NBA Talk

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Maybe I’m in denial, but I’m letting the Lillard thing play out before judging too harshly.

The team didn’t do him well—he was told they would add help around him, instead they drafted his replacement. Hell, last trade deadline the GM said something very close to ‘people will be shocked and angry how aggressive we are in acquiring help.’ Then Scoot lands on you but old quotes don’t die. Keeping CJ literally four years after the experiment failed was bad.

A couple weeks ago he said he ‘just wants a shot’, and it’s clearly not here, I see that.

However now he’s saying if not Miami he “he just won’t go”. This stance if true(unnamed insider quote) and not just posturing (he should play whatever cards he has, that’s fine with me) doesn’t look very good so far and contradicts a lot of stuff he’s rapped at me and otherwise led me to believe over the years.

We’ll see.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Wemby is going to be so easy to build around it’s silly. Make him go back to Europe. I can prove that the Cold War was dragged on to keep peak Arvydas out of the league. Can we start something with France?

[MrCrowesGarden]

If you go back about the last dozen years or so, the common denominator for title-winning teams is having a top 5 player (maybe even as tight as top 3 for the championship year). The only exception is the Spurs, who had a top 3 guy for several previous years in Duncan and a guy who would grow into one for another championship team years later in Kawhi. Otherwise, you've got teams that won with Jokic, Steph, Giannis, KD and Lebron.

The best way to win in the NBA is to have a top 5 player and to pay the tax. There are still several teams who operate more like the Cardinals though-- keep the risk averse build, make the playoffs every year (in a sport where half the teams make the playoffs), be extremely unlikely to reach or win the Finals.

[thrill]

The best way to win in the NBA is to have a top 5 player and to pay the tax. There are still several teams who operate more like the Cardinals though-- keep the risk averse build, make the playoffs every year (in a sport where half the teams make the playoffs), be extremely unlikely to reach or win the Finals.

Miami are the Cardinals of the NBA. "Heat culture," never go into the tax, don't have a top 5 player, develop non-prospects into slightly above average big leaguers, and make fairly deep playoff runs most years without actually winning a title.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Milwaukee is an easy root for me. Miami would have been less so—love Jimmy and Spo, but not Riley.

Apparently it’s not done getting messy as Dame’s mouthpiece is reporting he tried to rescind his request. He hasn’t shown the best of himself (either has the Blazers FO) the last few months, but he’s a good smart dude. He'll be back in PDX’s heart at large. Hasn’t left mine.

[thrill]

Milwaukee-Denver would be an insanely good Finals series. Two, elite, ball dominant guards who can hit from quite literally anywhere and two giant unicorns with seemingly unstoppable games. Solid, championship supporting casts. Two championship winning coaches that often make inexplicable decisions.

I hope that happens. I also hope Jerry Reinsdorf is targeted in his dreams by a group of sleep spies who do an Inception that inspires him to sell his basketball team.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Milwaukee-Denver would be an insanely good Finals series. Two, elite, ball dominant guards who can hit from quite literally anywhere and two giant unicorns with seemingly unstoppable games. Solid, championship supporting casts. Two championship winning coaches that often make inexplicable decisions.

I hope that happens. I also hope Jerry Reinsdorf is targeted in his dreams by a group of sleep spies who do an Inception that inspires him to sell his basketball team.

Bud got fired. Dame criticized this on Twitter. You have to believe Giannis drove that decision. Interesting wrinkle.

[thrill]

Shout out former Bulls Adrian Griffin! I have a weird soft spot for the men who languished on the post-Jordan/pre-Rose Bulls rosters. Those are my guys.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Wembenyana looks great. He doesn’t foul! That seems like the craziest thing with his inexperience at this level and his limbs stretching from one sideline to the other. What big guy doesn’t foul a ton when they enter the league? Really hope he stays healthy. And I’m not saying that in a hope of a bitter jinx.

Scoot looked WAY over his head. Collar-pullingly bad. He definitely fouls. Then he got hurt, because Blazers and sexy rookie. I actually think he has a bit of the yips. Did not expect him to be be this raw. We’ll see how quickly he gets to speed.

Chauncey must be the worst coach in the league. Terrible. Think of a less exciting coach than Scott Brooks. You can’t. If Chauncey got fired tomorrow, Brooks probably gets interim and I’d feel way better about everything.

You know that play where dude goes to the top of the three point line and dribbles for 16 seconds while his teammates stand stagnantly around the arc? Chauncey does. It’s the ONLY play he knows. But Dame isn’t here anymore, bruh.

Sharpe looks amazing.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Pretty amazing that Draymond still gets to be like this. I just hate to see the indefinite suspension comes before Steven Adams gets to have a clean swing at dude’s face. It’s all so unjust.

What a piece of [expletive].

https://youtu.be/XtebH2IE7Pk?si=Qd0JmKkK0ODWbFEk