For NBA fans

[The Professor]

Warriors became dicks IMO. Nothing symbolizes this more to me than when GS played OKC. There was a play when Curry launched a shot and before it even going in, he turned to stare at Ibaka. I get being good and even being a little cocky, but they took it a few levels above and became douchebags. Also, Draymond became annoying every time he flexed, and what compounded it is he usually did after a play on somebody smaller the him, like last night against JR. Smith. Then they got Varejao who literally tried to flop every time. Again...everybody flops, I mean Manu is on the Spurs, but cmon now.

Also for a team that got away with moving screens and push offs (ironically LeBron haters always argue this against LeBron, but I've never seen a team like GS do it so much without it being called to get separation) they sure whined a lot. Especially Curry and Iggy. Jesus.

LeBron is a whiner, no denying. So are most stars, from Tim Duncan to Paul Pierce to Dirk Nowitzki. LeBron gets a lot of superstar calls, which is also annoying. His persona screams diva at times and the mind games he plays are annoying too. But God dam is he a special player. He is a top 5 player of all time. That block was one of the most special plays ever, and it will go down as such. His ability to affect the game in all facets is why people like him. He is greatness.

I hate Dirk. Being a Spurs fan it comes with the territory. But at this stage, there is just no denying his greatness and even now, I don't hate him as much. You can hate LeBron too, but the dude can flat out ball.

EDIT: Btw, I'm with Manon in thinking the series is over after 5 games if Draymond plays. I am also a believer that if the Warriors didn't win that game, they stood a good chance they lose the series. That series vs OKC was brutal for them. I truly believe they were tired at the end. They got a lot of good looks but they just couldn't make them. I believe that was due to the physical and mental strain more than anything. Cavs outlasted GS.

[The Cheat]

Right. No way. You nailed it, TC.

1. Home team usually wins.

2. In the history of the city, Cleveland always fails/chokes.

3. After a team bitches about refs in the media, usually next game they get all the calls. Phil Jackson was a master of doing this.

4. Didn't expect it to be close. That shifted it to the Cavs favor. Warriors looked worn out.

As someone who was born in Cleveland I am very happy.

Congrats Cavs. I guess this game was rigged too?

Possible. Still sorting through it.

I wish I could blame all my teams failures on cheating and fixes, lol.



I did that for about 9 superbowls in a row. Still believe in at least 7 of them.

[Spencer 555]

Toronto is offically the saddest sports city right?

[Greendaybum5]

I hate how people say if Draymond played in game 5 it's probably over. He played in 6 games and they went 3-3 in those games. He put up a monster line in game 7 and they lost. Curry/Thompson cost them the championship not Green. Can even argue Barnes cost them as he was flat out awful. Still confused why Kerr had Ezeli in the game with 5 mins to go as well. He was outcoached the last 3 games by Lue.

@manon - go watch replays of the game. there's not one foul call in the last 2 games that Green doesn't complain about(those are only two games I still have DVR'd)

[KBHoleN1]

A lot of people wonder why Curry isn't successful in the playoffs. It seems pretty obvious to me that playoff basketball becomes much more physical. Things that used to be a foul in the regular season suddenly aren't, and his game's not built for that. Watch regular season games and watch him zoom around the court without the ball to come off screens and get open. Suddenly in the playoffs his defender has a hand on him the whole time, around his waist, grabbing his jersey to slow him down. And playoff refs aren't going to call small change like that, and defenders know it. Even during his shot attempts there can be a lot of contact that he's used to being called a foul, that suddenly isn't. Playoff basketball isn't much like regular season basketball how the rules are enforced, and that really hurts Curry's game. And you could see it got in his head by the end of the Finals, and he wasn't even making open shots at that point.

[|AFO|]

I hate how people say if Draymond played in game 5 it's probably over. He played in 6 games and they went 3-3 in those games. He put up a monster line in game 7 and they lost. Curry/Thompson cost them the championship not Green. Can even argue Barnes cost them as he was flat out awful. Still confused why Kerr had Ezeli in the game with 5 mins to go as well. He was outcoached the last 3 games by Lue.

@manon - go watch replays of the game. there's not one foul call in the last 2 games that Green doesn't complain about(those are only two games I still have DVR'd)

Agreed. Also, the impact of Bogut's injury has been understated.

[manonfire101]

I hate how people say if Draymond played in game 5 it's probably over. He played in 6 games and they went 3-3 in those games. He put up a monster line in game 7 and they lost. Curry/Thompson cost them the championship not Green. Can even argue Barnes cost them as he was flat out awful. Still confused why Kerr had Ezeli in the game with 5 mins to go as well. He was outcoached the last 3 games by Lue.

@manon - go watch replays of the game. there's not one foul call in the last 2 games that Green doesn't complain about(those are only two games I still have DVR'd)

People say that if Green played in game 5 it would have been over because if Green played in game 5 it probably would have been over. He was Golden State's best player in the series and not having him for a game was a big deal. I don't know why people argue this point or try to downplay it. Imagine if Cleveland was up 3-1, and LeBron had been suspended for game 5 and Cleveland lost that game, and then ended up losing the series in 7 games. There would be riots in Cleveland and fans shouting about how Golden State's championship has an asterisk next to it. But that would never happen because he's LeBron.

Go watch any Cleveland game. When LeBron gets called for a foul he acts like he's just been falsely accused of murder and then has a 5 minute conference with the official who called the foul on him. When he doesn't draw a foul he throws a tantrum and is only not called for a technical because he's LeBron. And all of this despite the fact that he's allowed to travel and elbow defenders out of his way on offense.

[Greendaybum5]

People say that if Green played in game 5 it would have been over because if Green played in game 5 it probably would have been over. He was Golden State's best player in the series and not having him for a game was a big deal. I don't know why people argue this point or try to downplay it. Imagine if Cleveland was up 3-1, and LeBron had been suspended for game 5 and Cleveland lost that game, and then ended up losing the series in 7 games. There would be riots in Cleveland and fans shouting about how Golden State's championship has an asterisk next to it. But that would never happen because he's LeBron.

Go watch any Cleveland game. When LeBron gets called for a foul he acts like he's just been falsely accused of murder and then has a 5 minute conference with the official who called the foul on him. When he doesn't draw a foul he throws a tantrum and is only not called for a technical because he's LeBron. And all of this despite the fact that he's allowed to travel and elbow defenders out of his way on offense.

I don't believe I said LeBron doesn't argue calls. Just said Draymond is worst in NBA in that regard. I'm not saying GS couldn't have won game 5 if Green played, I'm just downplaying the effect on the series. As KB mentioned look how many OPEN 3's Curry missed.

[The Cheat]

Toronto is offically the saddest sports city right?

Buffalo.



Go watch any Cleveland game. When LeBron gets called for a foul he acts like he's just been falsely accused of murder and then has a 5 minute conference with the official who called the foul on him. When he doesn't draw a foul he throws a tantrum and is only not called for a technical because he's LeBron. And all of this despite the fact that he's allowed to travel and elbow defenders out of his way on offense.

What superstar doesn't do that in the NBA?

I mean Kobe made a career doing that and he was much, much worse than James.

[Greendaybum5]

Ben Simmons....Here's to hoping Sam Hinike wasn't crazy and Simmons is the real deal! Also praying Colangelo doesn't fuck up 3 years of Sam Hinike's amazing plan.

What do you guys think of the rumored Okafor to Celtics for #3. I hate the idea of Simmons and Kris Dunn together, but everyday it looks more and more like it's going to happen. I didn't watch too much Dunn in college, but I'd prefer more of a shooter than a typical PG when playing along Simmons. That being said he's supposed to be a great defender so I suppose I'd be happy. Even without knowing if Embiid will play or not we saw last year Noel and Okafor can't work together and I think Noel is more suited for today's NBA despite Okafor having more talent.

[Spencer 555]

buffalo is toronto essentially. 2 hour drive for us. go bills!

[Spencer 555]

Ben Simmons....Here's to hoping Sam Hinike wasn't crazy and Simmons is the real deal! Also praying Colangelo doesn't fuck up 3 years of Sam Hinike's amazing plan.

What do you guys think of the rumored Okafor to Celtics for #3. I hate the idea of Simmons and Kris Dunn together, but everyday it looks more and more like it's going to happen. I didn't watch too much Dunn in college, but I'd prefer more of a shooter than a typical PG when playing along Simmons. That being said he's supposed to be a great defender so I suppose I'd be happy. Even without knowing if Embiid will play or not we saw last year Noel and Okafor can't work together and I think Noel is more suited for today's NBA despite Okafor having more talent.

honestly makes no sense for the celtics to make that trade. I think the celts either want cousins or theyll stick with the pick. Cousins to the celts for the #3 pick and tons more would be really exciting for both teams.

[Spencer 555]

i say celts draft bender

[Spencer 555]

also if that happens jamal murray is #3. Dude can shoot and is clutch as hell. Could see him fitting extremely well beside simmons as a pg with a defensive minded sg/sf

[Spencer 555]

murray pg, simmons point forward, noel center, sign that nub sg from atlanta to play 3 and D and stick covington at sf. That sounds like a 30 win team to me potentially.

[Greendaybum5]

murray pg, simmons point forward, noel center, sign that nub sg from atlanta to play 3 and D and stick covington at sf. That sounds like a 30 win team to me potentially.

murray is a 2 guard in NBA. Also Embid is way better than Noel. Covington is a bench player need to find a real SF

[Spencer 555]

I think his most viable position defensively is pg. He's undersized and not athletic enough to envision him guarding SGs in the NBA.

I personally would have Ben Simmons playing point guard for the 6ers on offense and Murray playing SG on offense as well with some ball handling duties (kinda like steph curry and draymond green or LeBron and Kyrie) but u absolutely can't have murray playing SG on defense.

Id draft him as a combo guard who can play either spot and stick a 3-D athletic shooting guard beside him to cover up his flaws.

I don't understand why you would want to draft Dunn when u basically said yourself that murray (a pure scorer/shooter) would fit better beside Simmons on offense then a pure pg who doesn't have the best jump shot.

[Greendaybum5]

I hate the idea of Simmons and Kris Dunn together, but everyday it looks more and more like it's going to happen. I didn't watch too much Dunn in college, but I'd prefer more of a shooter than a typical PG when playing along Simmons. That being said he's supposed to be a great defender so I suppose I'd be happy.

Spence did you miss this part of the post? I'd rather find a way to package our later first round picks and move to 5-8 where we can get Murray/Hield

Hawks finally got their trade. Surprised the Jazz gave up the 12 pick for George Hill though.

[Spencer 555]

Spence did you miss this part of the post? I'd rather find a way to package our later first round picks and move to 5-8 where we can get Murray/Hield

Hawks finally got their trade. Surprised the Jazz gave up the 12 pick for George Hill though.

Ya I read that which is why I was confused u seemed against playing Murray at PG on the 6ers. He's basically in the same mold as steph, irving and lillard athletically and taller to boot. Just a matter of if he can score efficiently and consistently at the NBA level which is always going to be questionable. The shooting talent is there and he has to vision to be a secondary ballhandler/PG.

My issue with playing him at SG is that u probably would be giving up too much defensively on the wing. Lillard + CJ McCollum is a prime example of 2 combo guards incapable of guarding bigger faster wing players.. the trailblazers defense will rank in the bottom 10 of the league until they trade one of them.

[Lex]

The bulls just traded Rose to the Knicks.
Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 2nd-round pick for Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon

[Spencer 555]

The bulls just traded Rose to the Knicks.
Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 2nd-round pick for Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon


Statistically speaking rose probably hurt the bulls more then he helped them last year.

Dumping his incredibly shitty salary for a serviceable PG in Calderon and a pretty solid big has to be viewed as a huge win.

Calderon can have his defensive issues covered up beside Jimmy Butler and can still shoot the three like nobodies business.

Justin Holiday and Jerian Grant are probably nothing and the 2nd round pick is probably nothing as well.

I like this deal a lot for the bulls. Only way the knicks win this deal is if D-rose turns the clock back. Horrible deal for the knicks as usual. I now expect them to be worse next year then they were this year with calderon and lopez.

[Da Gyps]

Interesting. I think it's smart to move on from Rose. He is just never healthy.

[The Cheat]

Ben Simmons is going to be a punk on and off the court.

I still don't get the hype. I watched him play many times this year and i saw...nothing really. Sure he is a good player, won't argue that. But the level of hype he is getting? Why? Someone please explain. I honestly don't get it.

[Spencer 555]

Not gonna pretend like I watched a ton of Ben Simmons, but the highlights of him I saw are really interesting.

To me he seems like a taller, longer, but skinnier Lebron James. Not many players have that kind of skillset.

Passing: His passing skill from what I can tell is on par with pure point guards. He looks like Magic Johnson sometimes with all the bounce passes he throws around and his turnover rate is definitely palatable.

Shooting: His jumpshot isn't great, but he has a wicked floater and he can get his shot off anytime he wants. Thing I really like about him is he seems super unselfish and gets his points efficiently.

Transition: He's super athletic and finishes above the rim. He'll be able to catch lobs and create lobs and find people in transition. Honestly this is probably the coolest and best part of his game.

Stick this guy in a lineup full of shooters and he's gonna find them, he struggled at LSU because his teammates didn't score a lot of the open shots he created for them. Honestly don't know how you can not be impressed by him. I'm very high on him, the only things I see that might hold him back are his lankyness (he doesn't have a huge frame to play the PF and he might not be fast enough to play SF on defense) and his jumpshot and his confidence could really take a hit if the 6ers continue to suck while he develops. I think he is gonna have a lot of pressure to be the next big thing right away and I think he's still a couple years away from being an elite talent.

[Greendaybum5]

Statistically speaking rose probably hurt the bulls more then he helped them last year.

Dumping his incredibly shitty salary for a serviceable PG in Calderon and a pretty solid big has to be viewed as a huge win.

Calderon can have his defensive issues covered up beside Jimmy Butler and can still shoot the three like nobodies business.

Justin Holiday and Jerian Grant are probably nothing and the 2nd round pick is probably nothing as well.

I like this deal a lot for the bulls. Only way the knicks win this deal is if D-rose turns the clock back. Horrible deal for the knicks as usual. I now expect them to be worse next year then they were this year with calderon and lopez.

haha you and I definitely don't see eye to eye with basketball.

1st off calderon is awful now. Look at Rose in the 2nd half of the year last year. This trade was made to get a big man since they're losing Gasol and Noah and to show Butler this is his team.

Jerian Grant could turn into a serviceable player, I don't understand why they gave him no playing time in NY. This also clears cap space for the knicks in future years for them to make a run and strike out next year on all the big free agents.

[Serge]

The best analysis I saw on the Rose trade was that it made the Knicks the frontrunners to win the 2011 NBA Championship.

[Spencer 555]

I wrote a big post that went in depth to explain my position a bit more, but it got deleted. Essentially what I said was this.

Rose = High Volume, inefficient scorer. Terrible Defensively, no jump shot, score first point guard who's only real skill is driving to the hoop and even with that he's not that great anymore. Terrible on the bulls last year and will be more terrible on a worse team if given the opportunity. I can see rose eventually being a decent bench scorer one day in the mold of what shaun Livingston is doing in golden state, but he's still viewed as a starter in this league and he's horrible. 20+m a year.

Calderon = Low Volume, decent efficiency playmaker. Even worse defensively, great jump shot, pass first point guard who actually has some NBA skills and can run an offence. Was a spot up shooter for the knicks last year in a triangle offense that saw him playing the role of Steve Kerr. Calderon will flourish in the bulls system and Butler will cover up some of his flaws on defence. I can see Calderon putting up similar numbers to what he did 2 years ago, playing 20+ minutes a night for the bulls and I can also see the bulls improving defensively as a team with health.

Lopez = 15 minutes a night, serviceable backup big. The bulls have a very deep big rotation as it is and they're gonna need to see what they have in the young guys. Pau is the primary center at this point, but Lopez will probably start some games and be fine for the bulls. Noah will be sorely missed, but Lopez will be able to stay on the court.

EDIT: Why will calderon flourish in the bulls system? Because they allow terrible point guards to run the offence at times (Kirk Hinrich, Derrik Rose) and they will allow Calderon to create some plays. On the knicks Calderon literally was not allowed to create for his teammates and was forced to play a role he's not bad at but a role that diminishes his potential value.

[Greendaybum5]

I wrote a big post that went in depth to explain my position a bit more, but it got deleted. Essentially what I said was this.

Rose = High Volume, inefficient scorer. Terrible Defensively, no jump shot, score first point guard who's only real skill is driving to the hoop and even with that he's not that great anymore. Terrible on the bulls last year and will be more terrible on a worse team if given the opportunity. I can see rose eventually being a decent bench scorer one day in the mold of what shaun Livingston is doing in golden state, but he's still viewed as a starter in this league and he's horrible. 20+m a year.

Calderon = Low Volume, decent efficiency playmaker. Even worse defensively, great jump shot, pass first point guard who actually has some NBA skills and can run an offence. Was a spot up shooter for the knicks last year in a triangle offense that saw him playing the role of Steve Kerr. Calderon will flourish in the bulls system and Butler will cover up some of his flaws on defence. I can see Calderon putting up similar numbers to what he did 2 years ago, playing 20+ minutes a night for the bulls and I can also see the bulls improving defensively as a team with health.

Lopez = 15 minutes a night, serviceable backup big. The bulls have a very deep big rotation as it is and they're gonna need to see what they have in the young guys. Pau is the primary center at this point, but Lopez will probably start some games and be fine for the bulls. Noah will be sorely missed, but Lopez will be able to stay on the court.

EDIT: Why will calderon flourish in the bulls system? Because they allow terrible point guards to run the offence at times (Kirk Hinrich, Derrik Rose) and they will allow Calderon to create some plays. On the knicks Calderon literally was not allowed to create for his teammates and was forced to play a role he's not bad at but a role that diminishes his potential value.

Jose calderon had a 45% FG% last year. Derrick Rose had a 42%. You're going to call Rose awful shooter and calderon a great jump shot? Come on man. Calderon has an amazing stroke from FT line, maybe one of the best ever, but by no means was he important to that deal he was a throw in to make contracts match. He's awful.

[Spencer 555]

Jose calderon had a 45% FG% last year. Derrick Rose had a 42%. You're going to call Rose awful shooter and calderon a great jump shot? Come on man. Calderon has an amazing stroke from FT line, maybe one of the best ever, but by no means was he important to that deal he was a throw in to make contracts match. He's awful.

That's a very misleading stat. Rose shot 42% total. Rose shot below 30% from 3 and his true shooting % was 48.

Calderon on the other hand shot 41% from 3 with a 57% true shooting.

Those are significantly different numbers and it means that players respect Jose Calderon's jumpshot whereas they sagoff Roses. What this means is that Rose is dreadful as an offball threat and players defending him are more likely to clog the paint and help protect the rim while rose is off the ball. The only real value he brings to the table is his ability to drive to the rim and either get a FT or finish. Rose is a scorer. Nothing more. His only NBA talent right now is driving to the rim (which granted he is pretty good at). That being said he's not good enough at driving to the rim or scoring in high volume that he'd bring value to a team, he's done.

For the bulls Calderon playing off the ball is a big 3 point threat and creates spacing on the floor in the paint. This is a HUGE deal for the bulls offence because with Kirk Hinrich and Derrik Rose, they had no spacing and defenses cheated preventing Butler from being as effective. The threat of Calderon's 3 point shot is going to create more space for Jimmy and Pau Gasol to score in the paint. I can see Butler and Pau's assist total and 2 point % go up simply by having calderon on the floor over Rose.

Also this: As I stated previously, I'm not completely sold that Calderon can't still be an elite playmaker (9+ assists per game). He was really underutilized in the knicks offense and didn't have the same quality players surrounding him that he will have on the bulls.

[Greendaybum5]

That's a very misleading stat. Rose shot 42% total. Rose shot below 30% from 3 and his true shooting % was 48.

Calderon on the other hand shot 41% from 3 with a 57% true shooting.

Those are significantly different numbers and it means that players respect Jose Calderon's jumpshot whereas they sagoff Roses. What this means is that Rose is dreadful as an offball threat and players defending him are more likely to clog the paint and help protect the rim while rose is off the ball. The only real value he brings to the table is his ability to drive to the rim and either get a FT or finish. Rose is a scorer. Nothing more. His only NBA talent right now is driving to the rim (which granted he is pretty good at). That being said he's not good enough at driving to the rim or scoring in high volume that he'd bring value to a team, he's done.

For the bulls Calderon playing off the ball is a big 3 point threat and creates spacing on the floor in the paint. This is a HUGE deal for the bulls offence because with Kirk Hinrich and Derrik Rose, they had no spacing and defenses cheated preventing Butler from being as effective. The threat of Calderon's 3 point shot is going to create more space for Jimmy and Pau Gasol to score in the paint. I can see Butler and Pau's assist total and 2 point % go up simply by having calderon on the floor over Rose.

Also this: As I stated previously, I'm not completely sold that Calderon can't still be an elite playmaker (9+ assists per game). He was really underutilized in the knicks offense and didn't have the same quality players surrounding him that he will have on the bulls.

I don't think Gasol stays with the Bulls... Their frontcourt will be Lopez, Portis and Mirotic. Also I'm not really comparing rose to calderon just saying calderon is useless at this point in his career. Maybe 10-12 minutes of the bench tops is what he'd be good for. Rose is coming into a season healthy and in a contract year. If he wants another good contract he has to play well. With Melo and Porzingis there and the chance of a big (Gasol, Noah or Howard) he could put up good numbers. Granted they're all old besides porzingis. Bulls definitely got better side of the deal as Lopez is locked into a reasonable contract with cap going up.

[Spencer 555]

I don't think Gasol stays with the Bulls... Their frontcourt will be Lopez, Portis and Mirotic. Also I'm not really comparing rose to calderon just saying calderon is useless at this point in his career. Maybe 10-12 minutes of the bench tops is what he'd be good for. Rose is coming into a season healthy and in a contract year. If he wants another good contract he has to play well. With Melo and Porzingis there and the chance of a big (Gasol, Noah or Howard) he could put up good numbers. Granted they're all old besides porzingis. Bulls definitely got better side of the deal as Lopez is locked into a reasonable contract with cap going up.

Well all of that is possible, but based on what we saw from Rose last year (while healthy) I believe he's going to hurt the knicks more then help. Calderon on the other hand is still capable of helping a team as a role player. Rose may get 20 ppg next year and still be worse then Calderon in a vacuum. That being said Gasol leaving the bulls would be absolutely terrible for them.

[manonfire101]

I don't believe I said LeBron doesn't argue calls. Just said Draymond is worst in NBA in that regard. I'm not saying GS couldn't have won game 5 if Green played, I'm just downplaying the effect on the series. As KB mentioned look how many OPEN 3's Curry missed.

And I'm saying you're wrong because LeBron is a lot more annoying than Green. And it's exacerbated by the fact that he already gets away with a ton. He essentially plays with a different set of rules than everyone else and still bitches about calls constantly.

Ya look how many open 3's Curry was missing. They sure could have used Draymond Green in game 5 because Curry was missing open 3's...


Buffalo.


What superstar doesn't do that in the NBA?

I mean Kobe made a career doing that and he was much, much worse than James.

1) Kobe was not much, much worse than James
2) Kobe was not nearly as obnoxious as James is
3) Most superstars whine less than James. Some whine a lot less, like Kawhi Leonard for example.

[manonfire101]

Ben Simmons is hyped because he's a hyper-athletic 6'10 point guard who does everything well except shoot. And he's not a terrible shooter. And he can get better at shooting. Clear #1 pick in this draft.

Don't want to hear about LSU sucking as an argument against Ben Simmons. He put up better stats, better player efficiency numbers, and higher win shares than the players he gets compared to. LSU sucking was not Simmons' fault at all.

[Da Gyps]

I have many of the same questions with Simmons as I did with Wiggins. Does he care enough is the biggest.

[manonfire101]

I'm interested to see how Wiggins does with Thibs. Sam Mitchell had kind of a soft personality. I think Thibs will be able to get a lot more out of Wigs than Mitchell did.

[The Cheat]

I still don't get the simmons hype. He seems like a team killer. Sure he will end up with good numbers and...won't make his team win. Hope he fails.

[Spencer 555]

Wow Jaylen Brown #3, I heard the raps had a chance at him at 9.

[Spencer 555]

Are the suns gonna draft another PG? LOL

[Spencer 555]

Dragen Bender = Darko Milicic right? lolol

[Spencer 555]

Welp, the wolves really don't like 3 point shooters I guess.

[Da Gyps]

Weird pick by the Celtics. What does Jaylen Brown do well? I'm not really sure. Toolsy player though, so maybe he fits well with Stevens.

[Da Gyps]

Dragen Bender = Darko Milicic right? lolol

No.

[Spencer 555]

Im so nervous right now, the kings are stupid as fuck, are the raps gonna take chriss???

[Lex]

Buddy didn't go to Sacramento and ruin his career. Draft is a success from an Oklahoma perspective

[Da Gyps]

Im so nervous right now, the kings are stupid as fuck, are the raps gonna take chriss???

Chriss is going to Phoenix.

[Spencer 555]

Nooooooooooooo lol. Trade that 9 pick right now!

[Da Gyps]

Also, I will say, very good pick by the Nuggets to take Murray. A very young and intriguing back court now.

[Spencer 555]

Ya I was hoping he'd land on a team where he could be a pg though, he's never gonna be able to guard SGs in the league. Wonder what the suns are giving up for Chriss, that's absolutely huge if both bender and chriss pan out.

[Da Gyps]

Nooooooooooooo lol. Trade that 9 pick right now!

He's extremely raw. Measurables are there, but he may be a huge bust.

[Da Gyps]

Ya I was hoping he'd land on a team where he could be a pg though, he's never gonna be able to guard SGs in the league. Wonder what the suns are giving up for Chriss, that's absolutely huge if both bender and chriss pan out.

Chriss will play while Bender will be in the d league. Gonna be hilarious!

They gave up 13, 28 in this draft, rights to Bogdan and some pick in 2020.

[Spencer 555]

I think Im like a minute or 2 behind u at least. I don't know who the raps picked yet.

[Spencer 555]

Im willing to bet the kings want furkan korkmaz or w/e at 13. What a stupid ass team lol

[Da Gyps]

Im willing to bet the kings want furkan korkmaz or w/e at 13. What a stupid ass team lol

The Kings and the Suns are stupid. That's why it was so great when we heard those were the two teams trading. Bogdan isn't even going to come over from Europe lmao.

[Spencer 555]

eh poertl sadface

He seems super soft.

[Da Gyps]

I think Im like a minute or 2 behind u at least. I don't know who the raps picked yet.

Poetl.

[Da Gyps]

eh poertl sadface

He seems super soft.

I was not impressed with him, but I didn't watch a ton of Utah games by any means.

[Spencer 555]

I was hoping for luwawu or sabonis. Luwawu looks like he could be a Jimmy Butler type player and Sabonis is gonna be a nice stretch 4 in the league if he figures out his shot.

[Da Gyps]

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/ClrSMT9WMAEqc9F.jpg

[Da Gyps]

Maker over Sabonis. Bucks gonna Buck.

[Spencer 555]

I was not impressed with him, but I didn't watch a ton of Utah games by any means.

TBH poetl probably has the most trade value of any pick made after chriss though. So there is that. He seems like he has the highest floor of the draft. Solid big dude.

[Da Gyps]

Magic are going to take Sabonis.

[Da Gyps]

TBH poetl probably has the most trade value of any pick made after chriss though. So there is that. He seems like he has the highest floor of the draft. Solid big dude.

Too bad this isn't say, 15 years ago. He's pretty plodding.

[Spencer 555]

The bucks took maker?!?

[Spencer 555]

Too bad this isn't say, 15 years ago. He's pretty plodding.

I mean, he's not exactly slow. He could be a Gasol esque player if he develops a pass.

[Da Gyps]

The bucks took maker?!?

YES LOLOLOlolol

[Spencer 555]

Giannis bruh

[Da Gyps]

Butler may still end up in Minnesota. Rumours heating up.

[Da Gyps]

I'd have taken Sabonis over Poetl tbh.

[Spencer 555]

Same man, the fit woulda been better and I think Sabonis has some upside. Defends the 4 realllllly well.

[Da Gyps]

Ibaka to the Magic!

[Spencer 555]

Oh snap! what for?

[Da Gyps]

Orlando will send Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and rights to Sabonis to the Thunder, sources said.

Jesus...

[Spencer 555]

woooooooooooooooooooooooow what a horse shit trade for the magic. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING!?!?! lolol

[Da Gyps]

Hawks will take Taurean Prince.

[Spencer 555]

Id have said the thunder won the trade if it was just Ibaka for Ilyasova and Sabonis alone, Oladipo on top of that is nuts. Much prefer his game to waiters.

[Da Gyps]

Oladipo Westbrook backcourt. Soooo athletic.

I've always been pretty luke warm on Ibaka, especially considering his contract. Very good trade for the Thunder imo. Short of getting Gordon (who the Magic would likely not trade) it was probably the best they could do.

[Da Gyps]

edit nope

[Da Gyps]

lolololol

[Da Gyps]

Phoenix is drunk.

[Lex]

I love serge, please don't leave us Kevin. I don't think i'm emotially stable enough to lose any more original thunder.

[Da Gyps]

Like wow they are soooo dumb.

[Da Gyps]

I love serge, please don't leave us Kevin. I don't think i'm emotially stable enough to lose any more original thunder.

I think this trade is a good sign that Durant will stay.

[Da Gyps]

Well technically the Kings are retarded. Well, they both are, but the Kings are super retarded.

[Spencer 555]

Lex if Durant stays now, I would rank them on par with the warriors.

PG - Westbrook
SG - Oladipo
SF - Durant
PF - Ilyasova
C- Adams

That's nuts.

[Da Gyps]

This Greek kid couldn't even cut it on the EYBL. I was like plz no when I heard KU briefly was recruiting him.

[Da Gyps]

Lex if Durant stays now, I would rank them on par with the warriors.

PG - Westbrook
SG - Oladipo
SF - Durant
PF - Ilyasova
C- Adams

That's nuts.

Yeeesssssss plz

[Spencer 555]

I think this trade is a good sign that Durant will stay.

Have to agree with this.

[Da Gyps]

Have to agree with this.

There is surely no way that Presti didn't run this by Durant.

[Da Gyps]

Bulls take Valentine.

[Da Gyps]

Very smart and toolsy player. I think he will stick in the league.

[Spencer 555]

I forgot to mention that Sabonis is gonna be a useful prospect right away and they have interesting bench depth with waiters, roberson and Kanter lol.

Also, this Bulls pick is so friggin typical. If his knee thing is nothing, he's a top 5 player easy in this draft.

[Da Gyps]

Enh top 5 idk, but I certainly love him in this range.

[Spencer 555]

Is the OKC bench better then the Magic team?

Westbrook + Bench that is.

PG Westbrook
SG Waiters
SF Roberson
PF Sabonis
C Kanter

vs

PG Payton
SG Jennings or Fournier?
SF Harris?
PF Ibaka
C Vucevic

They essentially relegated Gordon to the bench or are forcing him to play out of position at SF... what a dumbass trade by the magic lol

[Da Gyps]

I know I'm beating a dead horse at this point but wow just wow the Kings continue to amaze with their idiocy. I will eat all the crow if Papagiannis does anything ever.

Nuggets take Hernangomez.

[Da Gyps]

Is the OKC bench better then the Magic team?

Westbrook + Bench that is.

PG Westbrook
SG Waiters
SF Roberson
PF Sabonis
C Kanter

vs

PG Payton
SG Jennings or Fournier?
SF Harris?
PF Ibaka
C Vucevic

They essentially relegated Gordon to the bench or are forcing him to play out of position at SF... what a dumbass trade by the magic lol

Dumb teams just continue to be dumb. It's hilarious and sad at the same time.

[Spencer 555]

Enh top 5 idk, but I certainly love him in this range.

Im just expecting some busts in the top 10. Nothin super exciting about Valentine as a draft prospect, but his game is so solid he's gonna be at least a role player on a good team. Well played bulls.

[Da Gyps]

I know I'm beating a dead horse at this point but wow just wow the Kings continue to amaze with their idiocy. I will eat all the crow if Papagiannis does anything ever.

Nuggets take Hernangomez.

OMG YES

https://twitter.com/boogiecousins/status/746149291249410050

[Da Gyps]

Im just expecting some busts in the top 10. Nothin super exciting about Valentine as a draft prospect, but his game is so solid he's gonna be at least a role player on a good team. Well played bulls.

He is probably a starter during the peak years of his career I think. He would be a perfect Spurs player imho.

[Da Gyps]

I quite like the Nuggets draft so far.

[Da Gyps]

Did Ellenson kill someone before this draft? Serious question.

[Spencer 555]

Booogiee!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amazing

[Da Gyps]

Next year's draft may be much stronger, but this one is super entertaining.

[Da Gyps]

Celtics take Yabusele.

[Da Gyps]

Interesting prospect. Could honestly be better for them long term than Brown.

[Da Gyps]

Memphis taking Wade Baldwin.

[Da Gyps]

Interesting prospect. Could honestly be better for them long term than Brown.

Also he could do absolutely nothing and flame out. Effort concerns, very boom or bust.

[Da Gyps]

Ellenson finally off the board to Detroit.

[The Professor]

So happy with the Thunder trade. Ibaka has always been a thorn in the Spurs side. They would much rather deal with Oladipo and the others versus Ibaka.

Thunder got better versus Warriors, worse versus San Antonio.

[Spencer 555]

Ellenson finally off the board to Detroit.

I think NBA teams are just getting smarter with scouting. Ellenson has some NBA skill, but he's so useless defensively and hoping he develops into the shooter that people think he can be just isnt worth it. I think we can all agree his ceiling just isn't high enough to risk a lottery pick.

[Spencer 555]

So happy with the Thunder trade. Ibaka has always been a thorn in the Spurs side. They would much rather deal with Oladipo and the others versus Ibaka.

Thunder got better versus Warriors, worse versus San Antonio.

Spurs might not have manu + duncan next year tho :P

[The Professor]

Nope, but if rumors are true, Pau Gasol is in play for SA. Even though I'd rather have Tim, Gasols offensive production would be nice and his passing would be fantastic in SAs system. Still need another shooter though, really missed Bellineli last year.

I wonder if it's going to be a trend for OKC: Eliminate SA, trade important player away in summer.

[Spencer 555]

Oh man Pau would be great on the spurs. Pau + Aldridge is such a fucking good frontcourt. You guys just need a viable pg imo, parker looks so done :(

I'd bank on Danny Green bouncing back a bit.

[Spencer 555]

Luwawu could be a real steal for the 6ers here. Great pick at 24 imo

[Spencer 555]

Damn was really hoping for johnson or luwawu and they go back to back lol

[Da Gyps]

So happy with the Thunder trade. Ibaka has always been a thorn in the Spurs side. They would much rather deal with Oladipo and the others versus Ibaka.

Thunder got better versus Warriors, worse versus San Antonio.

Ibaka is not very good. At least, not for his salary level. Imo he declined this year compared to the two years before that. You'd know way more than me about how the Thunder and Spurs match up though.


I think NBA teams are just getting smarter with scouting. Ellenson has some NBA skill, but he's so useless defensively and hoping he develops into the shooter that people think he can be just isnt worth it. I think we can all agree his ceiling just isn't high enough to risk a lottery pick.

This draft is also just horrifically weak overall and especially with players from North America. Next year tho...

[Da Gyps]

Nope, but if rumors are true, Pau Gasol is in play for SA. Even though I'd rather have Tim, Gasols offensive production would be nice and his passing would be fantastic in SAs system. Still need another shooter though, really missed Bellineli last year.

I wonder if it's going to be a trend for OKC: Eliminate SA, trade important player away in summer.

Pairing Gasol and Aldrige on offense would be a nightmare for opposing teams.

[Spencer 555]

Ya, I like this draft internationally though, it's pretty compelling. Looks like the raps are gonna get Deyonte Davis here or Patrick Mccaw. Don't think they'll draft labissiere or some random here. I'll be pissed if they do lol.

[Da Gyps]

Davis intrigues me. I do not think he played to his potential this year. Thinks he is a guard a bit too much imo.

[The Professor]

Ibaka was still effective on defense. Offensively he helped OKC by spacing the floor to the three point line and giving more room to Durant/Westbrook to drive and dish, which also helped Adams a ton.

Ibaka also was recovering from an injury from last year, so that combined with less prominent role in the offense could probably be attributed to everyone thinking he wasn't as good.

But you can't deny that Ibaka allowed OKC to do some special things on defense, and he was always present when people drove in the lane. I thought he was fantastic against Golden State, and while the numbers don't do him justice against SA, he altered a lot of shots just with his presence. That's gone now.

If you want an idea of what I mean, watch the first two games of the 2014 Western Conference a Finals when SA absolutely shredded OKC. I get they have Adams now, but Adams is not the terror that Serge is on defense.

I'm also not as high on Oladipo. His shooting is streaky, really streaky. He actually shot worse than Ibaka on 3's, which is not what you want your two guard to do. Personally think Reggie Jackson is better than him, so you basically trade Jackson and Ibaka for Oladipo, Kanter, and Sabonis since they may lose Waiters. Not as high on this trade for OKC.

[Da Gyps]

Next year is ridiculous. Jackson, Tatum, Giles, Fox, Bryant, D. Smith, Fultz, Ball, Adebayo, Rabb, Isaac, R. Smith, Monk, Bridges... Not even listing internationals here. Also Jarrett Allen is very skilled but I'm not sure if he is OAD. Lots of talent here.

[Spencer 555]

lol -_- of course we go with the random draft n stash.

[Da Gyps]

Ibaka was still effective on defense. Offensively he helped OKC by spacing the floor to the three point line and giving more room to Durant/Westbrook to drive and dish, which also helped Adams a ton.

Ibaka also was recovering from an injury from last year, so that combined with less prominent role in the offense could probably be attributed to everyone thinking he wasn't as good.

But you can't deny that Ibaka allowed OKC to do some special things on defense, and he was always present when people drove in the lane. I thought he was fantastic against Golden State, and while the numbers don't do him justice against SA, he altered a lot of shots just with his presence. That's gone now.

If you want an idea of what I mean, watch the first two games of the 2014 Western Conference a Finals when SA absolutely shredded OKC. I get they have Adams now, but Adams is not the terror that Serge is on defense.

Fair point about the injury, that is definitely a factor for his decline last year. And yeah, he is a springy athlete when healthy, and a very good defensive player in that case. His defensive numbers were really down last year, especially in regards to blocks.

I do think overall that OKC improved with the trade. Though they definitely could struggle defensively now like you suggest. Especially since Ilyasova who will presumably start at PF doesn't even care about defense. Even if he did, he could not hold Ibaka's jock in that regard. Can Sabonis continue to improve his shot? If he can then I think he gets some solid minutes at the PF spot. I don't think McGary will amount to anything.

[Spencer 555]

I think the raptors are definitely going to trade this poeltl guy before the season starts

[Da Gyps]

Be sure to call up the dumb franchises first.

[Spencer 555]

the raptors arent willing to take advantage of dumb franchises honestly. I absolutely would be down to sign and trade demar derozan for oladipo, ilyasova and sabonis tho. demar is more valuablr then ibaka at this point right?

[Hulky]

Is it normal for the NBA to draft so many foreign dudes? Like theres
4) Israel
10) Canada (if it counts as foreign)
13) Greece
15) Spain
16) France
23) Croatia
24) Serbia
26) Turkey
32) Serbia
35) Serbia
39) France
43) China
44) France
48) Germany
53) France
57) China
58) Egypt


... seems like a lot to me, but I don't really follow NBA at all.

[The Butcher]

Damn gypsy with the sextuple post.

[Spencer 555]

Is it normal for the NBA to draft so many foreign dudes? Like theres
4) Israel
10) Canada (if it counts as foreign)
13) Greece
15) Spain
16) France
23) Croatia
24) Serbia
26) Turkey
32) Serbia
35) Serbia
39) France
43) China
44) France
48) Germany
53) France
57) China
58) Egypt


... seems like a lot to me, but I don't really follow NBA at all.

The international pool for draft prospects was deeper this year and the american pool was really weak. Pretty simple explanation, but also have to keep in mind that the international players aren't as likely to pan out as the US born players. International scouting in basketball seems very hard with all the busts and "high upside" guys out there.

[Sanosuke]

No one cares about my Hawks trading away Teague :(

[Spencer 555]

No one cares about my Hawks trading away Teague :(

Hawks are still gonna be good without Teague and they get to keep Horford more then likely. I'd be happy with the trade tbh.

Taurean Prince and Deandre Bembry look like they could be decent players.

[Spencer 555]

PG Schrodder
SG Korver
SF Sefolosha
PF Milsap
C Horford

Bench: Splitter, Hardaway jr, Mike Scott and the rooks.

I can see both prince and bembry getting minutes this year at the 3 and fitting into that system. Think the Hawks will need to dig up a backup pg. But they're gonna win 45-50 games next year.

[Da Gyps]

Speculated US Olympic roster so far

Jimmy Butler — Guard
DeMar DeRozan — Guard
Kyle Lowry — Guard
Klay Thompson — Guard
Carmelo Anthony — Forward
Harrison Barnes — Forward
Kevin Durant — Forward
Paul George — Forward
Draymond Green — Forward
DeMarcus Cousins — Center
DeAndre Jordan — Center

[Spencer 555]

Gonna be REALLLLY interesting to see who starts and who gets the most minutes.

Another PG has to be in the mix there no?

[Da Gyps]

It's believed that Kyrie has the last spot IF he wants it.

[Da Gyps]

Kyrie it is.

http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/16513542/kyrie-irving-cleveland-cavaliers-commits-rio-games-us

[Elphaba]

Speculated US Olympic roster so far

Jimmy Butler — Guard
DeMar DeRozan — Guard
Kyle Lowry — Guard
Klay Thompson — Guard
Carmelo Anthony — Forward
Harrison Barnes — Forward
Kevin Durant — Forward
Paul George — Forward
Draymond Green — Forward
DeMarcus Cousins — Center
DeAndre Jordan — Center
I don't really follow the nba since nash exited and was never super knowledgeable, but why wouldn't curry/lebron/etc be on this lineup?

[Da Gyps]

Lebron turned it down (also is probably fairly exhausted) and Curry is hurt.

Found an article: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/06/stephen-curry-withdraws-olympics-usa-basketball-team

Upon more inspection, found this: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/3/29/11324816/team-usa-basketball-roster-updates-status Which while not fully up to date right now about who is in, is interesting for people who are not in.

[Greendaybum5]

A little late, but crazy weekend.

1) A little bummed out sixers didn't make a move, but happy they didn't ship out okafor/noel for the Celtics crazy asking price.

2) Incredibly happy the Kings are awful, although I think they won the trade with Hornets. Sixers have swap rights on their pick next year. Could very well be a top 5 pick. Especially if Cousins is traded.

3) I'm interested to see if the Knicks can get a big free agent to go there with the Rose addition and Porzingis' great rookie year.

4) Can't wait to see Embiid get some game action. Praying he's not Oden.

5) Pray the sixers do better putting a team around Simmons than they did AI.

6) Spence I actually like the raptors pick. At 9 you didn't have many options and the kid could potentially replace biyombo on a rookie contract. Plus he has a decent outside shot for a center

7) If Sixers show promise this year does Hinkie get another GM job somewhere?

8) Draft day surprises:
a. Davis/Lassibre's drop kinda crazy
b. At 26 I kind of wanted Sixers to take Murray not the Turkish guy....after seeing Spurs draft Murray I now am 100% sure I wish they took Murray (granted that means foreign talent could've fallen to Spurs)
c. Why didn't Celtics trade back to 5-8 to get Brown?

9) Overall happy with Sixers draft day.

[Spencer 555]

Ya the raps picks are kinda growin on me. I just really liked Sabonis as a guy who could fill in at PF this year. But thinking ahead, Poeltl could potentially be Pau Gasol and his floor is (I believe) a more agile Enes Kanter. Been watching a lot of his vids and I think he could really be somethin special, my only issue is his softness while guarding the post. If he develops some kind of 3 point jumper maybe he could be a PF.

Heard we might be thinkin about adding Deng in FA and slot him as our PF. I like this move because Deng is almost a guaranteed upgrade at the position for us over Scola and he'd fit well with the team chemistry. We're looking for a semi cheap PF who can stretch the floor and Im leaning deng or someone like Jared Dudley or Marvin Williams. Milsap is the dream though atm. Would absolutely consider a trade of JV and picks for Milsap. You guys think JV + Picks on that nice contract is worth 2 years of Milsap? We could sign Bismack and start him at center with milsap at PF. The Centre rotation could still be pretty dynamic with this peoltl fellow and maybe bebe can emerge.

PG: Lowry - Cojo - Wright
SG: Demar - Ross - random
SF: Demarre - Powell - Caboclo
PF: Deng - Patterson - Siakam
C: JV - Bebe - Poeltl

Which would u guys prefer? Im kinda torn, but I'd be happy with either. If everyone takes a step forward I believe we can compete with the Lebrons in the east. A Kyrie breakout scares me though. Healthy Kyrie could really screw up everything. The lack of Biyombo in the playoffs is really going to be sad too :P.

[The One]

I almost had a heart attack watching my Warriors piss away what would have been a legendary season. If they can't sign Durant during this off-season I'll be super bummed. That's like a guaranteed 2-3 NBA Finals championships barring catastrophic injuries.

[Spencer 555]

I almost had a heart attack watching my Warriors piss away what would have been a legendary season. If they can't sign Durant during this off-season I'll be super bummed. That's like a guaranteed 2-3 NBA Finals championships barring catastrophic injuries.

I don't mean this in a bad way TO, but holy shit u are such a spoiled sports fan :P

I can't even fathom thinking what you just said.

Super bummed my powerhouse championship team that's incredibly exciting to watch doesn't sign the biggest name in free agency? Jesus Christ man!

And don't get me started on you're damn baseball team that wins the championship every 2 years ><

AND yes this is coming from a place of pure jealousy hahaha.

I guess the only thing I can take solace in is the fact that you're mainly a football guy and the 49ers have sucked for awhile with no end to the sucking in sight :p

[Greendaybum5]

0% chance KD leaves OKC. If he leaves it's next offseason.

[The Cheat]

Durant resigns with a one year deal. After they lose again next year, he is gone.

[Greendaybum5]

Spence:

http://www.raptorshq.com/2016/6/29/12063934/nba-trade-rumour-raptors-have-approached-the-sixers-about-deal-for

Not sure why Raptors would do this (and that's coming from a guy who likes Noel's game), but I'd be thrilled.

[Spencer 555]

I read that too, seems like a really odd fit. As shitty as ross is at times, hes a big part of this team. Dudes our only real 3 point threat atm other then maybe patterson and lowry. Shoots 40% from 3 in his sleep and flashes defensively sometimes.

I like noel's game too, but ya not worth it atm.

[Spencer 555]

Maybe they think noel could play the 4 beside jonas.

Im speculating here, but I think the raptors are trying to build for 3 - 5 years from now when lebron and lowry are gone and they think jonas is gonna be a better version of marc gasol. From what ive heard they think jonas will add the 3 pointer to his game and he hasnt fully developed his passing game. Im not sayin this is necessarily this is a good idea but its interesting and creative.

[Spencer 555]

poeltl looks like he could develop a 3 as well :p so thats why im speculating. Could u imagine a scenario where you have noel plays PF on defense (I think defensively he Is dominant as a help defender and not so much a post defender like jonas) and on offense he can work down low beside a stretch 5? I think that would work really well and we havent seen it yet in the league.

[Spencer 555]

I definitelt think theyd work well together defensively, just the offense that would be fucked up lol

[The Cheat]

Dwight Howard's deal...lol.

[Da Gyps]

Bad deals everywhere TC.

[The Cheat]

Bad deals everywhere TC.

Truth. Damn truth.

[Da Gyps]

Particularly horrible ones to me are Delly, Mozgov and Jeff Green even though that one is only 1 year. Sports money is lol.

[The Professor]

One year deals theoretically are never bad. Two year deals with a team option are the best though.

Good deals I've seen: Fournier, Arthur, Bazemore, ish Smith, Lin,

Bad deals: Turner (LOL), Mozgov (lol), Conley (though he was gone if no max and they couldn't lose him), Parsons (Grizzlies really wanted to do last seasons injuries all over again), Delly.

I'm not sure about Howard. Bud is a great coach, definitely better than McHale and the tire fire that was Buckerstaff. Also, it remains to be seen how much of Howard sucking last year was due to team or injuries sapping his athleticism. Considering Howard's psyche, I'm leaning toward team. also, three years is a perfect contract length for both sides. Hawks probably get one solid year guarenteed, 50/50 on year two, and an expiring contract year three. Also, Howard's ceiling is higher than Horfords if used correctly.

[Da Gyps]

Yeah Conley's contract is insane. I know there are other factors for players that make them even more money but for Conley have the biggest contract ever (even if temporary due to upcoming changes) is hilarious to me.

I hear what you are saying about 1 year deals it just perplexes me that teams continue to pay Green lots of money. He is one of those players that looks better than he is.

Just looked up Evan Turner's deal and yeah that's horrific. That kind of money on top of committing 4 years, just turrible.

Interested to see how the Hawks handle Dwight as well. He wants more post-ups than his current game indicates he should get. So if he becomes unhappy that is a problem but how many times can he be fed in the post to middling results? If he can accept a less prominent offensive role I think he still has some solid years of productive basketball left. He's never going to be 07-12 or so Dwight again but last year was actually much better for him than 15 so at least there is that.

[manonfire101]

Wut

[Serge]

KD a punk ass buster.

I hope OKC manages to pick up a decent FA and destroy the Warriors in the WCF.

[manonfire101]

Doesn't seem likely.

[manonfire101]

Unless God is a free agent I mean.

[Lex]

Always knew you can't trust a longhorn, they're all shit

[Da Gyps]

Always knew you can't trust a longhorn, they're all shit

A+ 10/10.

This is insane. Warriors will be huge favourites now.

[manonfire101]

Always knew you can't trust a longhorn, they're all shit

Ya, pretty lame. He left a championship caliber team to go to the team that just knocked him out of the playoffs. Reminds me of what Ray Allen did going from Boston to Miami a few years ago, except that Allen was a glorified role player at that point and KD is one of the best players in the NBA.

It also could cause Westbrook to get traded as OKC might be afraid of Westbrook leaving via free agency next season. Feel bad for Thunder fans.

[Da Gyps]

Cancel the season.

[Lex]

It's a good thing he waited a week tho, now we have 25mil in cap space and no one to sign

[Da Gyps]

Fake Kevin Durant account is bringing the heat.

https://twitter.com/KDTray5/status/750036397373984768

[Hulky]

Which Warrior gets MVP Curry or Durant?

[Lex]

Which Warrior gets MVP Curry or Durant?
Lebron

[The Cheat]

Westbrook gets MVP for he will shoot 41 times a game and let no one else touch the ball. Westbrook will stay in OKC for he will get a shit ton of money.

Or...

Durant has a option to leave the Warriors after one year...so he wins title next year...and then goes back to OKC. Rofl.

[The Cheat]

http://img4.cache.netease.com/sports/2016/7/5/20160705014553f71aa_550.jpg

[The Professor]

Lol at OKC. Idiots. Everybody kept talking about how much better the Harden deal looked now with the emergence of Adams, and yet it probably contributed to Durant leaving. So by keeping Serge, who they kept over Harden, they ended up losing all three.

As always, if you have multiple studs IN THEIR PRIME, just pay them. Because it almost never happens.

Also, next years Free Agency is going to be crazy.

[Greendaybum5]

Wow can't believe KD left. I'd be willing to bet Westbrook told him he was going to leave next year for a bigger market. I won't say 0% chance (since I was wrong about KD leaving), but I can't see Sam Presti holding onto Westbrook. If he stays he'll average a triple double. I see a team like Boston coming in and offering up Brooklyn's picks plus a package of other pieces to get him. They'd have a pretty decent shot at re-signing him plus adding one more FA next year to pair with Horford and the young talent. I wish he'd resign with Sixers next year if they made a move, but don't see that happening. They definitely have the assets needed to acquire him.

[Spencer 555]

Weird friggin deal. Not sure this makes the warriors better (hard to top what they did last season) but the thunder are boned.

That Ibaka deal doesn't look as good anymore.

[Da Gyps]

Weird friggin deal. Not sure this makes the warriors better (hard to top what they did last season) but the thunder are boned.

That Ibaka deal doesn't look as good anymore.

http://media.giphy.com/media/T2NINhwlHgOSk/giphy.gif

They swapped out Barnes for Durant. LOL.

[Spencer 555]

curry and green could regress a bit and im sure theyll miss bogut/ezeli even though they have zaza now.

[The Butcher]

since when did it become a crime to want to win a championship? Anyone who is mad at KD for going to the warriors is a jackass, and from him to you through me: fuck off.

Dude doesn't owe us anything. "back in my day" teams put together the best players to try and win.

[Lex]

since when did it become a crime to want to win a championship? Anyone who is mad at KD for going to the warriors is a jackass, and from him to you through me: fuck off.

Dude doesn't owe us anything. "back in my day" teams put together the best players to try and win.

Dude literally took the can't beat them, get on your knees and suck their dick route.

[The Butcher]

I must have missed that on SC...

I just don't understand why someone is a villain for joining a winning team when they are a free agent. It's insane. McNabb joins the skins.. you don't see me burning a McNabb jersey? And i hated the fucking guy BEFORE he did that lol.

[manonfire101]

To me his decision goes against everything sports is about. Take TAO as an example. I got my ass kicked by Netjak players a lot, but I never wanted to join them; I wanted to get better so that I could kick their ass. That didn't work out so well for me, but hey, I had fun trying to get better at this game. I sure as fuck wasn't going to go join their clan and be friends.

I joined The Badasses because I like Prof, but when I'm playing against Prof, Prof can go fuck himself. Same goes for everyone else in that clan, especially Detonation.

This is kind of a shitty analogy because TAO is an individual game. I think that if somebody beats you at something, you should try to improve at that thing, not go ask someone else for help. Certainly not ask the guy who's beating you to help. I'm not angry at KD, I just think his decision was pretty fucking lame from a competitive point of view.

[Lex]

I must have missed that on SC...

I just don't understand why someone is a villain for joining a winning team when they are a free agent. It's insane. McNabb joins the skins.. you don't see me burning a McNabb jersey? And i hated the fucking guy BEFORE he did that lol.
Did he choke in the conference finals against them literally a month beforehand?

[Spencer 555]

i think lex has every right to be pissed here as an okc fan. I can sympathize with him as a raptors fan when we lost tmac carter and bosh.

that being said I think its lame to be pissed about this. I agree with manon that this is lame, but its kinda what happens in the nba and always has. Competitively its a shame, and the warriors should be heavy favorites again (even moreso) but I wouldnt count out the spurs, cleveland or some other strong teams.

next season is going to be exciting if u can ignore the fact that the warriors will probably win it.

[Spencer 555]

So the warriors bench could be better then it was last year. damien jones and patrick mccaw were nice additions in the draft, iggy and livingston are still there and they just signed david west to a vet minimum. I dont know if theyre done yet either. What a ridiculous team lol

pg: steph, livingston
sg: thompson, mccaw
sf: durant, iggy, looney
pf: green, west
c: zaza, jones

im not sure how they can add anything else of significance to this roster depth wise but it looks ridiculous at 11 right now.

[KBHoleN1]

I haven't heard much talk about the subject of 73 wins and playoff fatigue. I know it cropped up when the Warriors fell behind 3-1 to the Thunder, and people started to say they shouldn't have chased the record because now they're fizzling out. But what about them losing in the Finals to a Cavs team they looked like they would beat in 5 or 6 games. Didn't sweep the Rockets or the Blazers, so those are extra games you have to play, and in the playoffs it seems like every game is extra draining. Tough, tough 7 games against the Thunder, and then 7 games against the Cavs. Curry looked beat in the Finals (I've posted about the physical nature of playoffs vs regular season). Does anyone think that if they had rested at the end of the season that the entire team would have been better off heading into the playoffs?

I'm not trying to second guess decisions, because hindsight is 20/20. No way to tell Kerr what he should have done in a certain game or at a certain point in the season. Just curious about your thoughts.

[manonfire101]

Btw, I'm with Manon in thinking the series is over after 5 games if Draymond plays. I am also a believer that if the Warriors didn't win that game, they stood a good chance they lose the series. That series vs OKC was brutal for them. I truly believe they were tired at the end. They got a lot of good looks but they just couldn't make them. I believe that was due to the physical and mental strain more than anything. Cavs outlasted GS.

Prof mentioned it a little bit.

[The Professor]

I think what people are really mad about, is the fact that the Thunder literally outplayed the Warriors, and lost due to historic three point shooting, three point shooting that then abandoned GS probably because of the tough series played against OKC.

Also, Kevin Durant had a horrible Game 6, where the Thunder led for most of the game but couldn't close it out (because Durant only does that to SA so fuck him extra for that). He had a talented enough team to beat the Warriors, and when HE and Westbrook couldn't close them out, he jumped ship to a team with 3 All-NBA players.

I can't fault a guy for wanting to leave a job for what he thinks will be a better job, but for competition, leaving a great job for...a great job seems weird? Makes me wonder just how much Durant truly disliked playing with Westbrook after this many years. For as close as they seem, it's the only thing that makes sense.

[Greendaybum5]

I think what people are really mad about, is the fact that the Thunder literally outplayed the Warriors, and lost due to historic three point shooting, three point shooting that then abandoned GS probably because of the tough series played against OKC.

Also, Kevin Durant had a horrible Game 6, where the Thunder led for most of the game but couldn't close it out (because Durant only does that to SA so fuck him extra for that). He had a talented enough team to beat the Warriors, and when HE and Westbrook couldn't close them out, he jumped ship to a team with 3 All-NBA players.

I can't fault a guy for wanting to leave a job for what he thinks will be a better job, but for competition, leaving a great job for...a great job seems weird? Makes me wonder just how much Durant truly disliked playing with Westbrook after this many years. For as close as they seem, it's the only thing that makes sense.

don't think it can be summed up better than this.... I think one additional factor could've been Russ telling KD hey I'm going to LA (or anywhere else) next year so if you want to go now's your chance. Also if that theory is right then Russ doesn't look like the bad guy for leaving next year since KD left before him haha

[Spencer 555]

that and maybe he wanted to play in an actual system with ball movement. he said in his letter for the players tribune something about how he wanted to improve his game or maximize his potential. i would have to agree this move could really potentially make him better. Its amazing to think durant could be better then weve seen him in a system that emphasizes ball movement. Durant is a bit turnover prone, but I think in this system durant might be able to maximize his passing ability (which I pretty good). I think defensively durant could be better on this team as well. Honestly see durant being the #1 option on this team and draymond I gonna be even more of a double double machine. My bet is klay becomes entirely a spotup shooter, steph regresses a bit and plays a bit more off the ball, draymond plays a shit ton of point forward and avgs 8+ assists per game and durant morphs into an unstoppable shooting centre.

steph - klay - iggy - green - durant...

[Sanosuke]

KD leaving OKC is a bitchmade move.

[Sanosuke]

Also fuck Al Horford. Changed all his shit on twitter to Celtics in an instant, took 3 days to write a trash ass 2 sentence tweet with no sentiment to the fans that cheered him on.

[Sanosuke]

Also fuck Lil B.

K I'm done.

[Greendaybum5]

that and maybe he wanted to play in an actual system with ball movement. he said in his letter for the players tribune something about how he wanted to improve his game or maximize his potential. i would have to agree this move could really potentially make him better. Its amazing to think durant could be better then weve seen him in a system that emphasizes ball movement. Durant is a bit turnover prone, but I think in this system durant might be able to maximize his passing ability (which I pretty good). I think defensively durant could be better on this team as well. Honestly see durant being the #1 option on this team and draymond I gonna be even more of a double double machine. My bet is klay becomes entirely a spotup shooter, steph regresses a bit and plays a bit more off the ball, draymond plays a shit ton of point forward and avgs 8+ assists per game and durant morphs into an unstoppable shooting centre.

steph - klay - iggy - green - durant...

1st and foremost. iggy will be the 6 man I believe.

2nd green would be C with Durant at the 4 in that situation. may even put iggy on the 4 to keep Durant at 3 at times. I think you're correct to assume Curry/Thompson will play off the ball more, but that's what happens when a superstar joins your team. Curry seems to be perfectly fine taking back seat to Durant, which I find interesting.

[The Professor]

Golden State can't play small all the time. That's too taxing going against bigger teams. That's what wore them down against OKC. They may have picked up West and Pachulia, but they have no rim protection. For all the points they are gonna score, they're going to give up quite a bit to teams that penetrate well (Portland, Clippers, Cavs, etc). I'm also really intrigued what a healthy Clippers team can do against them. This will be the last year the current Clippers team has a chance for a title before they shake things up. Can Blake punish the Warriors because he's going to have a massive advantage as will Deandre on PnRs. Going to be interesting.

I project the Warriors will finish between 65-67 wins next year. They'll lose a few more close games, and conserve more energy during the year with a thinner bench causing more losses. In the postseason though, I expect them to be juggernauts. Unless the Clippers, Spurs, or Cavs find a way to score on them consistently, I see them making a grand run if healthy.

Also, kinda intrigued by Memphis. Gasol, Randolph, Conley, and Parsons is pretty potent IF healthy. They also have some decent bench players. Who knows but maybe they can do some damage next year as well.

[Spencer 555]

1st and foremost. iggy will be the 6 man I believe.

2nd green would be C with Durant at the 4 in that situation. may even put iggy on the 4 to keep Durant at 3 at times. I think you're correct to assume Curry/Thompson will play off the ball more, but that's what happens when a superstar joins your team. Curry seems to be perfectly fine taking back seat to Durant, which I find interesting.

Oh no doubt about iggy playin 6th man minutes, I was just highlighting that lineup. I actually think Durant is going to play very little 3 this year. Of course he will play the 3, but the warriors is essentially positionless basketball. I just think it's fascinating the how the warriors could potentially play with that lineup.

Regardless of position in that lineup, I think Durant and Green will be switching a ton and Durant will guard some centres. Green has more lateral quicks and you would rather him guarding the perimeter/help defence for certain matchups and Durant has the length/size to play the 5.

[Spencer 555]

Golden State can't play small all the time. That's too taxing going against bigger teams. That's what wore them down against OKC. They may have picked up West and Pachulia, but they have no rim protection. For all the points they are gonna score, they're going to give up quite a bit to teams that penetrate well (Portland, Clippers, Cavs, etc). I'm also really intrigued what a healthy Clippers team can do against them. This will be the last year the current Clippers team has a chance for a title before they shake things up. Can Blake punish the Warriors because he's going to have a massive advantage as will Deandre on PnRs. Going to be interesting.

I project the Warriors will finish between 65-67 wins next year. They'll lose a few more close games, and conserve more energy during the year with a thinner bench causing more losses. In the postseason though, I expect them to be juggernauts. Unless the Clippers, Spurs, or Cavs find a way to score on them consistently, I see them making a grand run if healthy.

Also, kinda intrigued by Memphis. Gasol, Randolph, Conley, and Parsons is pretty potent IF healthy. They also have some decent bench players. Who knows but maybe they can do some damage next year as well.

Don't forget Utah. I feel like Utah could really make some noise in the playoffs if they can get there. They could be bad boys :P.

[manonfire101]

I feel like Minnesota could be a 7 or 8 seed in the West next season. Towns just had a pretty insane rookie season that hasn't been talked about a lot. Wiggins didn't have the type of year maybe some people were hoping he would have, but he was still pretty good (21 ppg and improved efficiency). And both of those guys have been working this offseason. As has LaVine.

http://bringmethenews.com/2016/06/30/andrew-wiggins-is-looking-scary-good-this-summer/

Those guys are still only 20/21 years old. If they continue to improve I think you could see something similar to OKC with Minnesota. Remember OKC was 23-59 in the 2008-2009 season and then 50-32 in the 2009-2010 season. Minnesota won 29 games last season. I wouldn't surprised if they won 45ish next season. Wolves were bad defensively last season and they should be better with Thibodeau as a coach. They drafted Kris Dunn, who was a 2-time Big East DPOY, and they signed Cole Aldrich who can play good defense off the bench.

Now they just need to trade Rubio, get rid of Pek's expiring contract, and find some perimeter shooting.

[KBHoleN1]

Yes, finally! I had no idea what to do with all this flac.

[manonfire101]

Well now you know.

[Sanosuke]

Why is no one else pissed about KD? Like why is this a whatever thing here besides Lex and myself?

[manonfire101]

Didn't you read my posts?

[Sanosuke]

They weren't angry enough.

[The Cheat]

Why is no one else pissed about KD? Like why is this a whatever thing here besides Lex and myself?

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/20/20df70a700132c744979b82596be8e5211a8f14aafe4beab90 673f57a61d104b.jpg

[Greendaybum5]

Swear to god if Sixers get Calderon I'm gonna be pissed. Looks like they're about to sign wade and need to clear cap space.

edit: looks like he'll be waived and Dunleavy traded to Cavs, Nets or Bucks.

[The Cheat]

Wade to Bulls

Dunleavy to Cavs

[KBHoleN1]

Tim Duncan played in an average of 86.5 games per year. Never missed the playoffs in 19 seasons. What an incredible career.

[Greendaybum5]

Tim Duncan played in an average of 86.5 games per year. Never missed the playoffs in 19 seasons. What an incredible career.

No team/player in any sport had a better winning % during his career as well.

Was so much fun to watch

[Spencer 555]

YES Raps signed Sullinger to a cheap contract. Was hoping he or quincy acy would sign with us on the cheap after all the crazy shit goin on. I think this gives us a pretty clear top 3 roster in the east behind the cavs and probably close with the celtics. I'm paranoid lowry is just gonna fall apart after what happened to his shot in the playoffs though lol. Our summer league team is pretty promising too, nice to see norm powell and delon wright are 2 of the best young players in the league. Our first rounders look like they will be able to contribute in small spurts as well. On top of that it looks like we've just signed Fred Vanvleet (undrafted PG) to a partially guaranteed contract so it looks like our roster is set for next season pending trades.

PG: Lowry - Joseph - Wright - Vanvleet
SG: Demar - Ross - Powell
SF: Carroll - Caboclo
PF: Patterson - Sullinger - Siakam
C: Valanciunas - Bebe - Poeltl

[Greendaybum5]

YES Raps signed Sullinger to a cheap contract. Was hoping he or quincy acy would sign with us on the cheap after all the crazy shit goin on. I think this gives us a pretty clear top 3 roster in the east behind the cavs and probably close with the celtics. I'm paranoid lowry is just gonna fall apart after what happened to his shot in the playoffs though lol. Our summer league team is pretty promising too, nice to see norm powell and delon wright are 2 of the best young players in the league. Our first rounders look like they will be able to contribute in small spurts as well. On top of that it looks like we've just signed Fred Vanvleet (undrafted PG) to a partially guaranteed contract so it looks like our roster is set for next season pending trades.

PG: Lowry - Joseph - Wright - Vanvleet
SG: Demar - Ross - Powell
SF: Carroll - Caboclo
PF: Patterson - Sullinger - Siakam
C: Valanciunas - Bebe - Poeltl

I'll take Sixers > Raptors Roster anyday! Raptors squad is decent, but has 0% shot at a title in the future. You can't really complain about the Sullinger signing in any way as he's on a prove it deal, but I just don't see them even making it to ECF this year. I love the Horford to Celtics move as I think they'll be able to attract another good free agent next year to pair with him and their young talent.

[Spencer 555]

Hahahaha we'll talk about the sixers roster being a title contender when your closer philly, till then you sush you're mouth about the sixers vs the raps :P.

I completely agree about the celtics though, they could really be a much improved team. That being said, I really like the raptors squad. You never hear about any of our players getting in trouble, they're all just gym rats who chill together with their families. Really amazing environment to be around. Also, I definitely disagree about the raptors not having a chance to go to the ECF. We were very clearly the 2nd best team in the east last year and that was without a healthy carroll for 90% of the games, a healthy jonas for 40% and a healthy lowry for most of the friggin playoffs.

You'd have to be sleeping pretty hard on us to say we have a low chance of making it back. I don't think any team in the east has improved enough to definitively say they are on par with us other then the celtics. I'd also never count out the hawks.. horford (as amazing a player that he is) was always a bit of a weakness for the hawks against teams with legit bigs (like the raps and pistons) because they'd get outrebounded super hard. I think Howard beside milsap could potentially fix that problem if he fits into that system.

Way I see it, the celtics and hawks need a few things to go right to be on par with us or the raps need a few things to go wrong. I believe projection systems will like the C's more then the raps, but it's hard for me to accept at this point all things considered lol.

Way I see it,

Lowry + Joseph > Smart + Thomas (arguably)
Demar + Powell > Bradley + Jackson? (definitely)
Demarre + Ross > Crowder + Brown (very arguably)
Olynyk + Johnson > Patterson + Sullinger (definitely)
Horford + Zeller > Jonas + Bebe (arguably)

This is pretty much what I can imagine from the two teams regular rotations pending trades and breakouts, and I don't think the advantage they have in the frontcourt makes up for the advantage we have on the wings and in the backcourt. I think Smart would really have to improve this year to compare our guards and Carroll/Crowder should be much closer this year if carroll isn't a complete bust of a signing lol. Also: what you said about horford and free agency isn't going to apply well to the c's if they don't take another step forward (beat the raps). We're all gonna have plenty of cap space next year to sign a big free agent and I think if the raps are still better, we'd be a more likely destination. OKC is gonna be pillaged (ibaka too)

[Greendaybum5]

Could see the Bulls, Knicks and Magic all take a big leap forward this year.

Obviously the first two I mentioned have some injury concerns, but if people stay healthy then you never know. I'm a big fan of what the Magic have. Ibaka/Biyombo would be a lethal defensive 4/5 combo, to go with Fournier (who I'm a huge fan of). Not to mention they have Vucevic who's improved every year. They could still move Vucevic to help with some other spots too. Elfrid Payton is an average starting PG still learning the game and Aaron Gordon had some nice stretches last year.

Staying in the Southeast... You could see the Wizards have a nice bounceback year too. Don't forget just two years ago they were a playoff team.

Moving to the Central - Bucks, Pistons, and Pacers all improved and I think Indiana probably has the 2nd best roster in the East when you take a minute and look at it. Teague, Monta Ellis, PG, Thad Young, Myles Turner, Al Jefferson(Great backup C, he killed opponents benches last year)....Bucks are only going to get better with age too. That team is full of young athletic freaks.

Basically after the Cavs any number of teams could easily finish 2. It's not as much as a 2 team race for second. Biyombo had a good amount of 20 rebound games last year for you guys. You think JV is gonna do that? Powell has been tearing up Summer League he's fun to watch. Hope he develops into something someday.

[Greendaybum5]

Also it's funny how ESPN's depth charts have some rookies on there. i.e. Ingram is on Lakers. But Simmons and Dunn (the only 2 others I checked) aren't.

[Da Gyps]

If the Knicks stay healthy they will be deece, but it's not going to happen.

[KBHoleN1]

deece

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/T3v7pnqMjOrqDIFo9jQwLhTWOa7uZpsF7Y89eY1HPD5Mws02e1 23j7rO65dBSKRBoFYOWaPq3CNbyD7NToTjZug-wHm-0Phsp3qtxDDnOLCljRuYimQyuZy4Y9yCgC7_dQ

[Lex]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/T3v7pnqMjOrqDIFo9jQwLhTWOa7uZpsF7Y89eY1HPD5Mws02e1 23j7rO65dBSKRBoFYOWaPq3CNbyD7NToTjZug-wHm-0Phsp3qtxDDnOLCljRuYimQyuZy4Y9yCgC7_dQ

I'm still not sure if schmidt is the best or worst character on TV

[KBHoleN1]

He's great. When I first watched New Girl I had that same kind of feeling about the whole show - wasn't sure if it was awesome or just really dumb. But I really enjoy it.

[Da Gyps]

trololol

[Spencer 555]

Could see the Bulls, Knicks and Magic all take a big leap forward this year.

Obviously the first two I mentioned have some injury concerns, but if people stay healthy then you never know. I'm a big fan of what the Magic have. Ibaka/Biyombo would be a lethal defensive 4/5 combo, to go with Fournier (who I'm a huge fan of). Not to mention they have Vucevic who's improved every year. They could still move Vucevic to help with some other spots too. Elfrid Payton is an average starting PG still learning the game and Aaron Gordon had some nice stretches last year.

Staying in the Southeast... You could see the Wizards have a nice bounceback year too. Don't forget just two years ago they were a playoff team.

Moving to the Central - Bucks, Pistons, and Pacers all improved and I think Indiana probably has the 2nd best roster in the East when you take a minute and look at it. Teague, Monta Ellis, PG, Thad Young, Myles Turner, Al Jefferson(Great backup C, he killed opponents benches last year)....Bucks are only going to get better with age too. That team is full of young athletic freaks.

Basically after the Cavs any number of teams could easily finish 2. It's not as much as a 2 team race for second. Biyombo had a good amount of 20 rebound games last year for you guys. You think JV is gonna do that? Powell has been tearing up Summer League he's fun to watch. Hope he develops into something someday.

In terms of rebound % JV is ranked 6th in the league and biyombo is ranked 11th. Sullinger for the record was ranked 20th and will probably play at least 40% of his minutes at C beside patterson or Carroll. Sullinger has a chance to breakout here in a contract year (lets not forget he was likely going #1 or 2 overall in the 2012 draft before a back injury) and has a ton more potential offensively then biyombo ever will. So no I'm not too worried about losing biyombo and replacing some of his minutes with bebe/poeltl and sullinger. Not pretending either one of those guys can make up for what biyombo brought as a 6th man, but I'm pretty confident a combination of those 3 at backup C while JV gets more minutes will be as good or better then biyombo.

I'm the complete opposite of you when it comes to the magic. Fournier is at best a solid starter, I don't think Ibaka is as good defensively as people give him credit and they lack shooting at a lot of positions. I think the magic will likely be better then they were last year, but I just don't see the fit for ibaka as much as you do especially beside biyombo. There are some nice lineups on that squad with good spacing, but the coach will have to be super creative. And they don't have a viable backup or starting pg really. Payton is ok, but he's got a long way to go before he's a good starter. Can't wait to see what lineups like this: Payton - Fournier - Hezonja - Gordon - Biyombo/vucevic/ibaka can do (small ball all day). Ibaka at PF is probably gonna be a net negative at the end of the day for the magic if they don't upgrade PG or SF with a perimeter scorer. Projecting: I expect the orlando magic to play this lineup: Payton - Fournier - Gordon - Ibaka - Vucevic the most and I don't think that lineup will mesh well offensively or defensively. Fournier is the only real perimeter threat in that lineup offensively and it will cause issues for payton and vucevic down low because most teams will sag off payton and the SFs. Defensively, Ibaka won't be able to cover up vucevic's flaws, gordon isn't really a SF, Fournier is a terrible defensive player and payton isn't big enough to guard the best wing players. Don't see the magic making the playoffs with this squad :/ which is upsetting because I had them pegged as an underrated team with oladipo, ilyasova and harris..

The bulls are probably even worse then the magic in terms of spacing and the loss of pau pau is gonna be massive. I think the bulls have a semi decent chance of making the playoffs, but they have a shit ton of peices that will not play well together. Rondo and wade is a nightmare backcourt combination in terms of perimeter shooting unless wade continues to shoot 50% from three like he did in the playoffs. Butler is a monster 2 way player, and I love the fact that he's gonna play more off the ball this year (rondo and wade should take up most of the ball handling) but if he's you're only perimeter threat in the starting 5 Im worried. With Dunleavy gone, the only real shooters on this team are mirotic and mcbuckets and I don't see either guy getting enough minutes to balance out some lineups. If the starting 5 is Rondo - Wade - Butler - Mirotic - Lopez, wade stays healthy, and butler ups his 3 pt %, this should be a good team, but I don't know if any of those things are very likely other then the 3pt % thing. Expect to see a ton of minutes for portis and taj at PF taking away minutes from mirotic because he's inconsistent and those lineups will fail in today's NBA and Rondo/Wade backcourt.

The knicks are pretty much bang or bust. Rose needs to be rose from 2013, Noah needs to be noah from 2014 and melo needs to be a SF/PF (he won't be because they'll want porzingis to develop). I think this team has real potential to be very good in comparison to the magic and bulls but I just don't see it happening. Rose and noah are too big of wild cards at this point imo.

The wizards are a little scary, couple bounceback seasons from kieff, beal and continued growth from porter and this team has a lot of nice options. That being said, for some reason it doesn't look like they're doing anything in free agency to help this team and they need some help. Beal + Wall is easily the best backcourt in the east when beal is healthy and not retarded. The wizards have probably the most potential to be great then any team in the east, but they're punks with bad habits.

Love what the bucks are doing, but I think they're at least another year away from being a threat to the raptors. I think each of the young players on that team has a real chance to be solid 2 way guys, but the freak and carter williams are lacking an outside shot and Parker is lacking... a lot of things lol. If all three of those guys can take a step forward and the bucks decide to play monroe 100% at C, I can see the bucks being really good next year. They just need a ton of internal growth moving forward, but they have a shit ton of potential on this team.

Pistons: very interested to see what these guys can do. They've added some real bench depth to go along with a very solid starting 5. Harris needs more minutes at PF and Stanley Johnson needs to breakout, but I think those are two likely things. Definitely agree that the pistons are close to the raps after analyzing the roster.

Indiana: George is a legit top 10 player in the league, but I don't know if this team has enough depth to win 50+ games. The bench other then young/turner/jefferson (don't know how they'll disperse those minutes) seems terrible. I'd be pretty scared of this team in the playoffs, but I think they need to do some stuff. Also this: Monta Ellis' best role is as a bench scorer or high volume shooter (similar to derozan in some ways). I don't like him starting on this team at SG and I think Hill covered up a lot of his defensive flaws in that system. He could be even worse then he was last year because Teague can't guard a lot of the players Hill did and teague/george are going to be the primary ball carriers. Ellis can't play off the ball to save his life :/. If they can get better production from SG this year they'll be a really good team.

Heat: With bosh they'll be a fringe contender again. Lots of nice young players on this team and whiteside is only getting better.

Charlotte: Step back I think. I still like them as a playoff team over the knicks, bulls, bucks and magic, but I think indiana surpassed them. Unless Kidd-Gilchrist adds a 3 to his game this team's not that special.

My preditction for the standings (as of today)

Cavs
Raps
Celtics
Pistons
Hawks
Pacers
Bobcats
Heat(if healthy bosh)

Wizards
Knicks
Bulls
Magic
Bucks
6ers
Nets

[Greendaybum5]

I'd go

1 Cavs
2 Pacers
3 Raps
4 Hawks
5 Celtics
6 Wizards
7 Knicks
8 Bulls

Pistons
Hornets
Bucks
Magic
Heat
Sixers
Nets

[manonfire101]

Philly could be okay if all of their players are healthy. They might not be that bad.

[manonfire101]

This is a very solid write-up. And the clip of Karl Towns swatting a little kid is funny.

https://theringer.com/brotherhood-of-the-wolf-e70e68b3889e#.j6vn65eb3

[Spencer 555]

I'd go

1 Cavs
2 Pacers
3 Raps
4 Hawks
5 Celtics
6 Wizards
7 Knicks
8 Bulls

Pistons
Hornets
Bucks
Magic
Heat
Sixers
Nets

We're so off on the pistons, knicks and bulls lol. Everyone else I think we're probably close lol.

[The Professor]

This is a very solid write-up. And the clip of Karl Towns swatting a little kid is funny.

https://theringer.com/brotherhood-of-the-wolf-e70e68b3889e#.j6vn65eb3

Loved his jab at Sam Mitchell. Terrible coach. Minnesota should be a playoff team if healthy with Thibs. Things break right, they should be a contender in 2-3 years. Wouldn't surprise me if this year, again health permitting. Only thing that worries me about Thibs.

[manonfire101]

I think Thibs will get a lot more out of the players in terms of effort, especially defensively, and especially from Wiggins. I watched a lot of their games last season, and often times they would just coast on the defensive side of the ball. Thibs will bench players who are lazy defensively.

Watching this summer league game, the only player I want to shoot the ball for Minnesota is Tyus Jones. Despite the fact that nobody is high on him, and despite the fact that he played for Duke, I like Tyus Jones a lot. I think he's a poor man's Chris Paul. I don't care if they suck this season, Minnesota should trade Rubio and play Dunn and Jones, because I think both will be better in the long run.

[Spencer 555]

fuck tyus jones and his bs :p

[manonfire101]

Sour grapes. lol

[Spencer 555]

Raps shit the bed in that game before the bs call anyways. Minny ranked 24th was retarded as well, probably was a top 10 team in summer league as far as talent goes. Was really hoping the raps would win it this year with norm, delon, bruno and some of the new guys.

[manonfire101]

I don't know, I think they suck pretty hard outside of Tyus Jones. Kris Dunn hasn't even been playing because of his concussion. I thought they were going to get their ass kicked by Toronto. I'm expecting Minnesota to get their ass kicked by Chicago tonight.

[manonfire101]

But it's the Summer League so I guess pretty much everyone sucks.

[Da Gyps]

But it's the Summer League so I guess pretty much everyone sucks.

It's basically AAU/highschool allstar game ball.

[Spencer 555]

ya bulls should dominate lol

[Spencer 555]

Lowry ranked #4 among point guards in the nba ahead of wall and lillard in SI top 100.

So cool and well deserved.

[Greendaybum5]

Lowry ranked #4 among point guards in the nba ahead of wall and lillard in SI top 100.

So cool and well deserved.

agree to disagree and this is from a Nova supporter haha

[Spencer 555]

Heh im just glad its entirely debateable and im not the only one who thinks lowrys #4 or 5. Most people think hes 6 or 8

[Da Gyps]

Raps still suck tho :p

[Spencer 555]

Whos your nba team gyps? Lol

[Da Gyps]

No one I just watch and enjoy the drama. There are coaches and players that I like and dislike though. Popovich and Stevens are coaches I really like.

[Greendaybum5]

No one I just watch and enjoy the drama. There are coaches and players that I like and dislike though. Popovich and Stevens are coaches I really like.

and Brett Brown

[Da Gyps]

I do hope Embiid crushes it this year.

[Spencer 555]

Ah thats what i was thinking. Fu lol

[Greendaybum5]

I do hope Embiid crushes it this year.

At their practice Monday or Tuesday this week (I forget which) he was just shooting 3's for fun. Hit 16/20.....obviously not a game situation or anything, but that's insane.

[KBHoleN1]

At their practice Monday or Tuesday this week (I forget which) he was just shooting 3's for fun. Hit 16/20.....obviously not a game situation or anything, but that's insane.

I mean, listen, we're talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, we talking about practice. Not a game. Not, not … Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it's my last. Not the game, but we're talking about practice, man. I mean, how silly is that?

[Da Gyps]

At their practice Monday or Tuesday this week (I forget which) he was just shooting 3's for fun. Hit 16/20.....obviously not a game situation or anything, but that's insane.

Yeah if he can stay healthy he should be great. Kid is a phenomenal learner.

[Greendaybum5]

Bummer for the bucks. Middleton likely out for the year....If only it was Monroe maybe we could've dumped a big man on them.

[The One]

I don't see any team challenging a healthy Warriors team in a 7 game series this season. Hell even their bench has been kept largely in tact. I'm thinking 65+ wins and an NBA Finals series (win).

[Spencer 555]

Probably. Not counting out lebron tho. I think kyrie has another level too.

[Greendaybum5]

Embid hasn't gotten much run in preseason so far, but he nailed a 3 basically but foot was on the line. he's a beast so excited for regular season. But if I'm betting on this, then my money for ROY is going to Saric. He's looked great in preseason and is gonna get a ton of run with Simmons out.

[Spencer 555]

Simmons out? No!

[Spencer 555]

I didnt realise how excited I was for basketball to start until yesterday. Watched the full raps game last night before switching to the world series. Wouldnt usually have done that before.

Valanciunas was everything Ive been hoping for and more last night. He kept drummond semi contained defensively, and looked quite a bit lighter on his feet then Ive seen since he was a rookie. He just looked so strong and smooth out there last night, and the scary thing is his shot is so nice it feels like he could spread out even further then the 12-15 he was killing last night consistently.

Derozan had a great game, but I didnt see anything I havent seen before from him, hopefully he's just gotten more consistent.

Lowry looks like playoff lowry sadly. Still awesome, but nothing like the lowry who avgd 20 ppg last year.

Terrence Ross looks like he's finally becoming a player. Hes been really commited to every play since the beginning of the preseason and I saw him drive the ball/pass more then ive ever seen in this game. I dont want to get excited for a player with consistency issues, but ross really looks like he loves his "6th man" role on the team. I feel like the problem with Ross has always been a mental thing, but its hard to get excited after one game.

Siakam looks like a legitimate player already. His offensive game is pretty raw, but he looks better then byombo already and his defense at pf meshed pretty well with JV. Really nice draft selection for the raps.

Norm Powell seems to be waiting for one of the bigger guys to go down so he can be "the guy" I think he's gonna get traded. Which is sad, but I guess management likes Ross more atm. Norm is clearly an alpha dog and wouldnt be able to flourish on this team with dero around anyways.

Poeltl was pretty disappointing, he showed hes not ready for nba minutes yet and hes got a pretty long way to go before he can bang down low with NBA bigs. He flashed some interesting athleticism both on offense and defense, but overall was pretty awful on both ends. Hope to see him in the dleague asap and bebe backing up valanciunas.

[Greendaybum5]

Joel "The Process" Embid in a stellar debut yesterday. Holy shit was that fun to watch. He really is the definition of entertainment from interacting with the fans to swatting shots to making Steven Adams look like a puppet.

On a side note the Thunder may not win more than 35 games this year.

[Spencer 555]

Russ is way too good for them not to dude. Im guessin 45 at least.

[Spencer 555]

Cant wait to see embiid highlights tho.

[Spencer 555]

Holy fuck man, just watched the 6ers highlights and embiid looks like a god man. I guess im gonna have to watch some 6ers this year, did saric play? Simmons + Embiid + Lowry next year will be sick. Lolol

[Greendaybum5]

Holy fuck man, just watched the 6ers highlights and embiid looks like a god man. I guess im gonna have to watch some 6ers this year, did saric play? Simmons + Embiid + Lowry next year will be sick. Lolol

Lowry didn't sign extension with Toronto? Would love to have him in Philly. That's the one benefit of having cap space we can overpay for a lowry.