2022-2023 NBA Season Thread

[pilight]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

It renders the regular season meaningless

That seems to be the objective in all American sports these days. They just keep adding more and more teams to their playoffs.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

I had this discussion w/friends. Cause while I personally hate assault weapons, I don't agree w/people getting punished for doing what is legal. It led me to look up the NBA CBA.

On page 116, the pertinent section says, "For purposes of this paragraph, “violent conduct” shall include, but not be limited to, any conduct involving the use or threat of physical violence or the use of, or threat to use, a deadly weapon, any conduct which could be categorized as a “hate crime,” and any conduct involving dog fighting or animal*cruelty."

I'm going to say the Grizzlies consider getting videoed flashing a gun as "the use of.....a deadly weapon." I personally think that is an overly broad & almost vague clause in the CBA. Which is unfortunately too common in corporate America where they write policy purposefully less specific in order to fire people @ their whim.

At the same time, the dude got suspended in March. & in May he is putting himself on FB doing the same stupid thing. So I find it hard to have sympathy for the idiot. It's not like he is on smack or an alcoholic. All he has to do is not put pics of himself on the internet w/a gun. How hard can that be???????

Guns.

Today I took the wife to buy flowers for her garden. On the way home we were listening to college radio. They were playing a song by John Lennon, who was murdered with a gun.

God how I despise guns and people who are fascinated by them.

There are great new players coming out in almost every NBA draft class. If Morant is this stupid, I'm sure there is a hungry young man out there somewhere who would love to take his place.

[rudel.dietrich]

What a disappointment to the end of the 76ers season.
With how Embiid and Harden played, I feel like this is worse than how the Suns season ended.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Antonin

God how I despise guns and people who are fascinated by them.

I prefer to save my disdain for those who place so little value on class, dignity, and most-importantly, life, regardless of the mechanism with which they display their callousness. But to each his own

At any rate...

Originally Posted by Antonin

There are great new players coming out in almost every NBA draft class. If Morant is this stupid, I'm sure there is a hungry young man out there somewhere who would love to take his place.

Brandon Miller?

[thehef]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

What a disappointment to the end of the 76ers season.
With how Embiid and Harden played, I feel like this is worse than how the Suns season ended.

Absolutely. At least Phx had the excuse of missing some key players due to injury (not to mention the depth that was gutted in order to acquire Durant). Very puzzling was the decision to fire Monty Williams... He's basically the baggage-less version of Udoka in that he's very well-respected around the league. He'll have no trouble landing a decent next gig. Landing in Milwaukee would not surprise...

Embiid just looked gassed in those last two games. Possibly something to do with his knee injury? (Maybe he had to go easy in practices and with conditioning in order to minimize the stress on his knee.) And a part of it was surely some outstanding Al Horford defense.

Harden? Oh my. Here's his stats line for the last two games of the series vs Boston: 83 minutes, 7-27 FG's (26%, and 1-11 on threes), 7-7 FT's, minus-40 plus-minus, 13 rebs, 16 asts, 10 TO's

That shooting percentage? Ugh. And 7-7 FT's used to be a typical half for him... As far as him being a superstar, might be time to stick a fork in him...

I'm a bit surprised that we haven't yet heard that the Sixers and Doc Rivers "have agreed to mutually part ways..." But I guess Doc is planning on returning. Of course that's what he said after Ainge traded away Garnett & Pierce, that he was planning on sticking around for the rebuild. Those were just words. We shall see...

[kq76]

Someone has to do the math. Are we going to have more playoff-making coaches fired this year than non-playoff-making coaches fired?

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by kq76

Someone has to do the math. Are we going to have more playoff-making coaches fired this year than non-playoff-making coaches fired?

[Cobra Mgr]

I've got Boston & Denver in 6. Unless "Bavetta" comes out of retirement & protects LeBron.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

I've got Boston & Denver in 6. Unless "Bavetta" comes out of retirement & protects LeBron.

Same. I had Boston & Denver in the finals since the start of the playoffs and I see no reason to change that now...

Miami just isn't deep enough to topple Boston, although the C's have that maddening ability to take games off. Perhaps their experience of clutching up in games 6 & 7 against Philly has shaken them of that tendency and they'll blow through Miami. Probably not...

In the West, I think Denver is clearly the better team, essentially without weaknesses. LA OTOH isn't really that good. You can't pick your opponents, but the Grizzlies were a dysfunctional and shorthanded group, and the Warriors simply weren't that good of a team, with obvious frontcourt weakness and backcourt slumping that the L's were able to exploit.

So in this rematch of bubble semi-finalists, different winners (from that year) are in order, and six games sounds about right for each series.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by thehef

I'm a bit surprised that we haven't yet heard that the Sixers and Doc Rivers "have agreed to mutually part ways..." But I guess Doc is planning on returning... We shall see...

Adios, Doc... And I guess it wasn't mutual.

[pilight]

Originally Posted by kq76

Someone has to do the math. Are we going to have more playoff-making coaches fired this year than non-playoff-making coaches fired?

And yet San Antonio sticks with a guy who's missed the playoffs four straight years and has pretty thoroughly demonstrated his main coaching ability was writing Tim Duncan's name on a lineup card.

[Cobra Mgr]

This is the 3rd time the Hornets got the 2nd pick. Last time the got Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. 1st pick was Anthony Davis. Time before that they selected Emeka Okafor after Dwight Howard. And 1st time they got Alonzo Mourning after Shaq.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by pilight

And yet San Antonio sticks with a guy who's missed the playoffs four straight years and has pretty thoroughly demonstrated his main coaching ability was writing Tim Duncan's name on a lineup card.

Pop has enough currency built up in San Antonio that he will coach until he no longer wants to.
And he is the best coach since Auerbach.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

This is the 3rd time the Hornets got the 2nd pick. Last time the got Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. 1st pick was Anthony Davis. Time before that they selected Emeka Okafor after Dwight Howard. And 1st time they got Alonzo Mourning after Shaq.

Henderson or Miller will be good picks and give the Hornets at least something to go forward with.
But that has been some bad luck missing out on those players.

[rudel.dietrich]

Also, some good trivia.
There is only one NBA franchise that has never drafted a #1 overall pick or had a #1 overall pick on their roster.
Can anyone name them?

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Also, some good trivia.
There is one NBA franchise that has never drafted a #1 overall pick or had a #1 overall pick on their roster.
Can anyone make them?

OKC? Or are we including the Sonics years?

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Pop has enough currency built up in San Antonio that he will coach until he no longer wants to.
And he is the best coach since Auerbach.

Yeah, this is 100% ridiculous. Pop’s teams are always competitive even when the talent on the roster points to them losing 65 games. And, like, it’s not like Auerbach’s title run came without superstars on the Celtics, most notably one of the greatest big men of all time in Bill Russell.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

OKC? Or are we including the Sonics years?

It would not matter, OKC is not the correct answer.
But close, they have only had 1.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

Yeah, this is 100% ridiculous. Pop’s teams are always competitive even when the talent on the roster points to them losing 65 games. And, like, it’s not like Auerbach’s title run came without superstars on the Celtics, most notably one of the greatest big men of all time in Bill Russell.

It is almost like you need talented players to win in the NBA. Who would of thought.

[kq76]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Also, some good trivia.
There is only one NBA franchise that has never drafted a #1 overall pick or had a #1 overall pick on their roster.
Can anyone name them?

I was going to say the Nuggets, but then I remembered AI played for them. I think I know who it is, but I want to let others guess.