Nba 2016-2017 Season! Let's Get It On!

[cappybara]

Let's go Wolves! #RiseUp

[Guiness]

 

I think it's gonna be Noel for Russell given that Okafor's an insurance policy for Embiid. Lakers really blew it when they took Russell second tbh

 

They could have taken Okafor since they had the 2nd pick but they went for the PG spot which was one of their needs on the team. Its just that Byron Scott's system doesn't showcase Russell's strengths. It happens that way when you have a certain coach who wants to play another way where a player doesn't fit with it.

 

But if i were the sixers i'd rather trade away a player who is on the floor rather than keep one who is often injured. Embiid has been on 2 seasons and has yet play a full one. We might be looking at another Greg Oden the way he's going.

[Guiness]

Looking at the records, the NBA seems to have a parity in competition with only Golden State being a cut above everyone. The weakest division, so far, is the Northwest Division. Most pundits picked the Cavs to win it all before the season started while I picked the Warriors to repeat. It's too early to tell but, so far, the Cavs are not that dominant as what others perceived them to be when the season started. I just don't see the Cavs winning it all. The way I see it, Lechoke would have a better chance at beating Golden State or San Antonio in the Finals had he remained with the Heat than with the Cavs.

 

Cavs have started the season with injuries to their players not just Irving, but JR, Shumpert, and some off season surgeries to the other players like Varejao, Mozgov, Love etc.. Even Lebron isn't healthy. Golden State has been playing with a full roster. Besides the Cavs are still leading the east. You can probably get a better picture once they play each other on Dec 25. at Oracle. That is, if Lebron decides to play that game instead of taking an off day to rest. It's only December. Anything can happen between here and after the All Star Break

Edited December 8, 2015 by hahnz

[Cap™]

 

They could have taken Okafor since they had the 2nd pick but they went for the PG spot which was one of their needs on the team

 

not a need when they have Jordan Clarkson looking like their best player in the roster atm. Also, Russell's position muddied up because of Lou Williams' signing.

 

In other news, however, Phoenix looks like they'd deal with Houston for Keef in exchange for Terrence Jones. If the Suns pull it off, they'd win this trade quite frankly

[Guiness]

 

not a need when they have Jordan Clarkson looking like their best player in the roster atm. Also, Russell's position muddied up because of Lou Williams' signing.

 

In other news, however, Phoenix looks like they'd deal with Houston for Keef in exchange for Terrence Jones. If the Suns pull it off, they'd win this trade quite frankly

 

Yea but Clarkson is an off guard. Not sure if he can play the point like Russell. Williams is a scorer and doesn't have the "PG" mentality that Russell has. Williams has been getting the minutes because Russell is struggling with his shot. I like the Russell-Clarkson backcourt combo if Russell gets out of his shooting slump.

 

But then again, i won't be surprised if he gets traded before the deadline if the Okafor deal goes thru.

[Guiness]

It is too early to tell but I just don't see Lechoke and the Cavs winning it all. The Warriors or the Spurs are just way too good for them. Their bench is too shallow to compete against San Antonio or Golden State.

 

Looking at the East, I don't see anyone outside of Chicago or Miami to challenge them. So they will go back to the Finals unless by some mirable Derrick Rose starts to play like the MVP couple years back but i don't really see that happening. I picked the Spurs to win it all. If they end up the regular season as 1 & 2. They won't face each other until the West Finals. This series will be decided by the matchups on the floor. Coaching i give the edge to Pop. The key matchup there is of course Steph Curry. But i think, the focus should be on the other Warriors on the floor. Curry is a great player, he's one of those guys that you can limit but you won't stop him. The focus is to be able to lock down the other Warriors like Green and Thompson and stop their ball movement, because that's where it frees up players that Curry can find once he gets the step on his man. Let Curry get his 40 and if it equals to a win for the other team. then they should be fine.

 

Or the opposing team could also do one other play and that is to make Curry play defense. Post him up with a stronger guard and get him into either a foul trouble or gas him out. CP3 did a good job of that when they played but couldn't sustain it.

 

I will be interested to watch how Curry matches up with Westbrook too. Too bad they don't play until Feb

Edited December 8, 2015 by hahnz

[Cap™]

 

Yea but Clarkson is an off guard. Not sure if he can play the point like Russell. Williams is a scorer and doesn't have the "PG" mentality that Russell has.

 

au contraire my friend, but both are labeled as combo guards. pure, pass-first points are passe in this league. It's like saying Steph and Westbrook are off guards as well. Passing isn't limited to PGs anymore tbh

[Cap™]

The darkhorse in the East is Boston. Their average winning margin was like 17 ppg the last time I checked but it may have increased or decreased. They just put away the Pels by 18 in New Orleans. If Boston acquires a franchise player, I just don't see the Cavs beating them. I would say this: Brad Stevens is one of the top 5 coaches in the league right now. He has steered this starless Celtic team into the second place in the Atlantic.

 

Whoever wins the West will win the championship.

 

too much flak thrown at LeBron, bruh? hahaha Yeah the Cs are good but even if they get DMC, they're not yet there. Yes, Brad Stevens is a great coach but the team's playing on and off so I'm not really sure if they'd even reach the Conference Finals

[Cap™]

How sure are you that even if they get Cousins, they won't be there, as you said? The team is playing way better than expected with a starless line-up.

 

That is because I am not sold on the Cavs and Lechoke, in particular. Some pundits would say that they would have won it with Irving and Love around. Cmon, two players who can't even lead their teams to the playoffs with them as the main men.

 

Because we're talking about DMC and his spotty track record isn't really going to help. Since you're putting it the same way toward Kyrie and Love, DMC hasn't lifted the Kings out of the West cellar, let alone gave them a winning record.

 

If I'm sold at one thing, it's that LeBron defers to people. That's why he always needed superstars. He knows his heavy lifting would and could only be done at a certain extent.

[darksoulriver]

Boston is playing good offense and defense...

 

Kings need to put some defense... there style is like Gentry's Phoenix Suns

[Guiness]

How sure are you that even if they get Cousins, they won't be there, as you said? The team is playing way better than expected with a starless line-up.

 

That is because I am not sold on the Cavs and Lechoke, in particular. Some pundits would say that they would have won it with Irving and Love around. Cmon, two players who can't even lead their teams to the playoffs with them as the main men.

 

That's why Kyrie and Kevin Love aren't considered franchise players. Just like Chris Bosh if i were to name a player that fits that mold. There are superstars and there are all stars. Irving and Kevin Love are All stars. Not Superstars.

[Guiness]

The darkhorse in the East is Boston. Their average winning margin was like 17 ppg the last time I checked but it may have increased or decreased. They just put away the Pels by 18 in New Orleans. If Boston acquires a franchise player, I just don't see the Cavs beating them. I would say this: Brad Stevens is one of the top 5 coaches in the league right now. He has steered this starless Celtic team into the second place in the Atlantic.

 

Whoever wins the West will win the championship.

 

Well they are in the 8th spot currently. But I don't see them reaching the NBA Finals much less the 2nd round of the playoffs. If they face the Cavs in a series if anything if might go 5 games to the Cavs. Especially if the get all their players healthy including Kyrie. As far as the atlantic division is concerned. That is the weakest division in the East compared to the Central and Southwest.

 

I'm hating myself for saying it since the Knicks are in that division but outside of Toronto which is considered a playoff contender, there's not enough teams on that division to actually separate themselves from the other teams in the East to be considered a threat

 

I like how they are developing nicely, but they're not contending this year. So let's just pump the brakes on them making any noise at all in the playoffs

 

Because we're talking about DMC and his spotty track record isn't really going to help. Since you're putting it the same way toward Kyrie and Love, DMC hasn't lifted the Kings out of the West cellar, let alone gave them a winning record.

 

If I'm sold at one thing, it's that LeBron defers to people. That's why he always needed superstars. He knows his heavy lifting would and could only be done at a certain extent.

 

 

Demarcus has too many issues with authority. He has talent sure but if he focuses on getting himself better and listening to his coach instead of letting his ego in the way, His team would surprise the West. The talent is there, but you need to get on the same page if you want to win. Talent can only get you so far.

Edited December 8, 2015 by hahnz

[Guiness]

 

au contraire my friend, but both are labeled as combo guards. pure, pass-first points are passe in this league. It's like saying Steph and Westbrook are off guards as well. Passing isn't limited to PGs anymore tbh

 

There are still a couple of them left. CP3 and Rondo i would say are one of the ones with the PG mentality. At the most i think Clarkson plays more comfortably at the 2. Not only is he listed as a 2 guard on their depth chart. He's averaging about 2 assists per game this season. Not exactly a guy who looks to pass but more to score. I'm just basing what i see on his stats. I don't really follow the Laker games too much. Maybe except that one game where they won against the Nets earlier this season and against the Lakers.

[Guiness]

I agree that Chris Bosh is not a franchise player but Wade is.

Yeah, they are in 8th but how many games separate the first to eighth seeds?

 

I don't disagree with you on D Wade.

 

You can't really look at the win-loss records and just base the comparisons on that one stat. There are intangibles to consider, matchups, and other factors that can't be seen on a stat sheet. Not to mention we're talking about the Eastern Conference. Which is the weaker conference in comparison to the West. The Celtics are not yet ready to compete for championships this year.

[Guiness]

You said that the Celtics are 8th in the East currently. I am pointing out the number of games that separates the first to eighth seeds in the East. My point is there is parity in the competition in the East. I never said that the Celtics are ready to compete for the championships but I hold on to my unshakeable belief that the Cs will win a championship if they acquire a player like Durant.

 

Yes that's why i said even if you see only a couple of games separating 1-8. There are intangibles to consider. Injuries, matchups, internal problems etc.. Some teams who are clearly talented and should be the better team aren't playing like they are on paper. Cleveland is that one team that's not playing to their win-loss record. Houston, Sacramento even New Orleans. Washington is also another example of a team who is not playing up to par. That's why you see the win-loss records so bunched up together.

 

Im totally surprised the Hornets are in the mix at the moment as I didn't even think they would be up there. Even Indiana, who clearly lost a lot of key players to free agency are playing well.

 

As far as the Celtics are concerned i would say with a level of certainty that they will compete for the championship faster than the Lakers. Not only are they playing better. But what i did get to read a couple months ago is that they have a lot of draft picks they were able to trade up for in past transactions. Ainge can certainly make some moves to get up the ladder in the upcoming draft. or he can trade up for a player of all star caliber.

Edited December 8, 2015 by hahnz

[BoySungkit]

GSW [vs] PACERS Bukas!

[Guiness]

With regards to the Lakers. I read some rumors about a Kevin Love- Westbrook combo coming to sign with them. With the impending departure of Kobe into retirement the Lakers are looking to lure some of the top talent that's gonna be available. But thats only a rumor i read. It could be true but who knows. The only way i see Westbrook leave is if Durant signs with a team this coming summer. Only 3 teams i read were mentioned other than OKC, and that is Washington, New York and the LA Lakers.

 

And as respect for Kobe. I will vote for him to be a starter for the Western Conference in the All Star Game.

[Guiness]

Or maybe because the Cavs are not as good as they were touted to be.

 

That's why i said they are playing with a banged up team. No Kyrie until January or even Feb. The other players are coming off off-season surgeries. Some are still injured. Even Lebron has the Larry Bird "Bad Back" flu.

 

All i can say is don't jump on them for not winning a lot of games right now since they are not at full strength. Did you see their game with against the Heat where they got blown out? Lebron didn't even play because he was being rested for a back to back game from New Orleans the other night.

 

I know you don't particularly like Lebron but don't ride the guy too much at least show some fairness when you talk about them. haha

[Guiness]

The transplanting of Paul George to the power forward spot is a major reason why the Pacers as the Pacers are adjusting to "small ball" and can play uptempo with Ellis and Hill in the back court.

 

The Celtics own the Nets' draft pick next year. If the Nets continue to suck the rest of the year, then the Cs will have a chance at a high draft pick. Ben Simmons? Haha! The guy is touted to be the next Lechoke.

 

 

Impressive. I didn't think anyone knows about Ben Simmons yet. They have to contend with the Lakers, Sixers for that top draft pick though

[Cap™]

well, there's still a chance that the Cs could get it since it's the lottery and the Cavs have been lucky winners during the Wiggins pick. And to think the Cs, Lakers, and Sixers would have the top picks by next year. Then again, if the Lakers luck out in the lottery, it's the Sixers' pick (top three protected)

[Cap™]

Len Bias.

 

googled. I remembered an article about this guy before. Well, I think he wouldn't be like THAT but if the Cs get a top three pick, do you think they trade that for DMC?

[Guiness]

Like I said, Lechoke is an athletic freak, more athletic than Jordan but he just does not have the heart. I would have been ok if Lechoke persevered with the Cavs and won there but he bolted to Miami since he can't get one in Cleveland. I lost all respect for him when he did that.

 

That ESPN press conference he did "The Decision" did not do him any favors. Instead of just quietly signing with Miami, he had to put on a press conference on his decision. I've never seen anything like that before. That kind of rubbed people the wrong way. Add to the fact when he held an event where they (Bosh, Wade, Lebron) introduced themselves to Miami as the new players on the team, where he said ("Not 1, not 2, not 3 etc..") referring to how many championships they expected to win, like they were thought the championship was going to be handed to them that easily.

 

I never forgot that, because that was immaturity and downright arrogant for him to say that he was going to win 7 championships or something. Well we all know what happened after that 4 trips to the finals. 2 Wins.

[Guiness]

Luck of the draw and if the Cs get the top pick, I hope he would not turn out to be like Len Bias. Ben Simmons is more of a Garnett or AD with superior passing.

 

I think the difference between Simmons and Bias is, we hope he doesn't snort any C's during his free time. So he'll be able to play after he gets drafted. But like i said, the Lakers, Sixers are in the mix for that. Especially the Lakers who would have a quick turnaround if they land Simmons

[Cap™]

If it's Simmons, there is now way Danny will trade Simmons. The guy is the second coming of Kevin Garnett with superior passing skills. He has franchise player written all over him. He's a two-way player with high basketball IQ. He does not force his shots.

 

hahaha you just wouldn't like to say LeBron, do you mason? hahaha

 

Anyawy, since you're a big Cs fan, who's your top three? Labissiere isn't really performing well at UK but he's a great big. Murray's the bigger star at UK whereas Brandon Ingram deserves some mention too. Your thoughts?

[Guiness]

 

googled. I remembered an article about this guy before. Well, I think he wouldn't be like THAT but if the Cs get a top three pick, do you think they trade that for DMC?

 

Watch the 30 for 30 documentary ESPN did for him. its on youtube i think. Even Bird was highly impressed with him when he saw him play. He even mentioned on the Bill Simmons show that he would have retired that year they drafted Bias because his bad was really bad by then.

 

If i were the Celtics, if they do get that pick. They should build around that kid. Younger, have lots of room to improve and mold. Not like Cousins, who has shown some issues.