NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

[M2]

Given more time lately, Anthony Edwards is showing signs of improvement.

He has a long way to go.

Defensively, the kid is a sieve.

Offensively, he's looking like a volume scorer.

It'll be interesting to see how he develops.

Yeah, I've been impressed by some of his recent games. Like, I don't know if he's going to be a star, but he's got the makings of a player. His FT% (.833) is encouraging. Needs to improve his finishing around the rim.

[RedTeamGo!]

Is anyone else watching the Clippers/Cavs game? I just saw legitimately the worst shooting foul call I’ve ever seen in my 37 years on earth. Not hyperbole.

[Kingspoint]

This Starting Lineup is 12-0:

Green/Embiid/Harris/Curry/Simmons

When those five are on the floor, they are shooting 46.4% from "3" on 12.8 attempts per game and 20.4 minutes per game together.

They have a +/- of 7.8 per game when they are on the floor for those 20.4 minutes.

The next best Starting Five that's played any significant time together as far as +/- is the +4.7 in 14.5 minutes per game over 16 games of AD/Gasol/King/Schroder/KCP.

Other notable successful Starting Five's so far:

Batum/Ibaka/Leonard/Beverly/George, +7.3 @ 13.9 min per over 12 games. (about 2/3rd's the # of mins as these other five lineups)

Bog/Rudy/O'Neale/Conley/Mitchell, +4.6 @ 13.7 min per over 19 games.

Millsap/Joker/Thrill/Harris/Murray, +3.2 @ 15.6 min per over 16 games.

Holmes/Barnes/MBIII/Fox/Hield, +2.4 @ 13.8 min per over 19 games.

Everyone else either has too low a +/-, too low a min/per game, or too few of games.

That PHI lineup has a 16.3 Net Rating.

That LAL lineup has a 17.1 Net Rating.

That UTA lineup has a 16.3 Net Rating.

That DEN lineup has a 11.2 Net Rating.

That SAC lineup has a 9.4 Net Rating.

That LAC lineup has a 25.4 Net Rating, but it, by far, has the fewest minutes together than all of the other lineups mentioned, and as it gets to the same number of minutes these other five have played, that Net Rating will go down into the teens.

[Kingspoint]

The shoulder issue of Myles Turner is just too much for him some nights. It's been impressive the numbers he's put up with as bad as his shoulder is.

[Kingspoint]

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid have been named the Kia NBA Players of the Month for games played in December and January.

[Revering4Blue]

The shoulder issue of Myles Turner is just too much for him some nights. It's been impressive the numbers he's put up with as bad as his shoulder is.

You beat me to it, as I was about to point that out. In fact, he was questionable for tonight’s game and had been beasting in 5 of the last 7 games preceding tonight’s game.

[Betterread]

Yeah, I've been impressed by some of his recent games. Like, I don't know if he's going to be a star, but he's got the makings of a player. His FT% (.833) is encouraging. Needs to improve his finishing around the rim.

As BZ said, he has a long ways to go. Ant reminds me of Zach Levine, who was a very raw talent when the Twolves drafted him. They both are remarkable athletes, great workers and yet, I don’t know if either knows what winning basketball is.
Zach is a great scorer, but neglects a lot of important little things in his game that won’t help with his numbers, but would help his team compete better (most of these things are on defense). It is so easy for him to shoot the shots he likes and makes, that he doesn’t know how to do “difficult” things on the court. Watch how high he effortlessly jumps on his jumpers. It is a thing of beauty, and nearly unstoppable.
Ant’s strengths are he has a sold handle, a great first step and he is solidly built and plays with leverage. His weaknesses are an inconsistent jumper, uncertain decision making at the second level (after he gets by his initial defender) and very poor off the ball defender (he does not get how important it is to keep track of what is behind him). He can improve all those things, with work and concentration.
He is learning and trying to implement what he learns all the time. He is a great talent, but who on this team will teach him how to learn the little things you need to do consistently to win? Not this coach. Not Dlo or KAT.

[Kingspoint]

SAC closing this game out against BOS with Haliburton instead of Bagley to go along with Fox, Hield, Barnes and Holmes. They're gettig it done.

Haliburton earned it from his first half play, and it's just a better matchup with the athletic Celtics' lineup.

It's amazing how NBA-ready Haliburton is.

[Kingspoint]

Holmes said to Green, "Get that weak stuff outa here!".

[Kingspoint]

I've got to give Walton props for the positives going on in Sacramento, even though I thought he was a terrilbe hire.

[Kingspoint]

Kings have to win this with Defense.

Why not?

Somehow BOS draws up a play that a 50% free throw shooter catches the pass. Haliburton smartly fouls. Haliburton smirks afterwards because he knows what he did.

Kings win.

[M2]

He is a great talent, but who on this team will teach him how to learn the little things you need to do consistently to win?

That's a guy currently not on the team, right? They can pick up an old head or two in the future. The brutal reality might be that if this season continues to turn sour that KAT demands a trade, and who knows how that will shake out. My guess is Edwards will be on a highly fluid roster in his early career. Also guessing he could have a new coach before the start of next season.

[adkindo]

It's amazing how NBA-ready Haliburton is.

I have a blind spot for Iowa State guys because I was someone that did not think he was ready physically for the league. It is the second year in a row because I had doubts bout THT having an NBA career. Maybe it is recent, because Monte Morris is exactly the NBA player I projected and I even championed the George Niang is good enough to be on an NBA roster cause when he went undrafted. Still, I have been wrong the last two drafts.

[Kingspoint]

Enough is enough.

Time for the children to stop speaking and let an adult tell it like it is.

Sports, combat, competition and battle has never ever been about greater strength or greater size or greater speed. If you've ever been the very best, not the second best, but the very best among your peers from a large ocean of competitors, you would understand this. Believing that it is shows the immaturity and personal inexperience of your understanding of what it means to be a warrior. It always has been and always will be about wisdom, spatial intelligence, experience, determination, effort, patience, ability to adapt, identifying weaknesses and strengths of the opponent and competitive desire. The very best from every generation would have been the very best of any generation. The only thing they would have to overcome that is different is surrounding and conditions, two things that will never be an obstacle from someone who posesses an elite version of these character traits: wisdom, spatial intelligence, ability to adapt, identifying weaknesses and strengths of the opponent, determination, effort, patience and competitive desire.

To say that someone who was among the best in one era, regardless of arena, would not also be among the best in a different era is nothing but pure ignorance on your part of understanding what it means to be the best, and I can guarantee it's because you have never been the best yourself.

It just bugs the heck out of me whenever I hear people try to say that the greatest athletes of one generation couldn't compete with the greatest athletes of today (whatever "today" happens to be). So, I guess 20 years from now LeBron is going to suck, according to that theory.

[Kingspoint]

Draymond Green would last about 12 seconds on the court with Brian Grant, 11 seconds with Karl Malone, 10 seconds with Shaq, 9 seconds with Barkley, 8 seconds with Bird, 7 seconds with Thurmond, 6 seconds with Lucas and 5 seconds with Moses.