Damn Klay might be trash. Wiggins is the Dubs best player right now.

18/6, 47 FG pct, 40 pct 3pt pct, 1 block, 1 steal per game.

Russ is cooking…Sixth man of the year!

none of them blowouts, but this is the most garbage version of the Warriors yet, with the worst bench, and it still came down to the Piss Patrol and Donkeylips.

I hate that team with the heat of 1000 suns. Klay bricking all night until the end. Refs calling moving screens until the end. Klay was in the air on that "screen".

Cavs were running bullshit offense at the end again. Why is Evan Mobley in the corner, why is Jarrett Allen catching the ball at the 3 point line.

No points off the bench.

Fuck Anthony Lamb too. Just like Lyles in SAC, motherfucker was making all the 3s.

And Mitchell looks like he's hurt? Sit them for Minnesota. Dean Wade needs to heal up, Okoro is on Bushes Watch.

>Damn Klay might be trash. Wiggins is the Dubs best player
>right now.
>
>18/6, 47 FG pct, 40 pct 3pt pct, 1 block, 1 steal per game.
>

Steph is averaging 33, 7, and 7 on 51 FG, 43 3pt, 1.1 steal per game.

And why did I reply to your trolling ass contrarian BS…..

Wiggins is doing everything!

Both ends of the court.


Smh

You telling on yourself

Curry ain’t guarding the other team’s best player and still averaging around 20
a game

is why the Warriors get away with what they do.
Without him they're getting cooked worse. He is their new Iggy.

+/-:
Steph Curry: 12.0
Andrew Wiggins: 1.4

You also look at the On/Off numbers for the Warriors, and while the Warriors are absolutely worse without Wiggins, they're notably worse than that without Steph. They're 19.4 points per 100 possessions better than their opponent with Wiggins on the floor... and they're 28.2 points per 100 possessions better with Curry on the floor.

This is because you can sort through the Warriors' used lineups on NBA.com and look at how the Warriors perform when Wiggins is on but Curry is not, and how they perform when Curry is on and Wiggins is not. The lineups are better with Curry-no-Wiggins than vice versa.

Maybe that's because Curry leads the Warriors presently in points per game (nearing double the second leading scorer, on far more efficient shooting), assists per game, and is even tied for leading in rebounds per game (he and Looney both average 6.8 RPG).

There's no argument to be made that Curry is a worse player than Wiggins. Wiggins is having a good season, and Curry is having an All-NBA level season.

Tired of your stupid ass shit.

I gave an opinion.

If you don’t know how to socialize properly and be humane , you go elsewhere.

Matter of fact, we didn’t need to interact, because I don’t pay attention to your posts.

>Matter of fact, we didn’t need to interact, because I
>don’t pay attention to your posts.

you realize everyone can see the entire thread and all of your posts, right?

Kinda telling that you replied to mine but nobody else’s. Perhaps I gave you the reply you were seeking?

I could’ve said it nicer though, so I apologize.

>I gave you the reply you were seeking

https://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2765500&mesg_id=2765500&listing_type=search#2765581

like, have his injuries made him unable to shoot?

seems like that's not possible but i dunno.

does he need a shot doctor/shooting consultant/whatever?

just never seen him missing this much. even last year, when you think he'd be worse since he was closer to injury, he wasn't this bad.

Maybe he's playing himself back into shape? I dunno. It is alarming. Hopefully, he'll have things tuned by Christmas.

I can't say it makes a lot of sense, but he knows his body better than anyone.

But one of the reasons the Dubs were thought to run away with the West is because Klay was projected to get healthier and of course play better than he did last year. Maybe this team is like the '21 team that started out poorly but got better as the season progressed and made the play-in. But they're not going to go deep in the playoffs with this version of Klay.

running through instagram models.

that trauma shit he came up with was some bullshit (and you could tell kerr knew it but didnt wanna make a big issue out of it).

klays misses are mostly coming up short. which means his legs arent there and hes fatigued early in games.

so not only could you not do drilling/training because of being 'fearful of an injury'...you couldnt even do basic cardio in the offseason?

sketchy imo.

.

https://twitter.com/WillGuillory/status/1591822810246176768?s=20&t=dHHOkhIDwo-2W5Pv9FVm2A

(also: ¡dale boricua! love that kid..)

Cleveland just has so much money tied up right now between Mitchell, the Allen deal, and the Garland extension. (Not to mention the necessary Mobley extension coming next year.) So you have to feel good about these four players being The Guys that will win you a title. Because Love and Levert will be gone next year, and they'll almost certainly have to start filling gaps with MLE deals and vet minimum dudes once Mobley's extension comes into play.

So they have, like, a 3-4 year window where they need to win a title. And with Garland and Mobley still so young, and with two bigs, two small guards, and no wings worth calling home about, I think there are some questions as to whether the window lines up with the opportunity. If that makes sense. They'll be really fucking good, wouldn't be surprised by ECF or what have you... you just have to believe they'll be better than Boston and Milwaukee in the next 3-4 years. And I'm not necessarily convinced!

Utah, meanwhile, is proving that they have a fantastic coach, and they have *very* little money tied up long term (Lauri and Sexton are the only guys on the books after next year). They could absolutely make a big splash in the FA market to lure away a star or two and say "hey, look what we did when we had *nobody* of note on the roster." While I still suspect that there's a world in which *not* tanking this year will prove to be a big mistake... the complete salary freedom and the impression they're making on the league this year leads me to believe good things could be coming.

Not to mention, Utah has Cleveland's draft picks until, like, 2029. It just takes one bad year from Cleveland, one year of Evan Mobley injury, for Utah to potentially pick up a *major* asset as a result of this deal.

I don't think Utah will sustain this level of winning this year-- imagine they'll be in play-in contention though, which is a *massive* win given the roster-- but there's a lot of long-term upside in what Utah's got going right now, whereas Cleveland is absolutely in Win Now mode. If Cleveland wins a title, then they did the right thing. If they don't... maybe it was still the right thing, but it'll come at a pretty substantial price.

>could absolutely make a big splash in the FA market to lure
>away a star or two and say "hey, look what we did when we had
>*nobody* of note on the roster." While I still suspect that

"You go live in Utah. I don't want to live in Utah." (c) D.Harper

>Cleveland just has so much money tied up right now between
>Mitchell, the Allen deal, and the Garland extension. (Not to
>mention the necessary Mobley extension coming next year.) So
>you have to feel good about these four players being The Guys
>that will win you a title. Because Love and Levert will be
>gone next year, and they'll almost certainly have to start
>filling gaps with MLE deals and vet minimum dudes once
>Mobley's extension comes into play.
>
>So they have, like, a 3-4 year window where they need to win a
>title. And with Garland and Mobley still so young, and with
>two bigs, two small guards, and no wings worth calling home
>about, I think there are some questions as to whether the
>window lines up with the opportunity. If that makes sense.
>They'll be really fucking good, wouldn't be surprised by ECF
>or what have you... you just have to believe they'll be better
>than Boston and Milwaukee in the next 3-4 years. And I'm not
>necessarily convinced!
>
>Utah, meanwhile, is proving that they have a fantastic coach,
>and they have *very* little money tied up long term (Lauri and
>Sexton are the only guys on the books after next year). They
>could absolutely make a big splash in the FA market to lure
>away a star or two and say "hey, look what we did when we had
>*nobody* of note on the roster." While I still suspect that
>there's a world in which *not* tanking this year will prove to
>be a big mistake... the complete salary freedom and the
>impression they're making on the league this year leads me to
>believe good things could be coming.
>
>Not to mention, Utah has Cleveland's draft picks until, like,
>2029. It just takes one bad year from Cleveland, one year of
>Evan Mobley injury, for Utah to potentially pick up a *major*
>asset as a result of this deal.
>
>I don't think Utah will sustain this level of winning this
>year-- imagine they'll be in play-in contention though, which
>is a *massive* win given the roster-- but there's a lot of
>long-term upside in what Utah's got going right now, whereas
>Cleveland is absolutely in Win Now mode. If Cleveland wins a
>title, then they did the right thing. If they don't... maybe
>it was still the right thing, but it'll come at a pretty
>substantial price.

The production and performances they are getting from their 4th and third tier
players are unbelievable.

Utah is getting way more bang for their buck. They are saving money and making
money at the same time

Talk about ROI….Danny Ainge is looking like a genius with this squad.

Now the only question is will he keep or move Conley, because the teams that need
a PG are eyeing him…..

Cleveland will both have a better record including playoffs at season's end.

Utah just didn't fall off completely. they did the right thing getting Booty Gobert outta there, and blow up the team when it looked like Donovan was on the outs. The guys they got back from Cleveland (especially Lauri) are great for them.

But they are missing All-Star power now, and the loss of a talent of Donovan's tier is gonna really make itself known down the stretch.

Plus we don't know what Ainge is gonna do.

.

https://imgur.com/a/crllThk
(when I wasnt watching KD cook, btw this team plays better WITHOUT Kyrie)


when he was on the court and on the bench and fellas....I think his back injury is ALOT worse than he and the Nets are letting on. Dude constantly has a heating pack on his back and is constantly on the bike or getting stretched

every time he sat down it was super gingerly and every time he got up it was like watching my grandpa get out of his chair.

the fear of reaggravating it is causing him to play like such a timid newborn baby fawn

how else do you explain going from this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FHKMeGm_54

to his current state

Im done criticizing him bc I think hes going to be out of the league after this contract..I have no idea how he passed any physicals.




>Damn Klay might be trash. Wiggins is the Dubs best player
>right now.
>
>18/6, 47 FG pct, 40 pct 3pt pct, 1 block, 1 steal per game.
>
>Russ is cooking…Sixth man of the year!
>
>
>

I was watching that game on tv and while I clearly didn’t see all that you saw…the analyst (I think JVG) was saying how even despite the shooting concerns, Ben was always a supreme athlete who could get to the rim almost at will. The other night, he looked like he’d rather be ANYWHERE else, than on an NBA court.

It’s sad . He just stands in one place or sets a pick occasionally .



>I was watching that game on tv and while I clearly didn’t
>see all that you saw…the analyst (I think JVG) was saying
>how even despite the shooting concerns, Ben was always a
>supreme athlete who could get to the rim almost at will. The
>other night, he looked like he’d rather be ANYWHERE else,
>than on an NBA court.

Because every time you feel a normal ache or pain in the area where you were hurt, your brain immediately goes "OH FUCK DID I DO SOMETHING AGAIN TO THIS, OH NO OH NO, I JUST STARTED FEELING BETTER, FUCK THIS"

So whether his back is hurting real bad or if it's hurting in a relatively normal way for athletes, I've no doubt that it's hard to not be ginger with it. Especially when it's a back, man. Backs are fucking frightening.

>Because every time you feel a normal ache or pain in the area
>where you were hurt, your brain immediately goes "OH FUCK DID
>I DO SOMETHING AGAIN TO THIS, OH NO OH NO, I JUST STARTED
>FEELING BETTER, FUCK THIS"
>
>So whether his back is hurting real bad or if it's hurting in
>a relatively normal way for athletes, I've no doubt that it's
>hard to not be ginger with it. Especially when it's a back,
>man. Backs are fucking frightening.

>

is the officiating crew for the SNF game all Black? If so, pretty cool.

but I agree, very cool.

I'll post it over there too.

kerr seems to be realizing that.

bob myers said he wouldnt rule out a stint in the g league for kuminga and wiseman. nah man. ship them niggas off and try to get any sizeable vet who just knows how to play nba basketball. literally just any decent iq forward who knows where to be on offense and doesnt almost foul out in single digit minutes.

and put out some feelers for klay. dude is in perpetual 'shoot my way out of the slump' mode but the slump is 2 straight years lol. a high 30 something percent shooting night is good for him at this point. the worst shit is when he hits 2 straight 3s. cuz you know hes chucking up 8 more whether they go in or not.

this cant be the way forward for this team. these niggas fucking up stephs mvp year smh.

the ONE time Klay's Public Broadcasting lookin ass made a 3 was when it mattered. rest of the game he was ASS, almost to the level you can sag off him in favor of Curry.

and while (even in hate) I would be more optimistic over Poole long term, that dude streaky af. And he play like a lightskin Donkeylips on defense. Fouling like shit.

against the Cavs, Wiseman didn't even see the floor (because even Kevin Love would have cooked his ass). Lamb took most of the forward minutes from the bench.

I knew watching the offseason that GP2 and Otto dipping would cause problems.

Warriors probably would want to take a look at whoever Orlando is looking to cast off, to start. Not that I'd want to give those jabronis any ideas.

Yea.. I’m good

If these guys aren’t gonna play back to backs then stop scheduling them. We missed out seeing Giannis 3 years ago for the same thing. It costs a fortune to take your family to these things. It’s bad for the product man, this is a stars league.

I haven’t been to a live game in years for this very reason.

>If these guys aren’t gonna play back to backs then stop
>scheduling them. We missed out seeing Giannis 3 years ago for
>the same thing. It costs a fortune to take your family to
>these things. It’s bad for the product man, this is a stars
>league.

The analytics exacerbated this too, where they take 10 game averages and use it to predict future patterns like some bullshit basketball actuaries


>If these guys aren’t gonna play back to backs then stop
>scheduling them. We missed out seeing Giannis 3 years ago for
>the same thing. It costs a fortune to take your family to
>these things. It’s bad for the product man, this is a stars
>league.

I hear what you're saying, but hey, take what you can from it.
______________________________________________________________________________

"To Each His Reach"

but.....

Fuck aliens.

.

Like a couple of days. Or that they can only load manage at home.

It sucks that fans get to see stars of the other conference only once a year. And if the player misses that game, the fans must wait a full calendar year.

I get why teams feel the need to do it, but the practice does hurt the fans.

and yeah, paying your hard earned money to go to a game is basically playing roulette.

I just hope it doesn't wear him down.

In my 40 years of life.

59 points plus nearly a Reb/Ast/Blocks triple double.

That's what blew me away
33 going in to the 4th, ai honestly didn't expect him to go over 40

Insane close out
He started with the midrange, faceup, pull up Js
Those were hitting, so I knew it was going to be a big number
But 59 on a back to back after 42/10
Salute!

- Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen did not play.
- JBB's ridiculous adherence to 8-man rotations had the team unprepared for 3 quarters of basketball
- Darius Garland went NUCLEAR in the 4th. 51 pts total, 10/15 from 3, ridiculous from the field. The first player (ahead of Embiid) to cross that number this season.

129 is the most points given up by the Cavs in regulation, due to that abysmal 1st half. But they only lost by 5, when they were looking to lose by over 20.

Some things learned:
The Cavs REALLY need a wing opposing teams can't cheat on. The biggest Ls in the draft are Dylan Windler over Keldon Johnson, Okoro over ... a number of guys (but NOT Avidja, like some say).

Right now Isaac Okoro is ValuTime Ben Simmons. He did have a better game than usual against Minnesota, and even hit a 3 pointer. He and Lamar Stevens actually slowed down the onslaught from the Wolves shooters, which opened the door to Darius going off. But this season so far has been disappointing overall for him.

Donovan Mitchell is better on defense than people think.

Jarrett Allen is indispensable.

Kevin Love (his worst game of the season) gets far too many passes for horrible defensive habits.

Bickerstaff needs to let go of playoff rotations earlier in the season. Dangerously getting to Thibodeaux levels with running players into the ground.

It's early in an 82-game season. Raul Neto and Lamar Stevens are on the team for a reason. Ditto for Mamadi Diakite. Need to see what those guys have.

the Cedi/Lopez duo needed to be switched out late to Mobley/LeVert. Probably would have won with those two in.

Cedi had a quiet 14 but the defensive habits are just ...

Hopefully Koby figures out how to consolidate the wing position. All the best fits are expensive af.

As I mentioned above, once Garland's extension kicks in, they'll have to save money to extend Mobley the following season, so the amount of money they have to get a *quality* defensive-minded 3-and-D wing is... going to be very limited. They are built, for better and for worse, around two small guards and two bigs.

And considering all their picks are headed to Utah for the next 6ish drafts, they're either going to need to (a) find a guy willing to take way less money to play in Cleveland, (b) find a veteran who has a stunning career resurgence in Cleveland, or (c) get very lucky in the second round/late first when it's a pick-swap year.

The alternate option, of course, is taking the fact that Okoro has been mediocre so far, offering him a fairly low-level extension or FA signing after his rookie deal runs out, and hoping he develops closer to age 24 than age 21. Which, honestly, might be the best bet. Because you can probably do that *and* sign a vet to a small deal as insurance.

I firmly believe he’s already peaked, and that injuries will plague him from here on out

So I’ve thought that since last season, and think he needs to be traded

The market for him is iffy because of the injuries
I think these performances can help fix that

But I think it also titillates our front office, who already seem like they can’t imagine trading AD or Lebron. I think we have too much optimism, too much loyalty, and too little ability to work two-three moves ahead. I think trading AD now is the best course overall, because he’s also the only piece with wven decent value outside of Lebron.

All in all it’s better for him to perform well. But damn if I’m not holding my breath for the sort of injury that renders him completely untradeable.

hes probably a better starter than klay offensively. better shooter and better playmaker.

and Dubs went crazy (albeit on a not great team).

hmmm.

The Warriors are 13.3 points per 100 possessions better than their opponent when Klay is on the court-- and they're 20.4 points per 100 possessions *worse* than their opponent when Poole is on the court.

Now, some of that is because Klay plays more minutes with more starters than Poole does-- and certainly Klay's BPM being lower than Poole's, plus, y'know, the eye test, suggests that Poole is playing better than Klay right now...

... but Poole's BPM is still notably negative. And of the 25 most frequently used lineups in the NBA, the Warriors's lineup of Curry-Dray-Wiggins-Klay-Looney ranks *second best.* And it's in the top 5 of *all* lineups that have played more than 40 minutes together right now.

Furthermore, we have stats on the same lineup when Poole replaces Klay... and that same lineup is seventeen points per 100 possessions *worse* than when Klay is in the lineup. Smaller sample, but certainly lines up with the rest of the stats.

So I think, even with Klay's struggles, they shouldn't shake up the starting lineup. Even if Klay isn't the defender he once was, he's better on defense than Poole-- and the lineup size-wise makes more sense with Klay too.

I also just believe a shooter of his caliber will shake off a slump eventually. It's a nightmare start offensively for one of the best pure shooters we've ever seen, but I think he'll find his way.

i literally can't figure it out.

the way i see it? i guess it'll all shake out eventually.

i do agree that Klay will likely break out of his shooting woes. he's too pure of a shooter over YEARS to stay this bad.

Shai!

They also have picks to trade. They can gear up for a serious run if they wanted to trade zion and come off those picks.

I’d probably do Ayton/Brodges and a pick (more if they can get it) for Zion
Then see if i could pry Shai from OKC with those picks.

CJ
BI
Ayton
Bridges
Shai

I like that squad

Run along with that bullshit

How many #2 picks get sent to the G league?

Isn’t most of his hype based off of what he did in high school and “projects”?

He’s played what like 50 actual basketball games since high school?

A lot of the hype about the defending champion Warriors was about their “young talent” but that young talent is looking shaky right now and some of the old talent does too.

but now? Yeah I'm not sure if it's that knee but he doesn't look the same.

really the only thing you can count on him for is fouling.

You gotta have bball IQ to connect your talent to the game so I don't see that materializing for him.

>How many #2 picks get sent to the G league?
>
>Isn’t most of his hype based off of what he did in high
>school and “projects”?

*projections*

If they get Wiseman off the books for next year, they can reasonably resign Draymond. You can't let Draymond walk to keep Wiseman at this point. Even if you think Wiseman becomes a beast some point down the line, it's not worth losing Draymond on that dice roll.

>If they get Wiseman off the books for next year, they can
>reasonably resign Draymond. You can't let Draymond walk to
>keep Wiseman at this point. Even if you think Wiseman becomes
>a beast some point down the line, it's not worth losing
>Draymond on that dice roll.

I know people think as if the Warriors print money but they already have a lot of contracts on the books. Somebody might have to go.

I can’t fuck with this soft, paper thin generation.

Morant in this instance

What are they doing, exactly?

>I can’t fuck with this soft, paper thin generation.

Its rough both ways. Hiphop showed up how this could go super wrong.

Some of these former dudes (not even superstars per se) are all in on that 'getting paid to hate on current players' business. And it almost has to create a rift between active and retired dudes. And we know media outlets/content creators love the drama cuz its lazy and easy eyeballs/energy/clicks.

And shit, when cats turn on Sportscenter or whatever and see Kendrick Perkins or whoever hating his ass off, that has to suck. Any one of the hundreds of pods with ex-players on there bashing dudes? Same thing. And you know it hurts when Shaq/Kenny/Charles go to town on someone, its hilarious, and it goes 'viral' because that's THE NBA show.

So of course, the young dudes feel SOME isolation and/or some kind of way. Hell, they already feel isolated in general based on how weird their lives are vs the average person their age. And they have to live that shit more publicly than any group of players ever. And of course, they're followed by a parade of woulda/coulda/shoulda folks..mostly folks who didn't help them with any of the shit they pulled off.

And sure, the attention is what helps lots of them make wild money 'before they've proven anything as a pro' vs 30 years ago. But at the same time, the bad faith and/or over the top scrutiny is also elevated. Dudes can have ONE bad week and there's hella words said and typed on the matter. And they more easily see that 'hate' than guys 30 years ago did.

And sure, MAYBE they need to 'log off' more. Maybe they need to 'get tougher'. But, for them, it has to be at least a little lame to not be able to be online and chill and clown around like other people their ages are certainly doing without seeing their face and name in the middle of some bad shit.

And hey, I'm old enough that I can fall into it too..calling 'these young dudes' bitches or whatever. But sometimes, I understand how it can happen. On one hand, these cats should appreciate their gifts, WORK ON THEIR GAMES DURING THE OFFSEASON, and try to play their asses off during the season. I'm down with that set of thoughts, so when anyone appears to not being doing that, I get the hate. But when its November and there's already people freaking out about multiple things 10-15 games in? I'm not as into that.

How many times have you seen some player from the 90s say Giannis would've been a bench player in their era or some horseshit like that? lol it's fairly frequent. Names change, mentality stays the same.

And if Barkley and Shaq are gonna be on TV talking shit, the number of young players who're gonna say something like "fuck this old man" is going to go up, lol. Nature of the beast.

George Gervin and all the old players did it to Jordan when he was the young rising
superstar…Jordan used his game to shit on them.

Ja saying kneepads is some sick, disgusting stuff, bro.

All Charles said was that he needs to make his teammates better….and that should
be the next step for him.

He basically told Barkley to suck his dick….telling another Blackman that could lead to getting your ass kicked.

These dudes really thing their game is above criticism. SMH
Now if Chuck put his foot in his ass he'd be the bad guy.


>
>All Charles said was that he needs to make his teammates
>better….and that should
>be the next step for him.
>
>He basically told Barkley to suck his dick….telling another
>Blackman that could lead to getting your ass kicked.

>He basically told Barkley to suck his dick….telling another
>Blackman that could lead to getting your ass kicked.

https://twitter.com/BrooklynNetcast/status/1592933937277718528

its real.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10055867-br-exclusive-kevin-durant-explains-trade-request-coaching-frustrations-and-more

sheesh. bad enough dude threw his teammates under the bus. but to actually list out the names? lol.

Weren't some of these retired players crying about how the current players were too buddy buddy with one another? Hehe.

j/k lots of those dudes aren't talking in good faith on these pods and shows. Its just trolling, hating, and/or bear poking.

https://twitter.com/bomani_jones/status/1592950107875352577

those Cavs rosters were abortions. Lebron took them to the finals!

Being an elite player is so much more than just playing great. That remains as lost on KD as its always been. He wants elite player acclaim without the burden of elite player responsibility. If you're in Durant's position, you're the lead scorer, the team therapist, the mental health guru, the liaison between locker room and front office, etc. We can debate whether that's fair or not, but it doesn't make it any less true. Durant isn't built for that.

Lebron always had better teammates than these guys.

but yes, Lebron did take some average players a long ways. some of these Brooklyn players are not average.

also, Lebron's game is more built to carry a team than KD's. you'd have to have KD completely change his game to do what Lebron has ALWAYS done.

KD - you expect me and 4 others to win...because I'm Kevin Durant

Taking that one paragraph out of his statement and trying analyze it is lazy

If you read the whole quote, I think you'll agree, he's saying exactly what he should be saying

I'm really good at bball and we should be winning games.

"Look at our starting lineup. Edmond Sumner, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris, Claxton and me,” Durant said. “It’s not disrespect, but what are you expecting from that group? You expect us to win because I’m out there. So if you’re watching from that lens, you’re expecting us to play well because No. 7 is out there.”

“I’m really having a good time.” Durant said. “I wish y’all could hear me talk during the game. If I got mic’d up more, people would stop asking me if I’m happy or not. I’m enjoying every moment I get to step on this f------ court, and part of it is because I tore my Achilles. And the pandemic, I didn’t know if we were going to play again. I didn’t know if I was going to play again.

“I was just like, ‘This can’t be it for me.’ I have to really enjoy every single moment I’m out here. That’s part of being a pro. I have to be coachable, I have to knock down shots, I have to be aggressive, and I have to talk to my teammates the right way. That’s the journey and the battle.”

Despite playing with players who aren’t as big of superstars as Durant, the forward admitted that he’s had to play with so many different players in his career on different teams and such, so it’s not as big of an adjustment for him.

“I can play with anybody, anywhere, at any time, and you know I’m going bring it every day,” Durant said. “That should be my legacy.”

Twitter ain't $hit.

publicly no matter who they are or aren’t

I don't have much else to add outside of that Seinfeld reference.

Oh, and I just wonder how much worse dude is behind the scenes with his teammates if this was the sanitized version for the press.

In Golden State, all he had to do was be their closer. He didn't have to manage the locker room or manage up. His role was to close out games, and he did that so well his legacy was cemented as an all-timer.

But he just isn't *that guy* in the sense that LeBron or Steph are or even Dwayne Wade was. Dwayne isn't the basketball player KD is, but he elevated his teammates consistently in a way that KD hasn't shown.

And, really, that's fine. Every player has their strengths, and KD's is being a consummate baller. Just because he probably isn't the guy to transform a franchise and get them to a title doesn't mean he doesn't have tremendous worth as a basketball player.

I guess the issue is that his career will be judged against players who were *the guy.* Players like Kobe, Shaq, or even Dirk. Players who are around that all-time 15-25 mark. Those guys were all *the guy* at some point.

I don't think his leadership style is a blemish on him as a basketball player. He's done things with a basketball that all but a handful of players have done or will ever do. In that context, he's probably a Top 10 player in terms of his ability to do anything on the offensive side of a basketball court when he wanted and at a high level.

But it is a demerit on him as a basketball legend, as we think of them.

Player should walk the fock out. At this point the actions are beyond excessive and
it fractures the CBA, because there is no language for it and it is unprecedented.

They are preventing this man from making a living for himself, when no laws have been
broken and no policies have been severed.

season when everybody else was playing lol

>Player should walk the fock out. At this point the actions
>are beyond excessive and
>it fractures the CBA, because there is no language for it and
>it is unprecedented.
>
>They are preventing this man from making a living for himself,
>when no laws have been
>broken and no policies have been severed.

.

sad to watch now.

not good.

seriously he should be benched just for that selfish shit.

itd be one thing if he was just missing good shots.

but you cant just be out there launching shit and fucking up the ball movement every game. these are bad shots that fuck up everyone elses rhythm too.

You supposed to be this great defensive player but Booker, Payne and Bridges are
getting buckets all night long.

I hate that nigga.

Imagine if GS was able to get 12-15 points from that position every night….
Looney is trash too

Suns got guys who can get Buckets at every position…

Poole 0-5
Thompson 5-6

Wiggins was 5/11 and 4/6 from three and having to carry the defensive
load.

Curry and Wiggins need HALP.

And Wiseman was sent to the G league and these bum ass
niggas are playing like this? Wiseman can’t get tick?

Makes no sense.

I don't think this is turning around.

I think Joe Lacob gambled and he made the wrong gamble with this roster.

if klay sulks or throws a fit then trade his bitch ass.

this obviously aint the best game to be suggesting this lol. but they need some *big* changes.

they gotta shake this shit up fam. this soft love approach aint working.

bench niggas. let know niggas know theyre on the trading block. let niggas know their next contract is in jeopardy. and so on.

see who gets their shit together and responds. see who aint mentally built for this shit.

niggas out here shitting away currys late career legacy. this shit is disgusting to watch.

I saw people on Twitter talking about "Get Steph outta Golden State" lol

a lot better than klay too offensively.

part of me is wondering if poole is protesting not starting by mailing it in when he comes off the bench. because the dropoff makes no sense.

just like last year...dude looks like one of the best guards in the league when he gets that starting nod.

Like maybe it’s not basketball. That team is big on vibe, camaraderie, chemistry, feel…

To see them struggle this mightily, can we at least start asking about the ramifications of the Draymond punch? It was so quickly dismissed as “a family thing”, but dude they’re fucked up.

You paid that with Klay CLEARLY being in his own head? Not Zen in SF.

Porter, Payton and JTA gave them a lot of length, IQ, grit, defense and options that we all underrated

Kuminga and Moody ain’t ready to do none of that

that's the gamble the Dubs GM made and it is proving a bad gamble.

the biggest mystery to me is Jordan Poole. One day, it's 20+ plus points and looking like himself so to speak.

then, the next day aka last night, it's making STUPID plays and scoring ZERO FGs.

even that doesn't feel like "bad vibes" from the Draymond thing. it's just WEIRD.

>the biggest mystery to me is Jordan Poole. One day, it's 20+
>plus points and looking like himself so to speak.
>
>then, the next day aka last night, it's making STUPID plays
>and scoring ZERO FGs.

pressure is a mf

>even that doesn't feel like "bad vibes" from the Draymond
>thing. it's just WEIRD.

I also feel like the Warriors felt pressured to give Poole that deal after the Draymond thing

>I also feel like the Warriors felt pressured to give Poole
>that deal after the Draymond thing

we'll never know i guess (well, in todays landscape we might find out one day), but i'm SURE the team felt pressure after that to do something for poole.

even so, they were always intent on keeping him far as anyone knows, so i guess that doesn't really matter i guess, outside of maybe they paid him a bit more than they had originally intended?

i'd love to know how Steph feels about all this:

-the punch
-klay (and him not staying fresh in the offseason)
-poole
-the plan to bank on the young guys
-not trying to resign some guys (which was also affected by how much they'd have to pay/ended up paying poole)

but he'll never say.

>
>>I also feel like the Warriors felt pressured to give Poole
>>that deal after the Draymond thing
>
>we'll never know i guess (well, in todays landscape we might
>find out one day), but i'm SURE the team felt pressure after
>that to do something for poole.
>
>even so, they were always intent on keeping him far as anyone
>knows, so i guess that doesn't really matter i guess, outside
>of maybe they paid him a bit more than they had originally
>intended?

I think they were going to re-sign Poole anyway too I just think the Draymond shit may have expedited it
>
>i'd love to know how Steph feels about all this:
>
>-the punch
>-klay (and him not staying fresh in the offseason)
>-poole
>-the plan to bank on the young guys
>-not trying to resign some guys (which was also affected by
>how much they'd have to pay/ended up paying poole)
>
>but he'll never say.

the thing about Steph in all his glory is he never seemed to be a big vocal guy on or off the court he seems to be content letting Dray be that guy

I definitely believe in Moody long-term, and I believe in Kuminga's upside and think it's worth developing. I'm more skeptical on Wiseman-- if only because I don't give a ton of value to traditional bigs in today's NBA-- but all three of them are just *so young.*

I think they *have* to play these kids to develop them, even if it's to the detriment of the record. I'm sure they believe that, as long as they make the playoffs, they can beat anyone if everyone's healthy, so homecourt doesn't matter as much to them. But with the needs to extend Wiggins (and Poole, though I questioned that move some), and the amount of money they already have on the books... they just didn't have a lot of flexibility to get some of those versatile 3-and-D wing types on the cheap for the bench this year. And they'll have the same problem next year (unless they deal Poole or let Draymond and/or Wiseman walk).

So the bench *has* to get better. And I think they more or less will, with time-- there's just a world in which they need more than just one more season to become impact bench players in the NBA at their age, and the Warriors' timeline may just be *slightly* misaligned.

>Porter, Payton and JTA gave them a lot of length, IQ, grit,
>defense and options that we all underrated
>
>Kuminga and Moody ain’t ready to do none of that

but no one else on this thread is either. Cant dismiss it like 'nah it aint that'. Especially since its the young guys that look like ass and a young guy that got knocked out. The whole youth movement could be looking at that shit sideways.

and I'm in awe over how much Shai added to his game, in the off-season. He was always able to get any shot off, but he's even quicker to his spots. He looks physically stronger, but didn't sacrifice speed and plays through contact. As usual, he's so under control and never seems to get sped up by the defense. Sucks we got robbed of Shai, Chet and Giddy this year.

The gear he has is what I wish Beal had. They made for an interesting contrast last night

to push more fans closer to the court pushing the player benches further out which has also affected games at times...

https://www.nba.com/news/lamelo-ball-reinjures-ankle-after-stepping-on-fans-foot

If that brings him back….shittt

If he runs the point like that? ….

And he hit his FTs

But people were busy clowning the score
He looked healthy, comfortable...for the first time since he came back IMO
I was thinking, triple singles is all they really need from him
If he's going to d up and run point
That's really what BKN needs
Now if he can get back to double doubles, BKN might have something

+1, for whatever reason, his pro best games have always been on the west coast road trips

from being comfortable and confident. He can't just let the game come to him like a dude that can hit jumpers. It was going to take some time to get that back...honestly, maybe not having kyrie there accelerates it a bit...i don't know.

Its two games, but i like what i saw.

>I was thinking, triple singles is all they really need from
>him
>If he's going to d up and run point
>That's really what BKN needs
>Now if he can get back to double doubles, BKN might have
>something

defensively? I don’t think Bens defense has ever been fucking with peak Draymond’s. Just off sheer effort, alone.

Because in no world has Ben’s best defense to date touched Draymond’s peak— or even Draymond’s defense as recently as last season. Dray wins DPOY if he doesn’t get hurt last year.

with 20, maybe KD should call out his teammates more often lol

everyone on KD's case for what?

returns are early but it sure looked like he lit a fire under their asses.

>everyone on KD's case for what?
>
>returns are early but it sure looked like he lit a fire under
>their asses.

I mean nobody needed to light a fire under Yuta. That dude plays on max adderall all the time. if anything he needs a chill pill to slow the fuck down and not just make bonehead plays.

at times, lol.

he's always turnt.

what a useless pickup.

1. I went to the Wiz game tonight. Great time, DC came out full force for a Friday night party. This Wiz team is a lot of fun. Porzingis has been fantastic from 3, and tonight he was a monster on the defensive glass. Kuzma hit a big time clutch 3 to force OT (then missed 2 more in actual overtime but who cares) Kuzma’s impact is obvious when he’s on the floor, he does just about everything well. I’d like to see Hachimura be more physical - his physique looks strong but he doesn’t play strong. He needs to be more violent, I don’t think he’ll ever be a finesse guy.

2. The Heat, and specifically Lowry, were vicious on both ends. They keep a pace that most teams want no part of during the regular season. They had 7 guys available tonight and lost in overtime by 1 point on the road to the full strength Wizards. I repeat - THEY HAD SEVEN GUYS AVAILABLE. So much is made of “Heat culture”, but I watch them D up for a full 4 quarters with no depth to speak of and I just marvel at what Spoelstra gets out of his guys.
So I say all that to say - if the Nets are still floundering at the trade deadline (or even sooner), Miami should be hyper aggressive in pursuit of Kevin Durant. They’d automatically be a real Bucks foil and a legitimate NBA title contender. Trade Herro and a bunch of picks or whatever I dunno, but these windows are narrow and this team is badass enough as it is. At some point they gotta decide if they want to keep trying to over achieve or actually fulfill their potential as an organization.

>So much is
>made of “Heat culture”

I always felt like that was overhyped anyway

The time to be excited about his potential is gone
He is who and what he is

Ship his ass out

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClIcuP_unpp/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://theathletic.com/3912361/2022/11/19/bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-montrezl-harrell-altercation/?amp=1

Or any of theirs
None of them have any real authority to pull that shit

It wasn’t even a flex
It was just straight up childish

He’s just shooting some free throws.

It's one of the pettiest things I can think of

I could see him doing that shit in Milwaukee but yo don't do that on the road.

The Philly arena staff had specific tasks that they have to do before players come back out and shoot and Giannis basically said "fuck all that y'all gon' wait on me because I couldn't make my FT's in the game!" FOH

He always does that after a game….Trez wack bench player ass just being
bum ass nigga.

Giannis was just practicing free throws..game is over…

It’s regular life.

Who cares.

They’re PRACTICING the game they’re paid millions to play. Super weird to be on some teenagery “this is OUR house” nonsense when the game is literally over.

Bc the workers had shit to do? Lol

Giannis wasn’t out of order
Trez is just a petty ass child

Neither he, nor you, has a rational argument for why this was a problem

Pure comedy.

He brings effort and grit but he’s a less playable, bigger Pat Bev.

Good job nets!

he looks like all-star Ben Simmons all of a sudden.

L what?

then came back after he had a good game and tried to TGIS you, lol.

He up there acting.

I AM GUESSING you're trying to give me an "L" for SOMETHING?

i have no Ben Simmons agenda.

bark up another tree, dumbass.

i'm not even gonna waste my time.

him and steph combined for 74.

and they barely beat the rockets smh.

>him and steph combined for 74.
>
>and they barely beat the rockets smh.

Box +/- numbers from today's game:

Curry: +22
Dray: +18
Klay: +14
Wiggins: +8
Poole: -6

he has to lead the 2nd unit and get everyone involved, hes not playing alongside steph as a starter, hes drawing the opponents best defender (from the 2nd unit lol), etc.

its the exact same role he had much of last year! and he did fine then. people are acting like he has some new set of responsibilities that hes learning on the fly.

He can be the main one guarding Embid or Giannis, while pushing the
pill and orchestrating the offense on the other end…


Those jump hooks and floaters were straight butter.

And he is surrounded by straight shooters/scorers

O’Neal,Irving,Durant,Harris

A supermax player was seen as a liability in the 4th quarter!

Think about that for minute…

A dude getting Giannis not deemed worthy to close out a game.

We are trash!

That D fell off a cliff whenever they both went out last year.

trash city with Vuch.

I just want Leroy to admit he was wrong about Zach deserving
the Supermax.

Frank, too!

But you’ve also been a proponent of saying that Vuc and Lavine are trash. Which I don’t agree with but don’t think a team of all these pieces really works either.

Anyway - being in a position for a lotto pick isn’t the worst thing in the world this year. Zos health is a huge question mark but he kinda does what you’re missing right today.

PO team.

Management failed and did just as bad as the previous management.

Moved Carter, Jr and Gafford for Vuch, who wasn’t worth the contract he received.
And on top of that, they had an opportunity to trade him, but they didn’t. Now
he is going to walk for free, because he is a UFA at the end of the season….fail number 1

Fail number 2….Giving Lavine the supermax, a guy who is defensively terrible and sucks
in crunch time, which is why he was benched. And on top of that he has bad knees, where
he can’t play back to back games. You don’t max that. You trade that, and let him be
someone else’s problem. You buy low and sell high. His stock was through the roof
last season and they should have traded him….now they are stuck with him and his
terrible contract because everyone knows his knees are shot. He is damaged goods.

Lauri Marrkanen fail! When the Bulls traded him, everyone said the Bulls
made out like bandits. We got Derrick Jones, Jr. and picks…lol. Lauri is now in the
MVP conversation and playing like an allStar and Utah has the best record in the west…
Derrick Jones? Trash.

Our management team doesn’t know what it is doing, and the worse thing in the world
for this team is a lottery pick…because management doesn’t know what it is doing.


This team gives up on young talented players to just bring in bad or unhealthy players.

I foresaw it, and constantly voiced against it.

He had his time there. Y’all did nothing with him. He wasn’t gonna work there but sure give him the green light in Utah and see what happens - which might be a Kuzma in Washington type year. Fringe all star at best. There’s zero chance Utah stays in the top 3 in the west at the ASB.

Anyway.

That’s not the point.

The point is YOU said their D would be fine without Zo and Caruso. And….nah.

“There’s zero chance Utah stays in the top 3 in the west at the ASB.”

Just asking.

Hell I championed Lonzo’s defensive contribution…they were definitely big contributors


Show me a post where I denied their defensive contributions, or that they
weren’t important defensively. Never said such thing.

I may have disagreed with you that they were SOLELY responsible , because
of the defense of Patrick Williams and others who helped…but that wasn’t
denying them.

They were/are definitely important to the Bulls defensive scheme…record that.

Smh

https://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2755740&mesg_id=2755740&listing_type=search#2756113

Second - you are literally changing the argument to that I said you said they weren’t “important”. I never said that.

Defense fell off a cliff and hasn’t ever recovered.

Oh well.

I clearly stated:

“You don’t know what’s going to happen with our defense."
In response to Reply # 175



“Worry about your own wack defense and team.

We are straight. We got players who play hard and come to play.”

I never said anything about anyone. I simply said that you don’t
know what’s going to happen, and that we have players who play hard,
so we are straight.

I never said we would or wouldn’t fall off, but that players will come to play
and play hard…you talking about some
loud and wrong stuff when I never claimed anything.

You trying to get victory that bad?

Smh

because you see that you’re wrong as hell….

which is glaringly obvious.

Shooting 28 pct from three.

How is he different from Westbrook?

All he does it stat pad, be he gets a white pass

SGA drops Nuggets' Reed before mean pull-up jumper 💀
https://www.thescore.com/s/23691941

Shai has been cocking though.

look at the alternate angle at the :14 mark....the behind the back snatch is what sent him.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1595614581522563073?s=20&t=s09HDv2apj07Tbu7738Olw

watching kerr gradually figure out the rotations is pretty dope.

staggering the different starters minutes with the bench units is paying off rewards.

klay shooting like klay again.

wiggs looking like an all star again.

steph playing at an mvp level again.

a lot of be optimistic about.

The basic League Pass package is discounted to $49.99 for the rest of the season. The discount lasts until 5 PM on the 29th. But the discount is only valid with the promo code: NBA50.

I never quite get into full NBA mode until the NFL season ends, but I cop League Pass month to month through my YouTube TV, to watch Thunder games. This is definitely a better route at this rate. 💪🏾

I just did it now. Salute!

Do I need a cable provider to get access or can I go to the NBA site and click on a game?

I think you may be able to also use League Pass while watching the NBA app on a smart TV or on a mobile device.

Smart tv, IPad and phone.

i havent been paying much attention to them.

but i coulda swore not too long ago...they were like a top 5 team in the west...somebody on here was singing the praises of the christian wood pickup...and the luka for mvp campaign was picking up steam.

but now theyre currently out of a play-in spot...people are talking about how big the loss of jalen brunson is...and j kidd is warning that luka might not be able to physically make it christmas lol.

pretty dramatic turnaround in like 2 weeks.

mavs fans making content like this now:
https://twitter.com/MavsBurner/status/1596718134236708864

.

“Thats that LA” (c) Aquemini skit

Geez, man...we know what the Pacers are. A dude basically got 30 and 30 in an NBA game..and teams BEEN tanking...on Sundays. That's not nothing.

Pacers are 4th in the east!

11-8

Those dudes are competing and want it. They got some ballers over there.

Dumb ass front office.

Zu was always nice.

fans loved him too.

Those numbers are bonkers

I mean, not gonna get ahead of myself because the sample size is relatively small, but they've been looking right the last few games against "good" competition.

>I mean, not gonna get ahead of myself because the sample size
>is relatively small, but they've been looking right the last
>few games against "good" competition.

so there is plenty of time to right the ship but there is still room for concern. Klay and Poole have looked better but the "young talent" they were supposed to have still hasn't showed up.

they are just gonna ride with their horses and pick up some vets when it's time.

right now they are basically a 9 man rotation.

but, it looks like they've figured out to a way to make that work, that's also working on the defensive end.

they are 7-3 in their last 10, and the last 3 games they've looked really good on both ends.

>they are just gonna ride with their horses and pick up some
>vets when it's time.
>
>right now they are basically a 9 man rotation.
>
>but, it looks like they've figured out to a way to make that
>work, that's also working on the defensive end.
>
>they are 7-3 in their last 10, and the last 3 games they've
>looked really good on both ends.

Will those horses hold up for the entire season?

White Donte seems to be coming around if he can get back to the level he was at a couple years ago that could be huge

he looked really good vs. the TWolves last game.

Gary Trent Jr and his Booty Fingers "defense" mucked up the game, even though Darius has most of his swag back.

ended the 5 game loss streak with a 3 game win streak.
Got smacked by Milwaukee, no surprise.
Barely scraped out of a depleted Detroit matchup without Allen.


Bickerstaff I think holds the team back more than anything else, but we'll see how it evolves. Need to see more dudes in the rotation, like Mamadi Diakite (I think he's a useful PF that can play in relief of Mobley) and Raul Neto (esp. to basically be the "Rubio").

there are habits I see in the team that undermines the potential. Especially on offense. A whole lot of freestyling, and less set plays. Even teams like Detroit have things they can do in certain spots. Granted, without Cade they do a lot of trying to "James Harden" their way to the hoop for fouls.

This team can generate good looks with off-ball movement, they just don't commit!

Darius and Donovan are still trying to figure out their roles. IMO, Darius needs to be the floor general. He has the skills to do this AND fuck people up. He don't need to be the "Kyrie" on this team. That's Donovan.

no Allen, everyone missing everything, LeVert coming back and throwing up donuts until garbage time. Nothing really from the bench to talk about.

I'm not even going to use the "back to back" excuse. this team needs to address its deficiencies.

the only moral victory is that they only scored 100 over all, which speaks to my general assessment of the matchup. with both teams optimal, Cavs better.

this schedule pisses me off. But there will be 2 more opportunities for reap.

hopefully by then the issues will be cleaned up.

On to the 76ers

bucket last night. That's not going to happen every night.

to figure guys out. You don't drop a talent like Donovan Mitchell on a team and it go off without a hitch even though it deceptively looked that way at the start of the season.

Kemba may get his revenge by helping usher Thibs out the door in NYC, and I am here for it. Come on Kemba, drop 40 on us twice!

he has a similar skill set to Vic Webby (Webby gon' be better, don't get me twisted), someone just needed to let him actually play.

*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I'm proud of the way my boys are playing. And Mazzulla is starting to give rest to the stars here and there while he can. I think that grueling start to last season that caused the Celtics to work even harder over the winter is what led to some fatigue in the spring. With the way they're playing now, Robert Williams can pace himself for his return.

Since this post was made...

The Utah Jazz are suddenly the 9th seed. I mean, it's only a 3.5 game difference between them and the 1 seed but...you gotta think that hot start will regress at some point.

Andrew "The Warriors Best Player" Wiggins is putting up 20/5/2 and Klay "Trash" Thompson is putting up 20/4/2. (Steph, for what it's worth - 30/7/6). To be clear - those are their stats since this post was made. Not overall.

Russ HAS found his role off the bench but at the moment I can't see him even being in contention for 6MOY given the Lakers are 7-12.

50 pct from the field, and 42 pct from 3! He even increased his stats since
the post was made! You failed to mention that..lol

While being the warriors BEST defensive player.

OVERALL he is hands down their best player. Yeah , skippy, there
are two sides to basketball. Wiggins is doing Scottie Pippen shit,
night in and night out.

His two way ability allows others to do what they do, especially when
you have a player on the floor who only gets SINGLE stats and a center
who is a fill in.

Wiggins has been ROCK SOLID all season long so far… while others
have been up and down.

Ok.

Good talk.

Hit me at the all star break to see the seeding of this years Washington Wizards.

Tatum and owning the boards. That was the difference. Tatum got locked up.

Curry is their best and most skilled offensive player. There is a difference.

Wiggins is their BEST BASKETBALL player who does EVERYTHING

Score, rebound, long range shooting, and lock down defense.
He is doing elite shit on both sides of the ball.

There is a difference, skippy.

You like taking Ls…..RONDO!

Lol

kuminga was the next highest scorer after steph. played great d too.

the rotations are fine. everyone is growing into their roles.

warriors usual non-steph scorers were ice cold tho.

uncharacteristic not-so-smart play by steph to pass up the open lane to tie it and instead step back for a 3 (and got called for a travel at that).

good play/look for klay out of the timeout on the last shot. but dude was shooting like 20% from 3 and 25% overall at that point.

silver lining is that this game would have been a blowout on the road earlier in the season with the starters going down by 17 early. the bench would have had the lead extended even worse than that. definitely getting a more complete effort by the entire team now.

We know they travel a lot in the nba so it looks weird when you actually call it once in a blue moon

maybe now they'll chill with it that Kerr complained

.

now they are supposed to let him change his pivot foot too?

but the refs are making it an emphasis. we'll see if it's real when James Harden comes back to play.

the "split second" calls that RagOnMe mentioned above are happening way more than they used to.

Then again, I'm hearing more arguments in favor of dead ball turnovers as a strategy

shooting bricks from 3 and the Mavs being mediocre.

People did nothing but clown Russ when he was putting up those numbers yearly.


Hmm…I wonder why?

(I'm not exactly defending Luka either. Mavs/him are ZZzzz to watch in my opinion. But final-4 last season isn't exactly mediocre?)

By himself, like with what Russ was doing after KD left.

And Jalen Brunson had a lot to do with the Mavs getting to the WCF

And look at them now without Brunson.


Luka padding and getting parades for it.

Oh wait

I was just reading this article here smh
https://sportsnaut.com/nba-mvp-race/

but the 6ers are missing 2 key players that routinely fuck the Cavs up: Maxey (out for weeks), Harden (ditto).

It was basically Embiid and the Dildo Baggins League, and a regular amount of free throws (28 between both teams). With Joel on an island more or less, the Cavs could half-court the 6ers to death on offense, and mostly only worry about him on defense.

Mamadi Diakite got to play, and contributed quite well. The biggest thing was the bench actually doing things, particularly Caris LeVert (who I think was the team's top scorer). Subdued night from Mitchell (but he hustled and had some nasty plays), Garland and Mobley did some carrying, especially Mobley. Okoro's night was not bad.

Robin Lopez is not Tacko Fall levels of unplayable, but he is a major minus on the court. The Cavs need another big to fill in behind Allen. Shit, I would take Tristan Thompson back at this point. LOL.

I wish the Cavs could BOOT Windler and adopt Diakite. What Diakite provides is the theory of what Windler provides, in practice.

Rubio should be back in a month or two. Then these lineups become more interesting.

Guard wise: You can pair Mitchell with anyone but LeVert and vice versa. I'd like to see some Neto/Mitchell line ups when Darius has to sit.

Forward wise: Lamar Stevens/Dean Wade should start at the 3 based on matchups, with Cedi Osman as the chief reserve behind those two. Diakite (or Dean Wade) should fill in for Mobley, then Kevin Love (when back to playing shape). Mobley is the main "no Allen" guy, they need another one. With Diakite you don't have to worry about the PF being a toilet on defense.

Closer, and closer.

No one's catching Boston in the East except Milwaukee IMO. But even then, Boston is on "Ultimate Bullshit" status this season and that's before 44 comes back. That team is built like a modern NBA team with the right talent at the right positions.

If it's a Finals rematch, I like Boston for real all things considered.