NBA Regular season thread 2019

[BD80]

I get that Kawhi is a special player and adding him to the Raptors (minus DD) is an upgrade, but if you had the Raptors with the best record in the NBA (by more than 2 games) a quarter of the way into the season they you are a pretty special prognosticator. And how likely was it that Serge Ibaka would have his best ever season as a pro on the cusp of his 30th birthday after several disappointing seasons? There's no way Serge can continue to shoot this well, right?

...

The Raptors gave up their best player, brought in a new head coach, and they are 17-4 (one loss was OT). Not too shabby.

[JNort]

I get that Kawhi is a special player and adding him to the Raptors (minus DD) is an upgrade, but if you had the Raptors with the best record in the NBA (by more than 2 games) a quarter of the way into the season they you are a pretty special prognosticator. And how likely was it that Serge Ibaka would have his best ever season as a pro on the cusp of his 30th birthday after several disappointing seasons? There's no way Serge can continue to shoot this well, right?

Meanwhile, the Cavs won 2 in a row last week. They should fire their coach for allowing that to happen. The race for the worst record in basketball is back on!

Well they were easily top 3 in the west and should he much improved. Not unlikely they would be on top this early in

[JasonEvans]

Jalen Rose, who never met a hot take he did not like, says the Sixers should trade Markel Fultz for a 2029 2nd round pick. He says Markel needs to get out of Philly and that there is a real risk Markel is out of the league completely when his rookie deal is done.

Reports are that a bunch of teams -- probably lots of ones that are rebuilding and do not care about losing games now as they try to develop players -- are talking to the Sixers about trading for Fultz. One of the most realistic deals seems to be the Cavs getting him for Kyle Korver and a very protected first round draft pick (probably at least lottery protected for a couple years). The Fultz ($8.3mil) and Korver ($7.5mil) contracts work in a trade. The Sixers would prefer a fully expiring contract and Korver's is partially ($3.4 mil) guaranteed for next season, but that may not be a huge obstacle. The Sixers know they need some shooting punch off the bench with JJ back to being part of the starting unit. Korver is still a stud shooter (46.3% from 3 this season) and with better teammates drawing the D (like Embiid and Butler) he could be a significant pick-up for the Sixers.

-Jason "this deal makes a ton of sense... they need to make this happen" Evans

P.S. - I'd love to see my Hawks get in on trying to rebuild Fultz's shot, but the Hawks don't really have an asset to send back that makes sense

[BD80]

Reports are that a bunch of teams -- probably lots of ones that are rebuilding and do not care about losing games now as they try to develop players -- are talking to the Sixers about trading for Fultz. One of the most realistic deals seems to be the Cavs getting him for Kyle Korver and a very protected first round draft pick (probably at least lottery protected for a couple years). The Fultz ($8.3mil) and Korver ($7.5mil) contracts work in a trade. The Sixers would prefer a fully expiring contract and Korver's is partially ($3.4 mil) guaranteed for next season, but that may not be a huge obstacle. The Sixers know they need some shooting punch off the bench with JJ back to being part of the starting unit. Korver is still a stud shooter (46.3% from 3 this season) and with better teammates drawing the D (like Embiid and Butler) he could be a significant pick-up for the Sixers.

-Jason "this deal makes a ton of sense... they need to make this happen" Evans

P.S. - I'd love to see my Hawks get in on trying to rebuild Fultz's shot, but the Hawks don't really have an asset to send back that makes sense

The only team that makes sense is the Spurs, I hear they have a guy that works on shooting woes ...

[JasonEvans]

One of the most realistic deals seems to be the Cavs getting him for Kyle Korver and a very protected first round draft pick (probably at least lottery protected for a couple years). The Fultz ($8.3mil) and Korver ($7.5mil) contracts work in a trade.

Oh well. Korver got traded to Utah for Alec Burks and a pair of 2nd round picks. That move could help Grayson Allen as Burks was playing ahead of Allen in the wing rotation. Korver is more of a SF than a SG so perhaps it will open up some time for Grayson.

[luvdahops]

Oh well. Korver got traded to Utah for Alec Burks and a pair of 2nd round picks. That move could help Grayson Allen as Burks was playing ahead of Allen in the wing rotation. Korver is more of a SF than a SG so perhaps it will open up some time for Grayson.

Burks was also a longer term competitor to Grayson for PT. Korver, who will be 38 in March, is not.

[Truth&Justise]

James Harden tied two NBA records last night in the Rockets' loss to the Magic.

He scored 38 points, tying Kobe Bryant's record of 16 straight games of scoring 30-points or more.

But he also shot 1-17 from three, tying the NBA record of 16 missed three pointers in a game.

I'd say any player can have a bad night and shoot 1-8 or even 1-10 from three. Only a true star could shoot 1-17.

[AGDukesky]

Harden’s usage is mind boggling - 32 shots, 16 FTs and 12 assists. He must handle the ball like 90% of the time Houston is on offense...

[JasonEvans]

Seth Curry is human...

That is all.

[NSDukeFan]

Seth Curry is human...

That is all.

Perhaps he gave Klay his superpowers for the night, as Klay broke a record by hitting his first 10 threes.

[Truth&Justise]

Late in Wednesday night's game between the Jazz and Nuggets, the Nuggets were in-bounding the ball from the sideline. Donovan Mitchell started egging on the crowd behind the in-bounding player, and with help from the raucous crowd the Jazz forced a five-second violation. It was a neat moment of the crowd really getting into it at an NBA game, and here's a clip of the play and Mitchell talking about it after the game.


When asked about it after the game, Mitchell explained: "I said 'Just yell in his ears.' Like, that's what I kept saying,'Just yell at him.' Believe it or not, it distracts you. So I told them, like, kinda act like the Duke crowd and just, like yell and scream. And if you watch, they were really after it."

Mitchell only played at Duke once, in a 72-65 loss to the Blue Devils in 2016. I guess it was enough to make an impression on him!

[Billy Dat]

Early AM WOJ BOMB - AD says he won't sign an extension and wants to be traded!!!!!

[lotusland]

Early AM WOJ BOMB - AD says he won't sign an extension and wants to be traded!!!!!

So Jahlil may find more PT right where he his.

[brevity]

Early AM WOJ BOMB - AD says he won't sign an extension and wants to be traded!!!!!

Good for him.

You may notice my location. I first visited New Orleans in 2012, and happened to be at a sports bar -- Manning's, I think -- when the draft lottery was taking place. The Pelicans (then Hornets) won the #1 pick and #10 pick, which they later used to select Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers.

I've been in the area for most of Davis' pro career, and I feel like he's excelled despite his team. I'm not invested in the NBA enough to nitpick the organizational problems with the Pelicans franchise, but I'm invested in the NFL even less, and it's unfortunate to see an owner and city fail to prioritize someone who should be its best and most popular pro athlete.

It boggled my mind that the Pelicans -- who once re-signed Eric Gordon as a restricted free agent mainly for the purpose of providing him free health care -- had no interest in holding onto DeMarcus Cousins. Maybe he would have left anyway, but the lack of effort to retain him helped push him out the door.

And it may have done the same for Davis, who must have known for years now that he will not come close to winning a title in New Orleans. And even if he did, would anyone notice?

[flyingdutchdevil]

Early AM WOJ BOMB - AD says he won't sign an extension and wants to be traded!!!!!

Brown, Hayward, 5 first round picks? If you want Tatum, we'll take Hayward back, but we'll only give you 2 picks. But please, please take Brown.

[JasonEvans]

Brown, Hayward, 5 first round picks? If you want Tatum, we'll take Hayward back, but we'll only give you 2 picks. But please, please take Brown.

As was pointed out in the Dukies in the NBA thread, the Celtics cannot acquire Davis unless they deal Kyrie or they wait until after Kyrie signs as a free agent this summer.

The only way the Celtics can trade for AD right now is to include Kyrie in the deal. That is due to the “Rose Rule”.

From the Boston Globe/Boston.com:

“NBA teams cannot trade for more than one player who has signed an extension under the “Rose Rule” — a limitation that is only applicable when the players are still on their “Rose Rule” extensions. The Celtics acquired Irving via trade in August 2017, so they cannot deal for Davis — or any other player that has signed such an extension — until Irving leaves or agrees to a new deal. Irving will become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this season and has expressed his intention to re-sign with the Celtics. The earliest he can do so is July 1, 2019.”

[Truth&Justise]

As was pointed out in the Dukies in the NBA thread, the Celtics cannot acquire Davis unless they deal Kyrie or they wait until after Kyrie signs as a free agent this summer.

For this reason, many have speculated that Davis announced his trade demand now as a way of signalling a preference for getting traded to the Lakers, who are widely seen as Boston's main competitor in a trade.

And this infuriates me -- why do the Lakers keep getting all the breaks! It reeks of privilege. Folks complain about Golden State's current dominance, but they started from the bottom, made shrewd decisions in drafting, trades, and cap management, and with a little luck they built their dynasty. Over the past decade, teams like the Spurs, Mavericks and Celtics are model franchises on how to remain competitive in the short term while building assets for the long term. Heck, even Miami had a clear plan in freeing cap space to sign the Wade-Bosh-LeBron trio and followed that plan with discipline.

But the Lakers? If they complete this deal it will be another chance for them to stumble backwards into a superstar without really trying. They have made some decent draft picks (Ball, ingram, Kuzma), but they don't fit together particularly well and don't evince a clear team-building plan. They've handed out terrible free agent contracts, both before LeBron (Mozgov, Deng), and after (Stephenson, McGee, Beasley, Rondo).

But they got LeBron, pretty much only because "they're the Lakers." And now that they have LeBron, they might get Anthony Davis. Why? Because "they're the Lakers." It's infuriating.

[Indoor66]

For this reason, many have speculated that Davis announced his trade demand now as a way of signalling a preference for getting traded to the Lakers, who are widely seen as Boston's main competitor in a trade.

And this infuriates me -- why do the Lakers keep getting all the breaks! It reeks of privilege. Folks complain about Golden State's current dominance, but they started from the bottom, made shrewd decisions in drafting, trades, and cap management, and with a little luck they built their dynasty. Over the past decade, teams like the Spurs, Mavericks and Celtics are model franchises on how to remain competitive in the short term while building assets for the long term. Heck, even Miami had a clear plan in freeing cap space to sign the Wade-Bosh-LeBron trio and followed that plan with discipline.

But the Lakers? If they complete this deal it will be another chance for them to stumble backwards into a superstar without really trying. They have made some decent draft picks (Ball, ingram, Kuzma), but they don't fit together particularly well and don't evince a clear team-building plan. They've handed out terrible free agent contracts, both before LeBron (Mozgov, Deng), and after (Stephenson, McGee, Beasley, Rondo).

But they got LeBron, pretty much only because "they're the Lakers." And now that they have LeBron, they might get Anthony Davis. Why? Because "they're the Lakers." It's infuriating.

Well, they are the Lakers...

[JNort]

For this reason, many have speculated that Davis announced his trade demand now as a way of signalling a preference for getting traded to the Lakers, who are widely seen as Boston's main competitor in a trade.

And this infuriates me -- why do the Lakers keep getting all the breaks! It reeks of privilege. Folks complain about Golden State's current dominance, but they started from the bottom, made shrewd decisions in drafting, trades, and cap management, and with a little luck they built their dynasty. Over the past decade, teams like the Spurs, Mavericks and Celtics are model franchises on how to remain competitive in the short term while building assets for the long term. Heck, even Miami had a clear plan in freeing cap space to sign the Wade-Bosh-LeBron trio and followed that plan with discipline.

But the Lakers? If they complete this deal it will be another chance for them to stumble backwards into a superstar without really trying. They have made some decent draft picks (Ball, ingram, Kuzma), but they don't fit together particularly well and don't evince a clear team-building plan. They've handed out terrible free agent contracts, both before LeBron (Mozgov, Deng), and after (Stephenson, McGee, Beasley, Rondo).

But they got LeBron, pretty much only because "they're the Lakers." And now that they have LeBron, they might get Anthony Davis. Why? Because "they're the Lakers." It's infuriating.

I hope he goes to the Lakers... I want them to be competitive and contending but also because I want someone to dethrone the Warriors. Doesn't hurt that they have LeBron either who I want to win.

[Duke79UNLV77]

As was pointed out in the Dukies in the NBA thread, the Celtics cannot acquire Davis unless they deal Kyrie or they wait until after Kyrie signs as a free agent this summer.

Can the Celts get around the rule by signing Kyrie to a new deal early, like now or soon enough thereafter to trade for the Brown in the season?