2017-18 NBA Thread

[BottenFieldofDreams]

That's an easy suggestion to type. I can't. What would go in the Blazers shaped hole within me? Bird watching? Being an engaged father? Please.

I don't truly love the NBA, I don't want to, I don't have to. But, I should recognize the limits this puts in discussions like these.

Believe me, you can't count on the Blazers to draft 'LeBron.' Sometimes you even think they have, more or less.

[33anda3rd]

The NBA has always been epochal. Players inform teams, inform styles, inform eras. I don't think you can truly love the NBA through just your team. You have to find other things to love for when your team sucks or, even worse, is pretty good but not great. I watch so many more NBA games where I don't have a team-specific rooting interest than any other sport. The way specific players define generations is compelling to me. I get it if that doesn't appeal to people who want parity or only care about their hometown team, but like Luke said, if that's your deal, you probably should give up until your team drafts their LeBron.

Agree. I'm a root-for-the-name-on-the-back-of-the-jersey fan, rather than the front, so I'm not susceptible to team loyalty-based frustrations. I can get home at 930PM, turn on Utah-Clippers and enjoy it a bunch. Plenty of joy in watching Gobert defend the rim and Mitchell's athleticism. I have more emotional investment in John Wall than I do anyone on the hometown Bulls, and I don't like Westbrook and do like Durant and don't have any reservations about pulling for KD over Russ, or any mixed emotions about KD leaving Russ. To me it doesn't matter what shirt Durant wears or who he plays with, I'll find joy in watching him play. I find the Dubs-LeBron utterly compelling, the GOAT trying single-handedly this year to unseat the greatest team ever assembled (they'd smoke those early Celtics teams, the 80s Lakers, and the Jordan Bulls IMO) and I don't mind that the Finals have had the same four teams for four years running because the most entertainment I can get is these exact two teams going at each other again at this exact time***. One thing I learned this year after the Indiana series when I thought Lebron was toast, and the Boston series when I thought LeBron was toast, is: never declare LeBron to be done, never doubt him. Ok to assume that it's unlikely he'll win (which I assume re this Finals) but I'll never again say "No way LeBron pulls this off." Knowing that he can pull of damn near anything, playing some of his best basketball as he enters his mid-30s...well, I disagree with anyone telling me this is a boring inevitable Finals.

I've been a NBA addict since the early 80s and this is the best the league has been for my money. So much young talent, so much international talent, and the game itself of spacing, screening, ball movement, the GOAT doing GOAT [expletive], and a focus on long athletic guys who can play two ways is, as far as my tastes go, the most entertaining basketball in the history of the league.

***Edited to add a follow-up question. If we don't want the Dubs-Jameses in the Finals, who do we want? Take away hometown loyalty/your team, like for Saigon you can't say "Blazers because I'm a Blazers fan" or Bulls for Thrill or NOP for Crowes and so on. On a pure entertainment/narrative level without any hometown loyalty, what would be the best series? The Rockets, because Chris Paul is the best player never to play in a Finals? The Celtics, for the narrative of a team down two stars grinding out a Finals trip? The Bucks for Giannis, or the Sixers for #TheProcess? What would be the two best teams to play the Finals this year based on pure entertainment that the audience as a whole would most like watching? Game 1 last night came in even with Game 1 last year for TV ratings, so people don't appear tired of the matchup, and this is in an environment when every sport's TV ratings are down.

[MrCrowesGarden]

I don’t want to say better, and admittedly I don’t watch much non-Pelicans regular season basketball, but the Bucks and Wolves would be enjoyable to me. I know that’s two 8 seeds this year, but maybe they both make that leap in 2-3 years. I’m not expecting it, but I would love to see it.

[33anda3rd]

There is one Dubs acquisition that I find howlingly offensive, and it's not because of the Dubs it's because of the Bulls who sold their 2nd round pick last year, 38th overall, to the Dubs and the Dubs told them "draft Jordan Bell." The Bulls did that and for $3.5 million Bell was a Warrior. He's now playing good, meaningful minutes in an NBA Finals and they're calling him "Baby Dray." They had this rookie guarding Harden at times in the WC Finals, he's that good on D.

For the Bulls to do that signals one of two things:

1. Management is too dumb to realize their team should be in a rebuild.
2. Management knows they are in a rebuild but is dumb to the point that they think selling a #38 pick for three and a half million bucks is a smart move when they're in that rebuild.

Whatever the reality, it's a piece of mismanagement that is more offensive to me--just giving away an asset basically--than a star deciding he wants to go to a perennial winner.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I love sports for the competition way more than individual feats of athleticism so take my opinion fwiw, but i don’t think that being able to appreciate the NBAs individualism and thinking its competitive balance is very broken are incompatible viewpoints.

[33anda3rd]

I love sports for the competition way more than individual feats of athleticism so take my opinion fwiw, but i don’t think that being able to appreciate the NBAs individualism and thinking its competitive balance is very broken are incompatible viewpoints.

I agree with you, but I think being able to appreciate individualism while damning an individual for a personal career choice seem mutually exclusive.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I love sports for the competition way more than individual feats of athleticism so take my opinion fwiw, but i don’t think that being able to appreciate the NBAs individualism and thinking its competitive balance is very broken are incompatible viewpoints.

I agree with you, but I think being able to appreciate individualism while damning an individual for a personal career choice seem mutually exclusive.

I agree, I blame the system for making golden state durant’s most attractive option(or close to it) more than him choosing to play there.

[33anda3rd]

I love sports for the competition way more than individual feats of athleticism so take my opinion fwiw, but i don’t think that being able to appreciate the NBAs individualism and thinking its competitive balance is very broken are incompatible viewpoints.

I agree with you, but I think being able to appreciate individualism while damning an individual for a personal career choice seem mutually exclusive.

I agree, I blame the system for making golden state durant’s most attractive option(or close to it) more than him choosing to play there.

The easy answer is to just abolish the salary cap. People will cry foul, that the Knicks and Lakers will win every year, but they won't for the same reason the Yankees and Dodgers don't win every year: an uncapped league allows for enormous mistakes that cripple big-money clubs.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I love sports for the competition way more than individual feats of athleticism so take my opinion fwiw, but i don’t think that being able to appreciate the NBAs individualism and thinking its competitive balance is very broken are incompatible viewpoints.

I agree with you, but I think being able to appreciate individualism while damning an individual for a personal career choice seem mutually exclusive.

I agree, I blame the system for making golden state durant’s most attractive option(or close to it) more than him choosing to play there.

The easy answer is to just abolish the salary cap. People will cry foul, that the Knicks and Lakers will win every year, but they won't for the same reason the Yankees and Dodgers don't win every year: an uncapped league allows for enormous mistakes that cripple big-money clubs.

I could see a variation of what MLS does with DP slots working well. You have X slots on a roster that only count for $Y towards the cap, but there are no limits on the actual salary of the player. Could help get a more even superstar distribution.

[Tim]

Abolish the salary cap. Let the worker get paid what they’re worth.