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

  1. #541
    Member SteelSD's Avatar
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Betterread View Post
    Channeling Joe Buck? Impressive patronizing. You sound like him explaining why the Bears are a threat to his beloved Packers.
    You know full well that your Boston team dominated Philly in 2020 playoffs, and expect to do so again.
    And I see that SSD red’d the post. Hilarious.
    Actually, I liked the post because of the Simmons/Beal trade reference. I have no illusion that a Philly/Boston series win wouldn't be a tough get for the Sixers, nor did I figure the Sixers would be competitive in last season's bubble series sans Ben Simmons.

    I'm not sure why you're trying to stir the pot (well, that's not entirely true), but it's becoming tiresome. Maybe you should focus on the hot mess that is the 3-11 T-Wolves instead.
    "The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer

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  3. #542
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Betterread View Post
    Channeling Joe Buck? Impressive patronizing. You sound like him explaining why the Bears are a threat to his beloved Packers.
    You know full well that your Boston team dominated Philly in 2020 playoffs, and expect to do so again.
    And I see that SSD red’d the post. Hilarious.
    What?

    Honestly, I can't begin to unravel this, especially the football reference as I pay zero attention to that sport. In basketball, Boston's owned Philly for the previous few years thanks to a more dynamic lineup and an overwhelming coaching advantage. Maybe they will this year too. Need to see how they stack up when Tatum's in the lineup. Yet I think this Philly team is better than previous versions (with the possible exception of the Jimmy Butler team). Embiid seems to have self-actualized and the team has a lot more shooters around him. My opinion, and it's nothing more than that, is the Sixers have a legit shot at winning the conference this year. I certainly didn't think that last year.
    I'm not a system player. I am a system.

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  5. #543
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Revering4Blue View Post
    Exactly as I remember that time period. But I wonder if the Lakers wouldn't have instead taken Fultz had Ainge retained the top selection that year and taken Tatum at number 1.

    Regardless, the Lakers '17 draft wasn't a total loss, as Ball was packaged for AD; Kuzma - who has outperformed a great deal of his draft class - was selected, and the Lakers robbed the Jazz blind with the Hart/Bryant for Tony Bradley deal. The fact that the Lakers failed to retain Thomas Bryant changes the calculus somewhat, but it was still a bad, but not devastating, deal for Utah.


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    As the next couple seasons took place, I did not have much of a leg to stand on as I was advocating taking Josh Jackson @ #2 which was supposedly the other player that had support in the organization....and well Jackson has not lived up to his draft slot. Thomas Bryant was just extremely poor asset management. The Lakers find a legit NBA player in the 2nd Round and end up just waiving him. How do you not at least move him for cash and a 2nd Round pick? He is a flawed player, but he is clearly a legit NBA rotation player.
    “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
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  7. #544
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    The Nets play zero defense, and I see no real path for that to improve much this season with their roster. It was fun to see Jarrett Allen just take it to them last night....as I thought it was a massive insult to him that when he was with the Nets they had to start Jordan over him because he was friends with Kyrie and Durant.
    “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
    ― Marcus Aurelius

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    M2 (01-23-2021)

  9. #545
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by adkindo View Post
    The Nets play zero defense, and I see no real path for that to improve much this season with their roster.
    I've been thinking about this one.

    Jordan limits them a bit, for sure. He has to play off pick and roll shooters, as he just doesn't have the quickness he once did. At this point, Jordan's a decent pick and roll rim runner and solid rebounder who plays below average defense. He is who he is. Yet, Nash has been clever about using Jeff Green and Kevin Durant together. That duo should, in theory, work well-- they're wiry but strong, willing on the perimeter, and just long enough to get some blocks underneath and to bother those who might come into the lane. Neither rebounds at elite levels, but with a team that can shoot as well (and as often) as this one, that's not necessarily as important.

    The combination of Harden and Kyrie limit them a lot. Neither is used to playing the other team's best offensive player. In crunch time, they're going to have to just hunker down and play. I've got a couple of ideas they might try.

    1. Now Playing Stagger Lee, Tyler Johnson
    I'd stagger Harden and Kyrie as much as possible (which makes sense in terms of playmaking as well) and play Bruce Brown much more-- except Brown can't hit a three-point shot to save his life right now. Landry Shamet is supposed to be a knock-down shooter, but he's been anything but in his limited minutes so far, and he might be a worse defender than either starting guard. What to do then? It might be time to bust out Tyler Johnson as a rotation piece and play him with either Harden or Kyrie nearly full time. Johnson's capable of playing either guard spot and has been a very, very good defender in the past. Sticking him with Kyrie exclusively allows them to develop a chemistry and provides Johnson with a role: hit the open three and guard the snot out of the other team's best player. He can do that.

    2. Rocketball
    Harden is big enough that he can move up or down the defensive spectrum, playing either a wing (point small forward?) or a more traditional PG. The problem, of course, is that he's equally bad across them all. I might be tempted to move Harden to PF defensively. He's got the strength to do it and showed just that ability last year. It'd affect his playmaking ability and offensive usage rate, but with Durant and Kyrie (not to mention Joe Harris), that's a relatively small price to pay. Pairing Harden with Jordan (for rebounds) or Durant (for added shooting and playmaking), and Harris (as a wing shooter) would seem to make some sense stylistically. That allows Kyrie to be protected in the backcourt a bit by Johnson. Bruce Brown-- captain of the Wayward Shot Brigade-- could find a role here while working on his wide-open options. (He's going to be Tony Allen'ed in this lineup.) Luwawu-Cabarrot could also help as a third wing, shooter, and willing rebounder. This lineup would allow the Nets to switch everything all the time and perhaps to pressue the ball a bit more. This would affect Jeff Green's minutes most and make Durant the de facto center in those lineups. That may be a no-go with Brooklyn's best player.

    3. Live With the Dreadful D
    The most likely option, of course, is to just live with it and outscore teams as much as possible. Green and Jordan will need to step up. Either Harden or Irving will too. Harris needs to take on more responsibility on that end too. Own it as a team and make defending a priority.
    Last edited by Bourgeois Zee; 01-23-2021 at 09:21 AM.

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  11. #546
    Thanks a lot, Bowie Kuhn Revering4Blue's Avatar
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by adkindo View Post
    The Nets play zero defense, and I see no real path for that to improve much this season with their roster. It was fun to see Jarrett Allen just take it to them last night....as I thought it was a massive insult to him that when he was with the Nets they had to start Jordan over him because he was friends with Kyrie and Durant.
    I still cannot believe the Cavs were able to nab Allen and Prince, a useful rotation piece, for basically nothing.
    Whatever you do, do your best to not allow the struggles of life to interfere with the pleasures of living.

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  13. #547
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Revering4Blue View Post
    I still cannot believe the Cavs were able to nab Allen and Prince, a useful rotation piece, for basically nothing.
    Prince, given real minutes for the first time this season, is showing out a bit in Cleveland. Obviously, it's a small sample, but he's playing his best basketball in a couple of years.

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  15. #548
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    According to BZ, this guy sucks:

    He's a perfect complime for Embiid...opens up the floor and runs the pick-and-roll, or pick-and-pop.

    From Rotoworld with Rotoworld comments:

    Seth Curry returned to action on Friday with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, making 3-of-5 triples with one assist and one steal in 27 minutes. Curry hadn't played since Jan. 6 after contracting COVID-19, and he missed Philly's game on Wednesday for conditioning purposes. He's shooting the ball ridiculously well this season at 60.3% from the field, 59.5% from deep and 100.0% from the line. Even when those numbers inevitably come back to earth, Curry will still be an elite source of 3-pointers with strong contributions in points, percentages and assists (career-high 3.6 per game). Get him back in your active lineups, if you haven't already.


    Just for understanding his value, he led both teams in +/- last night at +18. Pretty incredible after missing so many games. It just points to his off-the-charts basketball IQ, something I pointed out about Marcus Smart after seeing him for the first time ever ((I don'tf watch college basketball much) after 5 minutes of his very first Summer League game. I tried pointing out at the time that this guy is going to be great, and will be untradeable as Ainge understands his value, too. Got all kinds of people trying to throw numbers around disputing this, where numbers don't correlate to winning when it's about doing the right thing at the right time with the right attitude, something no number can measure.

    Seth Curry makes the Sixers, a whole lot better. Philly is the best in the East. They don't rely on Simmons.
    Last edited by Kingspoint; 01-23-2021 at 05:34 PM.
    "One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."

  16. #549
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kingspoint View Post
    According to BZ, this guy sucks:
    I never said Seth Curry sucked. In fact, I'm fairly certain I praised the living crap out of his acquisition.

    I was making fun of your repeated attempts to paint every Blazer acquired as the key piece for a sure-fire Portland championship. (See Covington, Robert this season. And Anthony, Carmelo last season. Ad naseum.)

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

    And, like I said, Seth is a good Defender. His Defensive Rating of 104.0 on the season gives him a team-leading 16.8 Net Rating for the season when subtracted from his stellar 120.8 Offensive Rating.
    "One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."

  18. #551
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kingspoint View Post
    And, like I said, Seth is a good Defender. His Defensive Rating of 104.0 on the season gives him a team-leading 16.8 Net Rating for the season when subtracted from his stellar 120.8 Offensive Rating.
    Super.

    I still didn't say Seth Curry sucks.

  19. #552
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bourgeois Zee View Post
    I never said Seth Curry sucked. In fact, I'm fairly certain I praised the living crap out of his acquisition.

    I was making fun of your repeated attempts to paint every Blazer acquired as the key piece for a sure-fire Portland championship. (See Covington, Robert this season. And Anthony, Carmelo last season. Ad naseum.)
    Seriously? You're jumping to conclusions about Covington's impact based on what? The zero full-contact practices they had had since BEFORE their first preseason game against Sacramento? Their two full-contact practices the team had during preseason before they shut down their facilities until the preseason games started? The zero full-contact practices Covington has had with Nurkic in his entire life? You're a regular Swami! You can see final results based on zero evidence. The only thing I ever said about Melo was that it would be better than Mario Hezonja or Anthony Toliver, and of course, it was true, so true that Melo far exceeded my and anyone else's expectations, and continues to do so (all the Blazers' issues and they currently have the 8th best record in the entire league). Melo is a great teammate. Everybody loves him.

    Covington's strengths come from his participation in a 5-man Defensive rotation involving Nurkic, Dame and C.J. and Derrick Jones, Jr. That group has zero full-contact practices together in their lifetime. Only with full-contact practices can they improve. Sometime in April, they may get one. They would have had four before the break with their schedule, but that's now none because of Nurk's injury.

    However, MEM's COVID tracing gave POR a golden opportunity to have two full-contact practices on Thursday and Friday and for the first time, even though it will be with Kanter and Giles and Melo and Trent and Hood instead of C.J. and Nurk, there will be for the first time, "some" evidence on how DJJ and RoCo can make this team better. No Nurk and no C.J. (playing the best basketball of his career) is not the same. It will be more ball flow instead of pick-and-roll offensively (except when Dame has it) and Defensively, the roations will be night-and-day improved over the next five games. They should win at least three of them and maintain the 8th best overall record and 4th in the West.

    Their first test will be against the red-hot Knicks, temporarily slowed down on the 2nd of a back-to-back by Sacramento's best played game if the year (10 blocks for Holmes and Haliburton, with no turnovers from Fox, Bagley, Holmes or Barnes, while Barnes almost had a triple-double).

    The Blazers are still going to win the West and Covington and DJJ and Melo will be major reasons why.
    "One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."

  20. #553
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kingspoint View Post
    The Blazers are still going to win the West and Covington and DJJ and Melo will be major reasons why.
    The prosecution rests.

  21. #554
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    I feel confident in prognosticating that no amount of practice is going to help Robert Covington unleash his inner Dr. J.
    I'm not a system player. I am a system.

  22. #555
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    Re: NBA 2020-21: The Final Covid-19 Season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bourgeois Zee View Post
    Prince, given real minutes for the first time this season, is showing out a bit in Cleveland. Obviously, it's a small sample, but he's playing his best basketball in a couple of years.
    As a fan, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of a rebuild. You have the freedom to take low risk chances that have the potential for significant reward. Everyone has kind of gave up on that lottery pick from a couple years ago....bring him in and maybe this time it will click. Probably not, but no big loss. A guy is showing out in the GLeague, give him a 10 day deal and see what he can do in the league....if it does not work, just do not resign him. If done correctly, you can find some low cost rotation players to put around your high draft pick talent that will expedite the rebuild. Those moves are harder to do when you are focused on an optimal playoff seed.
    “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
    ― Marcus Aurelius


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