FW_Hoosier

1 hour ago, KoB2011 said:

Sooooo how bout Dwight Howard?

Pretty crazy, but I’m skeptical.  Apparently this guy tried to do the exact same thing to a rapper a couple years ago, and it was all proven false.  Faked screenshots, phone recordings, and everything.  

37 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

You know I love Archie, and finding shooters at the college level is decidedly tougher, but one thing in recruiting is I’d like to see us prioritize some pure shooters more.  I think you’re going to need to hit a fair number of threes to get done what you want to do.  

I totally agree, but it seems to me that Archie landed a pure shooter in Damezi Anderson.  We were in on Brandon Newman too, but it just didn’t work out.

6 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

There is not doubt that if Indiana made their free throws, the outcome would have been different.  That said, there were two totally phantom calls on Vic against Harden that netted the Rockets 4 points (one was as a blatant a flop as I've seen in the last couple of years).  

Well I believe that, but that’s Harden for you.  You just have to take solace in the fact that he’s only going to get those types of calls in the regular season — they don’t let him get away with that BS in the playoffs.

5 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

I'm going to assume you did not watch the game.  It was blatant.

I will admit I didn’t get to watch the game tonight.  But going off of the reaction on here to all the playoff games I watched last season (and my experiences with Pacers fans generally), I’m going to assume it wasn’t nearly as bad as it’s being portrayed, lol.

20 minutes ago, CauseThatsMyDJ said:

The Pacers outshot the Rockets enormously at the foul line. The awful 4th quarter until Vic came to save the day again was what doomed them. 

Only a Cers fan can gripe about the refs with a straight face after shooting twice as many FTs as the other team. 😂

38 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

Mixed thoughts on this record by Klay T --

"CHICAGO -- Golden State Warriors All-Star swingman Klay Thompson set a new NBA record by knocking down 14 3-pointers in Monday night's 149-124 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Thompson went 14-for-24 from beyond the arc and 18-for-29 from the field, racking up 52 points in 27 minutes while raining down shots from all over the floor."

OK, who the heck takes 24 3-point shots in a game? I mean seriously, that's just crazy. Yeah he got a record with 14 3's, but he took freaking 24 of them. If a bunch of guys were taking 24 3's that record would fall pretty quickly. That's just out of control. Then there's the fact this was against a Bulls' team that just doesn't play D, like, at all. At one point the score was something like 95 to 40 something. I don't know, it's a real accomplishment but then, I'm not sure it really is.

Either way, it won’t be a record for very long.  Steph will break it before the end of the season.

17 minutes ago, CauseThatsMyDJ said:

He was just tardy to practice. Step back from the ledge.

This sounds like a personal/family issue to me... Maybe similar to the one OG just went through, but hopefully not.

7 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

Well, he spit in his face, that’s what started it. As a former hockey player I really don’t have that big a problem with punches generally, but man if you spit in someone’s face, better be ready for whatever comes back at you. 

LeBron gathered a collection of headcases,. Be careful what you ask for LBJ

Yep, CP3 shouldn’t have even been suspended.  And I’m definitely NOT just saying that because he’s on my fantasy basketball team, lol

6 hours ago, KoB2011 said:

That's partly because of the teams they coach. Do you think the Celtics would be worse with Pop? Do you think the Spurs would be better with Stevens? 

Honestly the answer to both those questions might be yes, for me.

12 minutes ago, KoB2011 said:

That's tricky, I love our chemistry but I don't hold negative views of Butler. I tend to think he is right about his points with Towns and Wiggins. 

8 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

Yes, I'd agree he'd be made available for a marquee guy like Butler, but not any trades. He's a key piece, but Butler is a top 20 player. EJ is lightyears ahead of anything Fultz has done, don't see that at all.

As for me, I see Butler as a locker room cancer, and would not want him on my team. Very good 2-way player, not good for the locker room, and would likely create issues with guys like Vic.

I see both sides of this — I agree with KoB that Wiggins and KAT generally suck and are soft, but I have to agree with HH that Butler is a cancer, looking at how he acted toward the end of his tenure in Chicago and how he’s acting now in Minnesota.  He’s a great player and hard worker, but he’s also a diva that thinks he’s better than he is.  I could see him going after Turner the same way he’s gone after the young players on the Bulls and the Wolves.  Pacers seem to have a great locker room culture right now, and I think it’s likely that Butler would blow it all up.

41 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

Maybe it's just me but I feel like for the last 2 days all I keep hearing about is the Bucks. It's like someone passed out the same note to Indy media and said Milwaukee will be the big surprise this year. To me it's the Celtics and Pacers/Raptors/76ers battling for 2-4. 

Regarding Troy...hopefully he'll find a new team soon. Sucks that he makes the team and is waived before opening night. 

Bucks made a big coaching upgrade and added some nice pieces.  I see the top 4 in the east being Celtics, Raptors, Pacers, Bucks, not necessarily in that order.

2 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

Seriously. 32-16-8-3-3. Commentators said he's been telling everyone over the summer he wants to be the League's most dominant player. Good start...

Pretty clear AD is easily the third best player in the league right now, if not the second best.

Thought the graphic they showed during the Celtics-Sixers game last night was interesting... They were talking about the best teams in the East, and flashed Kyrie, Embiid, Kawhi, and Vic.  I think everyone is sleeping on the Bucks... They damn near beat the Celtics last season.  I’ll take them in a 7 game series over the Sixers every time.

7 minutes ago, CauseThatsMyDJ said:

NBA Thread is in the Animal House

Booooooooo

2 hours ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

That's probably right from a contract perspective. On the other hand, Dallas is turning into a pretty good team and Yogi was loved in Dallas. Sacto is of course always poorly run and they're looking like the worst team in the League this season -- however, as you point out Yogi should get good PT and should have a chance to shine and help himself going forward.

Meh.  I bet the Kings and the Mavs are both sitting at home come playoff time.

6 hours ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

Not a bad start for Yogi with the Kings --

Game leading 26 points off the bench (30 min) on 9-14 shooting, 6-9 from the arc, 3 assists, 0 TO's, and game leading +16 on the night.

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401077247

Always thought Yogi made the right move going to the Kings.  He had to maximize his earnings on this second contract, and he’s going to get way more of an opportunity to play there than he was going to in Dallas.

51 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

This season is going to test that. I’m a huge Vic fan, but the flip side to this idea is that just the prior season he was average. It has not been a straight projectory for him, it was a monster step up with a team and position that fit his game much better, coupled with his dedication, including refining his diet and body last summer, I expect he will continue to grow, he’s in his prime, but I don’t expect him to become a top 5-10 player. 

Agreed.  I think a slight regression from last season is much more likely than another huge jump.

5 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

Well the ESPN rankers really like Vic — all the way up to no. 15, ahead of Draymond (16) and Klay Thompson (19), can’t link as on phone. PG at 13, Butler just below. 

So the consensus of the several rankings is Vic is now regarded at least top 25, more in the top 20 range. What a year he had. Now he may face more pressure along with the P’s as the East will be game planning for Vic and the P’s as a legit top 4 team (maybe top 3) — I will bet on Vic, his work ethic, drive and elite athleticism now coupled with better shooting/shot selection and what should be a deeper P’s team is encouraging 

At this point, I would for sure take Vic over Draymond if I was building a team.  And would potentially take him over Klay... Klay is obviously a much better shooter, but Vic is a more dynamic ballhandler. 

1 hour ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

^^ EJ comes in at #42 in espn's ranking -- http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24666339/nbarank-2018-19-31-50-best-players-season

Pacers' Turner in at #48.

Some pretty bad rankings by espn, e.g., they've got Steven Adams at #47 (too low) and actually have Drummond at #46 -- NO ONE is taking Drummond over Adams, no way in hell Drummond is a better player, these rankings are largely just for fun, but man do the guys at espn get it wrong, and often.

Some more interesting rankings -- Hayward at #40, DeRozan at #39

If I had to choose one of them to build a team around, I’d take Drummond.  If I was picking a center to complement other established players, I’d take Adams.

1 hour ago, CauseThatsMyDJ said:

 

I really don’t understand why the Lakers let him go.  They invested a second round pick on him, he made the G League first team as a rookie, and he just turned 21 with a pretty high ceiling... Guess they liked Ivica Zubac better?

18 hours ago, CauseThatsMyDJ said:

 

Good for Yogi.  No reason to take less money from a team that loaded up with other players at his position.  And honestly, the Mavs aren’t much closer to contending in the West than the Kings.

I’m kinda glad he’s leaving.  Dallas gave him a good offer, but that backcourt is just too crowded right now.  Hopefully he can catch on somewhere else that will offer him a bigger role.  Definitely a risk to pass that contract up though.

54 minutes ago, ADegenerate said:

During the game they had someone from the front office (I think it was front office) and they said OG would have more freedom in the offense next season.

I’ve said it before, but literally the only thing he did in their offense last season was run down the floor and stand in the corner for the entire possession.  I guess he may not have been ready for much more at that point, but I gotta think he’s able to do more now.

1 hour ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

OG's run so far in summer league, improving and being featured --

v Pelicans (L), 3-11, 1-6 from arc  for 9, 7 boards, 1 steal, 1 block

v TWolves (L), 5-15, 1-4 from arc for 13, 7 boards, 3 assists, 1 block

v Nuggets (W), 9-17 and 2-7 from arc, for 22, 4 boards, 1 block

v Thunder (L), 6-14, and 4-10 from the arc for 19, 6 boards, 2 blocks

Good to see him getting more of a green light, although those aren’t great shooting percentages.  Hopefully the new coaching staff in Toronto finds ways to get him more involved in the offense than he was last year.

33 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

I couldn't agree more. It's gotten to the point where it's just a bad joke. The NBA created this monster, it should do something about it.

Looking like the NBA is going to need to institute some type of minimum salary to prevent these types of moves from happening.