NBA Draft Thread

[Chin Diesel]

He's must watch TV when he gets hot, only a few players in NBA history can get in the zone like him (I've watched him live where he hit 14 threes against the Bulls and 10 straight threes in another game) but yes he's not a #1 for a contender...he's an excellent second option. His D has always been underrated as well, obviously nothing like Pippen defensively but he's a very good defender.



Klay Thompson CAREER HIGH 60 POINTS in 29 Minutes | 12.05.16

Yeah, I think the better comp may be Reggie Miller. He was the alpha at Indy but not good enough to carry a team to a championship. When Reggie got hot it was electric. Granted 25 years ago even great shooters didn't consistently shoot 10+ 3's a game.

 

[navery12]

I take back some of my criticism from the Knicks trade now, there at least seems to be a plan with them loading up on 2023 picks (2 1sts and 4 2nds already)

 

[Mr. French]

it's neither a personal 'fall from grace' nor an age thing. cf, nba tv ratings, empty playground courts, fortnite, and speechifying in the past few years. feels to me that culture change ramped up aboot a decade ago when folks started talking more 'fashion' and 'collectability' for hoop kix than the quality and utility of them. i know a 30ish guy with a closet full of nikes but won't cut his grass when it's 'too hot,' and just hires someone. and, i have a bud from mexico who had a tradition at the courts to pound the phones and get the gang out in peak heat ('no one will be there!'). in his honor, we called it 'the salsa bowl' if it was hottest day. big fun -tongues wagging from exhaustion, buckets of gator juice, guys yellin' 'what u got? can't take the heat? here's a phone, call ur momma cuz u done!'
hey shoreliners! when is the last time that u saw the guilford courts off i95 jammed almost every nite in the summer? or bridebrook? only yesterday, you just showed up at a place. now, it's often more like calling around to schedule a 'play date.'
i help with a new haven city kids program, as well as some local sports stuff -they're all the same phenotypes. 'no, u don't need a gallon of water to go onna mile hike!'
and forget aboot kids making major cash by shoveling walks. obesity.
a few years back, when poker on tv was a thing, i would say 'people sitting around at home, watching other people sitting around and playing cards, and they call it sports.'
why do think that pro sports have seemingly become more aboot betting stuff and fantasy leagues? all painfully obvious.

I always enjoy your posts, I say that with absolute sincerity.

Given your screen name, I assume you toke up about 10 minutes prior and then just start letting the mind go!

 

[Mr. French]

I just don't see Klay as must watch TV. Agree he is an all-time great shooter and a HOF player but I don't see him being the #1 on a championship team. He is Scottie Pippen

He's not Scottie. He's an all-time great shooter, and I get what you're saying, but he's nowhere near the player Scottie was. My opinion. People forget or underestimate how damn good Pip was. Even up to 2000 with the Blazers, he was still coooold.

 

[navery12]

I always enjoy your posts, I say that with absolute sincerity.

Given your screen name, I assume you toke up about 10 minutes prior and then just start letting the mind go!

I don't even need to take that guy off ignore to know who you're talking about with this

 

[Kemba'sYogurt]

Klay is amazingly great shooter and had like 60 points on 11 dribbles. I think he had 38 in one quarter too. It sucks that he got hurt because he’s one of those players that just makes the game look pretty. Hopefully he has a complete recovery.

 

[the Q]

Dubs are going to recover nicely.

oubre with tpe

probably someone like Holliday with mle

Then they can go pg or c with disabled player exception

 

[superjohn]

He's not Scottie. He's an all-time great shooter, and I get what you're saying, but he's nowhere near the player Scottie was. My opinion. People forget or underestimate how damn good Pip was. Even up to 2000 with the Blazers, he was still coooold.

I'm a Pippen fan but he's gone from maybe being underrated years ago to being overrated now. ESPN came out with a list of the greatest NBA players ever and they had Pippen #21. He was a great player but there's just no way he was better than Barkley, Wade, Drexler...

 

[uconnbaseball]

Well run organizations like Miami, Memphis and Denver continue to play 4D chess while organizations like the Suns play Connect Four. How did the grizzlies turn 40 into Bane AND Tillman? By using the Suns future 2nd rounders they got for free by taking on Jackson.

Satisfied with what the Knicks did; the 2023 2nd rounder could be a useful asset and I didn’t see anyone there that would have made a big difference.

That sucks for GS. They can still make the playoffs but contention without Klay will be almost impossible without an in season trade.

 

[olehead]

Powell was a great college player but really doesn't fit the NBA game IMO, he is pretty small and not overly athletic. I am a little surprised someone didn't take a flyer on Howard, he's a poor man's Trae Young and I thought that would entice someone.

Ty-Shon Alexander missing out on being picked isn't surprising but is disappointing. Hate to lose a guy with his ability that doesn't end up getting picked. We will see if he lands somewhere as a FA, but damn we would have been elite if he stuck around.

Alexander flat-out has not shown enough. He's not a creator pg like SGA. He's good, but not great and not dominant in any particular fashion. And there are plenty of athletic 6'4" guys. Key is offensively, can they shoot consistently enough to provide spacing and at 6'4", can you get to the cup and make free throws. Hell look at Edward's, he's that size, elite athletically and yet there is the legitimate question of his NBA effectiveness b/c he shot 29% from three in college.

 

[olehead]

Time to get Haliburton!!

I wanted Haliburton for the Knicks. Reasonable basketball minds wanted a big creative pg because they needed leadership and a splash of greatness at that position.

Jim Dolan got Obi. Why, he was fan of Obi's dad and his playground exploits and thought it made good pr. I'm kidding.

I will admit I was pissed with the Haliburton miss, but Obi really could be a blessing given his flare, he hits the three, he's active, guards in space, and is another rim protector to help out Robinson.

 

[Mr. French]

I'm a Pippen fan but he's gone from maybe being underrated years ago to being overrated now. ESPN came out with a list of the greatest NBA players ever and they had Pippen #21. He was a great player but there's just no way he was better than Barkley, Wade, Drexler...

Barkley and Wade, he's in a similar tier but gun to my head I probably have them as better than him, I agree ... I think he's better than Drexler.

I get your point though, that does happen with a lot of players, they're underrated for so long they become overrated. But I think, respectfully, he's still underrated because most young people or just people that have foggy memories of 20-25 years ago think "Mike's wingman."

That dude was so good, and did everything. He was a modern player 25 years ago. 6'7 defensive whiz who played PG and could score.

 

[Mr. French]

I don't even need to take that guy off ignore to know who you're talking about with this

I dno, I can't even imagine needing him on ignore, very entertaining. I'm sure with his ranting he probably gets on some nerves sometimes, but I always like the stream of consciousness stuff and his way with words is fascinating!

 

[the Q]

I always enjoy your posts, I say that with absolute sincerity.

Given your screen name, I assume you toke up about 10 minutes prior and then just start letting the mind go!

I think we found Hayward’s dealer....

 

[the Q]

Danny getting a pick for the useless poirier almost makes up for giving away 30 for nothing

 

[the Q]

There’s Never Been a Better Time to Go Undrafted

www.theringer.com

Interesting article about going undrafted. Most interesting how few underclass men who go undrafted are the steals. It’s usually overlooked seniors.

Feeling better about Jones and Queen now lol

 

[ClifSpliffy]

it's neither a personal 'fall from grace' nor an age thing. cf, nba tv ratings, empty playground courts, fortnite, and speechifying in the past few years. feels to me that culture change ramped up aboot a decade ago when folks started talking more 'fashion' and 'collectability' for hoop kix than the quality and utility of them. i know a 30ish guy with a closet full of nikes but won't cut his grass when it's 'too hot,' and just hires someone. and, i have a bud from mexico who had a tradition at the courts to pound the phones and get the gang out in peak heat ('no one will be there!'). in his honor, we called it 'the salsa bowl' if it was hottest day. big fun -tongues wagging from exhaustion, buckets of gator juice, guys yellin' 'what u got? can't take the heat? here's a phone, call ur momma cuz u done!'
hey shoreliners! when is the last time that u saw the guilford courts off i95 jammed almost every nite in the summer? or bridebrook? only yesterday, you just showed up at a place. now, it's often more like calling around to schedule a 'play date.'
i help with a new haven city kids program, as well as some local sports stuff -they're all the same phenotypes. 'no, u don't need a gallon of water to go onna mile hike!'
and forget aboot kids making major cash by shoveling walks. obesity.
a few years back, when poker on tv was a thing, i would say 'people sitting around at home, watching other people sitting around and playing cards, and they call it sports.'
why do think that pro sports have seemingly become more aboot betting stuff and fantasy leagues? all painfully obvious.

'The NBA Draft averaged about 2.23 million viewers across ESPN, ESPNU and NBA TV starting at 8 p.m. ET. That's down about 28 percent from last year and its smallest audience since at least 2008. '

 

[mussels]

'The NBA Draft averaged about 2.23 million viewers across ESPN, ESPNU and NBA TV starting at 8 p.m. ET. That's down about 28 percent from last year and its smallest audience since at least 2008. '

Part of that is the weak draft, but I think it's also related to no March Madness this year. It's the only place we casuals get to see most of these guys. As an example, a couple of years ago no one outside of Nova nation knew who Donte DiVincenzo was. After March Madness, he was on the casual radar from San Diego to Beantown.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Part of that is the weak draft, but I think it's also related to no March Madness this year. It's the only place we casuals get to see most of these guys. As an example, a couple of years ago no one outside of Nova nation knew who Donte DiVincenzo was. After March Madness, he was on the casual radar from San Diego to Beantown.

i agree that having no tourney had an effect, albeit minor. the real culprit tho, is the brand along with changed youth lifestyle. it ain't reversing anytime soon. at some point, nba leadership will ask why, in a lockdown pandemic climate, are way less folks tuning in. the answer?
'you blew it (see speechifying, eg), and we're just not that into you anymore.'
here's to hoping that college hoops and football can firm up the footing for our national inclination to be fans of relatively pure sport, tho i have some concern that when college roundball begins again, some in that world may think that it's time to re-speechify. if so, our obvious and wholly predictable response will be click. garuntee.
( i wrote my original thread comment before the ratings came out.)

 

[huskyfan224]

Yeah, I think the better comp may be Reggie Miller. He was the alpha at Indy but not good enough to carry a team to a championship. When Reggie got hot it was electric. Granted 25 years ago even great shooters didn't consistently shoot 10+ 3's a game.

That's a shot at Reggie, I'll take Reggie all day long and he did lead Indiana to a title in 2000. Pretty hard to come out of the East in his prime when you had to go through MJ.

 

[M.S.G.]

No argument with the above post, but to clarify, he led them to the finals but they obviously didn't win the title..

 

[navery12]

That's a shot at Reggie, I'll take Reggie all day long and he did lead Indiana to a title in 2000. Pretty hard to come out of the East in his prime when you had to go through MJ.

Indiana did not win a championship in 2000

 

[superjohn]

That's a shot at Reggie, I'll take Reggie all day long and he did lead Indiana to a title in 2000. Pretty hard to come out of the East in his prime when you had to go through MJ.

I must have missed that title.

 

[BuffaloHusky]

Reggie and Klay were always reliant on other players in the offense to get them their shots. That's why guys like Pippen, Barkley & Wade (Drexler a bit less so) were so much more valuable because they made plays no one else could. That's not to diminish Reggie and Klay's greatness. It just puts them in perspective and exemplifies why they are prototypical great no. 2's. BTW... The same can also be said for Ray even though early in his career, Ray was closer to Drexler and Wade than Klay and Reggie.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Yikes.. Celtics really got shafted here. Just haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate to see it

Apparently there was an actual deal on the table to Indiana for Turner (in principle)

I'm curious what the thought process behind his opt out is? Does he think he's going to do better than 34 million per? That's insanity.

You are right, it would be insanity UNLESS Hayward knew that there were other offers pending. There are at least a half a dozen teams with 15MM+/yr to spend on free agents, yet the #1 unrestricted free agent this year is.... um... Van Vleet and Hayward is #2. So although Hawyard almost certainly won't match his 34MM one year total, the bet has to be that he has likely offers for 3+ years for at least double that (say 20 x 4).
Hopefully the fact that the Celts extended the deadline for Hayward means there is a sign and trade waiting to happen and its just delayed by the tampering freeze fallout of failed Bucks-BoganB deal.

You'd think it'd be better for the Celtics not to have to pay him 34M next year, but they get no salary credit if he opts out - so given the choice they'd rather continue paying him ~1.5-2 x worth versus having nothing and thus Celtic fans and ownership are aligned in wanting either a sign-and-trade or Hayward back for one more year (esp fans, it is not our 34MM).