NBA General Discussion Thread 2017

[Mabdul Doobakus]

So, in the Dukies in the NBA thread we have talked a bit about how well Kyrie (and Jayson) is playing and how the Celtics look really good right now, even without Heyward. Well, the corollary to this is how truly awful the Cavs look. Cleveland is 3-4 and has lost consecutive games to... wait for it... the Nets, Pelicans, and Knicks. I should revise that, they didn't just lose to the Pelicans and Knicks, they got blown out.

Deadspin (I know some folks hate that site, don't shoot the messenger) has a pretty good analysis (with some colorful language) of what ails the team. In short, they are not good on offense and they are really, really bad on defense. Remember all the talk that Kyrie leaving town would bring Kevin Love out of his long slumber... not so much.



Somehow, Cleveland thought bringing in Dwayne Wade and Jalen Rose would be a good idea, but they both seem to be shadows of the shadows of their old selves. Deadspin has an amusing gif of Rose playing some of the worst pick and roll D you will ever see.



Kyle Korver is hitting 53% of his 3s and they still are a team that shoots poorly. Korver, by the way, is well on his way to being the worst defender in the entire league... but it is hard to blame him for sucking on D as he is just a few weeks away from being eligible for social security.

-Jason "I know the Cavs are waiting for IT to get healthy, but one of the weakest PG defenders in the league isn't going to solve many problems for them" Evans

Jalen Rose is 44. Definitely an odd choice.

I feel like we do this every year with Cleveland, but this is also almost certainly the worst of The Return Era Cleveland teams. They'll probably still win the East, but get swept in the Finals, so we have that to look forward to.

[curtis325]

So, in the Dukies in the NBA thread we have talked a bit about how well Kyrie (and Jayson) is playing and how the Celtics look really good right now, even without Heyward. Well, the corollary to this is how truly awful the Cavs look. Cleveland is 3-4 and has lost consecutive games to... wait for it... the Nets, Pelicans, and Knicks. I should revise that, they didn't just lose to the Pelicans and Knicks, they got blown out.

Deadspin (I know some folks hate that site, don't shoot the messenger) has a pretty good analysis (with some colorful language) of what ails the team. In short, they are not good on offense and they are really, really bad on defense. Remember all the talk that Kyrie leaving town would bring Kevin Love out of his long slumber... not so much.



Somehow, Cleveland thought bringing in Dwayne Wade and Jalen Rose would be a good idea, but they both seem to be shadows of the shadows of their old selves. Deadspin has an amusing gif of Rose playing some of the worst pick and roll D you will ever see.



Kyle Korver is hitting 53% of his 3s and they still are a team that shoots poorly. Korver, by the way, is well on his way to being the worst defender in the entire league... but it is hard to blame him for sucking on D as he is just a few weeks away from being eligible for social security.

-Jason "I know the Cavs are waiting for IT to get healthy, but one of the weakest PG defenders in the league isn't going to solve many problems for them" Evans

It's an interesting GIF. Do they even have referees in the NBA? Looked like a moving screen followed by travelling.

[ChillinDuke]

Too early to know for sure but there is real reason for concern. Also a bit of mental fatigue at play- particularly motivating themselves for the crazy long regular season. Not counting them out but the road may be tougher.

Yes to the bolded, there are serious issues with the length of the NBA season as well as the playoffs. Teams simply don't have to win games all the time, they just have to win enough to not totally screw themselves. Think about that for a second. Contrast that with the NCAAT, for example. Or the NFL regular season/playoffs. Or even baseball where so few teams make the playoffs, and the ones that don't win their division play a one-game playoff! Talk about incentives to perform.

I'm not in the least bit worried about Cleveland, even if their defense stinks all year long. They'll make the playoffs - so why would I care about their games right now? To watch Lebron's athleticism? I want to see teams incented to compete today...

- Chillin

[Billy Dat]

Cleveland is 3-4 and has lost consecutive games to... wait for it... the Nets, Pelicans, and Knicks. I should revise that, they didn't just lose to the Pelicans and Knicks, they got blown out.

In the currently topsy turvy NBA, my Knicks aren't that bad, 3-3 vs the currently 11th toughest schedule!

It is interesting how some odd Eastern conference teams have looked good early...Detroit, Orlando, Charlotte...

[flyingdutchdevil]

In the currently topsy turvy NBA, my Knicks aren't that bad, 3-3 vs the currently 11th toughest schedule!

It is interesting how some odd Eastern conference teams have looked good early...Detroit, Orlando, Charlotte...

Detroit has great coaching. The Knicks have a top 15 player. Charlotte has good players at every position. Orlando...ummm...I can't explain that. Every starter is playing out of their minds. It's nuts!

[JasonEvans]

The Knicks have a top 15 player.

Is Porzy (I just made up that nickname, it won't stick) top 15? I dunno. I haven't really thought about it that much but it seems like that might be a bit high for him.

Freak, Lebron, Harden, Westbrook, Steph, Paul, Kwahi, The Brow, and Durant are no brainers ahead of him. That's 9 guys. So, is he better than 3 of Draymond, Butler, George, Boogie, Towns, Kyrie, Jokic, Wall, or Gobert? Porzy is off to a great start to the season, so I guess you can say he is better than a few of those guys for now. Will be interesting to see if Porzy can keep it up.

-Jason "if he averages 29ppg for the season, he'll make one of the 3 All NBA teams" Evans

[flyingdutchdevil]

Is Porzy (I just made up that nickname, it won't stick) top 15? I dunno. I haven't really thought about it that much but it seems like that might be a bit high for him.

Freak, Lebron, Harden, Westbrook, Steph, Paul, Kwahi, The Brow, and Durant are no brainers ahead of him. That's 9 guys. So, is he better than 3 of Draymond, Butler, George, Boogie, Towns, Kyrie, Jokic, Wall, or Gobert? Porzy is off to a great start to the season, so I guess you can say he is better than a few of those guys for now. Will be interesting to see if Porzy can keep it up.

-Jason "if he averages 29ppg for the season, he'll make one of the 3 All NBA teams" Evans

The way he's playing now is top 15. Whether that is sustainable is the question. And I think KP is playing better than Butler, George, Wall, and Kyrie (he's got a significantly higher PER than Butler, George, and Wall right now. It's 3 points higher than Kyrie).

Also, I wouldn't put Chris Paul in the top 15 as a guarantee. He's off to a terrible start. Is this the beginning of the end for Paul? Maybe...

[dukelifer]

Is Porzy (I just made up that nickname, it won't stick) top 15? I dunno. I haven't really thought about it that much but it seems like that might be a bit high for him.

Freak, Lebron, Harden, Westbrook, Steph, Paul, Kwahi, The Brow, and Durant are no brainers ahead of him. That's 9 guys. So, is he better than 3 of Draymond, Butler, George, Boogie, Towns, Kyrie, Jokic, Wall, or Gobert? Porzy is off to a great start to the season, so I guess you can say he is better than a few of those guys for now. Will be interesting to see if Porzy can keep it up.

-Jason "if he averages 29ppg for the season, he'll make one of the 3 All NBA teams" Evans

He is also a bit of a freak- 7' 3" and can do what he can do on the floor is amazing. He is certainly in that next group conversation - but he needs to sustain it. Still not any like him.

[BD80]

I think you meant Derrick Rose. It is an interesting question, though, whether or not a 44 year old Jalen would be more useful than Derrick.

Jalen never did play much D. He'd fit in with Cleveland's "Golden Guys"

[Turk]

Is Porzy (I just made up that nickname, it won't stick) top 15? I dunno.

I like "Zinger" - clear and simple.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I like "Zinger" - clear and simple.

MSG Network calls him "KP". Super unoriginal...

[Billy Dat]

I like "Zinger" - clear and simple.

MSG Network calls him "KP". Super unoriginal...

"KP" is what his teammates call him which is why I think the MSG guys call him that. Early on, I liked P.Ziddy. Michael Rappaport calls him the Latvian Gangbanger (or, to be more specific to how MR actually mispronounces it, "The Lativian Gangbanger).

On Twitter this AM, someone offered "Lordzingis".

I am just happy he is the focus of the offense as the team moves on from the Melo era. Big home game tonight against Houston who have been uneven to start the year.

[English]

"KP" is what his teammates call him which is why I think the MSG guys call him that. Early on, I liked P.Ziddy. Michael Rappaport calls him the Latvian Gangbanger (or, to be more specific to how MR actually mispronounces it, "The Lativian Gangbanger).

On Twitter this AM, someone offered "Lordzingis".

I am just happy he is the focus of the offense as the team moves on from the Melo era. Big home game tonight against Houston who have been uneven to start the year.

I've definitely heard "PorzinGOD." It's a personal fave of mine...of course, I'm light on organized religion and without delicate sensibilities, so YMMV.

[BD80]

After 5 years in the NBA, has Andre Drummond finally learned how to shoot free throws?

Last year, he shot 38.6% from the line, and was pulled in the 4th quarter of games because teams would intentionally foul him to get the ball back.

In the first 8 games Dre was shooting 70% from the line,

Last night, against the Bucks, Dre went 14-16 from the charity stripe!

He's now shooting 77.8% on free throws for the 6-3 Pistons, who have wins over the Warriors and Clippers on the road.

Can anyone recall such a turn-around in a player? Nine games does not a season make, but DOUBLING his shooting accuracy percentage?

[camion]

After 5 years in the NBA, has Andre Drummond finally learned how to shoot free throws?

Last year, he shot 38.6% from the line, and was pulled in the 4th quarter of games because teams would intentionally foul him to get the ball back.

In the first 8 games Dre was shooting 70% from the line,

Last night, against the Bucks, Dre went 14-16 from the charity stripe!

He's now shooting 77.8% on free throws for the 6-3 Pistons, who have wins over the Warriors and Clippers on the road.

Can anyone recall such a turn-around in a player? Nine games does not a season make, but DOUBLING his shooting accuracy percentage?

I heard that Andre made a change to his free throw technique. This year he's keeping his eyes open.

[BD80]

Bledsoe to Bucks for Greg Monroe and protected 1st round pick (8-16 in 2018, 4-16 in 2019, 8-30 in 2020)

Bucks could be REALLY good.

Would this leave an opening for Jahlil with the Bucks?

[ElSid]

Bledsoe to Bucks for Greg Monroe and protected 1st round pick (8-16 in 2018, 4-16 in 2019, 8-30 in 2020)

Bucks could be REALLY good.

Would this leave an opening for Jahlil with the Bucks?

Bucks philosophy, especially, seems at odds with Jahlil's physical gifts and skill set. They prefer length that can run and shoot. Folks like Maker and Giannis. Seems like a bad fit for me.

Okafor fits better with the Celtics or Bulls or some other team willing to wait to capture upside, vs. a team like the Bucks who seem willing to take risks to compete now. Don't see Jah helping them move up a few seeds in the Playoff race.

But, stranger things have happened. Sadly, I think Jahlil is stuck in Philly for the year. Hopefully he uses the time to get better off the court and in the gym.