Around The NBA : 2023-24 Season #2

[BullChit]

Just had the depressing realisation that the Magic are 1 game away from Round 2 of the playoffs and we are Play in darlings.

after the vuc trade i predicted the magic would make a conference finals before the bulls. you can guess what the feedback was

I was one of them Dice... And I hate it more and more everytime I doubt you...

[Jcool0]

Just had the depressing realisation that the Magic are 1 game away from Round 2 of the playoffs and we are Play in darlings.

after the vuc trade i predicted the magic would make a conference finals before the bulls. you can guess what the feedback was

I was one of them Dice... And I hate it more and more everytime I doubt you...

Getting Paolo Banchero with the #1 pick would be the reason they might someday make a conference finals not anything to do with the Bulls trade. And speaking of that... Wagner in game 7 was 1-15 (0-5 from 3) for 6 points.

[Wingy]

3 for 28 from Franz and Suggs is crazy. One of those guys has a halfway decent offensive game, they could’ve won, or at least had it be a one possession game sort of affair.

Not as surprising with Suggs (what a defensive beast though), but I kept hoping for Franz to wake up in the 2nd half to turn the tide. Nope. I was surprised he wilted so much given Germany’s World Cup run, and playing under that pressure to succeed for his country. Young guy, we’ll see how he bounces back.

[ChiefILL53]

Franz was CHEEKS that game. Good lord. I still dont feel bad for the trade with the magic, cuz paolo is the difference maker of that team. Quite frankly the series shouldnt have gone 7 if cleveland actually played competently. Ironically orlando really does need extra shot makers, so trading zach there does look like a feasible move for them, this time around i have no idea who i'd want back in return

[jnrjr79]

Kendrick Perkins sipping on a refreshing cocktail of xenophobia with a splash of racism this morning on NBA Countdown. He thanked Anthony Edwards on behalf of himself and all the “NBA OGs and old heads who retired and went away from basketball, we are ready to renew our vows and come back to the NBA because he has given us life again being that type of competitor being that type of leader . . .”

I’ll stop here with the verbatim quote because up to this point I assumed he was going to talk about how Ant has never complained about being in Minny, no drama, just worked hard and elevated his team, not demanding trades to join superstars, game not based on flops, etc. A refreshing change from many of our modern superstars.

But it’s Perk, the AK of NBA analysts, so he went into full double down Perk mode and completed the sentence with “. . . we’re in the era right now when the Europeans were looking like they were taking over the game of basketball and Anthony Edwards has stepped up to the plate and said hold up, one second, we’re still here.”

I know ESPN has a long and proud history of sprinkling morons into their broadcasts to help generate controversy and train-wreck gawking, but Perk is below all standards of competence. It’s embarrassing.

Saying stupid and controversial stuff is how you make in sports media. Thank Skip Bayless for that as everybody else is following his lead.

Skip Bayless says “stupid” things because he knows his listeners are stupid and crave the made-up drama. He’s a fraud, but he’s not being stupid. He’s being PT Barnum.

Perkins says stupid (and evidently anti-“European”) things because he believes them to be true.

It never ceases to amaze me that Skip Bayless and Rick Bayless are brothers. You couldn't have more disparate personality types.

[kodo]

Wagner had a terrible game but it was one game. Coby White was also straight trash vs Miami. Wagner though has been terrible from 3 all season, and that made it very easy for CLE help defense to just protect the paint as he had to drive on those kickouts.

TBH, that was an ORL problem overall except for Suggs, CLE could zone the paint without much fear of 3P snipers. Orlando shot 28% from 3. I'm not surprised to see a lot of Lavine trade speculation for ORL, but that seems very difficult to match salaries.

[madvillian]

Yeah, Minny is a very tough matchup for Denver. And Ant is hitting the beginning of his 10 year run as an elite superstar. It’s here.

I know all the memes but there really is a lot of truth to the MJ comps. I’m old enough to have watched MJ’s entire career. The way his body is proportioned, how he moves with the ball, how he defends, if any young person asked who reminds you the most of MJ it’s Ant by a mile. It’s kinda weird actually.

Huh, I don't really see it personally. IMO Kobe was the ultimate Jordan imitator and that will never be surpassed. Ant reminds me more of Dominique Wilkins just a power athlete whereas Jordan and Kobe had more grace. Just personal opinion tho.

[Ice Man]

I get more of a Mike vibe with SGA, how he moves with such agility and takes midrange shots. But I can see the Ant comparison. His dagger iso turnaround late in Game 1 was Mike all the way.

[HomoSapien]

Butler for LaVine? Gets us the shorter deal and probably the better win now player since that’s all we care about.

[jnrjr79]

Butler for LaVine? Gets us the shorter deal and probably the better win now player since that’s all we care about.

Are we letting DeMar walk in this scenario? That would be a really tough pairing, fit-wise. It's also necessary to stay out of the tax.

[jc23]

man, Chicago is very far away from being a team that could make the semi's. And most of these teams are just going to get better. BIU.

[Chicago-Bull-E]

Knicks are so much fun to watch.

The downfall of this franchise started with firing Thibs. I still remember all you jerks posting that Hoiberg dancing gif when he was hired. Whose dancing now?

[prolific passer]

Knicks are so much fun to watch.

The downfall of this franchise started with firing Thibs. I still remember all you jerks posting that Hoiberg dancing gif when he was hired. Whose dancing now?

Hoiberg still in that gif.

Anyway Thibs has a role in this league with his defense but still people complain about how he manages his players minutes/playing time.

[TheSuzerain]

"Player-friendly" isn't the style any more.

Intense execution.

Truly laughable that our core is Lavine/Detozan/Vuc. AK is a joke.

[kodo]

man, Chicago is very far away from being a team that could make the semi's. And most of these teams are just going to get better. BIU.

Our best players like Derozan, Vuc, and Coby would be coming off the bench for a team like Minny. Or I'm not sure if they would be playable given all 5 players have to play high energy D, all 48 minutes. Nobody is allowed to just slack on D like Derozan or Vuc because they score on the other end. Even Slowmo has 2 steals 2 blocks by halftime.

Our team is a just a lot of compromises.

[ThreeMileAllan]

This wolves team is something else entirely. love it

Sent from my SM-S918U1 using Tapatalk

[MrSparkle]

Man, who the hell saw this final-8 bracket and the current scores?

Anybody got ESPN's season predictions from October? Hell, how about January?

[TheGOATRises007]

Can we poach Minnesota's GM?

He's built the best defensive team in the past decade or so.

[Hangtime84]

Can we poach Minnesota's GM?

He's built the best defensive team in the past decade or so.

the irony all 3 teams have people from that nuggest organization. The problem we didn't value rim protection

[step]

Can we poach Minnesota's GM?

He's built the best defensive team in the past decade or so.

He does have an opt-out clause supposedly.

https://www.si.com/nba/timberwolves/news/amid-ownership-battle-nba-insider-notes-tim-connelly-has-contract-opt-out

"I'm told Tim Connelly has an opt-out in his contract after the season," Charania said on Thursday's episode of Run It Back. "So, after Year 2, it was supposed to line up with this ownership transfer with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore taking this team over."

He was a signing of A-Rod and Lore... and well, I wonder how that sits with Glen?

And it's somewhat funny that he was torn to shreds for the Rudy trade.