NBA thread
- Thread starter 14Red
- Start date
clarkgriswold
Well-known member
I'm praying Harden gets traded to the Nets. I can't imagine the enjoyable dysfunction a team would have with him, Kyrie and Durant.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
I haven't paid much attention to the beginning of the new NBA season, but my God did James Harden get fat in the off-season.
As a trade suitor, there's no way I'd even be remotely considering sending significant assets to Houston for a 31 year old guard that looks like he's put on a solid quarantine 30. I'd think with his increasing age you'd have to be afraid he's becoming a Shawn Kemp in Cleveland type of problem where lack of diet/exercise discipline is going to threaten to quickly send him over the hill and out of the league.
As a trade suitor, there's no way I'd even be remotely considering sending significant assets to Houston for a 31 year old guard that looks like he's put on a solid quarantine 30. I'd think with his increasing age you'd have to be afraid he's becoming a Shawn Kemp in Cleveland type of problem where lack of diet/exercise discipline is going to threaten to quickly send him over the hill and out of the league.
14Red
Well-known member
Not quite, while he did have this game listed above, it's clearly the exception and not the rule. Through 7 games, if you subtract this game, he's shooting 35% from the field combined, and 27% from 3 point land. Like his big bro, he can't shoot.
Lavar Ball must have paid the Hornets to draft him. How do NBA teams continue to make this mistake? Lonzo Ball (Pelicans) this season is 42%/ 35%, career highs for him vs. his career 39%/ 34%. But he is what he is, a mediocre NBA guard.
Omar
Well-known member
This item is unavailable - Etsy
Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more.
www.etsy.com
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
Those are awful. Miami should have made the solid color (black/pink/powder blue) Miami Vice jerseys from last year their permanent home/away/alternate jerseys.
clarkgriswold
Well-known member
I'm hoping these Harden to the Nets rumors are true. I can't wait to watch that dysfunctional cluster implode.
eastside_purple
Well-known member
Lamelo’s start has to bother 14red
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
The only rookie that's arguably been better to this point is Haliburton for the Kings because he's shot the crap out of the ball at an unsustainably high rate.
Lamelo is in the top 2-3 rookies in almost every advanced stat. Barring Haliburton shooting 50%+ from the field and from 3 all year, Ball will easily be ROY.
eastside_purple
Well-known member
Agreed.
clarkgriswold
Well-known member
I saw a great line in an article about the Nets with Kyrie, KD and Harden. It described then as "death by a thousand dribbles."
BigBulldog
Well-known member
The Lakers playing pretty good with Anthony Davis playing hurt.Strained groin.
That's why he is only scoring 18 points a game.He would be scoring 27 points a game.
That's why he is only scoring 18 points a game.He would be scoring 27 points a game.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
I'm interested to see how this experiment works out. I think that with those three the Nets look like an NBA 2K roster that disregards the realities of only having one ball to play with and of having to play some semblance of defense and needing to get stops in close games at critical moments.
Perhaps it will work out, but I doubt they ever win anything of consequence and will be at serious risk of getting bounced in the second round yearly due to lack of defensive ability.
I don't follow the NBA that closely, but my understanding is that the East is weak enough from a talent standpoint that even with an underwhelming regular season the Nets should be able to get it together come play-off time and "turn it on" to make a run at the Finals.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
Regular season I follow pretty casually and don't get too into it until the playoffs.
That said, as they are constructed IMO they are going to have serious issues against Milwaukee, Boston and Philly. The rest of the East is pretty weak, but it's starting to get cluttered at the top. You have to get through at least two of those three to get to the finals, and I don't think you can do it with multiple turnstile defenders.
14Red
Well-known member
So far, not good. The Nets will likely move Kyrie, they have to, he's not dependable and they have no bench. KD, Kyrie and Harden are too similar types of players who need the ball in their hands. The Nets had a good team, deep before the trade, but Kyrie forced their hand because he's not dependable.
14Red
Well-known member
I agree, and it's a big IF that the Nets even get to the postseason in tact. Harden and Kyrie are very finicky, not reliable pros and at any time they can go AWOL, not withstanding an injury as well. The trade of Harden decimated their bench so they have to have all 3 play at a high level every night to win.
14Red
Well-known member
The Sixers are off to a great start with their star Joel Embiid leading the way. But a Sixer who should make the all star team who gets little credit is Tobias Harris, who's having a fantastic season. Harris has always been a B level player, but he's really flourished with Embiid and Simmons. He's a big guard/ small forward who has a good midrange game, can shoot the 3 and can take his guy off the dribble. He's also an above average defender.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
I think this is going to prove to be a very bad trade...those two have very redundant styles of play and it's tough to have both of them on the floor together IMO. That deal purged them of not just depth but of a lot of defensive ability. There's a lot riding for them on overweight/out of shape Harden rounding into form and finding a way to function with Kyrie.
14Red
Well-known member
The NBA is going to begin to have an issue soon, if they don't already have one. We are now at a time when teams don't just rest players a week or two before the playoffs, it's turning into months. We will likely not see much of LeBron James or Anthony Davis, Kevin Durrant and possibly Joel Embiid until closer to the end of April, early May. Teams are spread out enough now that there is no fear of not making the playoffs, and teams would rather be 100% and lose home court advantage than risk injuring or wearing down their stars.
A possibly solution, is it time to begin to really slant the home field advantage to the highest seeded teams. For instance, in a 7 game series. how about a layout like this...
First round
Seed Home games Away games
First 7 0
Second 6 1
Third 5 2
Fourth 4 3
Fifth 3 4
Sixth 2 5
Seventh 1 6
Eighth 0 7
This would at least make teams and players really consider grinding to the end of the season. The late season games would be so much more meaningful.
Anther option and less likely would be to eliminate the 7th and 8th seeds and give byes to the first two seeds in each conference. We even hear now teams who don't want to make the playoffs because they'll likely not win anyway. We also need to consider not rewarding teams for losing by changing the draft selection process.
A possibly solution, is it time to begin to really slant the home field advantage to the highest seeded teams. For instance, in a 7 game series. how about a layout like this...
First round
Seed Home games Away games
First 7 0
Second 6 1
Third 5 2
Fourth 4 3
Fifth 3 4
Sixth 2 5
Seventh 1 6
Eighth 0 7
This would at least make teams and players really consider grinding to the end of the season. The late season games would be so much more meaningful.
Anther option and less likely would be to eliminate the 7th and 8th seeds and give byes to the first two seeds in each conference. We even hear now teams who don't want to make the playoffs because they'll likely not win anyway. We also need to consider not rewarding teams for losing by changing the draft selection process.
14Red
Well-known member
Considering it's mid April and the last post on this thread was March 24, kind of tells us the interest in the NBA currently.
The NBA is in a dangerous spot here. The players and the coaches don't take the regular season seriously enough to make it relevant anymore. Last night, the top two teams played in the eastern conference in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Big game, both teams tied for the top spot in the east. The Nets sat two of their best 3 players, and a couple other key players sat as well. The players were not hurt, there is just this growing practice of not having players play in back to back days.
Mind you, the schedule was already cut back 10 games to 72 games from the traditional 82 game season. Now I can certainly understand if there is an injury situation and you don't want to risk losing a key player for the playoffs. But many of these guys are not hurt. They are just resting to protect themselves for the playoffs??
This, I feel, jeopardizes credibility of the league in that fans buy tickets and expect to see certain players when they go to games. For an injury, ok, but just to not play??? The league is really going to have to address this in some fashion.
The NBA is in a dangerous spot here. The players and the coaches don't take the regular season seriously enough to make it relevant anymore. Last night, the top two teams played in the eastern conference in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Big game, both teams tied for the top spot in the east. The Nets sat two of their best 3 players, and a couple other key players sat as well. The players were not hurt, there is just this growing practice of not having players play in back to back days.
Mind you, the schedule was already cut back 10 games to 72 games from the traditional 82 game season. Now I can certainly understand if there is an injury situation and you don't want to risk losing a key player for the playoffs. But many of these guys are not hurt. They are just resting to protect themselves for the playoffs??
This, I feel, jeopardizes credibility of the league in that fans buy tickets and expect to see certain players when they go to games. For an injury, ok, but just to not play??? The league is really going to have to address this in some fashion.