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

[jasonrestrella13]

13512093_1223195297713041_5645986606620896313_n.jpg

 

all in talaga kung all in.. lalo na yung last 3 games, itinaya na pati pato! grabe.. back-to-back 41 pts , then triple double for game 7.. wow

 

Nice stats. Nag back-up talaga laro niya. Clutch pa si Kyrie. Super consistent sa Finals. Curry needs to improve decision making and defense. Barnes was non-existent.

[azraelmd]

Is this the best NBA season? YES!!!

 

From the warriors legendary and record breaking run to the NBA finals....to curry's record breaking shooting prowess....to the one of the best slam dunk contest....klay beating curry on the 3 point contest...kobes farewell tour...and one of the best last performance...to the warriors ovecoming 1-3 deficit to the thunder....its only fiiting to end it with a championship for cleveland and another history making ,overcoming 1-3 deficit in the finals for lebron and the cavaliers....

[Guiness]

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith: “Lakers & Heat Are Possibilities For LeBron”

 

Now that the final NBA game of the 2015-16 season has been played, it’s time for the soap opera that is the NBA offseason to begin.

Everyone knows at this point that LeBron James carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to its first ever NBA championship – evident by the goo-gobs of folks that reportedly watched the Finals – and how he accomplished his goal of winning a title for his home state, which had been championship-deprived for 52 years.

Much ado was made – a lot of it coming from James himself in his penned letter announcing his intention to rejoin the Cavaliers two years ago – on how he wanted to “go back home” and win one for “the Land” (short for Cleveland).

It sounded good and it made everyone in Ohio giddy, knowing that their native son was coming back and going to deliver them a title. But up until Sunday’s thrilling game seven win, Cleveland had been devoid of a professional sports title for more than half a century.

Call it far-fetched, but cynical conventional wisdom would make one believe that LeBron – even in all his basketball greatness – saying that he’d be going back to Ohio to win a title really meant that he was verbally agreeing to an unofficial lifetime contract with the franchise and the city because – plainly, they never win in Ohio.

 

Well, they won.

Now what?

 

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith kicked off the drama by dropping this grenade on the country Monday morning:

“From what I’ve been told, the Lakers and Heat are possibilities as a destination for LeBron James this summer,” Smith said on the Mike & Mike Morning Show.

The man just won his third NBA championship in seven tries, stuffed the stat sheets to historical proportions, witnessed the coming-out party of teammate Kyrie Irving as one of the top 10 players in the league and actually accomplished his lifelong goal of bringing a title to his hometown and now he’s going to leave?

Yeah, one could see how that happens.

“No one should want to leave after they just captured a crown…nobody should want to leave Cleveland, everybody should want to stay and defend their crown,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take later Monday morning.

“You’re hearing about Miami and LA – as in the Lakers – as possible landing spots for LeBron. Because LeBron, obviously, was never going to leave until he helped deliver a championship to the city of Cleveland. But once that was done, it is believed that departing is something that he’ll entertain.”

Miami was a playoff team and was one game – and possibly one Hassan Whiteside injury – away from actually facing James and his Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals.

Dwyane Wade, who attended Sunday’s game seven in Oakland in support of LeBron, turned back the proverbial clock during the playoffs and put on some vintage “Flash” performances.

And, James has said publicly that he’d like to play with his friends: Wade, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul and New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony one day.

Still, the Heat have their own role to play in the NBA offseason drama. Wade is a free agent and will be seeking near-max, if not max contract dollars this summer. The shot-blocking savant Whiteside will be courted by just about every team with money to spend. Also, Chris Bosh’s health is still a question mark – and he’s still owed somewhere in the $75 million range.

And it was reported Sunday night and Monday morning that James said he was motivated by some stinging words from someone in Miami.

“People in Miami believe that they have a shot at LeBron James returning. There’s some clean up duty that Pat Riley has to make up for because obviously he felt a certain way about LeBron’s departure…but there are people in Miami who believe they have a shot at getting LeBron to return to South Beach,” Smith went on to say on ESPN.

“It would be hard-pressed for me to imagine him leaving Cleveland at this point in time, but it was almost impossible for me to imagine that he would leave South Beach a couple of years ago – but he did that.”

Then there’s Los Angeles.

The Lakers are no longer under “Mamba Rule” and are looking for the next great…anything.

Still, LA offers the allure of Hollywood and the illustrious franchise history. Not to mention, the Lakers own the No. 2 overall in this year’s draft, have the No. 2 pick from last year’s draft in the form of guard D’Angelo Russell, and buckets of cap space.

However, the bottom line of it all is that no one knows what LeBron will do next.

Smith admitted that he doesn’t.

“I think it’s very, very possible that he could end up departing,” Smith said Monday. “But again, I don’t know – I have no idea. I’m just telling you what I heard.”

James has always been guarded and very conscious as to prop and present himself in the best light possible.

And the general public will be forced to sit back and watch the soap opera unfold while LeBron already knows which socks he’ll wear during his two-hour-long, nationally televised retirement special in 2020.

Buckle up folks.

 

 

J.T. Wilcox J.T. Wilcox is a staff writer for CBS Miami - covering college and professional sports. He's also the Managing Editor and Senior Writer for SFHSSports.com. He is the winner of the CCNN Live 2015 "Best Print Writer" Award.

[Guiness]

After winning NBA title, would Cleveland still trade Kevin Love?

By Kurt HelinJun 21, 2016, 8:52 AM EDT

 

Usually, when a team wins the NBA title, they try to keep the band together and bring largely the same team back to go for the repeat.

Kevin Love certainly helped the Cavaliers win their first NBA title with his Game 7 performance — he was a beast on the boards early (finishing with 14 boards, nine points, and was a +19) then played good perimeter defense on Stephen Curry on one of the key plays late in the game. Love isn’t a great matchup against Golden State, but he gives other teams trouble.

All that doesn’t mean the Cavaliers will bring back Love next season.

 

What it does mean is they don’t feel any pressure to make a move. The Cavaliers tested the market for Love at the trade deadline — when they weren’t very serious about moving him — and got nothing but lowball offers. Cleveland doesn’t want your draft picks and “meh” role players. If Boston and other interested parties make the same offers this summer, they will get the same “no.”

Sean Deveney of the Sporting News does a fantastic job breaking the Love situation down and noting there is a lot of demand for Love’s services around the league.

But the fact that Love’s name comes up (in trade rumors) is a testament to the number of teams that recognize he could be his old All-Star self if he did not have to sacrifice to win with the Cavs. Even when it looked like Love was on the outs in Cleveland, even while many were focused on his weaknesses, NBA executives still considered Love to be an elite-level player. The view of one league executive summed it up: “I think most of us feel like he might be a bad fit with LeBron, but he’d be a really, really good fit for our team. And I mean, there’s almost 29 teams that would look at him and think that.”

Add to that the scent of a championship Love now bears, and the Cavaliers will have to consider the fact that Love’s value is at a two-year high. He turns 28 in September, at the peak of his prime. The Cavaliers will not, as they might have been had they lost the Finals, feel pressure to make changes to smooth out some of their rough spots. They will be able to deal from a position of power.

 

But it’s not clear that they have interest in dealing at all. The Cavs’ long run to this championship certainly erases any immediate deal for Love—they’re not going to trade the guy at the draft, obviously—but that’s not much of an issue since the Cavs were never going to move Love for draft picks. The league executive speculated that if some deal gets seriously discussed, it probably won’t be until after Summer League and maybe not even until during or after the Olympics in August.

The Cavaliers just won an NBA title with Kevin Love as their starting power forward. He averaged 16 points and 9.9 rebounds a game this season, and that was with taking a vastly reduced role in the offense so LeBron and Kyrie Irving can isolate more. He’s not listening to the critics.

 

“I never got really trapped by the dogma and living with the results of other people’s thinking,” Love said after Game 7. “I just continue to fight through it, and knew that tonight I just had to have one great game. I was going to go out and be aggressive on both sides of the ball as far as rebounding the basketball. I was just told to rise above it, especially by my teammates.”

We certainly can talk about fit — Chris Bosh took this same reduced role in Miami, but Bosh brought fantastic pick-and-roll defense to the table, also. Love is not a good fit against the Warriors, but that fit was good enough for Cleveland to win a title with Love playing a significant role.

Maybe by late summer and into training camp next season some team assesses its situation and comes up with a legitimate offer that Cleveland needs to consider seriously. Maybe. But the Cavs aren’t going to move him just to move him and shake things up this summer. They don’t need to. They can bring everyone back and, if they stay healthy, no team in the East will keep them out of the Finals again.

Edited June 22, 2016 by hahnz

[CirocBoy]

 

yea that's the one, watching it, you wouldn't think that Lebron was gonna catch up because he's too far but like i said super human ability and strength of will got him to jump way higher than iguodala and block the shot.

This block kinda reminds me of the block that Tayshaun Prince did to Reggie Miller with a lesser magnitude but it did help propel the pistons to win the game and eventually the series against the Pacers in the ECF, where the pistons faced the heavily favorite L.A. Lakers of Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and Payton

[Guiness]

This block kinda reminds me of the block that Tayshaun Prince did to Reggie Miller with a lesser magnitude but it did help propel the pistons to win the game and eventually the series against the Pacers in the ECF, where the pistons faced the heavily favorite L.A. Lakers of Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and Payton

 

i saw that game, at the time i was asking myself, reggie was at least 3-4 steps ahead of prince and he had the layup so how come he got blocked. i've never thought about it but when he talked about it on the show OPEN COURT. he mentioned that he was 39 yrs old at the time and even if he wanted to dunk it, he could'nt anymore because of his age. i never realized it at the time that i was watching him now i understand how tayshaun caught up with him.

 

the difference with the iguodala block, he was fairly young he's only 32 right now and he can still dunk it. its just that lebron is some freak of nature catching up to him.

[Guiness]

Orlando acquires Serge Ibaka in multiplayer swap with OKC

Royce Young

ESPN Staff Writer

11:08 AM CT

The Orlando Magic acquired forward Serge Ibaka in a multiplayer trade Thursday night with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder received guard Victor Oladipo, forward Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to power forward Domantas Sabonis, who was taken with the 11th pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night.

 

The Vertical first reported the deal. The teams later announced it as official.

"Serge (Ibaka) is a young veteran who brings tremendous athleticism and toughness to our frontcourt," Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. "His tireless work ethic and wealth of playoff experience will help enhance our culture and roster. We thank Victor (Oladipo) for all of his contributions both on the court and in the community. We wish him and Ersan (Ilyasova) the best of luck in the future."

 

Ibaka, a first-round pick of the Thunder organization in 2008, turns 26 in September. He agreed to a four-year extension in 2012 worth $48 million and is owed $12.25 million in 2016-17. The move will give the Thunder some added salary-cap room with Kevin Durant set to become a free agent on July 1 and Russell Westbrook able to hit the open market next offseason.

 

A three-time NBA all-defensive player, Ibaka led the league in blocks for four straight seasons, before finishing fourth in the category in 2014-15 and third last season. He has also added some longer-range shooting to his game, averaging 1.7 3-pointers per game in 2015-16, tied for second on the Thunder.

Ibaka called the 2015-16 season his most challenging, this after averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game -- his lowest marks in four years.

He was asked to be a do-everything forward, something he admitted after the season was difficult mentally.

 

"No more fake 4," Ibaka said at exit interviews, after the Thunder were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in seven games of the Western Conference finals.

"My mind is ready to play 1, 2, 3, 4. Yeah, it wasn't easy playing different roles and both ends of the floor. But it was good for us, good for the team. It was helpful, and that's why we got this far, because everybody did their job."

 

With Durant's free agency looming over all Thunder personnel decisions, the move is a gamble, but one that gets the team younger, and deeper. Instead of it being a move to brace for a Durant departure, the Thunder see it as one that strengthens their position to keep him.

 

Ibaka, no doubt an important part of the roster, was becoming unsatisfied with his place on the team. There were growing grumbles from him about his role and responsibilities, with him lamenting his touches at one point during the regular season. With Ibaka's contract up after next season, there was a growing sentiment he would look for another team in free agency.

 

The 6-foot-10 Ibaka, a "founding father" of the organization as general manager Sam Presti has called him, was selected by the Thunder 24th overall in 2008. He was asked at the team's exit interviews about his future with the organization, and he said he was positive he'd remain.

 

"No, I'm not worried," Ibaka said of his future earlier this month. "I'm not thinking, and I'm not talking about this. I'm still a Thunder. I'm going to wear the Thunder jersey next year, so there's nothing to talk about right now, because it's not important."

 

In Oladipo, 24, the Thunder add a slashing, attacking guard who is a capable defender and a solid 3-point shooter. The Thunder have been enamored with Oladipo; they tried to move up in the draft in 2013 to take him.

Ilyasova, 29, is a stretch 4 who has played for the Bucks, Pistons and Magic. His $8.4 million contract is only guaranteed for $400,000 before July 1.

Sabonis, the son of Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis, averaged 17.6 points and 12 rebounds for Gonzaga as a 6-foot-10 power forward during his sophomore season.

 

The Magic are coming off a 35-47 season in which they missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season and are looking to add talent and depth.

Information from ESPN's Jeff Goodman and Chris Broussard was used in this report.

 

[kind patron]

Orlando acquires Serge Ibaka in multiplayer swap with OKC

ibaka.jpgvictor.jpgsabonis.JPG

Royce Young

ESPN Staff Writer

11:08 AM CT

The Orlando Magic acquired forward Serge Ibaka in a multiplayer trade Thursday night with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder received guard Victor Oladipo, forward Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to power forward Domantas Sabonis, who was taken with the 11th pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night.

 

The Vertical first reported the deal. The teams later announced it as official.

"Serge (Ibaka) is a young veteran who brings tremendous athleticism and toughness to our frontcourt," Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. "His tireless work ethic and wealth of playoff experience will help enhance our culture and roster. We thank Victor (Oladipo) for all of his contributions both on the court and in the community. We wish him and Ersan (Ilyasova) the best of luck in the future."

 

Ibaka, a first-round pick of the Thunder organization in 2008, turns 26 in September. He agreed to a four-year extension in 2012 worth $48 million and is owed $12.25 million in 2016-17. The move will give the Thunder some added salary-cap room with Kevin Durant set to become a free agent on July 1 and Russell Westbrook able to hit the open market next offseason.

 

A three-time NBA all-defensive player, Ibaka led the league in blocks for four straight seasons, before finishing fourth in the category in 2014-15 and third last season. He has also added some longer-range shooting to his game, averaging 1.7 3-pointers per game in 2015-16, tied for second on the Thunder.

Ibaka called the 2015-16 season his most challenging, this after averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game -- his lowest marks in four years.

He was asked to be a do-everything forward, something he admitted after the season was difficult mentally.

 

"No more fake 4," Ibaka said at exit interviews, after the Thunder were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in seven games of the Western Conference finals.

"My mind is ready to play 1, 2, 3, 4. Yeah, it wasn't easy playing different roles and both ends of the floor. But it was good for us, good for the team. It was helpful, and that's why we got this far, because everybody did their job."

 

With Durant's free agency looming over all Thunder personnel decisions, the move is a gamble, but one that gets the team younger, and deeper. Instead of it being a move to brace for a Durant departure, the Thunder see it as one that strengthens their position to keep him.

 

Ibaka, no doubt an important part of the roster, was becoming unsatisfied with his place on the team. There were growing grumbles from him about his role and responsibilities, with him lamenting his touches at one point during the regular season. With Ibaka's contract up after next season, there was a growing sentiment he would look for another team in free agency.

 

The 6-foot-10 Ibaka, a "founding father" of the organization as general manager Sam Presti has called him, was selected by the Thunder 24th overall in 2008. He was asked at the team's exit interviews about his future with the organization, and he said he was positive he'd remain.

 

"No, I'm not worried," Ibaka said of his future earlier this month. "I'm not thinking, and I'm not talking about this. I'm still a Thunder. I'm going to wear the Thunder jersey next year, so there's nothing to talk about right now, because it's not important."

 

In Oladipo, 24, the Thunder add a slashing, attacking guard who is a capable defender and a solid 3-point shooter. The Thunder have been enamored with Oladipo; they tried to move up in the draft in 2013 to take him.

Ilyasova, 29, is a stretch 4 who has played for the Bucks, Pistons and Magic. His $8.4 million contract is only guaranteed for $400,000 before July 1.

Sabonis, the son of Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis, averaged 17.6 points and 12 rebounds for Gonzaga as a 6-foot-10 power forward during his sophomore season.

 

The Magic are coming off a 35-47 season in which they missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season and are looking to add talent and depth.

Information from ESPN's Jeff Goodman and Chris Broussard was used in this report.

 

 

 

Aw, is this a sign that KD won't be re-signing?

[Guiness]

 

Aw, is this a sign that KD won't be re-signing?

 

actually this is a trade they wanted to make in order to clear up more salary cap in order to re-sign him. They've always targeted oladipo and liked to sign him now they have with this trade. Ibaka was growing impatient with his role on the team and wanted to have more touches offensively within the team. Everyone knows that wasn't going to happen with Durant and Westbrook getting the majority of those touches plus i think they got deeper with signing Ilyasova and a young Sabonis who can pretty much cover the void left by Ibaka.

they go younger and more deeper doing this. to me i like this trade. it tells Durant that the Thunder are making moves to make the team better and be more competitive in the West with the Warriors and Spurs

[kind patron]

 

actually this is a trade they wanted to make in order to clear up more salary cap in order to re-sign him. They've always targeted oladipo and liked to sign him now they have with this trade. Ibaka was growing impatient with his role on the team and wanted to have more touches offensively within the team. Everyone knows that wasn't going to happen with Durant and Westbrook getting the majority of those touches plus i think they got deeper with signing Ilyasova and a young Sabonis who can pretty much cover the void left by Ibaka.

they go younger and more deeper doing this. to me i like this trade. it tells Durant that the Thunder are making moves to make the team better and be more competitive in the West with the Warriors and Spurs

 

Thanks, pretty good analogy. I thought they're preparing for him leaving and maybe Westbrook next year. So much potential in Oladipo and that Ilyasova/Sabonis acquisition makes sense. They still have Adams who played decently in postseason and Kanter who is able to give them good minutes while on the floor as well.

[Guiness]

 

Thanks, pretty good analogy. I thought they're preparing for him leaving and maybe Westbrook next year. So much potential in Oladipo and that Ilyasova/Sabonis acquisition makes sense. They still have Adams who played decently in postseason and Kanter who is able to give them good minutes while on the floor as well.

 

there is this article from march 2016 where Ibaka was complaining about his role on the team and wanting to get more involved in the offense.

 

http://thunderousintentions.com/2016/03/29/serge-ibaka-wants-to-be-involved/

After a 119-100 win against the Toronto Raptors Monday night, Ibaka gave Anthony Slater, of the Oklahoman, one of the more interesting quotes to come out of the Thunder lockerrom this year:

 

“I’m gonna tell you the truth, it’s hard sometimes when you play hard, you play you’re (butt off)…You play so hard on defense, then you come to offense and you’re going to be out there in the corner for 4, 5, 6, sometimes 8 minutes and you don’t touch the ball. We human, man. It’s hard.”

 

 

clearly he was unhappy with his role on the team and wanted a more active role in the offense

this was one of the reasons why they traded him. of course during the playoffs they weren't going to focus on this issue until after their playoff run ended but this type of dissension can grow inside the locker room. the thunder were better off without this conflict especially since they are trying to get re-sign Durant this offseason. but like i said, the thunder got better with this trade.

Edited June 24, 2016 by hahnz

[kind patron]

 

there is this article from march 2016 where Ibaka was complaining about his role on the team and wanting to get more involved in the offense.

 

http://thunderousintentions.com/2016/03/29/serge-ibaka-wants-to-be-involved/

After a 119-100 win against the Toronto Raptors Monday night, Ibaka gave Anthony Slater, of the Oklahoman, one of the more interesting quotes to come out of the Thunder lockerrom this year:

 

“I’m gonna tell you the truth, it’s hard sometimes when you play hard, you play you’re (butt off)…You play so hard on defense, then you come to offense and you’re going to be out there in the corner for 4, 5, 6, sometimes 8 minutes and you don’t touch the ball. We human, man. It’s hard.”

 

 

clearly he was unhappy with his role on the team and wanted a more active role in the offense

this was one of the reasons why they traded him. of course during the playoffs they weren't going to focus on this issue until after their playoff run ended but this type of dissension can grow inside the locker room. the thunder were better off without this conflict especially since they are trying to get re-sign Durant this offseason. but like i said, the thunder got better with this trade.

 

I definitely agree. I also hope this will result into a breakout season for Elfrid Payton of the Magic under Frank Vogel.

Edited June 24, 2016 by kind patron

[azraelmd]

Elrid payton?

 

That kid has no decent outside shot....cant finish strong at the rim...maybe 2-3 more years for him to get a breakout season....

 

Im more of thinking a breakout season for their 2 bigs...vucevic and aaron gordon....with ibaka now mentoring them....nikolai can focus on the offensive end....and aaron gordon hopefully will have a blake griffin type of season....i always see aaron gordon as an eastern conference version of blake...

 

Oladipo? From being a starter...now he has to fight for his minutes with waiters....unless oladipo is OKCs insurance if ever waiters doest resign also....

 

Sabonis, kanter and adams...now thats a solid frontcourt lineup....

Edited June 24, 2016 by azraelmd

[Cap™]

Elrid payton?

 

That kid has no decent outside shot....cant finish strong at the rim...maybe 2-3 more years for him to get a breakout season....

 

Im more of thinking a breakout season for their 2 bigs...vucevic and aaron gordon....with ibaka now mentoring them....nikolai can focus on the offensive end....and aaron gordon hopefully will have a blake griffin type of season....i always see aaron gordon as an eastern conference version of blake...

 

Oladipo? From being a starter...now he has to fight for his minutes with waiters....unless oladipo is OKCs insurance if ever waiters doest resign also....

 

Sabonis, kanter and adams...now thats a solid frontcourt lineup....

 

yeah, I agree with your Payton analogy that he's far from being there. Luckily, they still have Brandon Jennings and it feels like everyone overlooked him. Then again, an Achilles injury really dampens your career to the brim.

 

VO's gonna take over Roberson and Waiters in the rotation and would start alongside Russ, KD, Adams, and Kanter. Another great piece too if they do decide to not give Cam Payne too much minutes.

 

Ibaka's gonna be a double-edged sword for Orlando. Yes, he could cover up for Nik Vucevic's defensive lapses but he also hurts Aaron Gordon's development if he plays the four a lot. They tried using Gordon at the three last year and he wasn't really efficient. Then again, that was at a time he was playing as Tobias Harris' sub.

What I liked about Orlando's move was that they not only rid themselves of a logjam in the wings, but it's really clear that they want to have shooters around their bigs. This is so 'cause Mario Hezonja's a better shooter than VO. Ditto with Evan Fournier who'd they would definitely sign this summer. And yes, Jennings > Payton in terms of shooting too so that's that.

 

Tbh, the Magic could up the ante and get something better than Elfrid Payton. Three-way trade with the Sixers and the Suns? Payton to Philly (who originally drafted him and was traded for Dario Saric), Brandon Knight to Orlando, Phoenix gets Fournier or a Philly pick?

[startoffbeat]

It is going to be a long-@ss offseason. I suspect some obscure team is brewing up a trade and give away and magic broohaha to form a super team like the '08 celtics. I am not even passing any opinions about the rookies, not that I hate them or anything. Let the general managers do their thing. Make them prevent another Cavs championship but if LeBron and his team win another trophy next year then let them allow owners to destroy everything this recently concluded has achieved by doing another lockout.