NBA Thread

[dgambill]

17 hours ago, KoB2011 said:

Two questions...

1) why don't you like Silver?

2) why don't you think the NBA will overtake the NFL? Full disclosure, I don't believe football as we know it will exist in my lifetime. 

First is personal and I don’t want it to get political...I’ll leave it at that.

Second while I enjoy basketball more personally football is something that is engrained into our culture more. First off every game is so meaningful, second off tailgating and the game day event is way way better in person. Don’t get me wrong again I prefer basketball but I can’t argue the experience the whole day for football is bigger. Third I don’t think concussions will kill the sport...they are making player safety changes and there will always be those willing to risk themselves to play. Fourth it is so far ahead of basketball it isn’t funny (even if b-ball is more global). Finally the game is at its core violent, gladiator-like, been made more entertaining with the scoring, and speaks to the inner male like no other. Mostly it is just so far ahead and built into our American culture much like soccer overseas I don’t think it will lose its audience any time soon....well unless they really really ruin it. Look at NFL and college football...all other sports combined in the US don’t earn what it does or garner the attention. It’s a huge lead.

Edited August 4, 2020 by dgambill

[dgambill]

8 hours ago, RoadToZion said:

Can't watch the NBA anymore. Never thought one of our sports leagues would side with Communist China. 

It’s a sad day....and it isn’t just the NBA.

[dgambill]

22 hours ago, BGleas said:

Thought I’d add that I’m loving this NBA restart. It’s awesome, there’s games all day long. Got home from work and caught a little of the Nuggets-Thunder. Sat down after dinner and now catching some of the Grizz-Pelicans and tonight you have Lakers-Jazz.

I think it’s great and the NBA clearly has the best leadership of the major sports. 

I get it....a lot of people said it has a March madness vibe with the all day games etc.

[dgambill]

18 hours ago, BGleas said:

Either way, he’s doing a phenomenal job as commissioner, and is making Goodell and Manfred look silly in how they’re handling their leagues in terms of Covid and in general. 

Covid yes...although I believe NHL got it right first...everything else...well I politely agree to disagree...although most of the corporate world is just as messed up. I will say Goodell was in the midst of negotiating a new CBA and baseball deals with a huge issue because it’s players union is so strong. You can blame as much of this Covid thing on the players. The owners wanted to do the bubble thing in the spring training parks and the players vetoed it.

Edited August 4, 2020 by dgambill

[milehiiu]

Take a knee.  And I am out of here.  Recent posts saying the NBA ratings are in the tank.  

[btownqb]

1 hour ago, dgambill said:

First is personal and I don’t want it to get political...I’ll leave it at that.

Second while I enjoy basketball more personally football is something that is engrained into our culture more. First off every game is so meaningful, second off tailgating and the game day event is way way better in person. Don’t get me wrong again I prefer basketball but I can’t argue the experience the whole day for football is bigger. Third I don’t think concussions will kill the sport...they are making player safety changes and there will always be those willing to risk themselves to play. Fourth it is so far ahead of basketball it isn’t funny (even if b-ball is more global). Finally the game is at its core violent, gladiator-like, been made more entertaining with the scoring, and speaks to the inner male like no other. Mostly it is just so far ahead and built into our American culture much like soccer overseas I don’t think it will lose its audience any time soon....well unless they really really ruin it. Look at NFL and college football...all other sports combined in the US don’t earn what it does or garner the attention. It’s a huge lead.

100%

[dgambill]

26 minutes ago, milehiiu said:

Take a knee.  And I am out of here.  Recent posts saying the NBA ratings are in the tank.  

I’m taking a knee on the nba and nfl...done so the past two years haven’t gone to any games and rarely watch anymore than the playoffs and haven’t missed it a bit. Throw all the stuff on the jerseys now (the only ones approved are on one side of these issues) and nfl supporting planned parenthood directly by some teams and through United way who donates to Planned parenthood local chapters and well I wish sports (should be the one uniter is used to divide) would stay out of taking sides. I know people think politics and sports should coincide but guess I’m in the minority and would like it kept out. Like you I solved it by not buying any merchandise, tickets, and doing my best to limit my consumption (something very hard for a sports nut I admit lol).

Edited August 4, 2020 by dgambill

[btownqb]

Markelle Fultz is awful btw. TJ McConnell flat out WORKED him today. McConnell shot 6 essentially open layups because Fultz cant/won't move his feet or really compete at all. 

 

[dgambill]

47 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Markelle Fultz is awful btw. TJ McConnell flat out WORKED him today. McConnell shot 6 essentially open layups because Fultz cant/won't move his feet or really compete at all. 

 

Amazing the Celtics just fleeced the 6ers in that trade. Not even sure what they ever saw in him either. They already had issues with perimeter scoring and still took the unproven commodity. Honestly I have a hard time taking these kids that play out in the PAC 10...unless they are just a hungry underdog most of the rest just don’t have a refined game.

On top of getting Tatum the Celtics also got our boy Langford in the deal too...I don’t even know what all the other pieces ended up being but dang that was a bad trade.

[Billingsley99]

TJ Warren stunk iT up with a mere 32 points. Bringing his 3 game bubble total up to 119 tying Jermaine o'neal team record

[dgambill]

Pritchard has done a marvelous job in the front office for the Pacers. I mean the deals for Sabonis and Turner and the trades that landed Vic, Sabonis, and Warren...excellent. Good free agent acquisitions in McConnell, Brogdon, and even Mcdermott is paying off. If he can navigate the Vic situation the he will have done as well as any small market gm in a long time.

Edited August 5, 2020 by dgambill

[KoB2011]

19 minutes ago, dgambill said:

Pritchard has done a marvelous job in the front office for the Pacers. I mean the deals for Sabonis and Turner and the trades that landed Vic, Sabonis, and Warren...excellent. Good free agent acquisitions in McConnell, Brogdon, and even Mcdermott is paying off. If he can navigate the Vic situation the he will have done as well as any small market gm in a long time.

He was amazing in Portland too. He is one of the best GMs in basketball IMO. 

[dgambill]

1 hour ago, KoB2011 said:

He was amazing in Portland too. He is one of the best GMs in basketball IMO. 

First off didn’t know he was from Bloomington nor did I know he won an NCAA championship with Kansas. Also how he got fired from Portland right before the draft but was told to go ahead and make the picks...that was weird.

Yeah I mean I don’t think the PG thing was his fault..And not sure if he is to blame for the T.J. Leaf but he has been pretty good I agree.

Edited August 5, 2020 by dgambill

[FKIM01]

1 hour ago, dgambill said:

Yeah I mean I don’t think the PG thing was his fault..And not sure if he is to blame for the T.J. Leaf but he has been pretty good I agree.

You know, the sad thing is, I'm just a novice fan and I remember thinking as the Pacers selected Leaf that they should have taken a flier on Anunoby instead.  That was before either had played a game at the professional level.  I just loved Anunoby from day one at IU.  Even before he stepped on campus, his play and his interviews said "silent assassin".  Regardless of his ranking, I absolutely agreed with Crean on that one.  Too bad Crean wasn't in the Pacers draft huddle that year.

[Hoosierhoopster]

21 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

You know, the sad thing is, I'm just a novice fan and I remember thinking as the Pacers selected Leaf that they should have taken a flier on Anunoby instead.  That was before either had played a game at the professional level.  I just loved Anunoby from day one at IU.  Even before he stepped on campus, his play and his interviews said "silent assassin".  Regardless of his ranking, I absolutely agreed with Crean on that one.  Too bad Crean wasn't in the Pacers draft huddle that year.

I talked to OG at an IU camp. Well, that is I talked to him, he kind of just looked at me, like he was sizing me up. He was friendly with my kid, but he has that quiet predator feel to him. I always laughed at the comments that he needed to show more emotion. He’s got that quiet killer game. Another comparison to Kawhi.

[btownqb]

17 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

I talked to OG at an IU camp. Well, that is I talked to him, he kind of just looked at me, like he was sizing me up. He was friendly with my kid, but he has that quiet predator feel to him. I always laughed at the comments that he needed to show more emotion. He’s got that quiet killer game. Another comparison to Kawhi.

Reporter- "what was the biggest difference between the preseason and your first regular season game of your career?" 

OG- "there were more fans" 

 

Both look blankly at each other....

[FKIM01]

2 hours ago, btownqb said:

Reporter- "what was the biggest difference between the preseason and your first regular season game of your career?" 

OG- "there were more fans" 

 

Both look blankly at each other....

That is so...O.G.

Some guys would get labeled as aloof or a jack@ss with that kind of reply, but that fits him so well you can't help but laugh.

[IU Scott]

Pacers are not looking good today and they are down 86-75 after 3.  In the first quarter they gave up a 17-0 run and they just had a 13-0 run to finish the third.  Pacers struggled all day but took a 75-72 leaf with about 4 to go in the third but did not score the rest of the quarter.

[IU Scott]

Pacers are making the sun's look like the top seed in the west.  They are now on a 21-0 run and Pacers had not scored a point in over 7 minutes. 

[btownqb]

11 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

Pacers are making the sun's look like the top seed in the west.  They are now on a 21-0 run and Pacers had not scored a point in over 7 minutes. 

What? no they werent. 

In the 3rd q? 

[IU Scott]

3 minutes ago, btownqb said:

What? no they werent. 

In the 3rd q? 

What? I am watching the game and the Sun's went on a 21-0 run in the third and the start of the fourth quarters. Then Pacers went on a 12-0 run to cut it to 6 but Sun's scored the next 7 points.

[btownqb]

Just now, IU Scott said:

What? I am watching the game and the Sun's went on a 21-0 run in the third and the start of the fourth quarters. Then Pacers went on a 12-0 run to cut it to 6 but Sun's scored the next 7 points.

Ok idk what I was reading. My bad. Disregard. 

[dwtaylor1055]

Pacers started out missing a lot(they didn't do during the first three games and you knew they would come back down at some point) which dug them a 9 to 26 deficit midway through the 1st quarter and only shooting 34% during the 1st half but were able to close to within 4 at the half, where as the Suns shot closer to 50% in the first half.  Nate experimented a lineup tweak and played Vic with the reserves a bit more as Doug was out for the game(I would have played Warren with the reserves instead as Warrens shots have been going in moreso than Vic).  The guys looked a little gassed imo after playing 3 games in 4 nights.  Goga returned and I think its critical for him to get some meaningful minutes.  IMO he looked better now than he did before the season went on a Hiatus(more vocal, less hesitant with shot selection or screen setting).   

 

Suns looks surprisingly good and healthy for the first time in a long time(minus Kelly Oubre Jr), however, Cameron Payne 75% of the time will not go 6-9 shooting(3-5 from 3) with 15 points every night.  Ayton can be a legit top 10 Center in the league, but he needs to improve his 3point range if he wants to become more lethal.  Booker is a top 5 SG in the league don't argue with me, he can flat out score at ease.  Cameron Johnson has been thrown into the fire and he's exceeded expectations as I assumed he would with playing under Roy Williams at UNC, when he's on it from behind the arc you better run him off or he'll hit more than he'll miss.  We all know what Ricky Rubio brings to the table and Mikal Bridges is a solid contributor as I assumed he would be coming from coach Wright at Nova. 

 

If the Suns had another scorer off of the bench they could be a fringe 7th/8th seed year in, year out only problem is the West is always loaded, I mean for pete sakes the Blazers are the 9th seed and look at their roster with Dame Doller, CJ, Carmelo, Whiteside, Nusaf, and others. 

[Hoosierhoopster]

4 hours ago, dwtaylor1055 said:

Pacers started out missing a lot(they didn't do during the first three games and you knew they would come back down at some point) which dug them a 9 to 26 deficit midway through the 1st quarter and only shooting 34% during the 1st half but were able to close to within 4 at the half, where as the Suns shot closer to 50% in the first half.  Nate experimented a lineup tweak and played Vic with the reserves a bit more as Doug was out for the game(I would have played Warren with the reserves instead as Warrens shots have been going in moreso than Vic).  The guys looked a little gassed imo after playing 3 games in 4 nights.  Goga returned and I think its critical for him to get some meaningful minutes.  IMO he looked better now than he did before the season went on a Hiatus(more vocal, less hesitant with shot selection or screen setting).   

 

Suns looks surprisingly good and healthy for the first time in a long time(minus Kelly Oubre Jr), however, Cameron Payne 75% of the time will not go 6-9 shooting(3-5 from 3) with 15 points every night.  Ayton can be a legit top 10 Center in the league, but he needs to improve his 3point range if he wants to become more lethal.  Booker is a top 5 SG in the league don't argue with me, he can flat out score at ease.  Cameron Johnson has been thrown into the fire and he's exceeded expectations as I assumed he would with playing under Roy Williams at UNC, when he's on it from behind the arc you better run him off or he'll hit more than he'll miss.  We all know what Ricky Rubio brings to the table and Mikal Bridges is a solid contributor as I assumed he would be coming from coach Wright at Nova. 

 

If the Suns had another scorer off of the bench they could be a fringe 7th/8th seed year in, year out only problem is the West is always loaded, I mean for pete sakes the Blazers are the 9th seed and look at their roster with Dame Doller, CJ, Carmelo, Whiteside, Nusaf, and others. 

Suns have really, really stepped up, and Booker's legit for sure. They started the season pretty strong, then fell apart. Now they're playing with motivation to make that 8th spot, still a tall order but they're in the hunt.

Side note, will this be the first time in decades that the Spurs miss the playoffs? That they're in the hunt still is yet another testament to Pop's coaching. He's still the best coach in the NBA, imo, he's simply outstanding.

Pacers are going to be a tough out. 

Lakers are, imo, overrated. LBJ is slower. He may well turn it on -- never rule him out -- but he is starting to remind me of Jordan when he returned to play for the Wiz. Could still score on anyone, but slower, and no longer the best player in the game. Lakers, imo, will go as far as Unibrow carries them, and their secondary players are not on the level of Toronto, Clippers, or Bucks, imo.

Side note on the Clips too. Still think they're top to bottom the best team right now, but they NEVER have a complete roster, they've almost never played or practiced with a full squad, and they're still, approaching these bubble playoffs, trying to adjust to that. That's not a recipe for success against teams like the Bucks and Raptors. The Raptors are very, very dangerous.

[KoB2011]

1 hour ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

Lakers are, imo, overrated. LBJ is slower. He may well turn it on -- never rule him out -- but he is starting to remind me of Jordan when he returned to play for the Wiz. Could still score on anyone, but slower, and no longer the best player in the game. Lakers, imo, will go as far as Unibrow carries them, and their secondary players are not on the level of Toronto, Clippers, or Bucks, imo.

This is a really bold statement. LBJ is still an elite player without question, MJ was far from elite on the Wizards.