfectly fine with him getting 15 to 18 minutes using up his fouls just hacking away at Giannis every time he drove to send him to the line. But 26 minutes of consistent nothing offensively doesn't help. Hopefully, Nurse will learn. Maxey, Tobias Harris, and especially Kelly Oubre were all very good tonight. A couple of weird bench lineups, but that's probably a bit experimental.

Got to figure Oubre's there to be a 6th man. Come off the bench and fill it up. Philly really needs a stretch 4, or a 3 in return for Harden who can push Toby to the 4.

[Mutaman]

17 out of 17 from the stripe is unreal...Lillard for his career 89.5% that's going to win a lot of games in the East if he keeps going to the rim.



So the Bucks have one of the all-time great free-throw shooters on the team, and one of the all-time worst. It's not through lack of trying for Giannis- every time there's a video of the Bucks practicing he is shooting free throws. But his form stinks- he gets no arch on the ball,.
This has to be corrected if they want to do anything in the postseason. I say hire Rick Barry and have him teach Giannis how to shoot free throws underhand.

[M2]

Jrue Holiday popping up everywhere and making good plays seems like it might be the cure for the Celtics' habit of getting inside their own heads.

[KoryMac5]

Doncic continues to prove why he is one of the top 3 players on the planet

49 pts/10 rebs/7 assists

9-14 from downtown including a Luka special as the 4th quarter wound down.

Plus so far this season no arguing with the refs.

Lively is 10-11 to start his career...

Other thoughts:

OKC is looking really good so far this season SGA held off Donovan Mitchell

RJ Barrett seems to have improved in the early going.

Houston/SA was a fun watch.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Doncic continues to prove why he is one of the top 3 players on the planet

49 pts/10 rebs/7 assists

9-14 from downtown including a Luka special as the 4th quarter wound down.

Plus so far this season no arguing with the refs.

Lively is 10-11 to start his career...

Other thoughts:

OKC is looking really good so far this season SGA held off Donovan Mitchell

RJ Barrett seems to have improved in the early going.

Houston/SA was a fun watch.

I went to OKC Cavs last night. SGA was very solid per usual. He’s certainly an unspectacular star if that makes sense. He just kinda does his thing and you look up and he’s got 18 and 7 in the second quarter.

Mitchell was great, particularly in the second half. If garland plays this was a pretty easy win for Cleveland. Probably should have been anyway. OKC hit some shots late and they got the benefit of a very very generous challenge that overturned what would have been 2 Mobley free throws that would have essentially iced it.

Strus is a very good signing for the Cavs, really like his game and what he brings. Cavs are missing garland and Allen so the rotation will change but they gotta figure out what to do with the Dean Wade minutes, he’s worthless. Okoro looks to have made some nice progress as well on the offensive end.

[SteelSD]

Jrue Holiday popping up everywhere and making good plays seems like it might be the cure for the Celtics' habit of getting inside their own heads.

That team is far more dangerous with Holiday on it. Right now, they've got five guys in their starting lineup capable of throwing up 20-30 points each per night. Hell, Derick White led them last night with 28 (on 15 shots). I'm not sure there's a high probability of overcoming that consistently over four quarters, as the Heat found out last night. While taking a bit of a hit defensively and to their depth, they just grind you down offensively now. Now, to get that, they pushed to 50+ million over the cap and project to be 60 million or so over it next season. Good scenario for folks who wonder why 2nd rounders have increased in value though, as it's a way to fill out a roster with bottom-end bench guys who make peanuts.

I was interested in the rookies last night so I flipped between the OKC/CLE and HOU/SA games. Donovan Mitchell couldn't do it all by himself for a very undermanned Cavs squad, but he tried. Max Strus was awful. I've yet to see an unheralded player who was important to Miami replicate their success with another team. Chet Holmgren had a nice night (16 pts, 13 boards, and an OKC rookie-record 7 blocks) to support SGA and crew. Dribbling is not his forte. But he is very tall.

In the Houston game against San Antonio, I was very impressed with Alperen Sengun's improvement. 25 points to lead the Rockets, 14 boards, and 7 assists was a mini-Jokic performance. The tall dude on the other team- Wemby- started slow but finished strong, finishing with 21 points and 12 boards. He is very VERY tall. Unfortunately, I've been under the weather, so an ill-timed dose of Nyquil and a Dairy Queen bacon ranch burger took me out before OT.

On that last note, I had a Wahlburger's Wahlepeno burger yesterday and then that DQ Backyard Bacon Ranch burger. No contest- the exceptionally underrated DQ burger killed what Marky Mark's family threw at me, and for half the price.

[BuckeyeRed27]

That team is far more dangerous with Holiday on it. Right now, they've got five guys in their starting lineup capable of throwing up 20-30 points each per night. Hell, Derick White led them last night with 28 (on 15 shots). I'm not sure there's a high probability of overcoming that consistently over four quarters, as the Heat found out last night. While taking a bit of a hit defensively and to their depth, they just grind you down offensively now. Now, to get that, they pushed to 50+ million over the cap and project to be 60 million or so over it next season. Good scenario for folks who wonder why 2nd rounders have increased in value though, as it's a way to fill out a roster with bottom-end bench guys who make peanuts.

I was interested in the rookies last night so I flipped between the OKC/CLE and HOU/SA games. Donovan Mitchell couldn't do it all by himself for a very undermanned Cavs squad, but he tried. Max Strus was awful. I've yet to see an unheralded player who was important to Miami replicate their success with another team. Chet Holmgren had a nice night (16 pts, 13 boards, and an OKC rookie-record 7 blocks) to support SGA and crew. Dribbling is not his forte. But he is very tall.

In the Houston game against San Antonio, I was very impressed with Alperen Sengun's improvement. 25 points to lead the Rockets, 14 boards, and 7 assists was a mini-Jokic performance. The tall dude on the other team- Wemby- started slow but finished strong, finishing with 21 points and 12 boards. He is very VERY tall. Unfortunately, I've been under the weather, so an ill-timed dose of Nyquil and a Dairy Queen bacon ranch burger took me out before OT.

On that last note, I had a Wahlburger's Wahlepeno burger yesterday and then that DQ Backyard Bacon Ranch burger. No contest- the exceptionally underrated DQ burger killed what Marky Mark's family threw at me, and for half the price.

Strus wasn’t awful. He had a nice second half after a slow shooting start. He does a lot of good stuff off the ball and plays decent defense which I wasn’t expecting.

[SteelSD]

Strus wasn’t awful. He had a nice second half after a slow shooting start. He does a lot of good stuff off the ball and plays decent defense which I wasn’t expecting.

He was 3-for-14 from the field and 2-of-11 from three. He's a try-hard, but it's pretty much six of Max Strus/half a dozen of Cedi Osman.

[BuckeyeRed27]

He was 3-for-14 from the field and 2-of-11 from three. He's a try-hard, but it's pretty much six of Max Strus/half a dozen of Cedi Osman.

Having seen a lot of Cedi Osman he is not. He is a rather significant improvement.

Cavs collectively couldn’t buy a shot in the first half. I think they were 1/18 from 3 at the half.

[SteelSD]

Having seen a lot of Cedi Osman he is not. He is a rather significant improvement.

Cavs collectively couldn’t buy a shot in the first half. I think they were 1/18 from 3 at the half.

They were terrible from the field at halftime. Without Mitchell basically playing five one one at times in the second half, the game wouldn't have been close. And I have no real desire to get into a debate regarding Strus. I've just always viewed him as one of those guys who, the more load he's counted on to carry, the worse he is. IMHO, he's a 20-min high-effort "system" type. And yes, while he and Osman aren't exactly the same player, I just don't think that Strus offers much than Osman did at less than half the price. Just my take.

[BuckeyeRed27]

They were terrible from the field at halftime. Without Mitchell basically playing five one one at times in the second half, the game wouldn't have been close. And I have no real desire to get into a debate regarding Strus. I've just always viewed him as one of those guys who, the more load he's counted on to carry, the worse he is. IMHO, he's a 20-min high-effort "system" type. And yes, while he and Osman aren't exactly the same player, I just don't think that Strus offers much than Osman did at less than half the price. Just my take.

Yeah I mean Strus was doing a lot more because Garland was out, so hopefully that’s not something he has to do a lot. I watched him a lot last night and liked what I saw. He does a lot of stuff the Cavs need. Cedi was a bit of a fan favorite here, but he was also mostly unplayable.

I didn’t like what I saw from Chet. He will contribute, but I didn’t see it from him as far as being a star or a huge impact player, although he did hit a big 3 at the end.

[KoryMac5]

Yeah I mean Strus was doing a lot more because Garland was out, so hopefully that’s not something he has to do a lot. I watched him a lot last night and liked what I saw. He does a lot of stuff the Cavs need. Cedi was a bit of a fan favorite here, but he was also mostly unplayable.

I didn’t like what I saw from Chet. He will contribute, but I didn’t see it from him as far as being a star or a huge impact player, although he did hit a big 3 at the end.

Chet is still pretty green though...1 yr of college and than lost his rookie season to injury. He still is developing with the right coaching I think he will develop into something special.

I liked Strus when he was at Depaul and he really worked his way into a nice role in the NBA...nice to see a try hard guy succeed.

[Mutaman]

Celtics' bench consists of an 80 year old Horford and Sam Houser (ring out Ahoya) and contributes about eight points per game. Not sure playing Tatum 40 minutes and Jru 36 minutes every night is that great of an idea.

[SteelSD]

Embiid and Maxey combined for 68 points, with 34 each for Philly in their 114-107 Hardenless road win against the Raptors. Joel shook the rust off, dominating on the paint and mid-range (14 of 21 from the floor) while leading the Sixers with 8 dimes (only one turnover), while Maxey was amazing from outside (7 of 9 from distance) and adding 7 assists himself. Kelly Oubre put up 18 points off the bench. It felt a bit inefficient as he went 0-for6 from deep, but at least four of those misses were forced low-probability end of quarter/shot clock tosses at the basket. I was not expecting Oubre to have the kind of quick hops he does.

Toronto led at halftime, demonstrating that their ICT plan didn't die with Nurse leaving, and hit 53% of their threes on the night (starting 8-for-8). Scottie Barnes came on late, which was needed as Siakam was nearly invisible all night long. Raptors' first rounder Grady Dick, whose name seems like it should be an NFL quarterback's from the 1950's, can really shoot.

In other games, Zach LaVine's 51 point night on 32 shots in the Bulls loss to Detroit feels like maybe a job interview for any contender who's able to swing a trade for him. Chicago just need to blow that whole thing up.

[M2]

Celtics' bench consists of an 80 year old Horford and Sam Houser (ring out Ahoya) and contributes about eight points per game. Not sure playing Tatum 40 minutes and Jru 36 minutes every night is that great of an idea.

They need to play the starters less, but I think the minutes last night were down to having two days off before the next game and wanting to establish a rhythm for the main guys. I'm guessing Pritchard starts catching more minutes and guys like Jordan Walsh and Dalano Banton start to find some minutes too (behind Brissett and Hauser).

[M2]

Denver is straight up crushing teams so far this season. OKC was off to a hot start and Denver hung a 33-point loss on them.

[Revering4Blue]

Denver is straight up crushing teams so far this season. OKC was off to a hot start and Denver hung a 33-point loss on them.

They were/are gambling on Braun and Watson to augment the bench following the departures of Bruce Brown and others. So far, that gamble is paying off handsomely.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SteelSD]

Portland hung tough through most of the second quarter, but Philly just blitzed them coming out of halftime, and cruised to a 28-point win. Joel Embiid put up 34 points, 15 boards, 7 dimes, and 6 blocks in a dominant two-way performance AND without playing at all in the fourth quarter. Embiid made Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams look like they'd both rather be doing anything else. Tobias Harris was solid scoring option (24 points, 8-of-11 from the field) and looks much more decisive in Nurse's system. And, of course, Tyrese Maxey did more Tyrese Maxey things, with 26 points and 10 boards (!). It's great to watch this kid turn into an incredibly likeable star.

For the Blazers, Shaedon Sharpe looked good and the team has a good amount of athletes, but it's going to be a long bake before a lot of their timers pop.

I was going to comment on the Hawks blowout road win in Milwaukee tonight, but I'll leave the explanation for Damian Lillard's 6-point (2-for-12 shooting), 6-turnover night to Muta. As advertised? ;)

[Kingspoint]

Portland hung tough through most of the second quarter, but Philly just blitzed them coming out of halftime, and cruised to a 28-point win. Joel Embiid put up 34 points, 15 boards, 7 dimes, and 6 blocks in a dominant two-way performance AND without playing at all in the fourth quarter. Embiid made Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams look like they'd both rather be doing anything else. Tobias Harris was solid scoring option (24 points, 8-of-11 from the field) and looks much more decisive in Nurse's system. And, of course, Tyrese Maxey did more Tyrese Maxey things, with 26 points and 10 boards (!). It's great to watch this kid turn into an incredibly likeable star.

For the Blazers, Shaedon Sharpe looked good and the team has a good amount of athletes, but it's going to be a long bake before a lot of their timers pop.

I was going to comment on the Hawks blowout road win in Milwaukee tonight, but I'll leave the explanation for Damian Lillard's 6-point (2-for-12 shooting), 6-turnover night to Muta. As advertised? ;)


First (Embiid) NBA player to score 20+ points with 2 steals and 5 blocks in a half since 2001. Chris what's-his-name for the Kings.

I really don't see how Portland doesn't end up with the worst record in the league.

Saw where Brogdon is one of 8 players (all others are HOF's or HOF's to be) who has averaged 25+ points, 7+ Rebounds and 5+ Assists per 100 posessions for his career. Good to have him around training Sharpe, Henderson, Walker, Ayton, Camara and Williams.

[Mutaman]

I was going to comment on the Hawks blowout road win in Milwaukee tonight, but I'll leave the explanation for Damian Lillard's 6-point (2-for-12 shooting), 6-turnover night to Muta. As advertised? ;)

Recovering from a big Saturday night in Milwaukee?

[KoryMac5]

Going to be a long season in Portland...

[SteelSD]

Recovering from a big Saturday night in Milwaukee?

Liar. I've been to Milwaukee. There is no such thing. ;)

[dubc47834]

Liar. I've been to Milwaukee. There is no such thing. ;)

Yeah, but Dame came from Portland, so I'm sure he's used to making something outa nothing in that regard!

[Kingspoint]

Going to be a long season in Portland...

Just have to have the right optimism.

As a pessimist, I have to be optimistic to get through this life.

[Kingspoint]

Liar. I've been to Milwaukee. There is no such thing. ;)

Not as bad as Indianapolis (at least when I lived there in 1980-81). The carpets all rolled in at 5:00 p.m. every night, including Saturday (the local beer-swilling rednecks at the local taverns don't count) and were closed all day on Sunday. Boringest town I've ever been to in my life. Not the weirdest. That belongs to Salt Lake City.

[Kingspoint]

While I'm extremely happy about the 6-8 week absence to begin the season by Simons, as it gives Scoot Henderson and, especially, Shaedon Sharpe, the chance to begin their time together (2nd year for Shaedon, of course) in the NBA as the backcourt tandem that should be the backcourt tandem for the next seven seasons, it's too bad for Simons; because, for the first time in his NBAcareer he actually was playing good Defense (thanks to effort and it being clear that he spent a lot of time in the off-season doing something about it, as opposed to Tyler Herro who just sulked and still sucks and can't hit a bucket anymore) and would have been on track for his best Defensive season by far and hope that he can become a "good enough" Defensive player.

As far as Grant, he gets to add to his resume that has on it, being a bottom-five Defender among All Frontcourt players in the NBA, a new moniker of most over-paid player in the NBA. It's the new Evan Turner contract. At least Turner could positively effect the outcome of a game through his Defense. Grant, an average NBA sub-average Offensive player as far as "effective" Offensive player thanks to his poor ball-movement, tunnel-vision, unwillingness to get physical and inability to make those around him better Offensively, is accomplishing only one thing in Portland...blocking the playing time of Jabari Walker, Jr., Toumani Camara and Kris Murray, all three players who are currently better NBA players than Jeremi Grant, and all three players are better NBA players than Shaedon Sharpe right now. All three entered the league with years of more experience against better competition than Sharpe, while the reason they are better than Grant right now, is because they actually all three play Defense in another stratosphere compared to Grant, all three rebound the ball like frontcourt players should and not some 4'-8" Guard that Grant rebounds like he is actually that short.

Jeremi Grant simply sucks because he's lazy as hell. No other reason.

The best thing that could happen to Portland is for Jeremi Grant to miss an entire season to an injury. Nobody in their right mind will trade for him and that horrible contract. Portland is no better off having the worst record in the NBA than the 4th worst record in the NBA, so I'd like to see them playing with players who can actually give them a chance to win a game, while advancing towards the future with Toumani Kamara, Jabari Walker and Kris Murray getting the majority of the PF and SF minutes. It's not coincidence that through three games, any lineup that has Camara, Walker and Brogdon in at the same time is one that dominates the opponent (+10 to +40 Net Rating with 10-20 minutes together in five or six different lineups...as long as that lineup doesn't include Jeremi Grant).

Ayton will be fun to watch without restrictions and expectations. He still has great upside with a ton of flaws in his fundamentals. Don't think it was good for his maturity and professional career to begin it at the same City where he played his college ball with all of his college friends still going there and living near him. While he's several seasons behind Nurkic in quality Center play (he can't set a pick, which must have drove Monty Williams nuts), while his Defensive floor IQ is very poor, he's got incredible physical skills that if harnessed (and he's still young enough for a big, for certain) can make him a Top-10 Center someday.

[Mutaman]

There is a bar on almost every block in Milwaukee so there's that. Some good restaurants.

[SteelSD]

There is a bar on almost every block in Milwaukee so there's that. Some good restaurants.

Yeah, but they're all next to churches. Not the restaurants.

[Kingspoint]

There is a bar on almost every block in Milwaukee so there's that. Some good restaurants.

How much is a Pabst?

[Mutaman]

Bucks and Adrian Griffin have a long long way to go. Thankfully its a long season.

[M2]

Maybe Luka Doncic and any four other guys is all you really need. Meanwhile Memphis has been terrible. They might be mathematically eliminated by the time Ja returns from his 25-game suspension.

[Stray]

Are there 5 players on the planet better than SGA? He doesn't get nationally televised games often, but he's a legit superstar imo. His ability to make jump shots is almost unfair with how he can get to the rim and finish whenever he wants.

[Mutaman]

https://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=38784173


Eric Nehm
@eric_nehm
3h
Giannis Antetokounmpo just did his full media availability with an Incredible Hulk mask on his face.

Remained earnest and serious throughout the entire session

[texasdave]

Harden to the Clippers per Wojo.

[SteelSD]

Well, good morning to me. Report is Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev to the Clips in exchange for Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, KJ Martin, Robert Covington, an unprotected 2028 first rounder, another first rounder from a third (?) team, two second rounders, and a pick swap. No Terance Mann, but that's a whole lot of depth and size coming back with enough picks to turn around if they go hunting. They may already have something cooking.

[KoryMac5]

Maybe Luka Doncic and any four other guys is all you really need. Meanwhile Memphis has been terrible. They might be mathematically eliminated by the time Ja returns from his 25-game suspension.

Dallas shot 48% from deep last night...if you pair Doncic with the right shooters they are going to win 50.

Grant Williams was a nice get for them...really good 3 and D guy to replace DFS who they lost in the trade for Kyrie.

Jaren Jackson would be a guy I would target at the deadline if I am a contending team and Memphis decides to start over, it would take a lot to get him though and not sure Memphis is ready to hit reset until they see how things go with Ja.

[M2]

Harden to the Clippers per Wojo.

The Clips have got big Wild Bunch energy.

Philly's got a ton of bodies now (Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, Nic Batum and KJ Martin), plus two 1sts, a 1st round swap and two 2nds. They are loaded up to make another trade. Don't be shocked if that shoe drops later today (because they have to move those guys immediately if they want to move them). Could be for Zach LaVine, though Lauri Markkanen and OG Anunoby strike me as sleepers if Philly is putting three 1sts on the table.

[Assembly Hall]

Harden to the Clippers per Wojo.

ding dong, the witch is dead

[Kingspoint]

With Grant it's always been about effort.

After watching the young players, including Brogdon, give 12 minutes of 90-foot Defense against the Raptors from the middle of the 1st Quarter to the middle of the 2nd Quarter, Grant bought in and stopped being lazy for the first time in his TrailBlazer career. As a result, he actually played inspired Defense for the first time since his days in Denver. This Jeremi Grant I'd want to keep. He rebounded, blocked shots, stole the ball, helped out on Defense, and got physical.

I wouldn't want to trade this Jeremi Grant.

You never really know how good (or how bad) someone is until you get to see them regularly. This is my first time seeing Brogdon and he looks just like Andre Miller running the floor. Except he can shoot from distance. He mirrors Andre Miller's leadership and playing style, though Chauncey wants Brogdon moving the ball upcourt quickly and getting into sets quickly. Brogdon is basically the lead point guard even though Scoot Henderson starts, which Brogdon embraced and stated that Scoot needs to start to get himself acclimated to his future role. I could see Brogdon winning NBA titles as a Head Coach if he chose to go that route. I don't know how long we'll get to keep Brogdon, but when they said that they wanted to keep him and not move him, I can see why. Brogdon is obviously sacrificing a potential ring by staying in Portland as he should be playing towards his 3rd Championship Final on some team this season leading their 2nd unit, while closing games with the 1st unit.

Can a player change their attitude this late in their career? I saw Cousins do it. Unfortunately, Cousins then had a career-ending injury (for someone his size and age) with the Achille's injury. But, Cousins did change his attitude about not being lazy on the court and actually played Defense. Once he did, he became the best Center in the NBA that season (until his injury). Grant has a ton of bad habits he's developed, but just pure energy could make up for quite a few of them.

Ayton's energy was excellent again, and it has been since he's been here.

Maybe, just maybe, Chauncey is actually inspiring his players (though I think it's Malcolm Brogdon moreso), and even if it is Brogdon, it's Chauncey's system that they are starting to buy into. Yes, there seems to be a sort of "system" that's developing. Maybe Scott Brooks is helping a ton to create a system like he did during SAG's first year in OKC. That was an aggressive full-court pressing system and that's what Chauncey has these young players doing.

We're still going to be a bottom-four team in the league, but it's a lot more watchable this way. Ayton didn't complain that he wasn't getting any shots. He just did his job and controlled the paint.

Toumani Camara is going to be a stud and it's great that the Blazers identified him and pried him from the Suns in the Dame/Nurcic/Ayton/Holiday trade. Blazers actually watched Camara in Belgium and wanted to draft him, but the Suns got him first. There isn't anything he can't do. It's great that the Blazers and Chauncey have recognized Camara from the beginning and have had him in the rotation from the very first pre-season and regular season game. He's one of only two rookies averaging one three and one block per game so far this season. Word around the Suns' office is that it was Camara they hated to see go, not Ayton.

[Kingspoint]

Sixers just got significantly better. They are no longer, as so many like to put it, "just a hair below the 1st Tier in the East".

With the veteran additions of Batum, Covington and Morris, the Sixers are now loaded with quality depth, something they have never had with a healthy Embiid. They could still win games if Embiid missed a few of them. The Defense is going to be there and Maxey has blossomed into an All-Star.

MIL, BOS and PHI are all now 1A's. There's no 1B among them.

Nice to see Dame and the Bucks take care of the Heat. MIA looks like a lottery team.

Dame always has slow starts every season as he spends the first two months getting others acclimated and defers heavily to get their seasons going. He turns it on in Mid-December and goes full Hall-of-Fame and MVP on the rest of the league for the rest of the season, including the playoffs. That is what MIL has to look forward to. There will only be glimpses of Dame's greatness until mid-December, though he could easily turn it on for the mid-season tournament games as a tune-up for the playoff push.

[BuckeyeRed27]

I do like Covington, he will be helpful. The rest is just whatever.

Harden was a productive player last year and did a lot for their offense. I’m not sure this makes them better per se. It gives them more options, maybe makes them a tougher playoff matchup and gets harden out of the way of Maxey. So that’s the argument for it being a good trade, but I gotta see it first.

[Assembly Hall]

Sixers just got significantly better. They are no longer, as so many like to put it, "just a hair below the 1st Tier in the East".

With the veteran additions of Batum, Covington and Morris, the Sixers are now loaded with quality depth, something they have never had with a healthy Embiid. They could still win games if Embiid missed a few of them. The Defense is going to be there and Maxey has blossomed into an All-Star.

MIL, BOS and PHI are all now 1A's. There's no 1B among them.



I dunno. The Sixers were the 3rd best team in the East before the trade and I think they are the 3rd best team in the East after the trade.

As far as the Clippers, I am not a Harden fan however he does give the Clips some injury insurance. Leonard and George have injury issues. Harden does not.

[dubc47834]

I dunno. The Sixers were the 3rd best team in the East before the trade and I think they are the 3rd best team in the East after the trade.

As far as the Clippers, I am not a Harden fan however he does give the Clips some injury insurance. Leonard and George have injury issues. Harden does not.

While I agree that Harden doesn't have injury issues, he does just seam to always have "issues". How does Harden react to being the 4th best guy on that team?

[M2]

Philly getting off that P.J. Tucker contract is also an important part of the deal. He's not helping on the floor and he's still got another year on his deal. I'm not sure what this does for the Sixers on the court because I'm not convinced this is the end of the dealing. However, I don't think RoCo is going to stop Boston any better than he did during his phirst run in Philly.

[SteelSD]

Philly getting off that P.J. Tucker contract is also an important part of the deal. He's not helping on the floor and he's still got another year on his deal. I'm not sure what this does for the Sixers on the court because I'm not convinced this is the end of the dealing. However, I don't think RoCo is going to stop Boston any better than he did during his phirst run in Philly.

The board ate my last post, so let's try it again...

Including Tucker's salary in the deal makes next year's payroll super-lean if the Sixers don't turn around and attempt to grab a contract like LaVine with the incoming trade parts. The only guy incoming that I'd like to take a look at is KJ Martin. He's only 22, and while I have no illusions that he's going to be a high-end floor spacer, he's super-athletic, runs, finishes, doesn't need a lot of shots, and hits the ones he takes (62% shooting efficiency last season). Additionally, as it looks like the dunker spot will now be a feature of the offense rather than a bug (Tucker STUNK at it), he sort of profiles like a slightly smaller Eric Gordon type. Dunno' if they're gonna' keep him, play him, re-sign/extend him, or trade him, but he could just have a role.

[M2]

The Cavs look lost without Allen and Garland.

[BuckeyeRed27]

The Cavs look lost without Allen and Garland.

Yeah they’ve had stupid injuries to start the year. Allen hasn’t played. Garland missed his third game. Mitchell missed a game. Lavert didn’t play tonight. Couple other role guys have missed time. Frustrating to have that out the gate.

[M2]

The Suns just got felled by the mighty Keldon Johnson. I know Booker and Beal are out, but their main guys all have lengthy injury histories so they're going to be out. They're already showing why I think they're a shaky proposition.

[SteelSD]

Good breakdown of some of the financial aspects of the Harden trade from Bobby Marks:


https://youtu.be/od8mbJbPgx0

[Rojo Rijo]

Are there 5 players on the planet better than SGA? He doesn't get nationally televised games often, but he's a legit superstar imo. His ability to make jump shots is almost unfair with how he can get to the rim and finish whenever he wants.

SGA is an absolute superstar. Hurts bad for me because of multiple reasons.
1 - Florida had him committed only to lose him once his star brightened. Not that he was by any means a surefire star then or at Kentucky but Florida has a crappy history of not getting great PGs and a lot of the time we lose them to Kentucky or somewhere else - Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe, Austin Rivers etc.
2 - Orlando drafted Mo Bamba at #7 in the 2018 draft when SGA was still on the board. Now he didnt go until 11 but it just felt like we kept missing. In 2017 we took Isaac at #6, Donovan Mitchell went #13, in 2015 we took Mario Hezonja at #5, Devin Booker went #13.
3 - I'm not a Hornets fan but they're the local team up here and they've struggled as bad as anyone to have a good team. From the '04 draft were they got the #2 and got Okafor instead of Dwight Howard, '05 where they had the 3rd worst record but landed the 5th pick and took Raymond Felton, right behind Chris Paul and Deron Williams, and probably the worst, in 2012 after going 7-59 they fell to the 2nd pick, missing out of Anthony Davis then taking Kidd-Gilchrist over Beal and Lillard. In 2018 they drafted SGA then traded him one spot back to the Clippers for their pick and 2 future 2nds. They took Miles Bridges who while talented has been a big problem for them off the court.

[BuckeyeRed27]

I posted a little bit about SGA earlier, but got to see him live when OKC played the Cavs. I saw him last season too.

He’s very very good, but I think past of why he doesn’t get as much attention, outside of playing in OKC on bad teams to this point, is he’s just kinda quiet. He doesn’t do anything flashy or jump off the page. But then he puts up 25 points and 13 assists and you’re watching it being like I don’t remember a single shot he made. He’s just efficient.

[Kingspoint]

I posted a little bit about SGA earlier, but got to see him live when OKC played the Cavs. I saw him last season too.

He’s very very good, but I think past of why he doesn’t get as much attention, outside of playing in OKC on bad teams to this point, is he’s just kinda quiet. He doesn’t do anything flashy or jump off the page. But then he puts up 25 points and 13 assists and you’re watching it being like I don’t remember a single shot he made. He’s just efficient.

OKC is just oozing in talent depth, same as Detroit and Houston. ORL and IND can be a part of that discussion, too. (IND leads all NBA teams in points of the bench right now.....155? What the heck was that?)

[Kingspoint]

I dunno. The Sixers were the 3rd best team in the East before the trade and I think they are the 3rd best team in the East after the trade.

As far as the Clippers, I am not a Harden fan however he does give the Clips some injury insurance. Leonard and George have injury issues. Harden does not. Guys who don't play Defense at all never have injury issues.

Sixers may be 3rd, but they significantly closed the gap between them and MIL/BOS. MIL lacks depth right now and they have a Rookie Head Coach which will have some problems in and of itself (but in the end, Giannis and Dame will take over the playoffs and win it all this season because the playoff rotation that MIL has is elite). MIL's lack of depth will only effect them in the regular season, possibly causing them to end it as the #3 Seed. I could see PHI getting the #2 Seed.

[Kingspoint]

Blazers won another road game and again it was with really good Defense, but in a different way. Instead of picking DET up full-court for most of the game like they did in TOR, they picked them up at mid-court, as they had Robert Williams available in this game when they chose to rest him on 2nd of a back-to-back in TOR. They held TOR to 91 points. Held DET to 101 points Wednesday Night. Grant once again chose to play Defense. What a difference that effort makes for the team. He's not real good at it, but from zero effort to a good effort at least puts a body between his man and the basket. Grant's aggressiveness was also on the Offensive end as he continually drove to the basket and worked inside the paint, earning 10 free throws on the night.

Cade Cunningham and Auger Thompson were killing Portland in the 1st Half. The Pistons shot 9-16 from "3", but Cade got to any spot on the floor that he wanted to, and generally it was the top of the paint where he'd dump a pass off to a diving Thompson or an open look to someone for a "3". That ended when Toumani Camara entered the game in the 3rd Quarter and was assigned to Guard him. Camara stayed in front of him at all times and made everything difficult for him. The shots weren't there, the passes weren't available for him to make. Camara did all this while also providing help Defense of others. Camara rebounded and passed well and time after time is involved in the middle of effort plays and scrambles.

Shaedon Sharpe only took 10 shots in that TOR game and only had 3 points at halftime in tonight's game against DET. He must have been told to be aggressive because he came out and had 15 points in the 3rd Quarter pulling POR to within 1 point after being down by 20. He added 11 more in the 4th Quarter finishing with 29 points on only 16 shots. DET could not keep him from the rim without fouling him as Sharpe time and time again drove to the basket in sky-high fashion. He, too, earned 10 Free Throws. Sharpe worked hard for 42 minutes, even being pulled (along with Scoot Henderson) at the end of the 2nd Quarter because of lapses on Defense, where they were forced to sit for the rest of the Quarter and watch, and in those 42 minutes had 7 boards, 5 Assists, 2 Blocks and a Steal. He finished + on the night (Camara was the +/- leader at +12 in TOR and +6 tonight).

But, it's Brogdon leading the show (team-best +17 tonight in 25 minutes and +9 Monday in TOR in 29 minutes). Robert Williams effect was definitely felt in his 18 minutes with a +10 +/- along with 8 Rebounds and 3 Blocks. Brogdon is so intelligent. At one point, just because he felt he needed to reward Williams for the good screens and effort he was making, he created some space so he could get a pass to him on a drive to the basket. The pass had a high degree of difficulty on it while the shot would have, too, but he did so because rewarding Williams with a touch was more important than going for the best scoring opportunity at the time. The pass made it. Williams made the shot, and that spurred Williams to make a 12-footer on the next possession. I'm hoping we keep Brogdon for the rest of his contract. Henderson, being 19, is so very, very young that he'd be best served watching how Brogdon does it over the next two seasons. Henderson will still get him 24-32 minutes per game, but so will Brogdon, and Brogdon will make everyone mature faster. He'll be great for Ayton, Sharpe, Simons (while he's here, and he may stay here if he's learned to play Defense). Henderson will struggle with everything for a few months, maybe even the whole year. But, he should make a huge jump when he's 20 years old.

Another decent Defensive Night for Ayton as he had 5 Steals and a Block, along with 11 Rebounds and 8-13 from the field and without committing any fouls. He only committed one foul in TOR when he had 2 Blocks, a Steal and 23 Rebounds on 5-9 shooting. 11 shots per game isn't going to cut it. Chauncey stated tonight that we're finding a few more ways to get him the ball in spots that work for him. It will take some time as they all get to know each other. I don't think Scoot Henderson has ever played with a true big in his life. So, this is something new for him, too.

[M2]

Didn't get to see it, but what happened in that Celtics-Pacers game last night? I thought that profiled as a tight game and it turned into a 51-point win. I'd be curious to hear any observations from anyone who watched it.

[M2]

Guys who don't play Defense at all never have injury issues.

Sixers may be 3rd, but they significantly closed the gap between them and MIL/BOS. MIL lacks depth right now and they have a Rookie Head Coach which will have some problems in and of itself (but in the end, Giannis and Dame will take over the playoffs and win it all this season because the playoff rotation that MIL has is elite). MIL's lack of depth will only effect them in the regular season, possibly causing them to end it as the #3 Seed. I could see PHI getting the #2 Seed.

General EC thoughts:

- I don't think Philly closed the gap a lot. Upgrading P.J. Tucker helps, but it's not an upgrade that presents a lot of danger come playoff time. I still think Philly's making another trade before the deadline. They need something else out on the wing. What I think is making that gap look smaller is Philly already had a really good team. The new guys haven't done anything yet and the team is 3rd overall in Net Rating.
- The rookie head coach thing might be an issue for the Bucks. They are not looking great out of the gate. They're 30th in D rating. Some of that is down to team construction. Dame and Malik Beasley are 1st and 3rd on the team in minutes and they don't defend. They need to find some wing defenders (Middleton getting fully healthy would help a lot). And if they don't get this right during the season, they're not going to switch on during the playoffs. Opponents will just expose their defensive holes.
- Boston's instant karma eliminates the "we're working it out" excuse for other teams. They're playing like the East, and perhaps the whole season, goes through them. I heard an interesting comparison for them - the Hondo/Cowens/White Celtics of the 1970s. They're kind of the forgotten crew between between Russell and Bird, but they had a full compliment of ways to beat you. Anyway, impressive start for them.
- Something interesting is a afoot in Atlanta. They just won three straight with Trae Young as an on-court bystander. The offense is popping without him (2nd in ppg and 4th in O Rating while Trae has a .371 eFG%). They've got 8 players scoring in double digits. Jalen Johnson seems to have taken a leap. Outside of Trae they've got a lot of length and versatility.
- Orlando, Brooklyn and Indiana have all shown sparks early in the season. Will be interesting to see who can kindle it into a fire.
- Cleveland's injuries, the Knicks looking super meh and the Heat playing like trash have thrown open the door in the East. It's early, but there's a chance to get out front in the 1st quarter of the season.

[Revering4Blue]

Didn't get to see it, but what happened in that Celtics-Pacers game last night? I thought that profiled as a tight game and it turned into a 51-point win. I'd be curious to hear any observations from anyone who watched it.

I also (thankfully) missed the game. I know Indiana was missing Haliburton. But that shouldn’t account for a complete whitewash.

Conclusion: The Pacers have beaten a team projected to win about 20 games and an injury-ravaged Cleveland team and have been beaten by a schizophrenic Bulls team at home and absolutely blown out last night. They may not be better than a healthy Detroit team with Bogdanovic at this point.


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[M2]

I also (thankfully) missed the game. I know Indiana was missing Haliburton. But that shouldn’t account for a complete whitewash.

Conclusion: The Pacers have beaten a team projected to win about 20 games and an injury-ravaged Cleveland team and have been beaten by a schizophrenic Bulls team at home and absolutely blown out last night. They may not be better than a healthy Detroit team with Bogdanovic at this point.

I believe in their roster. They've got players. Yet they can't be a lottery team when Haliburton isn't out there. They need to play same way without him as they do with him. I supposed the measure for them will be whether last night made them mad or made them sad. Their next five are at home and they might be favored to win at least four of them.

[M2]

Reconsidering my "Kelly Oubre is in Philly to be a 6th man" stance. If he and Harris can put up almost 40 a night between them as a starting forward duo, Philly's going to be a heavy team.

[SteelSD]

Reconsidering my "Kelly Oubre is in Philly to be a 6th man" stance. If he and Harris can put up almost 40 a night between them as a starting forward duo, Philly's going to be a heavy team.

Harris is playing downhill for the first time in years; decisive and intentional. Oubre is the "on again/off again" scoring guy I thought he might be (he was "on" again tonight). But he's much more versatile that I thought he'd be and so far has swarmed on defense. I'm not sure yet whether he's better positioned as a starter or first guy off the bench, but he's been really good in either so far. And yeah, I hope both of those guys keep it up, because if they do, the Sixers can have more off-games like they did tonight and still produce some comfortable wins.

Oh, and Embiid is averaging 7 assists. It's like watching a whole different team with Nurse at the helm.

[M2]

Oh, and Embiid is averaging 7 assists. It's like watching a whole different team with Nurse at the helm.

This new rule that allows players to cut to the basketball so a big guy can pass over the top of a double team is really helping them.

[Kingspoint]

I was just going to say that San Antonio is going to have to be taken seriously this season as a potential playoff participant.

But, then word comes out that Vassell is going to "miss some time".

- - - Updated - - -


This new rule that allows players to cut to the basketball so a big guy can pass over the top of a double team is really helping them.

Very good. Very good.

[BuckeyeRed27]

I’m not sure this version of San Antonio can make any noise. Wemby will still be up and down as he learns and most of that team stinks. But man Wemby is going to be absolutely unstoppable in a year or two.

[M2]

I was just going to say that San Antonio is going to have to be taken seriously this season as a potential playoff participant.

I think their last two games tell us a lot more about Phoenix (which has a really bad roster out side of its top three guys, and they don't play enough) than they do about San Antonio.

[RichRed]

Walter Davis just passed away at 69. Very sad; RIP to a great player.

(I somehow didn’t know he was Hubert Davis’s uncle.)

https://apnews.com/article/walter-davis-nba-suns-tar-heels-basketball-bf366587a0e3888de624c801c5a45c87

[Revering4Blue]

Walter Davis just passed away at 69. Very sad; RIP to a great player.

(I somehow didn’t know he was Hubert Davis’s uncle.)

https://apnews.com/article/walter-davis-nba-suns-tar-heels-basketball-bf366587a0e3888de624c801c5a45c87

Sad news indeed.

It’s an absolute travesty that he hasn’t been inducted - let alone nominated - into the basketball Hall of Fame.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rojo Rijo]

First night of in season tourney games looking good. Only team getting whooped is Washington. All other games are very competitive.

[SteelSD]

First night of in season tourney games looking good. Only team getting whooped is Washington. All other games are very competitive.

I'd like to thank the Bucks for rolling out a floor color scheme that doesn't make my eyes bleed.

[Rojo Rijo]

Brunson’s in his Superstar mode

But Lillard answered and then Randle couldn’t get it done….

[Mutaman]

Bucks /Knicks observations:
1. Free advice to Lillard, Beauchamp, Beasley and Connaughton: When you play defense, it might be a good idea to get between your man and the basket. This matador stuff doesn't work. Which is why Brunson scored 45 points. Watch the way Crowder does it.

2. Worst game I ever saw Giannis play . Clyde correctly stated on several occasions that he looked "lethargic" and "mediocre". Maybe he is having a hard time recovering from preseason surgery or maybe he has a virus .

3. Lillard was not that impressive for most of the game -scored some points, but lacked aggression ,was guilty of some careless ballhandling and even shot a few air balls. Then when the Knicks took a two point lead with a minute to go, he totally took the game over and scored eight points down the stretch. It was Wade like.

4. Good games by Crowder and Middleton

5. Bucks fans have been over the top with their complaining about Griffin. I suspect a lot of this has to do with more than his coaching ability but he was fine tonight. He made a defensive adjustment and as a result Lopez had eight blocks.

6. Beasley has fallen into a golden opportunity but it looks like he cant handle it. A change has to be made.

7. Bucks got manhandled on the boards for the second game in a row. They were seldom out-rebounded last year.

8. I always thought that the best example of a seamless move by a superstar was The Pearl's move to the Knicks but Fraser said tonight that it took that team half a season to adjust on their way to the championship the following year.

[Mutaman]

Every time Lopez has a game like this (eight blocks) I say to myself I wonder how close that is to the NBA single game record and then I look it up and see that Elmore Smith once had 17 blocks in a single game in 1973. Far out.

[Assembly Hall]

Pacers back on track last night. Don't like that they pissed away a nice lead though.

[M2]

All right, we've got an initial chunk of the NBA season into our systems. So who do you think will be the top 6 in each conference? These are the teams that will get an automatic slot into the playoffs. I'm going with:

EAST

Boston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Indiana

WEST

Denver, Golden State, Sacramento, Minnesota, L.A. Lakers, New Orleans

And I'm already arguing with myself over some of those picks.

[SteelSD]

All right, we've got an initial chunk of the NBA season into our systems. So who do you think will be the top 6 in each conference? These are the teams that will get an automatic slot into the playoffs. I'm going with:

EAST

Boston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Indiana

WEST

Denver, Golden State, Sacramento, Minnesota, L.A. Lakers, New Orleans

And I'm already arguing with myself over some of those picks.

For the East, I'd move Indiana down and replace with Cleveland. I'm still not a believer in Brooklyn or Atlanta, but I have even less faith in the rest of the field.

In the West, I'll replace the Lakers with Phoenix. I'm with you on their ability to go all Brooklyn with their three-stars/one-ball plan, but they should be able to get the regular season wins.

[texasdave]

EAST: Atlanta and Brooklyn out. Cleveland and Miami in.

WEST: Lakers and Minnesota out. Dallas and the Clippers in.

[goreds2]

76ers get 4th win in a row today.

We are visiting in Lexington, Kentucky and we’re taken to the West Sixth Brewing. Thinking of the win today, I saw the menu had a beer called SIXER Light Lager. I got a 12 ounce draft and liked it so much that I bought a 6 pack to take back to Ohio.

20513

https://www.westsixth.com/sixer

[M2]

Cleveland was a tough one for me to leave off, but injuries have a way of lingering. If they stay largely healthy, I'd expect them to land in the top 6.

[SteelSD]

No Booker or Beal today for Phoenix. Philly started slow, played poorly for a while, were plagued by first-half turnovers, and had to overcome officiating that was, to be kind, a bit slanted toward Kevin Durant. The Sixers took a 5-point lead into the fourth, with Embiid starting the quarter on the bench as usual. That game's gonna' hinge on getting Embiid checked back in around the 7 minute mark, right? Nope. Kelly Oubre finished off a strong start to the tune of 25 points. Again. Tyrese Maxey got hot to help the bench unit build an 18-point lead, Joel never had to leave the pine again, and the Sixers cruised to a 12-point win.

The Sixers got 18 points and 10 boards from Tobias Harris (on 7-for-10 shooting), a 26-point/11 board line from Embiid in 31 minutes, and 22 points and 10 assists from Maxey. Oubre, on a vet-minimum contract, looks like the kind of "found money" player the Sixers never actually get their hands on.

The Wizards are next up on the 6th, with a litmus test road contest in Boston on Wednesday.

[M2]

No Booker or Beal today for Phoenix. Philly started slow, played poorly for a while, were plagued by first-half turnovers, and had to overcome officiating that was, to be kind, a bit slanted toward Kevin Durant. The Sixers took a 5-point lead into the fourth, with Embiid starting the quarter on the bench as usual. That game's gonna' hinge on getting Embiid checked back in around the 7 minute mark, right? Nope. Kelly Oubre finished off a strong start to the tune of 25 points. Again. Tyrese Maxey got hot to help the bench unit build an 18-point lead, Joel never had to leave the pine again, and the Sixers cruised to a 12-point win.

The Sixers got 18 points and 10 boards from Tobias Harris (on 7-for-10 shooting), a 26-point/11 board line from Embiid in 31 minutes, and 22 points and 10 assists from Maxey. Oubre, on a vet-minimum contract, looks like the kind of "found money" player the Sixers never actually get their hands on.

The Wizards are next up on the 6th, with a litmus test road contest in Boston on Wednesday.

That Wizards matchup has trap game vibes. Will be interesting to see if the Sixers keep their focus or they get caught looking forward to the Celtics.

As for the Suns, I'm not convinced they can win many games without all three of their top guys playing well. They had no viable options outside of KD on the court today.

[Kingspoint]

That Wizards matchup has trap game vibes. Will be interesting to see if the Sixers keep their focus or they get caught looking forward to the Celtics.

As for the Suns, I'm not convinced they can win many games without all three of their top guys playing well. They had no viable options outside of KD on the court today.

While Eric Gordon can get away with giving a team maybe 14 quality minutes, asking him to do more than that is just begging for a defeat.

[Kingspoint]

Blazers' season has been pretty fun so far. It really started that 1st Half against the Sixers, where they played really good Defense making shots very difficult for Philadelphia. Sixers' talent-level dominated the 2nd Half, but over the next three games, Portland's Defense continues to be one of two strengths that they have, with the other being that everyone who touches the ball attacks the basket and gets to the free throw line...Grant (it's all he does now, and he's at a career-best 8+ Free Throws per game), Sharpe, who always has to be coached to be stingy and take a shot when it's there for him, but the last two games, he has been unstoppable driving to the basket, drawing foul after foul against his opponents, Brogdon (a genius on the court), Ayton (free to do whatever is comfortable to him and he's responding), Camara, who moved into the Starting lineup yesterday in the 2nd Half and closed out the game and played all of the overtime...he has the assignment of defending the other team's best player right now as he can defend 1-4, while Camara is constantly getting Offensive Rebounds and getting fouled (as a Rookie, he's only getting half the calls, but that will change), Jabari Walker (another Rebounding Guru, who gets fouled after grabbing an Offensive Rebound put-back), and Mays, who is now the #2 PG with Henderson (last two games, and at least 1 more on Sunday) and Simons both out, attacks the rim and gets to the free throw line. While attacking the rim is the only thing Henderson should be doing, he's been a little intimidated his first few games of his career and has not been driving to the basket. That will change when he gets back.

I didn't think the team would look this good at any point during the entire season. The players we got in the Dame trade makes all the difference (Brogdon, basically the Starting PG even when he comes off the bench, but for only about 26 minutes per game, Ayton who has been pretty reliable so far in the middle, Coumara who simply does everything and looks to grab that SF/3 spot and run with it and Robert Williams, who sets fantastic screens and plays really good Defense at the rim, while also being a rebounding machine like Ayton). With Sharpe making a huge jump in his 2nd season (he's still younger than the Thompson Twins or Brandon Miller) as a scorer and Defender (lots' of work to do on both still, especially the more difficult job of Defense and his lack of experience beyond High School coming into the league), and Grant becoming a better version of the Grant that was in Denver (8 Rebounds last night, clutch shooting, high FT Rate, great switching help defense), and Jabari Walker taking a 2nd year jump as a scorer and defender (he's always been a dynamic Rebounder), then sprinkle in Simons' excellent outside shooting and a new commitment to playing Defense himself, and Chauncey looking like he's finally advancing as a Head Coach in his 3rd season of trying, the Blazers are threatening to do something other than make the fans here think about who are we going to get with a Top-5 pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

We have to keep Brogdon and not trade him at the trade deadline to avoid going into a tail-spin if it was Henderson and Simons who were to lead the team from the Point position. Simons just isn't a PG and Henderson is only 19 years old. 19-year old PG's just don't lead teams to wins their first season. There's a huge difference between being 20 years old and 19 years old when it comes to physical events.

- - - Updated - - -


Sad news indeed.

It’s an absolute travesty that he hasn’t been inducted - let alone nominated - into the basketball Hall of Fame.


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He had the purest shot in the world.

[Kingspoint]

I'd like to thank the Bucks for rolling out a floor color scheme that doesn't make my eyes bleed.

When asked about it, Anfernee Simons said it reminds him of what you come up with when you're making a basketball court on NBA2K (or whatever game he mentioned...I don't know that stuff).

[Kingspoint]

8. I always thought that the best example of a seamless move by a superstar was The Pearl's move to the Knicks but Fraser said tonight that it took that team half a season to adjust on their way to the championship the following year.

I remember the year before and after pretty well.

I started going to Blazer games in the '72-'73 season (went to about 25 with my group of friends from 8th grade...usually about 7 of us went together and we got home at 11:00, 12:00 or 1:00 at night on Fridays and Saturdays, and because Harry Glickman always tried to have as many Friday and Saturday games that he could get, I was able to see about 20=25 games that year (a couple during the times there was no school the next day). Also went to about 20-25 games in the '73-'74 season. Both seasons we were able to sneak into all of the games. None of us could go if we had to pay as none of us had a dollar to our names. I got every Bullet and Knicks autograph from both of those seasons, as I saw both of them several times.

I did not see a transition disturbance with the Pearl when he joined the backcourt with Clyde. Pearl's added speed may have been something that was more difficult for Frazier to get used to than it was for Pearl needing to get used to the pace of Frazier.

[Kingspoint]

Since I stated "The Good", I'm obligated to state "The Bad and The Ugly".

"The Bad"... Blazers went into last night's game against Memphis in Portland (after playing Memphis in Portland, too, and beating them) as the NBA's worst shooting team in the NBA from "3". Maybe it's not the bad, but the ugly, because their 3-point shooting was below 30% on the season as a team. That's early 1990's type of team numbers when teams were afraid to take more than 10 per game total.


"The Ugly"... Memphis came up with an easy game-plan. Make the worst shooting team in the NBA from the "3" take as many shots possible from there and in the end they should miss enough to lose the game, in addition, it will take away their strength of driving to the basket and earning free throws, while it also completely removes from the game, the Offense of Ayton, Walker and Camara, who get many of their points off of Offensive Rebounds, Rebounds that exist down low when a player misses from inside the paint, not from outside the arc. So, Memphis simply placed one Defender in the middle with the other four defenders each having one foot inside the paint at all times giving wide-open looks the entire game to the Blazers. The Blazer then hit 4 of their first 5 from "3" to give them the over-confidence to continue to attempt them from outside, leading to fast-break after fast-break for the Grizzlies. That's another advantage of driving to the basket for a team is that it lessons the likelihood of a fast-break for the other team, both from the result of getting to the foul-line and the result of having Offensive Players clogging up the paint and defending any rebound that they don't get themselves.

More of "The Ugly"...

The Veteran Brogdon didn't recognize this even though it was obvious to anyone watching from early in the 2nd Quarter throughout the rest of the game. Billups did nothing about it, apparently being OK with letting them continue to take the open shots and miss them. Fool's Gold (to live or die by the "3", and especially the poorest way for an inexperienced team to play basketball). The Difference in Offensive Rating for a team that gets the ball to the paint to a team that doesn't get the ball to the paint is 117 to 97,... a 20-point difference over the course of 48 minutes. Even if Simons was there it wouldn't have helped as they would have just double-teamed him to force someone else to shoot it. Thybulle shot 38% from "3" for the Blazers last season. Brogdon shot 44% from "3" last season. Simons only shot about 38% himself, but with high volume. Grant shot 40% from "3" last season. While those are all good numbers, it's still a recipe for disaster if you don't balance it out by getting into the paint more often than you shoot "3"'s. In last night's case, the Blazers were shooting a "3" four or five times for every one time they took it into the paint. They are just too poor and inexperienced a roster to try to play basketball any other way than to live inside the paint. They'll rarely when if they try to do anything else.

So, this goes as a huge notice that Chauncey Billups is still a very bad Head Coach, as he never adjusted at all. Oh, there were small attempts to do so...when the reserves came in during the middle of the 3rd Quarter, but they weren't committed to it having established bad habits throughout the game up to this point. They got themselves back into the game, but then the Starters began coming back in and Memphis stuck to their gameplan and the Blazers went back to jacking up "3"'s thinking that now they were back in it, it's just a matter of time before they started to hit them. Well, Memphis ended the game on something like a 26-4 run, completely dismantling them.

I mean...this is a good thing, as I was concerned that we wouldn't be getting a Top-5 pick in next season's draft and we really need more talent,...top-end talent, to add to the group of Sharpe/Walker/Camara/Ayton/Henderson/Murray. Still have the rest of the season to see if the Tigers of Simons and Grant can change their stripes and drive to the basket more than they take "3"'s, while it's clear that Brogdon is desperately needed on this team for the entirety of the 2022-2023 season to augment the teaching skills (or lack thereof) of Chauncey Billups.

[Kingspoint]

Well, that didn't take long.

Robert Williams is going to have knee surgery.

[M2]

Well, that didn't take long.

Robert Williams is going to have knee surgery.

A big part of why the Celtics moved the Time Lord is they didn't believe he could stay healthy. It's a shame, because he's a special defensive player when he's 100%. Unfortunately it seems he's too explosive for his body to handle.

[M2]

Sixers scored 146 to beat the Wiz. Pacers scoffed at that and dropped 152 on the Spurs. We're living in Doug Moe's world now.

[SteelSD]

Sixers scored 146 to be the Wiz. Pacers scoffed at that and dropped 152 on the Spurs. We're living in Doug Moe's world now.

Philly did catch Indiana in the third quarter, but fell behind in the fourth. Bummer.

Joel Embiid, after 48 points, 11 boards, and 6 assists in 31 minutes, sat for the entire fourth quarter for the third time this season. Maxey threw up 22 points with a career high 11 assists. Kelly Oubre pumpkined out with only three points, but Nic Batum tossed up eleven points and an insane +30 over 17 minutes in his Sixers debut to help compensate.

[M2]

James Harden dropped 9 big points on Knicks in his Clips debut, a 14-point loss.

[Kingspoint]

Never thought the Kings would miss Fox this much, but they seem soulless without him.

- - - Updated - - -

An early good matchup has the T-Wolves, who seem to have taken a huge next step and are ready to fight for Top-7 in the NBA, are facing another test to prove just that as they try to give the Celtics their first loss of the season tonight. They currently lead in the 3rd Quarter.

[Kingspoint]

A big part of why the Celtics moved the Time Lord is they didn't believe he could stay healthy. It's a shame, because he's a special defensive player when he's 100%. Unfortunately it seems he's too explosive for his body to handle.

Pretty cool dude. I like the guy. Feel bad for him. Thought this would be the year he plays a majority of the games.

- - - Updated - - -

C. J. with a collapsed lung.

He had that huge medical problem a few years ago.

Certainly wish him the best.

[Kingspoint]

Atlanta Hawks have been playing pretty well, but OKC has a double-digit lead on them in the 4th.

- - - Updated - - -

Golden State have become the Road Warriors this season after last year's embarassing display of basketball on the road.

[Kingspoint]

Philly did catch Indiana in the third quarter, but fell behind in the fourth. Bummer.

Joel Embiid, after 48 points, 11 boards, and 6 assists in 31 minutes, sat for the entire fourth quarter for the third time this season. Maxey threw up 22 points with a career high 11 assists. Kelly Oubre pumpkined out with only three points, but Nic Batum tossed up eleven points and an insane +30 over 17 minutes in his Sixers debut to help compensate.

Beverly was +27 in 12 minutes. They've got some incredible depth that should vault them to the #1 or #2 Seed in the East this season.

[Kingspoint]

I thought UTA would be better than this. Is it the John Collins' Effect?

[Kingspoint]

Celtics/Sixers and Warriors/Nuggets Wednesday.

Is Wednesday one of the in-season tournament days?

[Revering4Blue]

Never thought the Kings would miss Fox this much, but they seem soulless without him.

- - - Updated - - -

An early good matchup has the T-Wolves, who seem to have taken a huge next step and are ready to fight for Top-7 in the NBA, are facing another test to prove just that as they try to give the Celtics their first loss of the season tonight. They currently lead in the 3rd Quarter.

It truly boggles the mind that the Fox-less Kings can fall by only one point in the Bay Area and, as I type this, are getting slaughtered in Houston.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[texasdave]

James Harden dropped 9 big points on Knicks in his Clips debut, a 14-point loss.

Harden had 17.

[Revering4Blue]

I thought UTA would be better than this. Is it the John Collins' Effect?

The Jazz lack a true PG after dealing away Conley Jr.

Idea: Perhaps they can swing a deal with Detroit to land Monte Morris, who will be hard pressed to earn minutes with the Pistons as currently constructed - barring injuries to others, of course.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Kingspoint]

The Jazz lack a true PG after dealing away Conley Jr.

Idea: Perhaps they can swing a deal with Detroit to land Monte Morris, who will be hard pressed to earn minutes with the Pistons as currently constructed - barring injuries to others, of course.


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Good point. DET has too many quality PG's.

Aahhh, inside the mind of Danny Ainge.

[M2]

Sacramento's offense has dried up without De'Aaron Fox.

[Kingspoint]

Target Center is rockin' in Minneapolis!

- - - Updated - - -


Sacramento's offense has dried up without De'Aaron Fox.

There is no one like him to set that pace.

[Kingspoint]

Edwards was nasty tonight.

[M2]

Harden had 17.

My bad. Screwed up when I read across the box.

[M2]

Golden State have become the Road Warriors this season after last year's embarassing display of basketball on the road.

Has any player ever been more "Hi. It's him. He's the problem." more than Jordan Poole?

[SteelSD]

Wow. Go T-Wolves!

[M2]

Wow. Go T-Wolves!

I'm feeling very good about projecting them for the top 6 in the West. Ant is a terror.

[M2]

The Jazz lack a true PG after dealing away Conley Jr.

Idea: Perhaps they can swing a deal with Detroit to land Monte Morris, who will be hard pressed to earn minutes with the Pistons as currently constructed - barring injuries to others, of course.

I'd like to see Morris go to New Orleans. That team needs a PG.

[Mutaman]

Bucks /Knicks observations:
2. Worst game I ever saw Giannis play . Clyde correctly stated on several occasions that he looked "lethargic" and "mediocre". Maybe he is having a hard time recovering from preseason surgery or maybe he has a virus .



After tonite in Brooklyn: Nevermind

[M2]

We didn't really get into NBA Cup court designs. It's a rich topic of conversation. All the designs follow a similar pattern, but some have done it better than others. Here's all of them - https://www.nba.com/news/nba-debuts-in-season-tournament-courts-for-all-30-teams.

I'm partial to Boston, Cleveland, Houston, New York, Philly, Phoenix, Portland and Utah's designs. They all put in a little effort - thought about the color pattern and designed a center court logo that pops.

I don't mind the garish color patterns so much (e.g. New Orleans' should look like a co-ed just vomited up a frozen daquiri). I think I like the Knicks one the best. The ones that bug me are where it looks like they gave a Canva password to their laziest intern and the kid just slapped their logo on it and hit send. Brooklyn, Charlotte, Chicago, Golden State, Memphis and Minnesota are all pretty blah. Ugly at least catches my eye. Boring is what I can't abide. Memphis, with the gray on gray and nothing to tie in their bear logo, strikes me as particularly unforgivable.

[RichRed]

We didn't really get into NBA Cup court designs. It's a rich topic of conversation. All the designs follow a similar pattern, but some have done it better than others. Here's all of them - https://www.nba.com/news/nba-debuts-in-season-tournament-courts-for-all-30-teams.

I'm partial to Boston, Cleveland, Houston, New York, Philly, Phoenix, Portland and Utah's designs. They all put in a little effort - thought about the color pattern and designed a center court logo that pops.

I don't mind the garish color patterns so much (e.g. New Orleans' should look like a co-ed just vomited up a frozen daquiri). I think I like the Knicks one the best.
The ones that bug me are where it looks like they gave a Canva password to their laziest intern and the kid just slapped their logo on it and hit send. Brooklyn, Charlotte, Chicago, Golden State, Memphis and Minnesota are all pretty blah. Ugly at least catches my eye. Boring is what I can't abide. Memphis, with the gray on gray and nothing to tie in their bear logo, strikes me as particularly unforgivable.

I like what the Pittsburgh franchise did.

20526

[M2]

i like what the pittsburgh franchise did.

20526

Gold Standard

[SteelSD]

Why do I want all of the players in that pic to be wearing rollers skates?

[goreds2]

Bummer that the Celtics/76ers game is not on national tv tonight.

[M2]

Bummer that the Celtics/76ers game is not on national tv tonight.

That's weird. Seems like they're leaving money on the table.

[SteelSD]

I'm actually glad it's not on ESPN so I dont have to listen to Doris Burke fawn all over Jayson Tatum for 48 minutes straight.

Now if there was only a way to convince Marc Zumoff to un-retire...

[M2]

I'm actually glad it's not on ESPN so I dont have to listen to Doris Burke fawn all over Jayson Tatum for 48 minutes straight.

Now if there was only a way to convince Marc Zumoff to un-retire...

Ha, I get to listen to Brian Scalabrine do it!

Scal actually points out when the Celtics are screwing up and was critical of both Tatum and Brown the other night for not leveraging Porzingis more during overtime, but I know he bugs you.

[SteelSD]

Ha, I get to listen to Brian Scalabrine do it!

Scal actually points out when the Celtics are screwing up and was critical of both Tatum and Brown the other night for not leveraging Porzingis more during overtime, but I know he bugs you.

Scal is likely an acquired taste. To me, he just sounds like an annoying guy ata the bar. But Kate Scott bug's me a bit too. She's not awful, but does this "OK...OK..." thing after a nice play that makes her sound like a hyena who just found fresh meat. She also gets about 1.5 times too excited about 7.5 times too often.

I miss Marc...

[Kingspoint]

Why do I want all of the players in that pic to be wearing rollers skates?

I'm looking for the swim trunks, bathing suit caps, noseplugs and goggles.

- - - Updated - - -


Bummer that the Celtics/76ers game is not on national tv tonight.

That's ridiculous that it's not. There's two premier games tonight and that's one of them. One's on the East Coast. One's on the West Coast. C'mon, networks! Get your act together. Reminds me of being force-fed the Seahawks and Niners for decades when there were times when they were both bad. Great matchups not being on National TV is something you think they would have figured out how to fix by now. And, they don't have to change the times of the games to get it done, which is just stupid beyond all measure as it disrupts a hundred thousand people's lives, not to mention those watching the game.

[SteelSD]

Oh, ESPN has games on tonight. It's just that they have Wembymania, so they're going to milk that for all it's worth.

[Kingspoint]

Bradley Beal makes his season debut tonight.

Moving Gordon to the bench makes a huge difference to this lineup, even without Booker.

They're going with Bates-Diop instead of Okogie in the Starting Lineup.

Completely new look for the Suns this season.

[Kingspoint]

I think the T-Wolves could spot the Pelicans 30 tonight and still catch them by the 3rd Quarter.

[Kingspoint]

I think the T-Wolves could spot the Pelicans 30 tonight and still catch them by the 3rd Quarter.

Up 28 at Halftime.

- - - Updated - - -


Bradley Beal makes his season debut tonight.

Moving Gordon to the bench makes a huge difference to this lineup, even without Booker.

They're going with Bates-Diop instead of Okogie in the Starting Lineup.

Completely new look for the Suns this season.

In a tie-game at Halftime, Eric Gordon is -16 and Bradley Beal is +14.

[SteelSD]

Always has to be an adventure...

[Kingspoint]

Networks missed a Celtics/Sixers game that came down to a missed 3-pointer to tie the game with 3 seconds left by Porzingas.

- - - Updated - - -


Always has to be an adventure...

Just like they planned it.

Batum has been quite refreshing for the Sixers.

[Kingspoint]

Dame just took over when he came into the game in the 4th Quarter and the Bucks down by 8 points.

4 point lead for the Bucks with 42 seconds left.

Lot's of time left.

Giannis was kicked out early in the 3rd Quarter.

[Mutaman]

Lillard is bad on defense -i wish he would put a little more effort into it. And he has yet to start hitting his outside shots. But boy can he attack when he wants to. Third game he's just simply taken over.

Bucks a bit of a mess so far but same record as the 27 Yankees, I mean the Celtics.

[Mutaman]

The great Marques was not happy over Giannis' ejection. Just a lack of common sense.



Elder Marques Johnson
@olskool888
2h
Too bad you @bucks can’t use a coach’s challenge on this crap. ⁦@Giannis_An34⁩ glared at him momentarily, so what…



Elder Marques Johnson
@olskool888
2h
Ruined a great night for the 50 military personnel seated courtside…

[M2]

Oh, ESPN has games on tonight. It's just that they have Wembymania, so they're going to milk that for all it's worth.

The downside of the plan is that means you're putting this Spurs team on television, and they are NOT good.

[Chip R]

Dame just took over when he came into the game in the 4th Quarter and the Bucks down by 8 points.

4 point lead for the Bucks with 42 seconds left.

Lot's of time left.

Giannis was kicked out early in the 3rd Quarter.

That ref should be embarrassed for doing that. Doesn't matter id it was Giannis or the 12th man. You don't T someone up for that. Ridiculous.

[M2]

Philly's win last night isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of the season, but it was probably an important W for the team. The Celtics have been a thorn in the Sixers' side during this Embiid run. Boston's bounced them from the playoffs three times and Tatum/Brown have been a miserable matchup for Philly. Last night Philly put the clamps on Boston's All-NBA guys and there's probably a ton of buy-in inside of that locker room for what Nick Nurse is preaching.

1st place in the East is going to be important this season, because it theoretically should make your top opponents have to face each in the 2nd round. Based on their strong start and last night's proof of concept win over the Celtics, the Sixers ought to be thinking they've got as good a shot at the #1 slot as anyone.

[SteelSD]

Philly's win last night isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of the season, but it was probably an important W for the team. The Celtics have been a thorn in the Sixers' side during this Embiid run. Boston's bounced them from the playoffs three times and Tatum/Brown have been a miserable matchup for Philly. Last night Philly put the clamps on Boston's All-NBA guys and there's probably a ton of buy-in inside of that locker room for what Nick Nurse is preaching.

1st place in the East is going to be important this season, because it theoretically should make your top opponents have to face each in the 2nd round. Based on their strong start and last night's proof of concept win over the Celtics, the Sixers ought to be thinking they've got as good a shot at the #1 slot as anyone.

Yeah, but...

The final 3:44 of last night's game does not sit well with me. Fifteen points lead. Gave up a 10-0 run in 56 seconds. Silly turnovers. They desperately need a primary ball handler to close games. The Celtics simply attempted to funnel the ball to Melton late game, and he can neither handle or drive and finish. Working the shot clock down and then passing to a guy (Embiid) who needs additional time to position and bust through double teams just doesn't work.

That game felt like a monkey off the back win...lead kept building, Celtics stars completely ineffective, Sixers shootin poorly, but would stll cruise...until 3:44, in the fourth, when the monkey came back and started throwing poop at me.

The way Detroit played last night, that smells like a trap game. Yeah, Giannis got booted, which was crap, but the Sixers had Lauren Holtkamp to deal with, so I couldn't feel that badly for the Bucks. Was it wrong of me to check Twitter to see if there was a ladder involved? ;)

[Kingspoint]

Indiana Pacers: "We're gonna score and we're gonna score a lot. Can you?"

They are going to be a fun team to watch all season. Tonight's game against the Bucks should be especially interesting with Giannis likely playing with a major chip on his shoulder after being tossed (which includes a fine). With no Dame (calf), Giannis could set a career high tonight. I think he scores at least 50 points and could possibly hit 60 tonight.

- - - Updated - - -


Yeah, but...

The final 3:44 of last night's game does not sit well with me. Fifteen points lead. Gave up a 10-0 run in 56 seconds. Silly turnovers. They desperately need a primary ball handler to close games. The Celtics simply attempted to funnel the ball to Melton late game, and he can neither handle or drive and finish. Working the shot clock down and then passing to a guy (Embiid) who needs additional time to position and bust through double teams just doesn't work.

That game felt like a monkey off the back win...lead kept building, Celtics stars completely ineffective, Sixers shootin poorly, but would stll cruise...until 3:44, in the fourth, when the monkey came back and started throwing poop at me.

The way Detroit played last night, that smells like a trap game. Yeah, Giannis got booted, which was crap, but the Sixers had Lauren Holtkamp to deal with, so I couldn't feel that badly for the Bucks. Was it wrong of me to check Twitter to see if there was a ladder involved? ;)

That will be fixed as they figure out how to use Batum, Morris and Covington effectively. Harris and Maxey have turned into money players. That kind of breakdown late isn't going to happen much in the future.

[Kingspoint]

No Jaden Ivey is huge against the Sixers Friday. Cunningham, Stewart and Thompson are still a lot to deal with.

[M2]

No Jaden Ivey is huge against the Sixers Friday. Cunningham, Stewart and Thompson are still a lot to deal with.

With the caveat that anybody can beat anybody on a given night, Detroit is an easy matchup on most nights.

[Kingspoint]

Well, there's 50 for Giannis with one Quarter to go.

[Revering4Blue]

With the caveat that anybody can beat anybody on a given night, Detroit is an easy matchup on most nights.

Right now, yes. But they’re basically hanging around until the end despite being outmatched due to injuries.

Bogdanovic, Burks, Ivey, Harris, Morris and Livers are all sidelined. That’s 6 rotational players and 2 starters. They are scheduled to return by around Thanksgiving. That said, it’s not a good sign that Wiseman isn’t playing well enough to garner minutes with this weakened unit.


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[M2]

Well, there's 50 for Giannis with one Quarter to go.

He finished with 54, but he ran into Pacer power.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a2/fe/45/a2fe45f80c4378c0208e838d4f8acb9a.jpg

[Kingspoint]

He finished with 54, but he ran into Pacer power.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a2/fe/45/a2fe45f80c4378c0208e838d4f8acb9a.jpg

He was the Pacer, collapsing apart when he was needed the most (-6 in the 4th Quarter, 0-1 from the foul-line, 2 Turnovers, 0 Assists, 0 Blocks, 0 Steals, 2-4 from the field, 4 pts). That's why they went out and got Dame.

[M2]

Right now, yes. But they’re basically hanging around until the end despite being outmatched due to injuries.

Bogdanovic, Burks, Ivey, Harris, Morris and Livers are all sidelined. That’s 6 rotational players and 2 starters. They are scheduled to return by around Thanksgiving. That said, it’s not a good sign that Wiseman isn’t playing well enough to garner minutes with this weakened unit.

I suspect it's going to take a while to sort out their rotation. Not sure Harris is going to help. He was pretty washed last season. Ivey's had a good start after his wretched rookie season, but I'm guessing some of that is due to more limited exposure.

[M2]

He was the Pacer, collapsing apart when he was needed the most (-6 in the 4th Quarter, 0-1 from the foul-line, 2 Turnovers, 0 Assists, 0 Blocks, 0 Steals, 2-4 from the field, 4 pts). That's why they went out and got Dame.

Indiana's starting unit had a lot to do with that. Game tilted back their way every time they took the court. Giannis likely had a combination of being gassed and going 1v5, though he scored 8 in the 4th. Dame would have helped, though I'm guessing the Bucks looked at all those big guards on the Pacers who can get downhill and decided this might be a good night for Dame to rest his calf. Going to be very interesting to see these two matched at full strength later in the season.

[Stray]

Someone in LA who is paid a lot of money to build teams thought bringing Harden onto this Clipper roster would put them over the top. Absolute insanity, but very funny.

[Betterread]

James, you’re not the beard, or the system. You’re the problem.
https://twitter.com/BallySportsSW/status/1723147098542022762
Clips are 0-3 with Harden.