NBA Discussion

[Mysticmanjrf1]

Boston barely beat Milwaukee without Khris Middleton, and they were a missed Jimmy Butler three away from losing the Eastern Conference Finals to a very injured Heat. Not saying Boston isn't a good team, but the margins of victory were small. I feel like they need a point guard to create easier shots for Tatum/Brown more than another scorer.

Still can't believe the Lakers chose Westbrook over Buddy Hield. Swapping that contract for anything at this point seems optimistic.

I don't necessarily disagree with your assessment of the Celtics but the bucks series the Celtics were without rob Williams for most of that series and Smart was out and injured most of that series. The point is everyone is injured or banged up this time of yr.

I think the Celtic's inexperience and just lack of killer instinct has more to do with them barely getting by these teams.

And I find it laughable that anyone is concerned as to what the Lakers are going to do. They don't have to do anything but sit back and wait. The entire league is their farm system.

They'll "figure it out".

Tatum/Brown have now been to 4 East Finals and 1 NBA Finals...I'd think they now have the experience, but you're right about injuries. Williams wasn't right for the Finals either.

Not concerned about the Lakers, more laughing at the ineptitude. Although it's hard to laugh when you're a fan of the team that sunk millions and a 1st round pick into Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, and Cam Reddish...

[100ptsofarticulation]

Boston barely beat Milwaukee without Khris Middleton, and they were a missed Jimmy Butler three away from losing the Eastern Conference Finals to a very injured Heat. Not saying Boston isn't a good team, but the margins of victory were small. I feel like they need a point guard to create easier shots for Tatum/Brown more than another scorer.

Still can't believe the Lakers chose Westbrook over Buddy Hield. Swapping that contract for anything at this point seems optimistic.

I don't necessarily disagree with your assessment of the Celtics but the bucks series the Celtics were without rob Williams for most of that series and Smart was out and injured most of that series. The point is everyone is injured or banged up this time of yr.

I think the Celtic's inexperience and just lack of killer instinct has more to do with them barely getting by these teams.

And I find it laughable that anyone is concerned as to what the Lakers are going to do. They don't have to do anything but sit back and wait. The entire league is their farm system.

They'll "figure it out".

Tatum/Brown have now been to 4 East Finals and 1 NBA Finals...I'd think they now have the experience, but you're right about injuries. Williams wasn't right for the Finals either.

Not concerned about the Lakers, more laughing at the ineptitude. Although it's hard to laugh when you're a fan of the team that sunk millions and a 1st round pick into Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, and Cam Reddish...

I don't want to say I don't count Tatum and Brown's 1st 2 eastern finals but it really wasn't their team then and they were real young. It was injuries that forced them into larger roles those 1st 2. But experience is experience and I could care less about excuses.

[DerRabbi]

I feel like they need a point guard to create easier shots for Tatum/Brown more than another scorer.

Still can't believe the Lakers chose Westbrook over Buddy Hield. Swapping that contract for anything at this point seems optimistic.

I didn't watch a whole lot of the Finals this year but when I did to me that was the problem. The flow of Bos offense wasn't there; they need a creator. I work with a big Celtics fan and I kept telling him during the early part of the playoffs the Smart as playmaker turnaround was working .... until it doesn't. Turns out we realized the point where it doesn't.

Boston is more able to absorb Beal's lack of defense than most teams with their defensive contributions up and down their roster. I don't see how they have enough to make a realistic offer unless it's gobs of upcoming 1sts. Boston generally doesn't do that.

LA have a shot I would think finding a team midseason to trade with, but not much of one now. It has to be a team who thinks they are going to be good coming into the season but come mid-January realize they aren't and what they have won't work. Then they'd might be looking to unload some bad contracts that extend a few years out just to dump their salary for Westbrick's expiring contract. That's a really big number to match though.

I'm not so sure LA has the perpetual "league as their farm system" thing intact like they used to. They really have been pretty incompetent since Jerry Buss died. They lucked into Lebron coming there just bc he wants to be a film producer. While other players in the future will want similar things, during that gap period Free Agents saw their organization for the mess it was.

[TheSameIdiot]

Yeah, I would say the Lakers are a lot more Knicks-y than they've ever been. The market will still draw players, but they're going to need to show some competence.

I'm hoping we get news of the inevitable Vegas/Seattle expansion teams soon. I think the league has enough talent for two more teams, but I would honestly rather them relocate two franchises instead. New Orleans would have been the obvious pick. The arena is always empty and having been down there a few times myself, I can say anecdotally they don't have much support. It's a football state. The Bucks would've been my other choice before they won the title. Now I'd say OKC. They never should've stolen the Sonics in the first place.

[100ptsofarticulation]

The Sonics need to come back!!! I really miss that team.

Also, can we get someone or petition the NBA to just get rid of Kyrie Irving? The dude is highly intolerable, at this point any team that takes him on is not getting their monies worth.

There's nothing worse than a person who uses a lot of words to say nothing and on top of it thinks they're really smart. Dude's just a clown and a huge waste of talent.

[PantherCult]

First of all, i'm 100% in agreement and on board that the Sonics need to come back - and soon. Publicly financed arenas/stadiums are a harder sell in high population western cities than they are in other locations - but there are enough super rich dudes in Seattle to find the sweet spot, get a new arena built and get an NBA franchise back in that town.

I attended a few games in Key Arena and Seattle was an incredible basketball town.

As a Warriors fan i'm obviously happy with the outcome of the Finals. What I'm super interested in is to see how committed they are to keeping the roster together and to transitioning minutes to the young dudes like Wiseman, Kuminga and Moody. If Draymond can really teach the young bigs how to do all the dirty work and give up some of his minutes on the floor - to keep him effective and keep the young guys rolling - I think they may have a chance to gradually roll the roster while staying very good, rather than blowing it up and starting over. Jordan Poole seemed to grow a lot this season... he's not Curry, but if he can turn into a functional point he's young enough that he could be a big part of that transition. I am curious to see how they'll do rolling it back while trying to build in the young guys and get them ready to really contribute. They have some talented young pieces and a solid coach, GM and owners - so I think they have a better than average chance of doing something like the Spurs were able to do and be a contender for almost 20 years. But there's always a lot of "if's" in these scenarios and obviously a major injury or two can derail everything.

Four titles in 8 years is as much as I could ask for as a fan. Obviously I'd be happy to add more, but if this was the end of the run, it's been pretty awesome. I enjoyed similar runs with my football team - 5 Super Bowl wins in 14 seasons for the Niners - and baseball - 3 World Series wins in 5 seasons for the Giants - and I understand how hard it is to stay there or get back there when the window closes. If Curry and Klay can continue to play to their potential, then I think they should have a punchers chance over the next couple of years. If they do it right they have some solid roster pieces that could take over when the current stars' time is up.

[100ptsofarticulation]

Not saying it can't happen, it just rarely happens that teams can make that transition and stay at a high level.

Chances are Wiseman, kuminga and poole aren't the next guys but maybe the guys that bring the next guys in. And that's not a knock on any of those guys, it's just the odds.

[TheSameIdiot]

I'm not sure what Kuminga's ceiling is, but I can see him becoming a starter on a playoff team. Poole is a great sixth man, at the very least. Thompson and Draymond aren't what they once were, but Golden State doesn't really need them to be. Curry can continue as a #1 for at least a few more years, and Andrew Wiggins is legitimately good. If they can fill in the periphery, they'll be contending for the next five years easy.

As for the big news of the day, it looks like the Nets are breaking up. Durant began showing some age last year, but I think he can absolutely be the best player on a title team still. Especially if his new team doesn't ask him to do as much.

First of all, i'm 100% in agreement and on board that the Sonics need to come back - and soon. Publicly financed arenas/stadiums are a harder sell in high population western cities than they are in other locations - but there are enough super rich dudes in Seattle to find the sweet spot, get a new arena built and get an NBA franchise back in that town.

I attended a few games in Key Arena and Seattle was an incredible basketball town.

They actually just renovated Key Arena for the new hockey team. It's called Climate Pledge now, but it's a beautiful arena. I wish they had put in a brand-new arena next to the baseball and football stadiums here instead, but I won't bore you with the details of Seattle traffic patterns.

[PantherCult]

The Durant to the Celtics talk has my attention. That would be pretty interesting. Taking the pressure off Tatum to be the #1 option all the time might free him up to go off. The package it would take would be steep, but man I remember watching the Warriors add Durant after they lost in the Finals... and it would scare me to be on the other side of that if Boston went out and got him. some of the other scenarios are also intriguing. The Hawks would be better - though I don't know if they'd be instant title contenders. The Suns would be fascinating. Could Booker create enough space to allow Durant in? I'd hate it for my team having to contend with that in the west and would prefer he land on one of the Eastern Conference squads, frankly.

[TheSameIdiot]

The Ringer listed some interesting landing spots for Durant.

Personally, Trae Young is one of my least favorite players in the NBA, so I'd hate to see Durant in Atlanta. A score-first point guard that plays no defense whatsoever belongs in a different era. Atlanta fans are still trying to talk themselves into the idea that Dallas didn't rob them blind in the Luka trade, too. It's laughable.

I think Memphis and Phoenix are the two most interesting destinations. They'd both have to give up a lot, but it gives them a far better chance to win a title than their young cores would on their own.

[100ptsofarticulation]

I think Durant will go to either Miami or Dallas. With Miami being the favorite, Durant needs a stacked deck and Miami can magically get him without giving up too much.

Boston wouldn't trade for him, they tend to like they're homegrown guys more than anything to a fault... One of the reasons ainge isn't here anymore.

Plus the incident a yr. ago where Kyrie went on social media and called Boston racist and Durant was in the background agreeing, leads me to believe it wouldn't happen.

Which I really wish today's players would look at their history when it comes to the Celtics. Given that they were the 1st NBA team to let black players on the team. But the media thinks that's not a good story, so no one knows that.

[TheSameIdiot]

Someone on Twitter pointed out that Durant's preferred destinations are Miami and Phoenix, both one-seeds.

Durant is one of my favorite players ever, but he has shown a lack of self-awareness with stuff like that. He likes the path of least resistance.

[100ptsofarticulation]

Now I'm hearing GS might be in the mix. I personally would've suggested a return to GS for Durant but I assumed it wasn't possible.

[100ptsofarticulation]

Also, can't wait for this crap with Durant to be over, it's basically taken hostage of the free agency period, and nobody is making moves now.