NBA Thread

[Billingsley99]

Nice win for the Pacers,  no Sabonis, Warren or Brogdon and to beat a playoff team is a good win for sure. 

[IU Scott]

Pacers with a good win 108-104 over the Rockets. We had not Brogdon or Warren and they did not have Westbrook.  Up 14 with 4 minutes to go and Rockets went on a 12-2 run to cut it to two.  Really missed Brogdon and Warren in the last 5 minutes because we had no one who care take their guy off the dribble.  It is so obvious that Vic does not have the explosiveness to take over a game right now..

[IU Scott]

Rockets was 16-57 from 3 and 32-86 overall from the field.  So they just took 29 3 pointers but I thought the teams who shot and made the most 3's wins the game.  Pacers were  11-31 from 3 which I think is to many attempts for the Pacers.  They were 40-100 over all which is not very good but was enough for the win.  I don't ever see the rockets winning big playing this way and they did not have a player taller than 6'8 play in the game.

[BGleas]

18 hours ago, KoB2011 said:

I may be, but I have a very high opinion of JJ on and off the court. 

I didn't have a high opinion of Grayson in any regard, but I'm rooting for him to prove me wrong. So far he is doing so with his play; I may be projecting a bit much with how he develops but I have been impressed with his play in the bubble and really all year. I think he can be a very solid rotation guy for playoff teams that add shooting, toughness, and IQ which is exactly what JJ brings. 

I guess I think of JJ as more than a very solid rotational guy. To me, rotation guys are typically 6th-8th guys that come off the bench and are maybe spot starters. JJ has been a legit starter averaging 15+ ppg for playoff teams the last 8 years, and he’s a +defender. 

Ill be honest I haven’t watched a ton of Allen, I just also have a pretty high opinion of JJ, so Allen would have to do a lot for me to compare them as equals. 

Probably just semantics. 

Edited August 12, 2020 by BGleas

[KoB2011]

3 hours ago, BGleas said:

I guess I think of JJ as more than a very solid rotational guy. To me, rotation guys are typically 6th-8th guys that come off the bench and are maybe spot starters. JJ has been a legit starter averaging 15+ ppg for playoff teams the last 8 years, and he’s a +defender. 

Ill be honest I haven’t watched a ton of Allen, I just also have a pretty high opinion of JJ, so Allen would have to do a lot for me to compare them as equals. 

Probably just semantics. 

I'm a really big fan of JJ, too. But it's also worth keeping in mind it took him until age 30 to become the player you're now describing. 

What I've seen from Allen in the bubble (and I've watched a ton of basketball the past two weeks) is giving me some good early signs that he's figuring out the NBA, adapting his game and learning how to play his role. Those are the things JJ had to figure out, too, and if we are being honest he's much more valuable the way basketball is played now as opposed to how it was when he was drafted. 

If you get a chance, watch the Grizzlies tomorrow. I am seeing things from Allen that really impress me out of a guy that I really wasn't a fan of coming into the league. 

 

Edit: to be clear, there is zero debate that JJ is currently the better player. It's not close right now. 

Edited August 13, 2020 by KoB2011

[BGleas]

1 minute ago, KoB2011 said:

I'm a really big fan of JJ, too. But it's also worth keeping in mind it took him I til age 30 to become the player you're now describing. 

What I've seen from Allen in the bubble (and I've watched a ton of basketball the past two weeks) is giving me some good early signs that he's figuring out the NBA, adapting his game and learning how to play his role. Those are the things JJ had to figure out, too, and if we are being honest he's much more valuable the way basketball is played now as opposed to how it was when he was drafted. 

If you get a chance, watch the Grizzlies tomorrow. I am seeing things from Allen that really impress me out of a guy that I really wasn't a fan of coming into the league. 

Ill have to check out some Grizzlies games!

[BGleas]

For anyone who thought Brad Stevens was ever a realistic option for IU or that he was ever coming back to college (replacing Coach K when he retires), Stevens just signed a multi-year extension with the Celtics and that was with at least a year or two left on his current deal. 

He’s going to be in Boston for a long time.  

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-sign-head-coach-brad-stevens-contract-extension

 

[dwtaylor1055]

And again Pacers vs Heat for the 1st rd.  If the Ps want to win this battle, they will need to outhustle and be aggressive.  If we started a lineup of Brogdon/A. Holiday/Oladipo/Warren/Turner I'd switch on any pick and roll like the Rockets do to keep the shooters in front of em and not allow them to get space around the 3pt line(Robinson and Herro can stroke the 3 ball and Butler isn't afraid to shoot it either). 

A. Holiday vs Nunn or Dragic

Victor vs Robinson

Brogdon vs Butler

Warren vs Crowder

Myles vs Adebayo

 

Holiday can guard Nunn/Dragic/Robinson and can hold his own against Butler in the post even though he's a little guy.  Brogdon and Victor could switch and guard Nunn/Dragic/Robinson/Butler. 

[Billingsley99]

6 minutes ago, dwtaylor1055 said:

And again Pacers vs Heat for the 1st rd.  If the Ps want to win this battle, they will need to outhustle and be aggressive.  If we started a lineup of Brogdon/A. Holiday/Oladipo/Warren/Turner I'd switch on any pick and roll like the Rockets do to keep the shooters in front of em and not allow them to get space around the 3pt line(Robinson and Herro can stroke the 3 ball and Butler isn't afraid to shoot it either). 

A. Holiday vs Nunn or Dragic

Victor vs Robinson

Brogdon vs Butler

Warren vs Crowder

Myles vs Adebayo

 

Holiday can guard Nunn/Dragic/Robinson and can hold his own against Butler in the post even though he's a little guy.  Brogdon and Victor could switch and guard Nunn/Dragic/Robinson/Butler. 

just saw that Warren also has plantar fasciitis

[dwtaylor1055]

1 minute ago, Billingsley99 said:

just saw that Warren also has plantar fasciitis

yeah, however, the team believes he will play.  Apparently he's had it for most of the season even before the hiatus.  Matter of pain tolerance at this point I guess.  They also didn't rule out a return of Sabonis for the playoffs as of yesterday evening. 

[Billingsley99]

4 minutes ago, dwtaylor1055 said:

yeah, however, the team believes he will play.  Apparently he's had it for most of the season even before the hiatus.  Matter of pain tolerance at this point I guess.  They also didn't rule out a return of Sabonis for the playoffs as of yesterday evening. 

Good to hear. Thanks. Knew he was nursing a foot issue but seeing it on ESPN  had me worrying a little 

[dwtaylor1055]

45 minutes ago, Billingsley99 said:

Good to hear. Thanks. Knew he was nursing a foot issue but seeing it on ESPN  had me worrying a little 

The most entertaining 1st rd Eastern Conference matchup should be the Ps vs Heat and for the West it should be the Rockets(Harden/Westbrook) vs the Thunder(Chris Paul). 

[Hoosierhoopster]

10 hours ago, BGleas said:

For anyone who thought Brad Stevens was ever a realistic option for IU or that he was ever coming back to college (replacing Coach K when he retires), Stevens just signed a multi-year extension with the Celtics and that was with at least a year or two left on his current deal. 

He’s going to be in Boston for a long time.  

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-sign-head-coach-brad-stevens-contract-extension

 

So you're saying there's a chance?

[Hoosierhoopster]

1 hour ago, dwtaylor1055 said:

The most entertaining 1st rd Eastern Conference matchup should be the Ps vs Heat and for the West it should be the Rockets(Harden/Westbrook) vs the Thunder(Chris Paul). 

Rockets-Thunder should be good -- but Lakers v Blazers.... that just might have 8 over 1 upset potential. Dame is playing out of his mind right now.

[dwtaylor1055]

5 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

Rockets-Thunder should be good -- but Lakers v Blazers.... that just might have 8 over 1 upset potential. Dame is playing out of his mind right now.

I could see that.  I saw where CJ McCollum was playing with a fracture in his lower back, a L3 Vertebral injury.  That has to be painful.  He would be the X-Factor for the me if the Trailblazers were to upset the Lakers.

[KoB2011]

27 minutes ago, dwtaylor1055 said:

I could see that.  I saw where CJ McCollum was playing with a fracture in his lower back, a L3 Vertebral injury.  That has to be painful.  He would be the X-Factor for the me if the Trailblazers were to upset the Lakers.

Don't forget about Nurk and Gary Trent Jr. 

[Hoosierhoopster]

2 hours ago, dwtaylor1055 said:

I could see that.  I saw where CJ McCollum was playing with a fracture in his lower back, a L3 Vertebral injury.  That has to be painful.  He would be the X-Factor for the me if the Trailblazers were to upset the Lakers.

For the Lakers fans out there, I'm sure they didn't want to see the Blazers in the first round. This Bubble play-in stuff has gotten really interesting. Spurs and Suns (7-0) are still potentials, though unlikely that they'll get in, with the Blazers' and Memphis's records. Then again, maybe it's Blazers-Suns as the play in, and that's a heck of a match up right now

[dgambill]

Lakers don’t want to be chasing around the Blazers or other up tempo teams...if it goes 6 or even 7 games they will wear down that much faster. Lakers have no point guard either...they are flawed but in this crazy year anything can happen I guess. Just watch officiating though...with no home team you’d think that helps the lower seeds for upsets but something tells me the NBA will find a way to get their LA team in the finals.

[Seeking6]

Bryant with a smooth 26 and 9 today and Romeo got the start for Celtics and had 6/4/4 line and I believe was only net plus guy while on the court for Celtics who started.

[KoB2011]

3 hours ago, Seeking6 said:

Bryant with a smooth 26 and 9 today and Romeo got the start for Celtics and had 6/4/4 line and I believe was only net plus guy while on the court for Celtics who started.

Romeo got hurt though

Bryant was playing hard until the end. He did not want to go winless in Orlando. 

[Hoosierhoopster]

And the Blazers just edge the Nets by 1 point in a real battle, Dame with another 40-plus game. Looks like it’s going to be Blazers - Lakers 

[Hoosierhoopster]

Interesting stat per espn  - 3 players since the restart in the bubble are averaging 25 ppg while shooting 48% from the arc - PG, Kawhi, and TJ Warren. 

Warren has taken his game to another level. With the bad blood between him and Butler, that first round should be fun to watch.

Another one, at least  per  espn (haven't cross-checked) -- Dame just joined Wilt as one of only 2 players in NBA history to score 3 60-point games in a season. 

[Artesian_86]

(The Pacers might be a good future destination for Romeo. He might blossom back home in Indiana like Oladipo, and brings a large Indiana fanbase with him.)

I was surfing around on another IU message board and came across this post from someone. This is one of those posts that make you go...."Hummm?"

 I don't know about others, but this really did make me think of Vic and how he never really shined at OKC until he got to the Pacers.... Granted Romeo IMO, is not as "tough, hard nosed and versatile as Vic, but suited up in a Pacer's uniform could definitely bring a number of  new elements to both Romeo's game and the Pacer's organization alone.... I don't thing Stevens would want to part with him, but you never know... You have to admit, it would be awesome seeing Romeo finally play to his potential AND for the Pacers would be pretty sweet.....

Its not really too far fetched you know?

[Hoosierhoopster]

espn write-up on Thomas Bryant, in the bubble --

8. Thomas Bryant's bubble defense

A big question for Washington's medium-term plans: Can Bryant be a starting center on a team with second-round ambitions? He should get there on offense. Bryant is a ferocious rim-runner who dunks like he wants to rip the basket down. He has a nice perimeter touch, and he's turning more long 2s into pick-and-pop 3s; eight of his 11 highest-volume 3-point games came in Orlando.

He's a surprisingly nifty passer given his (somewhat deserved) reputation as a chucker. He picks out cutters and has nice handoff chemistry with Bradley Beal.

It will come down to whether Bryant can defend the lane against good teams. His performance in Orlando was encouraging. He was nimbler corralling ball handlers on the pick-and-roll, more alert to where the offense might go next, and way, way more willing to make hard multiple efforts:

https://media.video-cdn.espn.com/gifs/mp4/2gif_2Q_WAS_OKC_8_9_Bryant.mp4

 

Bryant challenged more shots at the rim in Orlando, and opponents hit only 53% of them with Bryant nearby -- a stingy mark, down from about 60% before, per NBA.com.

Washington's defense still stunk, but that had less to do with Bryant.

There is a lot (like, a lot) of work left. (The Wiz should probably sign a defensive-oriented veteran center just in case.) Bryant's footwork can go haywire when he changes angles in tight spaces; he almost looks as if he's going to trip over his own feet. He's unreliable on the glass, overeager chasing blocks.

But Bryant just turned 23 and has logged only 2,700 NBA minutes. We are talking about the hardest part of any big man's job. Washington stole Bryant from the Lakers; the Wiz basically became L.A.'s Triple-A affiliate, only they can keep the players. They retained Bryant on a three-year, $25 million deal that has a chance to really pay off.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/zachlowe29627328/ten-nba-things-like-including-michael-porter-jr-zion-williamson-power-rising-east

[5fouls]

13 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

espn write-up on Thomas Bryant, in the bubble --

8. Thomas Bryant's bubble defense

A big question for Washington's medium-term plans: Can Bryant be a starting center on a team with second-round ambitions? He should get there on offense. Bryant is a ferocious rim-runner who dunks like he wants to rip the basket down. He has a nice perimeter touch, and he's turning more long 2s into pick-and-pop 3s; eight of his 11 highest-volume 3-point games came in Orlando.

He's a surprisingly nifty passer given his (somewhat deserved) reputation as a chucker. He picks out cutters and has nice handoff chemistry with Bradley Beal.

It will come down to whether Bryant can defend the lane against good teams. His performance in Orlando was encouraging. He was nimbler corralling ball handlers on the pick-and-roll, more alert to where the offense might go next, and way, way more willing to make hard multiple efforts:

https://media.video-cdn.espn.com/gifs/mp4/2gif_2Q_WAS_OKC_8_9_Bryant.mp4

 

Bryant challenged more shots at the rim in Orlando, and opponents hit only 53% of them with Bryant nearby -- a stingy mark, down from about 60% before, per NBA.com.

Washington's defense still stunk, but that had less to do with Bryant.

There is a lot (like, a lot) of work left. (The Wiz should probably sign a defensive-oriented veteran center just in case.) Bryant's footwork can go haywire when he changes angles in tight spaces; he almost looks as if he's going to trip over his own feet. He's unreliable on the glass, overeager chasing blocks.

But Bryant just turned 23 and has logged only 2,700 NBA minutes. We are talking about the hardest part of any big man's job. Washington stole Bryant from the Lakers; the Wiz basically became L.A.'s Triple-A affiliate, only they can keep the players. They retained Bryant on a three-year, $25 million deal that has a chance to really pay off.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/zachlowe29627328/ten-nba-things-like-including-michael-porter-jr-zion-williamson-power-rising-east

I think Thomas Bryant is a little underappreciated by IU fans.  The dude plays his tail off every minute his is on the floor.  Did that at IU as well.