NBA Thread

[Hadez]

I just hope the Nuggets have stayed sharp. They will be fresh and possibly make the Celtics face another 0-3 hole if they pull it out today.

[broncolee]

Looks like the Heat will not go down in NBA infamy.

[broncolee]

Go Nuggets!!!!!

[GMTD]

Looks like the Heat will not go down in NBA infamy.

Good for them!

Also good for us as we now get the first two games of the Finals at home.

[GMTD]

It's funny. Chuck said after Game 6 that the Celtics were inexplicably shooting too many 3s when they were converting over 70% of 2 point attempts. And they did it again in Game 7. They had more 3PA than 2PA:

2PA: Miami 28-56; Celtics 23-40.

3PA: Miami 14-28; Celtics 9-42

[beastlyskronk]

Apparently the nuggets run has taught the NBA nothing. We’ve now seen Beal to the Suns, Porzingis to the Celtics, and now Chris Paul to the Warriors. All 3 moves do nothing to fix the issues they ran into during their postseason runs. Porzingis might work just because the Celtics have pretty good depth but he clashes with their switch everything style of defense and has already proven in Dallas he doesn’t want to be the 2nd or 3rd fiddle relegated to spacing the court on offense.

[Spice 1]

Apparently the nuggets run has taught the NBA nothing. We’ve now seen Beal to the Suns, Porzingis to the Celtics, and now Chris Paul to the Warriors. All 3 moves do nothing to fix the issues they ran into during their postseason runs. Porzingis might work just because the Celtics have pretty good depth but he clashes with their switch everything style of defense and has already proven in Dallas he doesn’t want to be the 2nd or 3rd fiddle relegated to spacing the court on offense.

I think Jordan Poole and finances was the driving force behind the CP3 trade. They had to do something with Poole, because he was overpaid and they're going to have other concerns in the future financially. They're still in win now mode, so they had to get somebody who can play in that offense and help the team. Maybe Paul can do that in limited minutes. The Warriors want to keep Draymond because finding a replacement who fits what they do is difficult. A big who can guard multiple positions, initiate the offense through handling and passing, and shoot the ball well enough to make defenses respect him. Draymond's a smart player too, and that's a big factor as well. I don't think it's a coincidence that Bob Myers checked out though.

It seems the Suns are transitioning more into Booker being the primary initiator. The Camara pick reinforces that, unless they have another trade up their sleeves. I don't know who they would be able to sign. Somehow, I can see this working. The players they have are too good. I don't know if Vogel is the best guy for the job, but I think he's underrated. I would at least expect them to be better defensively next season.


I'll take Emoni Bates at 49.

People can say what they want about him and his game, but the fact that nobody even took a flier on him before the 49th pick is hilarious to me. Especially teams with multiple draft picks. Let's assume he never becomes a good defender, and never gives you consistent playmaking or intensity on the glass. Okay. He's going to be a knockdown shooter in the NBA from just about anywhere, and he can shoot off the dribble at 6'9. That's a guaranteed rotational player at least. So, what's the bet against that? Character? Is that the justification to draft guys who can't shoot to save their families lives, and hope their shooting can be developed? Not everyone develops their shooting. Only in fairy tales.

Cleveland needed a 3 with consistency from the perimeter. They at least got that with the 49th pick. Now they need Mobley to continue developing, especially his mid-range game, and they need Mitchell to play way more efficiently against the NY Knicks. Don't trade Osman or Okoro unless it leads to immediate returns, because they're the best two perimeter defenders on the team. Cleveland's identity is defense. I wouldn't trade Allen either, but he has to stop with the soft rebounding.