NBA Thread

[IrishLax]

For all the talk Sam Presti got about being a genius, I think a lot of it is unwarranted. True, he drafted Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Harden, Maynor, and Jackson, but he also hired a bad head coach and none of those players actually fit together. They were more like an all-star roster than a true, cohesive team. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden HAD to have the ball to be effective (less so with Durant, but he still needed it to dominate, especially in his early years). None of them were particularly great outside shooters (Durant was best, but not an automatic guy from distance or anything like that) either. Perkins was literally a non-factor offensively, a liability. Ibaka was pretty good from 10-15 feet, but couldn't post up. Thabo was the only guy that really filled a role-- 3 and D. I guess Fisher did as well during his time there, but really brought nothing from an offensive standpoint. Collison gave good energy and hustle, but was only an adequate rebounder and offered almost nothing offensively. I guess my point is that despite having all the talent in the world, those players never really fit together, offensively. They didn't and couldn't compliment each other. Durant was the alpha player, but he didn't have the alpha personality. All the talk of him being "soft" didn't come from nowhere. Westbrook had the alpha personality, but wasn't the alpha player. I can see why both Durant and RW have both had the years they have had this year.

I believe you're right in pointing out that OKC does seem to be more building a complimentary team today. In those days, I think they were doomed from the get-go though. I blame the make-up and chemistry of the team (management), as well as the cap/economic situation/OKC market of the time, to a lesser degree, for the Thunder's failures. Not Westbrook.

Yes, and they did the correct thing trading Harden because he would've walked otherwise. Where they made a mistake, IMO, is with what they got back for him. The picks were nice, the players were not. And what they got from the picks wasn't good enough, because they ended up being lower picks in two drafts that stunk... only one guy from either draft has made an All-Star team. So in retrospect, they would've probably been better off trading Harden directly for a better complimentary player... realistically, they probably could've gotten DeAndre Jordan + picks. They used both their picks hunting for a big man and neither guy they got is as good as Jordan.

The fact that they traded Harden so that they'd have the cap room to sign Ibaka made sense, but then trading Ibaka for Oladipo is kind of waving the white flag and going "crap, we really miss having a competent guard alongside Westbrook because Lamb didn't work out."

The Kobe comparison might not have been a good one because Westbrook didn't intentionally sabotage the team. I made it more because I think he's a similar kind of personality and is heading a team now that reminds me of post-Shaq Lakers in how it needs to be built to win a championship. It shocks me that they didn't make a play for Cousins given how little he went for to New Orleans, and it shocks me that they haven't found a way to get a defense-first small forward that is a catch-and-shoot guy. Even a Kelly Oubre type who is a role player for Washington would do wonders for them.

 

[greyhammer90]

EDIT: 14 seconds left Westbrook sitting with 43/9/10. Could happen.

 

[greyhammer90]

Worst case scenario. Memphis lost and Westbrook fell 1 rebound short.

 

[NDRock]

Yes, and they did the correct thing trading Harden because he would've walked otherwise. Where they made a mistake, IMO, is with what they got back for him. The picks were nice, the players were not. And what they got from the picks wasn't good enough, because they ended up being lower picks in two drafts that stunk... only one guy from either draft has made an All-Star team. So in retrospect, they would've probably been better off trading Harden directly for a better complimentary player... realistically, they probably could've gotten DeAndre Jordan + picks. They used both their picks hunting for a big man and neither guy they got is as good as Jordan.

The fact that they traded Harden so that they'd have the cap room to sign Ibaka made sense, but then trading Ibaka for Oladipo is kind of waving the white flag and going "crap, we really miss having a competent guard alongside Westbrook because Lamb didn't work out."

The Kobe comparison might not have been a good one because Westbrook didn't intentionally sabotage the team. I made it more because I think he's a similar kind of personality and is heading a team now that reminds me of post-Shaq Lakers in how it needs to be built to win a championship. It shocks me that they didn't make a play for Cousins given how little he went for to New Orleans, and it shocks me that they haven't found a way to get a defense-first small forward that is a catch-and-shoot guy. Even a Kelly Oubre type who is a role player for Washington would do wonders for them.

Harden left because OKC didn't want to pay him what he wanted (and pay luxury tax). Pretty sure Harden would have been fine staying for the right price. Don't think you can assume he would have left. OKC blew that.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Butler unleashed the beast in the second half tonight. Good game by the Bulls.

 

[GATTACA!]

Butler unleashed the beast in the second half tonight. Good game by the Bulls.

Everything going on with Isaiah Thomas really puts a damper on my enjoyment of them losing.

 

[Crazy Balki]

I'm still trying to grasp the reality that the Bulls have come into the playoffs bought in and focused. Meanwhile, the so-called vet-savvy and playoff experienced Blackhawks have played with their collective heads up their asses.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I'm still trying to grasp the reality that the Bulls have come into the playoffs bought in and focused. Meanwhile, the so-called vet-savvy and playoff experienced Blackhawks have played with their collective heads up their asses.

Yeah the 1 is playing like an 8, and the 8 played like a 1.

 

[Crazy Balki]

What is going on this spring in Chicago sports?

The Hawks have been terrible, the Bulls have been good.

The Sox are doing better than expected, the Cubs are doing worse (it's early).

Everything's all backwards.

 

[Shamrock Theories]

Jerian will start game 3, Rondo broke his thumb.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

NBA Thread

Jerian will start game 3, Rondo broke his thumb.

And the bad week continues.


Grant has 3 TOS against the worst defending PG in the league. Bulls are toast if he can't clean it up.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Jesus...every single year it's something. *Insert necessary starter here* will miss playoff time due to *insert major injury here*.

Between ND, the Bears and the Bulls, do I just need to carry around a chanting priest? Necklace of rabbits feet? Witch Doctor?

 

[irishog77]

Jesus...every single year it's something. *Insert necessary starter here* will miss playoff time due to *insert major injury here*.

Between ND, the Bears and the Bulls, do I just need to carry around a chanting priest? Necklace of rabbits feet? Witch Doctor?

You forgot the Blackhawks

 

[Crazy Balki]

You forgot the Blackhawks

No. They aren't protected by that excuse, they just decided to collectively suck for 4 games.

 

[Crazy Balki]

And typical. Rondo plays, Bulls take the Celtics to school. Rondo is out, Bulls can't stop Thomas and the series is tied.

Rondo needs to come back ASAP, or else my sports season is pretty much over until September.

Bulls continue to be the most snake-bitten team in the NBA. And it's always at the absolute worst time too.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

And typical. Rondo plays, Bulls take the Celtics to school. Rondo is out, Bulls can't stop Thomas and the series is tied.

Rondo needs to come back ASAP, or else my sports season is pretty much over until September.

Bulls continue to be the most snake-bitten team in the NBA. And it's always at the absolute worst time too.

He's in a cast, so I don't see him coming back.

 

[Crazy Balki]

He's in a cast, so I don't see him coming back.

If not, this series is over. Another Bulls season derailed because they can't stay healthy. I mean, what in the hell do we pay that health staff for? I get that injuries happen, but it's been happening far too long for it to just be mere coincidence.

It pisses me off, because I'm tired of seeing the Bulls (and nearly team I root for for that matter) fall short against teams they're better than because of the injury-card. I'm sick of having to resort to it.

 

[NorthDakota]

If not, this series is over. Another Bulls season derailed because they can't stay healthy. I mean, what in the hell do we pay that health staff for? I get that injuries happen, but it's been happening far too long for it to just be mere coincidence.

It pisses me off, because I'm tired of seeing the Bulls (and nearly team I root for for that matter) fall short against teams they're better than because of the injury-card. I'm sick of having to resort to it.

You guys had Derrick Rose for years.... that dude would get hurt in a straight jacket.

 

[Crazy Balki]

You guys had Derrick Rose for years.... that dude would get hurt in a straight jacket.

He was fine for the first half his career. Then he tore his ACL against Philly in 2012 and it was all down hill.

It wasn't just Rose though.

2011: Rose played on a bum ankle, but on top of that Noah had PF, Boozer had turf-toe and Asik broke his leg.

2012: Obviously the Rose injury, but on top of that, Noah sprained his ankle and was done.

2013: Rose was out, but on top of that, Deng's spinal tap debacle.

2014: Rose gets another ACL tear

2015: Rose missed most of the season with another leg injury, Butler missed a large chunk of it. Noah played on bad knees and PF.

2016: Was a mess, but to be fair, injuries were only a part of that nightmare.

2017: Regular season was a mess, but not really for injuries. Playoffs, the Rondo injury is proving to be insurmountable, as Thomas has exploited Rondo's absence.


On a sidenote, really disappointed with Jerian Grant. He had an opportunity to prove he belonged in this league in games 3 and 4 and he, quite frankly, was absolutely terrible. No other way of putting it. Didn't expect him to dominate, but he was the exact opposite. Not very optimistic about Grant's future in the league after that.

 

[Rogue219]

Love the basketball, but the first round post game pressers have been great.

 

[greyhammer90]

Love the basketball, but the first round post game pressers have been great.

It's been an unusually entertaining first round for sure.

 

[NDRock]

It's been an unusually entertaining first round for sure.

Agree. I really enjoyed the OKC vs. Rockets series. I doubt many people changed their minds about Westbrook after the way it played out.

Glad the Celts came back. Looking forward to seeing Rondo out there for game 6.

 

[Irish#1]

Bird is stepping down as Pacers President staying on as an executive consultant. Bird dodging the PG13 bullet before the gun is fired? Kevin Pritchard to take over. Pritchard did pretty well while in Portland.

 

[greyhammer90]

I don't think I've seen a team ever get dominated like the Celtics just did in that second quarter

 

[KPENN]

LeBron is incredible. Last time he wasn't in an NBA finals was 2010. Insane.

 

[ulukinatme]

LeBron is incredible. Last time he wasn't in an NBA finals was 2010. Insane.

I liked some of the quotes from the Celtics after Game 1:

Isaiah Thomas on the Cavs: "We're not scared of Cleveland. They're not the Monstars. They're not on 'Space Jam,'" Thomas said. "They lace up their shoes just like us. They just happened to play better than us in Game 1. We just gotta protect [our] home court in Game 2 and get the win."

Jaylen Brown on LeBron: "LeBron's a good player, but I look at him as just a regular guy to me," Brown said. "I've got to come out and compete just like he has to come out and compete. I've got to tie my shoes just like he ties his shoes. There's bigger threats in my neighborhood than LeBron James, so I have no fear whatsoever of LeBron."

Then, led by LeBron, Cleveland manages to set a record for largest lead at halftime in a playoff game with 41 points. Oops. Bigger threats in his neighborhood than LeBron? That's some serious disrespect imo.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I liked some of the quotes from the Celtics after Game 1:











Then, led by LeBron, Cleveland manages to set a record for largest lead at halftime in a playoff game with 41 points. Oops. Bigger threats in his neighborhood than LeBron? That's some serious disrespect imo.

Give Brown a break. With an NBA salary, he may have a ruthless HOA in his neighborhood, or a pool guy who didn't show up this week. You never know.

 

[greyhammer90]

I liked some of the quotes from the Celtics after Game 1:





Then, led by LeBron, Cleveland manages to set a record for largest lead at halftime in a playoff game with 41 points. Oops. Bigger threats in his neighborhood than LeBron? That's some serious disrespect imo.

The monstar quote is especially funny because the cavs actually came within 7 points of matching the looney tunes deficit at halftime.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

NBA Thread

IT2 out for rest of playoffs. Feel bad for the dude, you know he wanted to go out with his boots on, especially with everything he's been through this month. Body of a mouse, heart of a lion, in his (probably) last season as "the guy."

 

[connor_in]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">So, I was among the recent SI layoffs. It’s hard to find anything good to say about losing an awesome job, but I did find a silver lining: <a href="https://t.co/SSk95ifMfj">pic.twitter.com/SSk95ifMfj</a></p>— Lindsay Applebaum (@lindsapple) <a href="https://twitter.com/lindsapple/status/866663114347089920">May 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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