NBA 2019-2020

[adkindo]

Well, good.

That makes me feel better as a fan.

Any other owners stepping up aside from Philadelphia and Dallas?

The Lakers, Clippers, Kings and AEG are finalizing details of a plan that would compensate the hundreds of part-time and contract workers who staff Staples Center’s biggest events. It’s a measure that could help allay concerns that the most vulnerable workers will keep a steady income during NBA, NHL and event shutdowns due to the coronavirus outbreak.

honestly, it is just a drop in the bucket in the big picture. Most of these arena's have been built in recent decades, and the surrounding real estate came with high lease rates. The many businesses that obtained these leases depend on these games to squeeze out a healthy profit. Many are literally in the red outside of the season. Just take each arena and the 20-30 directly adjacent retail/food/entertainment spots, and each one of them often employ a dozen or dozens of employees....they will have to let people go almost immediately. Then go 1/2 to a mile out, and you have 100's of businesses that also depend on the arena for profit....and within a month or two, they will be forced to start eliminating payroll. It is a nasty cycle.

[Stray]

When everything sucked we always had sports. Now everything sucks without sports. Bad deal all around.

NBA is a great product. Hope we aren't down for too long here.

[texasdave]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ve-coronavirus

4 Brooklyn Nets test positive.

[Betterread]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ve-coronavirus

4 Brooklyn Nets test positive.

If they lived in Texas, the local health care providers wouldn’t have been able to even test them.Only 439 tests have been administrered in Texas. That is incredible!

[M2]

So, if they come back to have something like a playoffs, do they just go straight to the finals? Bucks vs. Lakers.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Let's play a new game.

With the NCAA season finished, let's go ahead and play Mock Draft.

We'll just go with the teams now out of the playoffs in order of where they're at currently.

That'd be:
1. Golden State
2. Cleveland
3. Minnesota
4. Atlanta
5. Detroit
6. New York
7. Chicago
8. Charlotte
9. Washington
10. Phoenix
11. San Antonio
12. Sacramento
13. New Orleans
14. Portland

Tell who you pick, and why.

[Bourgeois Zee]

I'll go first:

1. Golden State selects C/F James Wiseman (Memphis-- kind of)
I debated between Wiseman and Edwards, and went with the hole in their team rather than upside. Wiseman's good enough with the ball to play a PF or hybrid C spot, and he's good enough shooting to squint and see a guy who's likely to be above average across the board. He'll be an adept defender with time, but will need to bulk up to receive starter's minutes. A center rotation of Marquese Chriss and Wiseman would have some outstanding potential. His addition to a team that will also add Thompson and Curry should make the Warriors a top four seed in the playoffs next year.

2. Cleveland selects G/F Anthony Edwards (UGA)
Edwards reminds me of Dominique Wilkins. That is high praise, indeed. Of course, so did Andrew Wiggins. Edwards is only 6'5" but has the athleticism and length to play either wing at the professional level. He doesn't play much defense yet, but has the tools to be a shut-down guy. He'll also need to shoot better and attack the rim more. In short, he's a project. But what do the Cavs have to lose?

3. Minnesota selects PF Onyeka Okongwu (USC)
The TWolves got their PG of the future during the season when they dealt Andrew Wiggins and picks for KAT's BFF, D'Angelo Russell. Malik Beasley is looking like a fine secondary or tertiary scorer. The TWolves need defense (particularly inside) and 3 & D shooters on the wing. They have approximately 500 PF but Okongwu is great value next to Towns. He can do the dirty work guarding the best opposing big. He's not a 3-point shooter, but the trio of Beasley, Russell, and Towns are going to take up most of those shots anyway. Okongwu is similar to Bam Adebayo and would be a fine addition in a weak draft. He's a Day One starter.

4. Atlanta selects G/F LaMelo Ball (Illawarra)
Collins took a step backwards defensively, but the additions of Dedmon and Clint Capela underneath means rebounding should be okay. Defense might be improved as well. They need a good wing, but there aren't any in this draft. Toppin makes some sense-- if they deal Collins. Ball offers good vision and superior rebounding out of the wing spot. He's got great vision too and should be a solid secondary ball handler and playmaker. That moves Hunter and Huerter to the wing-- which should prove fine (and may be beneficial defensively).

5. Detroit picks PG Killian Hayes (Ratiopharm Ulm)
Detroit has less talent than any team in the NBA. By far. Dwayne Casey should be receiving COY votes for what he's been able to do this year. Seriously. They've developed/ found Christian Wood, who can play PF or C next to Blake Griffin (assuming he can come back from this season's injuries). That's two PF who can both shoot and could likely play together fairly effectively. Hayes, all of 18, profiles to play good defense, should be a league average-ish shooter, and has excellent court vision. He turns the ball over too much and plays a bit too aggressively, but that can be learned. (Especially under Derrick Rose.) He could also play next to both Brown and Rose in a two PG lineup. Like his upside, but this is a gamble.

6. New York selects PG Cole Anthony (UNC)
No team has a hole as big as the Knicks do at PG. They also need scoring punch. Anthony has had to do too much in UNC this season, but he should end up a solid NBA PG. That's a hell of a lot more than they have right now. It helps that he's a local guy. He's a stretch at number six, but this draft sucks. I also thought about RJ Hampton, but Anthony will put more butts in the seat.

7. Chicago selects SF Deni Avidja (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
The first true wing of the draft, Chicago takes a gamble on the Israeli native well after he's supposed to be taken. If he can shoot, he'll be very good. He's a very good passer (a need in Chicago) and should be more than solid as a secondary or tertiary playmaker. Can he shoot? Maybe. The jury's out. But the Bulls need a wing badly.

8. Charlotte selects G/ F RJ Hampton (NZ Breakers)
Hampton's a bit of a surprise here. Charlotte typically picks big-time college guys. But they need a wing. Hampton's just that-- and might also be a good PG. At 6'5" with long arms, he should be decent between all three positions. He'll need to shoot better than he has this year, but the Hornets have shooters just about everywhere else. He's a gamble, but probably has the highest upside of anyone at this spot.

9. Washington selects SF Isaac Okoro (Auburn)
Washington plays no defense this season. Okoro will change that next year. He's young, athletic, and unafraid of contact-- at the pace the Wizards play, he'll be a nice weapon. With Beal and Wall in the backcourt, Bryant and Wagner at C, and Bertans and Hachimura at PF, Okoro can make this team interesting as early as next season.

10. Phoenix selects PF Obi Toppin (Dayton)
This is the steal of the draft. Phoenix can't get to the podium fast enough to select the Dayton star. Toppin is athletic and a very good shooter. He may be a step slow defensively, but that doesn't matter in Phoenix because nobody plays defense in the desert. He's the shooter they need at the position (and might be the best shooter regardless of position in the draft. Love this pick for this team.

11. San Antonio selects SF Saddiq Bey (Villanova)
The Spurs need scoring and shooting. Bey can do both, but is not a playmaker. He's a willing defender, though, who may be a sneaky good contributor for San Antonio. DeRozan is probably not going to be back, and they'll want the best wing they can grab. Typically, Villanova guys are prepared to play early. He'll do just that in Texas. Solid pick, though perhaps a bit of a reach. He fits the team.

12. Sacramento selects PG Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State)
The Kings have talent everywhere but center. I'm guessing Bagley, Holmes, Bjelica, Barnes, and Parker, the front court should be decent enough to gamble on the best all-around player in the draft. Haliburton can play defense, rebound, handle, pass, and score. But he's struggled against top-flight competition. As a secondary ballhander and backup PG, he's a hell of a lot better than Yogi Ferrell.

13. New Orleans selects C/ PF Aleksej Pokuševski (Olympiakos)
What do you get the team that has everything? How about massive upside in a guy who's a Jokic clone? Pokusevski is super young and can be stashed in Greece. More likely, he's third fiddle this season behind Favors and Jaxson Hayes, then moves into a starting spot as a playmaking center who will balance the floor with Zion. This is a huge upside pick and his shooting ability may make him a phenomenal second unit scorer.

14. Portland selects PF Paul Reed (DePaul)
At his best against top competition, Reed can shoot the ball and should be a lock-down defender. And he has some upside. He's not a knock-down shooter, but he doesn't have to be. The Blazers need his defense.

[Boston Red]

14 picks and no one from Dook or Kentucky. What a weird year (even before it turned out like...yeah).

[M2]

If Golden State get the #1 pick, Wiseman would seem like a lock.

I'm trying to figure out which of these guys can actually shoot. Seems like those might be the ones who stick in the league. Saddiq Bay might be interesting from that standpoint.

[adkindo]

If they lived in Texas, the local health care providers wouldn’t have been able to even test them.Only 439 tests have been administrered in Texas. That is incredible!

They claim to have been tested by a private lab.

[Revering4Blue]

Let's play a new game.

With the NCAA season finished, let's go ahead and play Mock Draft.

We'll just go with the teams now out of the playoffs in order of where they're at currently.

That'd be:
1. Golden State
2. Cleveland
3. Minnesota
4. Atlanta
5. Detroit
6. New York
7. Chicago
8. Charlotte
9. Washington
10. Phoenix
11. San Antonio
12. Sacramento
13. New Orleans
14. Portland

Tell who you pick, and why.

1. Golden State - James Wiseman 7'1" Memphis

With a 7'6" wingspan, emerging perimeter game and the ability to switch out on the perimeter, a traditional big Wiseman is not.

2. Cleveland - Anthony Edwards 6'5" Georgia

Simply put, his ceiling is higher than anyone still on the board. With Sexton, Garland, Porter Jr. and Edwards (with a 6'9" wingspan) in tow, the Cavs have an embarrassment of young riches in their backcourt -- and that's not counting swingman Dylan Windler (once he's healthy) and Dante Exum.

3. Minnesota - Onyeka Okongwu 6'9" USC

A reach to fill a need? Perhaps. But Okongwu (another Ben Wallace?) should contribute heavily from day one, while the Wolves target a 3-and-D player at pick 16 (from Nets).

4. Atlanta - LaMello Ball 6'7" Illawarra (NBL)

BZ, more or less, stated my thoughts on this selection. So I'll move along..

5. Detroit - Tyrese Haliburton 6'5" Iowa State

While I realize that I sometimes get carried away with comps from yesteryear, I can't help but to envision another prime, pre-injury Ron Harper (multi-faceted scoring/facilitating) here -- all with a '7 wingspan, just like the aforementioned Harper.

6. New York - Cole Anthony 6'3" North Carolina

The eternal quest for a point guard solution may finally end.

7. Chicago - Deni Avdija 6'9" Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)

The Bulls, who are actually capable of sporting a young balanced roster if everyone can remain relatively healthy, can afford to swing for the fences with a young wing with tremendous potential.

8. Charlotte - Killian Hayes 6'5" Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)

Given that Monk's future in Charlotte is uncertain and Bacon isn't exactly sizzling, it wouldn't be the worst idea to go with additional guard/wing depth here. And it's a bonus that said guard can distribute the ball and shoot free throws at a high clip. Hayes may be what the Jazz thought they we're getting with Dante Exum, even though Exum had been playing relatively well for Cleveland.

9. Washington - RJ Hampton 6'5" NZ Breakers (NBL)

Doesn't exactly fill a need, but Hampton's upside as a combo guard with a long wingspan is too high to ignore.

10. Phoenix - Isaac Okoro 6'6" Auburn

Okoro's high-motor and defensive-oriented game will be welcomed with open arms. And if he ever masters the '3' element of a 3-and-D player, look out!

11. San Antonio - Obi Toppin 6'9" Dayton

Full disclosure: I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Toppin selected considerably higher than this. Be that as it may, Toppin makes too much sense here as a stretch 4 given that LaMarcus Aldridge may be spending more time as a stretch 5. The big question for Toppin: Can he guard quicker small forwards/wings?

12. Sacramento - Devin Vassell 6'7" Florida State

Kings are attempting to end their long playoff appearance drought. Nabbing Vassell (a quintessential 3-and-D wing) further expedites the process.

13. New Orleans - Jalen Smith 6'10" Maryland

Another Myles Turner? It wouldn't surprise me in the least.

14. Portland - Saddiq Bey 6'8" Villanova

Thankfully for Portland, this is a case of drafting for 'fit' and 'best available player' dovetailing.

[reds77]

Well, we now know how Jamal Murray is keeping himself busy!

[Boston Red]

The NBA should probably go ahead and cancel the rest of the season, no?

[Rdirtypirates]

The NBA should probably go ahead and cancel the rest of the season, no?

No, it would definately be premature with so much uncertainty.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Okay, the draft topic seems to be a bust, so let's try something else-- all-time starting fives for each franchise.

Rules:
Player has to have played for the team multiple seasons and should have won awards while there. Kareem as a Buck and Laker is fine. Robert Parrish as a Bull? Notsofine.
A starting five has to have a PG, two wings, and two front court players, but can play "down" or "up" one spot as needed. If you want a three-guard lineup, go for it.
You can choose whatever metrics your want, but you may be called on to explain them.

For example, this would be Milwaukee's starting five, IMO:
PG Sidney Moncrief
SG Ray Allen
SF Bobby Dandridge
PF Giannis Antetokounmpo
C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Comment: I don't know if this team has enough outside shooting to win the hypothetical championship, but they'll play defense. I thought about Oscar Robertson over Moncrief, then Moncrief over Allen, but decided Allen's years of service trumped late-career Oscar. Kareem and Giannis would form a monster defensive core underneath, and Dandridge was widely considered a superior defender while in the league. (Moncrief too.) Best of all, this team would fit well together. Giannis as the ball-dominant point power forward, Moncrief doing all the little things, Allen shooting, Dandridge rebounding, and Kareem scoring. Also thought about Marques Johnson, Michael Redd, Terry Cummings, and Glenn Robinson at the wing and Phil Pressey at SG. Sneaky good.