2022-2023 NBA Season Thread

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

I told friends last summer OKC & Utah are about to take over the NBA in 5 years.

From what I saw of OKC's young studs last night, and what I know about Danny Ainge as a talent evaluator & GM, I don't at all doubt it.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Is defense non existent today, or does it just appear that way, because the players are so much more spread out?

It’s the latter. If anything, the 90s still had players who did absolutely nothing on offense due to the illegal defense rules and those kinds of guys are virtually non-existent today. You want to bring a big out to the outside, you do it by making 3s.

In a sense there are no longer any intimidator style shot blockers because those guys I guess were too one dimensional for the modern game, so I guess in that respect James doesn’t have to contend with the likes of Mark Eaton (ironically, James was known widely earlier in his career for the chase down block, which is practically his signature move, his skyhook), but now everyone plays a little help D and everyone has to guard man to man.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by monkeyman576

Defense is pretty much non existant in the NBA today vs. the 90s. Jordan would have probably averaged 40 PPG today.

This could not be further from the truth

[Syd Thrift]

This trade deadline went from zero to hero in a big hurry. Now the Suns acquired KD for like 4 firsts and a bunch of collateral.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

This trade deadline went from zero to hero in a big hurry. Now the Suns acquired KD for like 4 firsts and a bunch of collateral.

Let's see how Paul & KD get along.

[Cobra Mgr]

Sun March 5th Phx @ Dal 1pm ABC

[Cobra Mgr]

KD says goodbye to Ben Simmons

[Syd Thrift]

After the front office said they probably weren’t going to do anything, the Bulls stunned and dismayed their fans by not doing anything. I’m kind of meh; they’re not doing great but there’s no incentive to blow it all up since they don’t have their own pick next year (technically it’s top-4 protected but Chicago would basically need to lose out to get that bad) and honestly I still think that if Lonzo Ball somehow comes back (which isn’t looking good in a career sense, much less a season sense) this team looked really good in the first part of last year as constituted. On the flip side they need a point guard and there just plain isn’t a good relatively cheap one they could get for Coby White and Portland’s FRP.

It is what it is, as the meme goes.

[thehef]

Is Phoenix now the favorite to come out of the West? The starting lineup of Ayton, Durant, Booker, Paul, and whoever they replace Bridges with at F looks pretty decent. But with Bridges and Cam Johnson both gone, they don't seem to have much depth... especially in the frontcourt...

I'm thinking that the Nuggets & Suns are the two faves now. With the Grizzlies on the fringe, the Warriors & Clippers possibilities if they can get healthy, and the Lakers not to be dismissed if their new guys blend well (and Prima Donna and Tin Man can stay healthy)... I don't think Kyrie makes enough difference to get the Mavs into the convo...

I'd say the East is still a two-team race, with the C's ever-so-slightly favored over the Bucks... The Sixers record is nice, but they are not in the same class. Neither are the Heat, anymore... The Cavs could make a deep run; that's a solid team... but they're not getting past the top two... this year, anyway...

[Cobra Mgr]

2 concerns for PHX are 1) health & 2)KD accepting Paul's leadership.

[Cobra Mgr]

Big concern overall is the fact the east is fueling the west like they are the W.Conf farm clubs. When are he E.clubs going to make moves for the postseason?

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

2 concerns for PHX are 1) health & 2)KD accepting Paul's leadership.

Paul can be a bit abrasive, but I think KD will find Phx & Paul pretty refreshing, given from where & whom he just came...

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Big concern overall is the fact the east is fueling the west like they are the W.Conf farm clubs. When are he E.clubs going to make moves for the postseason?

I think Boston & Milwaukee felt they generally only needed to make moves around edges, and that's what they've done with the C's acquiring Muscala and the B's getting Crowder (two under-the-radar but great pickups, IMO)... As with Phx in the WC, it was up to the other EC teams to make significant moves in order to have a shot, and I don't think any did...

Next up is the buyout market... I don't know about the Bucks, but I think the C's will be looking for a wing who can spell Tatum & Brown...

[Syd Thrift]

I mean, Irving isn’t abrasive at all. Like, for all his faults, KD expressly wanted to play with him because they get along well. He’s got some benighted points of view to put it mildly but in the sense that he irks his fellow players, it’s not by being like, say, a Draymond Green (who was, it should be said, a big part of why KD left Golden State) or a Pat Beverly, it’s by missing games for idiotic reasons and lighting sage in his locker after you just had a lousy game and are trying to forget about it.

That said, I think people way underrate or forget how close Phoenix was 2 years ago and hell, even last year they were considered the favorites before the Dallas series. They probably only needed a small push to get them back there. KD is a huge push. I suspect that if there are any rifts, they won’t open by May. Next year, maybe, but next year the Suns can just cut ties with Paul.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Big concern overall is the fact the east is fueling the west like they are the W.Conf farm clubs. When are he E.clubs going to make moves for the postseason?

This is a concern. But I have to say I'm glad the Cavs made no moves at the deadline. I'm content to see just how far we get with what we have now. Acquiring Donovan Mitchell was a big deal. Now let's see if he's a force multiplier...

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by thehef

...Personally, I was pretty turned off by his me-me-me celebration immediately afterwards like some medieval king soaking up the adoration of his subjects (well, he calls himself The King, so... I guess it fits). I realize the NBA would've insisted that he go along with the subsequent game stoppage & ceremony, but - unlike some greats from bygone eras - I don't imagine he'd have wanted it any other way....

Get off my lawn... ...
:

But remember, this is a guy who was labeled "The Chosen One" as a teenager. He was surrounded by an avalanche of hype, and amazingly, he did not go off the rails because of it. He actually lived up to the hype. I think that his biggest flaw as a basketball player was that he came to believe the hype, and never really learned to "play the right way." But he was so talented and physically blessed he got away with it.

During his time in Cleveland the big complaint was his insistence on playing "hero ball." Dribble, dribble, dribble, don't pass until there are 2-3 seconds on the clock, or maybe jack up a 3 and miss, or maybe drive to the basket and maybe make it or make it and get fouled. Maybe play defense, maybe not.

He would insist that management get this guy or that guy, instead of letting management do their jobs and get guys who could fit into a real team. Coach Mike Brown even said famously that he was thankful that LeBron allowed him (Brown) to coach him (LeBron).

Even former Cav great Austin Carr, who even now jokes about his own reputation for shooting every time he touched the ball, used to (gently) complain that the Cavs under LeBron were playing too much "hero ball."

LeBron got away with it because we won games. Enough to finally win a championship. But I'm absolutely convinced we would have won at least one more while he was here if he had only played more team basketball. He made things harder on himself than he needed to.

That's why every time Cleveland sports talk radio throws out the question, "Would you want LeBron to come back again?" some of the crazy callers think that would be a peachy idea, while most of them say "thanks but no thanks...no more hero ball."

I remember Kyle Korver, at the time considered one of the best 3-point shooters ever, saying when asked about the Cavs' offense: "We just give the ball to LeBron and stand back." Korver just languished when he was here. His talent, and the talent of every other guy who played for us in those years, was just wasted.

[thehef]

I just saw something that, frank, shocked the hell of out me: An NBA player - in this case Mark Williams of Charlotte - blocked a shot, not into the 3rd row and giving the opponent another offensive possession, but controlled the ball himself, and passed to a teammate. What a forgotten concept!!!

[Syd Thrift]

I feel like I’m not watching the same game as some people…

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

I feel like I’m not watching the same game as some people…

You must be the typical basketball referee.

[Cobra Mgr]

4 team trade in peril.

[Antonin]

Astonishingly good performance by my Cavaliers in tonight's victory over the Bulls. Second night of a back-to-back. They got home at 4 a.m., and could not even have a walk-through this afternoon because the arena was being used by our minor league hockey team.

Somehow they mustered enough energy to come back in the second half and win. Great team play by everyone. I don't know how Jarrett Allen held his own against Drummond and Vucevic. Evan Mobley was great as usual. And late in the game Ricky Rubio made a now-you-see-it, now-you-don't fake behind-the-back pass that happened so fast I will need to visit YouTube tomorrow to make sure that I really saw what I thought I saw.

A very fun game!