2018-2019 NBA Season Thread

[TheMaus2]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

.

they're not winning this year, but they're set up pretty well to have a sneaky good summer. Harris was expiring with no guarantee of coming back, and they got 2 firsts plus good developing players like Shamet amd Zubac. Paired with Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson and this years lottery pick, they could get Davis or another pre-agency player. The other players they got back are good blue collar guys that could keep the team competitive through April.

I think Clippers stigma has dissipated this decade with help from Ballmer and West. This team has a better chance at snagging a good FA than you think. Their roster is definitely more attractive to play with than LeBron and Beasley and McGee and Stephenson.

[rudel.dietrich]

Them getting both Leonard and Cousins this summer would not surprise me.

[David Watts]

The Anthony Davis situation is quite the fiasco. Sitting a guy the entire 4th quarter in a close game vs the Lakers? We know why, but that doesn't make it any less nauseating.

[Cobra Mgr]

It's Anthony Davis' fault.

1.Should not have told the public of his trade request

2. Should not have signed a 5 yr deal w/ Orleans if he wasn't prepared to play 5yrs in Orleans.

In the NBA, players have gotten a little full of themselves and need to be reigned in. You make better money than any other American athlete. And when you are a star, you have more control over the direction of your team than any other American athlete. Stop demanding the most money, stop trying to be the coach & GM, and stop avoiding accountability. They act like spoiled toddlers who want the world catered to them, but don't lift a finger to help the planet run.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

It's Anthony Davis' fault.

1.Should not have told the public of his trade request

2. Should not have signed a 5 yr deal w/ Orleans if he wasn't prepared to play 5yrs in Orleans.

In the NBA, players have gotten a little full of themselves and need to be reigned in. You make better money than any other American athlete. And when you are a star, you have more control over the direction of your team than any other American athlete. Stop demanding the most money, stop trying to be the coach & GM, and stop avoiding accountability. They act like spoiled toddlers who want the world catered to them, but don't lift a finger to help the planet run.

I agree 100% that it's Anthony's fault. Not sure why anyone would pay money to attend a Pelicans game at this time.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by David Watts

I agree 100% that it's Anthony's fault. Not sure why anyone would pay money to attend a Pelicans game at this time.

Pelicans got a bad start because of David Shinn. He was as bad a human being as you could find. He was great the 1st year or 2 in Charlotte. Then it was all downhill from that point on. The franchise has been struggling ever since because of his "leadership". Then the hurricane. Then his bankruptcy. Then the NBA owners bought it. That team hasn't had any kind of stable, sane direction in its history.

I would like to see New Orleans show their support of the team by continuing to show up. Instead of giving AD & players like him fuel by staying away.

I believe the Pelicans have tried to get better. But it is really hard to build a winning, fiscally-responsible franchise if you aren't a draft guru. Salaries have gone over the top. Players who have never even gotten a ticket to the all-star game are getting $15m a year. For some reason, players think making a title contender is a quick and easy task for GM's. The easiest way to play for a championship team is to do what KD & Cousins did. If you want a winning team built around you, don't ask for a max contract & trust management will use that money to get you some help.

[Cobra Mgr]

Bulls & Hawks played 4 OT's tonight. Probably because neither team had the will to win while their franchises are tryin' for Zion. Most amazing stat: 2nd on the team in minutes for Atlanta was Vince Carter, coming off the bench. He actually played more minutes (45) than his years (42) on this earth.

[Cobra Mgr]

Trae Young Undeserved T #1

Trae Young Undeserved T #2

[TheMaus2]

would suck to be a boston fan rn. they've underwhelmed all season and then they go out and blow the warriors out by 30.

[Cobra Mgr]

This is why I can sit down to watch the NHL reg season, but can barely do it in the NBA. Why was Nurkic given a T here? Because Westbrook got mad? This was significant, because w/seconds to go Nurkic got a 2nd T after giving Paul George a headbutt when George got in his grill. Nurkic got ejected & the Thunder got to pick their choice for who would shoot Nurkic's FT's.

I've posted this before. I've gravitated towards the NHL because I don;t know the rules, therefore I can't tell when the refs are incompetent or blatantly biased & cheating. The NBA refs have too much opportunity to screw the game up or subtly alter the game.

[Cobra Mgr]

Rasheed Wallace to coach HS basketball.

This should be interesting. A lot of people know Rasheed for his temper. What people don't know is that he genuinely cares about people. Very generous, very intelligent & knowledgeable. He's a different cat in more ways than one. Always gets involved with the community. You won't find a teammate with any cross words about him. An author once wrote a tell-all book about the "Jail Blazers" but singled out Rasheed for always being a gentleman w/her. For the Player's Tribune, he didn't just write an article about sports. He wrote one about the Flint, MI water crisis. When he went on his recruiting visit to Chapel Hill, he didn't want to visit the Dean Dome. He wanted to meet one of the professors.

I think the Durham Jordan kids are going to get a mentor parents will be very pleased with.

[Cobra Mgr]

What Steve Smith was to the Carolina Panthers, Russell Westbrook is to the OKC Thunder. That's one tense, tightly wound brother.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

What Steve Smith was to the Carolina Panthers, Russell Westbrook is to the OKC Thunder. That's one tense, tightly wound brother.

The fan had been after him on Twitter after an incident last year in Utah and probably used some racial overtones in the lead up to the altercation.
Westbrook will get a stern phone call from the league and a fine and the Jazz will do an investigation along with the arena and that fan and his wife may possibly get an arena ban.

The NBA likes fans being able to sit closer to the game than any other sport but has nightmares about altercations between fans and players. This is not the look they want.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

What Steve Smith was to the Carolina Panthers, Russell Westbrook is to the OKC Thunder. That's one tense, tightly wound brother.

Donovan Mitchell also released a lengthy Instagram post today pretty much stating that this is not the first time SLC fans have used racial insults at opposing players and even Jazz players.

I think this is something that the Jazz would want to take a serious look at. The league is 73% black. And even the non black players sympathize because when you grow up playing basketball your entire life you tend to interact with a lot of minorities and their plights and situations. You don't want future draft picks and free agents to think, 'why would I want to play for those fans?'

[rudel.dietrich]

And the Jazz did a quick investigation and that particular fan is banned for life from all Jazz events and the arena.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

And the Jazz did a quick investigation and that particular fan is banned for life from all Jazz events and the arena.

Which is good.

Here's my problem with this situation: If Westbrook didn't go ape bleep from the bigot's comments, nothing would have happened. Russ essentially had to pay 25g's in order for someone to take action. That ain't right.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Which is good.

Here's my problem with this situation: If Westbrook didn't go ape bleep from the bigot's comments, nothing would have happened. Russ essentially had to pay 25g's in order for someone to take action. That ain't right.

I think this goes to a larger issue in society. I am not a minority so I will never experience this. But Westbrook and probably every other minority faces discrimination, racism and bigotry on a near daily basis. Some of it might be small and unnoticed where someone crosses a street or pretends to look away and not make eye contact.

Then you have issues like last night where there is no question.
And then there is all the stuff in between those two extremes.

It is sad that we still have to deal with this in 2019 but as least public shame about things like this exists. I hate to see anyones life be made a hell but that fan for his actions is a pariah on social media and around SLC now.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Then you have issues like last night where there is no question.
And then there is all the stuff in between those two extremes.

But what was security doing? Handing out "yellow cards". Do you need multiple yellow cards before you kick someone out of the building for racism?

There's the problem. Multiple players, even before this incident, have brought attention to the environment in Utah's arena. Has anyone before now been banned from the Jazz games? It wasn't until there was an incident that someone took action. Again, that's the problem.

This is what I tell people at work......There are 3 ways. The right way. The wrong way. And the way that gets results. People think the right way is the same as the way that gets results. But many times the wrong way is the same as the way that gets results. Everyone wants things to be done the right way. But people don't always react the right way to the right way, but the wrong way. Which causes people to react the wrong way. Which ends up being the way that gets results because it gets people to react the right way. If people want things done the right way, then react the right way. Then the right way will be the way that gets results, and people won't resort to the wrong way.

[rudel.dietrich]

I am glad to see that Brandon Ingram will make a full recovery. Whenever I read blood clot’ and professional athlete in the same sentence I always think the worst.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

I am really liking my Giannis for MVP bet I made before the season at 6-1

And I still like it, but Harden has a chance to score 2800 points in a single season which has only been done twice since 1975.
That will make me sweat it out until late June