martin wrote:VDesai wrote:Hachimura was 9th, Cam was 10th in same draft. Both players have shown an equal amount of flashes, though Hachimura is having a better season. But either way I think the market is set for Cam
The Hachimura trade capital was wild to me: "The deal includes a 2023 second-round pick via Chicago, the Lakers' own in 2029 and the less favorable of the Wizards' and Lakers' 2028 second-round picks, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski."
The Chicago pick will probably be around 40? And the other 2 picks are so far off the current GM of the Wizards probably won't be around to use them in a draft for himself and neither pick will realize its value for another 3-4 years?
Lakers didn't get Hachimura for free but that's also not very much to give up right now for your team in the short term? Or for the Wizards, they don't get any real value returned that'll help them any time soon with the possibility of only getting a solid 40th pick?
I don't even know what to think of this one.
IIRC Hachimura stepped away from the game for over a year for mental health reasons. My suspicion is that affected his value (risk of recurrence???)
Personally I have liked his game. Biggest issue against him is he's not spectacular at any given thing.
Wish him the best
BRIGGS wrote:Lebron james is just incredible. The guy weighs 255-260. He’s 38 years old and he still plays the game at absolute maximum level. He’s the best older player of all time beyond being one of the greatest all time. No player has ever done what lbj is doing now
Bold is key and literal. I have long held the belief that Lebron (and many members of the Heat) were using HGH and PEDs. the increased jaw size and the thick but lean waist are pretty damning indicators. throw in hassan whiteside's transformation, some blood clots for Chris Bosh and a smattering of one year wonders down in Miami
In his prime he was clearly the most astonishing player i ever saw (not counting old reels of Wilt when NBA was third class and didnt attract the best athletes) -- in my mind clearly more amazing than MJ
All that said i would still take bird or Magic in a heartbeat over MJ or Lebron and wouldn't think twice about it.
So many great Joakim memories!!! Our glory days!
shinmen wrote:Lebron is definitely an all time great and on par with Jordan I would say by the weight he has had on the league. He's also a product of our time. Had he played in the 80's/90's, his career and the player he is would have been different. The game has changed a lot over the last few decades. He's played 20 seasons or so, has a conditioning that didn't exist in the 90's, the defense nowadays is usually nonexistent except for a few playoff games.
If Lebron played in the 80’s and 90’s he would be Magic Johnson. I get the bullyball argument and players last 10-15 years have become very soft thanks to rule changes and shady officiating but Lebron would have still been the GOAT and he is overall better than Jordan who got every call between 1991 and 1997. Lebron gets calls too but no one had a bigger forcefield around him than Jordan
Part of the reason Jordan retired when he was 34 was he was getting too slow and it became harder for refs to pretend he was still an elite defender. That last championship run you had scrubs like Travis Best running circles around Michael and Scottie. Lebron is 38 now and up until about 2 years ago was still a top 3 player in the league
I have said this before but its not about who is better but respect for each career. Jordan might have been the GOAT but Lebron might have had a GOAT career. They have different metrics and perhaps how one feels about one vs the other matter. Different era so its not easy to compare. Both deserved more MVP awards.
If Lebron was juicing, so might have Jordan? Who knows.
If titles matter, and they do, Bill Russell has 11 plus two NCAA chips.
If Stats, titles and MVP matter, and they do, Kareem is right there on Mt Rushmore.
Statistical deviations matter. Wilt destroyed the league.
Jordans two three peats and domination of his era matters.
And Lebrons domination, trips to finals, 4 rings with three teams, longevity, and gaudy stats in all major categories matter.
If you hate lebron, they don't matter. Too bad Lebron was immature when younger as he might have made better decisions about roster influence.
But, it was a different era.
Jordan was landlocked by a cap system that nobody could pay him close to what he got from Bulls and he protected his brand with intensity. We do forget the Wizards years.
Off by his standards but pretty good by most. He played 60 games, then his last played 82.
Feel like Johnny Davis name came up recently and found this thoughtful:
https://www.si.com/nba/2023/01/26/2022-n...
What happened to Johnny Davis?Davis was the 10th pick in the draft, by the Wizards out of Wisconsin, and someone I was quite high on throughout the process last year. He’s also somewhat inarguably been the most disappointing of the 2022 lottery picks, having made just 10 NBA appearances and also not having set the world on fire in the G League. It’s far too early to write Davis off entirely, but we know enough to assert that it’s been a frustrating rookie season, and that expectations may have to be recalibrated.
I’ll admit to having been fully sold on Davis’s competitive makeup and intangibles as a player, which I do think matter to an extent and are part of why I think he eventually finds his way into an NBA role and settles in. However, I think that element of the eval is part of what caused me (and others around the NBA, presumably) to look at some of the holes in his game a little too lightly. Davis has never been a great improviser off the dribble, nor is he a top-flight three-point shooter, and he’s a bit undersized for a two-guard, which is something that can be significant for off-ball scorers in particular. Davis is extremely tough and competitive, which is what led to such an outstanding season at Wisconsin last year, but the lack of an elite athletic or skill-based strength has been part of why he hasn’t gotten a foothold on minutes yet.
I also think there’s probably a greater takeaway to be made here about the jump in level Davis faced, which I think has been more pronounced due largely to Wisconsin’s rigid, systematic offense. They win games playing that way—slowing the game down, moving the ball, finding cutters and turning the ball over to their best player at the end of the clock if nothing materializes—but ultimately, I don’t think it put Davis in a spot that built a ton of translatable shot-creating equity in the NBA. He wasn’t playing in ball screens, he wasn’t getting easy catch-and-shoot opportunities, and he was often forced to create from a standstill beyond the arc and barrel into the paint and midrange against crowds. The NBA game is vastly different, relying on quick improvisation and decision-making from guards a lot of the time, and based on what I caught in summer league and at the G League showcase in December, it feels to me like Davis came in a little bit behind the eight ball in those respects. I’m hopeful he puts things together and ultimately benefits from the adversity of this season, but I’ve also reframed my view of his long-term upside a bit. Davis profiles optimistically as a role player at this point, and Washington was presumably hoping for more when it selected him.
martin wrote:Feel like Johnny Davis name came up recently and found this thoughtful:https://www.si.com/nba/2023/01/26/2022-n...
What happened to Johnny Davis?Davis was the 10th pick in the draft, by the Wizards out of Wisconsin, and someone I was quite high on throughout the process last year. He’s also somewhat inarguably been the most disappointing of the 2022 lottery picks, having made just 10 NBA appearances and also not having set the world on fire in the G League. It’s far too early to write Davis off entirely, but we know enough to assert that it’s been a frustrating rookie season, and that expectations may have to be recalibrated.
I’ll admit to having been fully sold on Davis’s competitive makeup and intangibles as a player, which I do think matter to an extent and are part of why I think he eventually finds his way into an NBA role and settles in. However, I think that element of the eval is part of what caused me (and others around the NBA, presumably) to look at some of the holes in his game a little too lightly. Davis has never been a great improviser off the dribble, nor is he a top-flight three-point shooter, and he’s a bit undersized for a two-guard, which is something that can be significant for off-ball scorers in particular. Davis is extremely tough and competitive, which is what led to such an outstanding season at Wisconsin last year, but the lack of an elite athletic or skill-based strength has been part of why he hasn’t gotten a foothold on minutes yet.
I also think there’s probably a greater takeaway to be made here about the jump in level Davis faced, which I think has been more pronounced due largely to Wisconsin’s rigid, systematic offense. They win games playing that way—slowing the game down, moving the ball, finding cutters and turning the ball over to their best player at the end of the clock if nothing materializes—but ultimately, I don’t think it put Davis in a spot that built a ton of translatable shot-creating equity in the NBA. He wasn’t playing in ball screens, he wasn’t getting easy catch-and-shoot opportunities, and he was often forced to create from a standstill beyond the arc and barrel into the paint and midrange against crowds. The NBA game is vastly different, relying on quick improvisation and decision-making from guards a lot of the time, and based on what I caught in summer league and at the G League showcase in December, it feels to me like Davis came in a little bit behind the eight ball in those respects. I’m hopeful he puts things together and ultimately benefits from the adversity of this season, but I’ve also reframed my view of his long-term upside a bit. Davis profiles optimistically as a role player at this point, and Washington was presumably hoping for more when it selected him.
In a way he reminds me of Jarret Culver who had a similar stark reduction in expectations midway through his rookie season. Let's hope Davis can regroup and maximize whatever his ceiling turns out to be.
Durant-less Nets lose to Pistons in Brooklyn. Kyrie 40 points. Simmons -- zero.
Let the Mavs tank to just above the 10th pick commence
martin wrote:Let the Mavs tank to just above the 10th pick commence
Dammit! I had money on Dallas.
joec32033 wrote:martin wrote:Let the Mavs tank to just above the 10th pick commence
Dammit! I had money on Dallas.
Haha I still can't believe the Mavs won!
martin wrote:joec32033 wrote:martin wrote:Let the Mavs tank to just above the 10th pick commence
Dammit! I had money on Dallas.
Haha I still can't believe the Mavs won!
They did! Easiest $10 I ever made.
martin wrote:joec32033 wrote:martin wrote:Let the Mavs tank to just above the 10th pick commence
Dammit! I had money on Dallas.
Haha I still can't believe the Mavs won!
It's weird to me. I don't watch Dallas basketball four but it just seems as if his teammates play better when Luka isn't playing. He's an elite player. Maybe top 5 in the world etc but I get BALL HOG vibes everytime I watch him play. Feels like he dribbles 20 seconds before shooting or passing. But then again. I don't watch Dallas basketball enough just a thought of mine.
How is Robert Randolph supposed to feed his family this week?
Random and unrelated, but did anyone catch Barkly saying he thinks this trade deadline will be nuts? He seemed convinced of it yet, to me, it seems super quiet. Wondering if he's just stirring the pot or if he's hearing things. It would make sense to me given the parity in the league that some teams might think a tweak here or there will be a big catalyst
Separately, when you look at the standing the big glaring thing is the Knicks and lack of home court advantage. We all know this has been an issue but when you look at all of the top teams our home record really stands out. What the heck is going on
BigDaddyG wrote:
The way he says "knee soreness" is a classic- clearly is fed up of Simmons already
If it's a playoff series vs the Nets do you just foul Claxton and Simmons every time they touch the ball? They both shoot .45 from the ft line which means average points per possession is .9, which would be the worst offense by a long, long stretch. It almost seems like bad coaching to?not already be doing this.
