2018 NBA Draft - June 21

[Nathan S]

This Real Madrid-Panathinaikos game is even more physical than the last one. For the last 10 minutes Real has only scored on free throws and putbacks...absolutely nothing easy. Unlike last game though, they're doing a great job keeping it close with hustle plays and by gumming things up on the other end.

EDIT: at halftime the teams are on pace to attempt a combined 70 free throws, which is just a crazy number for a 40-minute game. It's like a totally different sport.

Amazingly, both teams have played all 12 of their active players in the first half as they navigate extensive foul trouble.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Pao-Real Madrid stream http://www.myfeed4u.tv/watch/2528310/1/Panathinaikos-vs-Real-Madrid.html

 

[Nathan S]

There would've been 10 technicals and 6 ejections if NBA refs were in charge of this game lol.

EDIT: Doncic was taken almost entirely out of the game by foul trouble in the first half and then by the physical defense of Panathinaikos in the second half. Was on the receiving end of several dangerous fouls, one of which wasn't even called. Managed to keep his composure well enough to make several key plays in the clutch.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

This is gross

 

[Nathan S]

Video of the crowd:


7-point loss for Panathinaikos today was their biggest home loss this season.

I don't mean to harp on this for more than it's worth, and to be clear I do realize Doncic has played a muted role overall in these two games. But it was really encouraging to see him step up in clutch time in this atmosphere.

Previously, while he'd always talked the talk, he hadn't walked the walk in moments like this. In last year's Euroleague playoffs he was held scoreless and benched for the 4th quarter of Real's elimination loss. In last year's ACB league playoffs he was benched after just 8 minutes of play in Real's elimination loss. In the Eurobasket final he was having an underwhelming game when he tweaked his ankle in the 3rd quarter and never came back in. In the Copa Del Rey final this year he had a very rough game in an upset loss to rival Barca.

So I wasn't feeling super optimistic when, with 2:15 left, Doncic exhausted from playing the entire second half, and his team clinging to a 2-point, he went ISO at the top of the key against a pretty long and athletic defender in Payne. Frankly, I expected him to turn it over, and I expected Panathinaikos to tie the game on a transition dunk and ride that momentum to a win and a commanding 2-0 lead in the 5-game series. And I might have forgiven him for it and kept him at the top of my board (after all, the top teenage NCAA prospects folded like cheap lawn chairs in the tourney), but I would've been seriously worried about his ability to play his best in the biggest moments.

But instead of turning it over, he broke down Payne, got into the paint, and created an open corner 3 with one of his signature no-look passes. After that he dove headfirst into the seats trying to save a ball going out of bounds, came up with a fairly straightforward but critical steal on the next possession, and hit nothing but net on four straight free throws to ice the game. Looked every bit the part of a rising superstar silencing a raucous crowd of nearly 20,000.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

 

[Nathan S]

Bonga with a career-high 8 assists today, to go with 8 points, 4 boards, 2 steals and a block. Ntilikina's career high was 6, for comparison. First start and by far the most minutes he's played since suffering a rib injury a couple months ago. His team is on the playoff bubble with just a few games left in the regular season, so it's very promising that they trust him enough to bring him back into the starting lineup and put the ball in his hands.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

Fully expect LBJ to leave, he should. Fully expect Cavs to overpay Hood and possibly others if given the opportunity. Gilbert will pull out all the stops to get the 7-seed and prevent another 2010-11, all delaying the rebuild that we'd need.

With that being the case I realllllly want Trae Young on the Cavs now almost purely for entertainment purposes so I don't give up on my Cavs fandom lmao.

 

[Nathan S]

Goga had 16 points, 7 boards, and 2 steals today against Red Star, a rare game against Euroleague competition. Doncic has obviously skewed expectations in a crazy way, but most years an 18 year old holding his own against that kind of team would be very noteworthy.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Goga had 16 points, 7 boards, and 2 steals today against Red Star, a rare game against Euroleague competition. Doncic has obviously skewed expectations in a crazy way, but most years an 18 year old holding his own against that kind of team would be very noteworthy.

I love Goga. Fucking love that dude.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

I totally forgot about a possible way to acquire more draft assets via a LeBron sign and trade.

So I went way more in-depth than I planned on with possible LeBron sign and trade scenarios between Houston and Philly, so I just made a new thread. I originally was just going to post my thoughts in here, but if the Cavs end up getting knocked out prior to the Finals, the sign and trade discussions would have started anyway.

Obviously FA starts in July, after the 2018 draft, so the Cavs still won't be able to acquire additional picks for this draft in that manner. However, there's a chance that in a S&T with Philly that they would need to dump one of their 2018 first round picks in order to clear full max space for LeBron. They pick at #10 and #26. I will be paying very close attention to what they do, especially at 26.

 

[Kiddo]

So we'll likely have a chance at Bamba, Porter Jr, Carter Jr or either Bridges. I think these are all great prospects and most would normally be top 5.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

Finally did everybody's favorite 2018 prospect. Was putting it off in hopes to get more clarity on whether or not he'd stay in the draft. But with the new draft entry rules I've come to the conclusion that guys can pull out so late in the process that I'm just going to have to make 65-70 of these to cover for the few guys that end up returning to the NCAA.

 

[3 Ball...GOT IT]

Had the Porter stuff done and just needed to put it into the template. I also did Tony Carr today, so making some pretty good progress. Up to 49 now. I think I'll be done in late May.

Really like Clark. He's one of the few guys that could warrant a Draymond Green comparison and I won't roll my eyes. Pretty old, questionable shot, average athleticism and size = likely undrafted. The riskiness of him developing a jumper is why I don't have him ranked higher.

Speaking of which I'd really like input on this idea... If I make these next year I'm thinking about adding in some sort of "Risk Meter". Wouldn't take up much space, would look good visually, and it's difficult to convey that sort of thing otherwise. Let me know if that's a good idea or not

 

[Nathan S]

Had the Porter stuff done and just needed to put it into the template. I also did Tony Carr today, so making some pretty good progress. Up to 49 now. I think I'll be done in late May.

Really like Clark. He's one of the few guys that could warrant a Draymond Green comparison and I won't roll my eyes. Pretty old, questionable shot, average athleticism and size = likely undrafted. The riskiness of him developing a jumper is why I don't have him ranked higher.

Speaking of which I'd really like input on this idea... If I make these next year I'm thinking about adding in some sort of "Risk Meter". Wouldn't take up much space, would look good visually, and it's difficult to convey that sort of thing otherwise. Let me know if that's a good idea or not

I do like the idea of a risk meter (from a mathematical standpoint, after estimating the mean outcome for a player, the next most important step is to estimate the uncertainty in that mean outcome). I don't think Clark is a very risky prospect, though. His floor is very high on the defensive end, of course, and while he's likely to struggle to some extent offensively, he probably won't be so cripplingly bad that you can't play him. Would be an ideal fit on a team that already has a couple stretch bigs and high-usage offensive players.