2016-2017 Around The NBA

[The Red Viper]

I agree in theory, he's improved as a shooter. And if he ever proves to be elite or to just very, very good, that opinion changes. I just have a preference, personally when it comes to point guards. Of course there are always going to be exceptions.

I like a point guard that is able to shoot the basketball really well. I think its important. Especially today. They don't have to be Steph Curry (who is anyways?)..

His TS% is still not very good. I don't think Wall is in that exception like a Westbrook for example.

At this point, I'd easily take a Damian Lillard over Wall. I think Lillard is bit under appreciated IMO, and is that next guy I feel could enter the top-1 tier category.

Dame's issue is his defense. If he can improve that, he is Tier-1 level imo.

Because as an offensive weapon he is amazing.

 

[The Red Viper]

Man who the hell knows about the Clippers. Their season last year was about as chaotic as ours, and when it looked like things were finally about to break their way (Curry injury), they lose their two best players for the rest of the playoffs the very next day. Lol. Their injury problems are real.

If they can stay healthy (unlikely), then nobody really knows what they could do right now. But it would be very interesting to see them tweak their playstyle and run more through Blake and have CP3 off the ball more. I'm not convinced CP would be very effective off the ball, but I would be seriously intrigued to see how it plays out nonetheless.

It is not happening because I don't think they will but if any team can defeat Golden State Warriors in the West, its the Clippers. In CP3, they have a guy who can outplay Curry and defend him aggressively. DJ is a good rim-protector and offers them elite rebounding. Also, I feel we will see the Blake play his best season. If he performs like he did in that Spurs series, Warriors have no one to guard him.

The SF is an issue however because they have no one to guard KD. Well, they do have Luc Mbah A Moute who is a good defender but he offers fuckall offensively. And with the spacing already fucked with Blake and DeAndre in the frontcourt, they can't have Luc Mbah A Moute playing major minutes. That leaves them with Wesley Johnson who is as mediocre as they come. They don't have any trade assets either to improve there.

There were talks about trading Blake but I still feel the one they should look to trade rather is DeAndre. For me, he is the easiest to replace. If they can get Nurkic + Gallo for DeAndre that will improve them as a team.

 

[godfather]

Dame's issue is his defense. If he can improve that, he is Tier-1 level imo.

Because as an offensive weapon he is amazing.

Not going to lie, before the post season I sadly thought Damian passed Kyrie as the better of the two.

I just have Lillard over Wall pretty easily. I know most people don't, so that's why I feel Wall is a tad overrated. But this is just my preference. Wall is a very good player, do denying that.

 

[David.]

It is not happening because I don't think they will but if any team can defeat Golden State Warriors in the West, its the Clippers. In CP3, they have a guy who can outplay Curry and defend him aggressively. DJ is a good rim-protector and offers them elite rebounding. Also, I feel we will see the Blake play his best season. If he performs like he did in that Spurs series, Warriors have no one to guard him.

The SF is an issue however because they have no one to guard KD. Well, they do have Luc Mbah A Moute who is a good defender but he offers fuckall offensively. And with the spacing already fucked with Blake and DeAndre in the frontcourt, they can't have Luc Mbah A Moute playing major minutes. That leaves them with Wesley Johnson who is as mediocre as they come. They don't have any trade assets either to improve there.

There were talks about trading Blake but I still feel the one they should look to trade rather is DeAndre. For me, he is the easiest to replace. If they can get Nurkic + Gallo for DeAndre that will improve them as a team.

And we use shump. It's possible for clippers to beat them

 

[Simon]

Heard Kwame Brown is wanting to make a comeback.

/turns on TV to Suns @ Lakers game 4 of the first round in 2006
/as soon as I turn it on, Brown misses a one handed layup (or dunk -- can't remember)
/commentators lose their minds

Me: *shakes head*

 

[Jscc]

In CP3, they have a guy who can outplay Curry and defend him aggressively.

I don't know man. Curry's length bothers CP3. Paul is one of the few match-ups in the league that can make Curry look like an elite two-way player.

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

Is there a more confusing team than the Orlando Magic? I just have no idea what that organization is trying to do. At the beginning of last season, they had one of the most promising young cores in all of basketball. Oladipo, Harris, Fournier, Gordon, Payton, Vucevic, and Hezonja. No stars in the bunch (yet), but a ton of very good talent all 25 and under. I thought Oladipo would make that jump to an All-Star level player in a year or two and the Magic would have the players and young talent to pull the trigger on a big time trade.

Then, they managed to turn Harris, Oladipo, Ilyasova, and the #11 pick in the draft into Ibaka, a guy who's numbers have steadily declined over the past two years. Throw in the very real possibility that Ibaka walks at the end of the year and they might have just thrown away all of that for absolutely nothing. It's all a bit mind-blowing.

 

[JMoneyYourHoney]

Is there a more confusing team than the Orlando Magic? I just have no idea what that organization is trying to do. At the beginning of last season, they had one of the most promising young cores in all of basketball. Oladipo, Harris, Fournier, Gordon, Payton, Vucevic, and Hezonja. No stars in the bunch (yet), but a ton of very good talent all 25 and under. I thought Oladipo would make that jump to an All-Star level player in a year or two and the Magic would have the players and young talent to pull the trigger on a big time trade.

Then, they managed to turn Harris, Oladipo, Ilyasova, and the #11 pick in the draft into Ibaka, a guy who's numbers have steadily declined over the past two years. Throw in the very real possibility that Ibaka walks at the end of the year and they might have just thrown away all of that for absolutely nothing. It's all a bit mind-blowing.

I agree with all of that but damned if I'm not just a bit intrigued by a Biyombo/Ibaka front court...it should be a constant block party.

 

[Jordan]

I don't know if any of you listen to the Lowe Post podcast - you should - but he just had Dave Joerger on and it really was an outstanding interview. Joerger seems to be pretty reasonable about this season. He acknowledges the problem with roster balance and understands why many think the Kings will have a top-6 pick next year. With that said, he's the first Kings coach in a long time who has a clear plan for how Cousins will be used, which is refreshing. I'm a bit higher on them after the interview than I was after the Joerger hiring.

@randymoss1881 @RealKingsFan

http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=17383599

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

I agree with all of that but damned if I'm not just a bit intrigued by a Biyombo/Ibaka front court...it should be a constant block party.

Yeah, that duo will be tough defensively. That team is just so underwhelming overall though. The only way they can actually justify any of these moves to their fanbase is if they make the playoffs this year. That's a really big jump for them to make with all the new pieces they have as well as a new coach.

Here's what confuses me more than anything. Obviously Payton and Dipo were a bad fit together, but why choose Payton over Oladipo? Victor's post All-Star break numbers:

19.4 ppg
5.1 reb
3.7 ast
47% FG / 35% 3 PT / 83% FT / 56% TS
2 stl
1 blk

Those are All-Star caliber numbers for a guy in his 3rd year in the league. If they were wanting to trade Oladipo, I don't get why they didn't just keep him on the team and see if someone like Butler, Cousins, or some other star became available during the season. Dipo's value only would have gone up over the course of the year.

If I were Orlando's GM, I would have inquired the 76ers about a Noel for Payton swap. Then you flip Hezonja and Gordon for a better PG and you have something going. They probably could have gotten Knight or Bledsoe from Phoenix with a package base around those two or picks. That team would be significantly better than what they have now.

 

[Adam]

Yeah, that duo will be tough defensively. That team is just so underwhelming overall though. The only way they can actually justify any of these moves to their fanbase is if they make the playoffs this year. That's a really big jump for them to make with all the new pieces they have as well as a new coach.

Here's what confuses me more than anything. Obviously Payton and Dipo were a bad fit together, but why choose Payton over Oladipo? Victor's post All-Star break numbers:

19.4 ppg
5.1 reb
3.7 ast
47% FG / 35% 3 PT / 83% FT / 56% TS
2 stl
1 blk

Those are All-Star caliber numbers for a guy in his 3rd year in the league. If they were wanting to trade Oladipo, I don't get why they didn't just keep him on the team and see if someone like Butler, Cousins, or some other star became available during the season. Dipo's value only would have gone up over the course of the year.

If I were Orlando's GM, I would have inquired the 76ers about a Noel for Payton swap. Then you flip Hezonja and Gordon for a better PG and you have something going. They probably could have gotten Knight or Bledsoe from Phoenix with a package base around those two or picks. That team would be significantly better than what they have now.

I think you could get brandon knight or bledsoe for a packet of chips right now. PHX has a glut of guards taking up too much money and need to give major time to booker

 

[Jordan]

Per the discussion of Wall, Beal, and the Wizards earlier... I wrote about it...

http://sportsbystats.com/2016/08/30/john-wall-bradley-beal-and-the-washington-wizards-future/

Last week Wizards point guard John Wall noted that he, and recently re-signed max player Bradley Beal, have a “tendency to dislike each other on the court.” This, like most other statements by teams’ various stars, resulted in an uproar. And rightfully so. Wall has been the franchise’s cornerstone player, and as of this summer, the Wizards view Beal the same way.

Consequently when you see statements like Wall recently made, or like when he said...

 

[Jordan]

Woj just reported that OKC traded two second round picks for Joffrey Lauvergne. Important because it means that Kanter is definitely on the block.

View: https://twitter.com/WojVerticalNBA/status/770666939349864448

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

Woj just reported that OKC traded two second round picks for Joffrey Lauvergne. Important because it means that Kanter is definitely on the block.

View: https://twitter.com/WojVerticalNBA/status/770666939349864448

He definitely gets traded. I just have no idea who might want him or what OKC could actually get for him. Teams like Washington and Charlotte could definitely use a low post scorer. I could see Boston seeking a guy like Kanter as they could still play Horford at PF. Kanter, Horford, Thomas, and Bradley would be a hell of a load offensively (though pretty shit defensively).

I'm just at a complete loss as to what his real value is. With the money he's making, he either needs to get dealt for multiple players or another max (old salary) level player. He's not a max level player which is what makes things a bit difficult for the Thunder.

For example, is he worth:
Crowder and Amir Johnson
Corey Brewer and Trevor Ariza
Doug McDermott and Robin Lopez
MKG and Frank Kaminsky

That contract, along with his defensive liabilities is really going to hinder dealing Kanter.

 

[Jordan]

He definitely gets traded. I just have no idea who might want him or what OKC could actually get for him. Teams like Washington and Charlotte could definitely use a low post scorer. I could see Boston seeking a guy like Kanter as they could still play Horford at PF. Kanter, Horford, Thomas, and Bradley would be a hell of a load offensively (though pretty shit defensively).

I'm just at a complete loss as to what his real value is. With the money he's making, he either needs to get dealt for multiple players or another max (old salary) level player. He's not a max level player which is what makes things a bit difficult for the Thunder.

For example, is he worth:
Crowder and Amir Johnson
Corey Brewer and Trevor Ariza
Doug McDermott and Robin Lopez
MKG and Frank Kaminsky

That contract, along with his defensive liabilities is really going to hinder dealing Kanter.

In a class. If I forget to respond @ me in a few days and I'll respond. I'll leave it at this. Great post and I agree.