OT: NBA Offseason | Page 19 | The Boneyard

OT: NBA Offseason

nelsonmuntz

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You provide good comedy. Let's pretend the Raps and the Bucks were the same before the season and let's pretend the Clips, Lakers, and every other team are the same as they were a month or two ago.

Keep doing what you're doing here.

The Bucks were the same. As were the Celtics, who you thought was the only team in the East that mattered.

I got the Nuggets jump too. I identified that the 76ers' bench was eventually going to be a problem.

It is worth noting that I was the first person on this board that identified that the Bucks were in trouble in the Eastern Conference Finals despite being up 2-1.

I can see why you don't give me props though. Only game recognizes game, and you don't have game.
 
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You mean the Clippers team that took 2 from the Warriors without an all-star? I would say that team is already pretty solid before Kawhi and Paul George.
Everyone took a bite out of the Warriors last year. They were pacing themselves in that first round series. Again, critical thinking.

It's interesting that so many of you think that the bench is irrelevant and only the number of all stars matter,
Ahhh your favorite fallacy

yet when Kawhi had to choose a team, he was only seriously talking to the Clippers and Raptors,
You have proof he wasn’t taking the Lakers seriously? He wanted to be a Laker first when he asked to be traded.
who both go deep with good players, and wanted to play with Paul George, not LeBron or AD. I guess a lot of Boneyard posters are better talent evaluators than Kawhi.
The story is already out. Apparently Kawhi perceived a dynastic perpetuation of competitive imbalance if he went to the Lakers, and picked the other team so as to avoid that. Who knows though.

If anything, I would think he took Toronto least seriously. He asked to go to the Lakers first. Then he asked just to go to LA. I think (you should start using that phrase) he listened to Toronto out of courtesy but, given he chose a total unknown in the Clippers, he wasn’t too interested in playing in freezing-cold Canada.

Edit just checked the box scores. Toronto's bench averaged 3 more points than did GS’s over the series. GS won games 2 and 5, both games in which their bench was out scored by 8 and 5 points.

GS didn’t have depth because even their depth (Cousins, Looney) was hurt. I hate the warriors and hate that you’re making me pseudo-defend them.
 
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nelsonmuntz

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Those claiming that Kawhi didn't go to the Lakers because they would be "too good" are the same talking heads claiming that Kawhi was going to the Lakers. There was so much ridiculousness around Kawhi to the Lakers that you would think people would stop digging at some point. I can't believe anyone would believe that.
 

Fishy

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Those claiming that Kawhi didn't go to the Lakers because they would be "too good" are the same talking heads claiming that Kawhi was going to the Lakers. There was so much ridiculousness around Kawhi to the Lakers that you would think people would stop digging at some point. I can't believe anyone would believe that.

Agree.

Leonard had his eye on the Clippers going back well over a year when he bailed out on the Spurs.
 

nelsonmuntz

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The Spurs won 5 titles playing team basketball. Kobe's last two titles were with a team built around a star. The teams that have gotten close in recent years (Celtics, Bucks) play team ball.

The Lakers will have 4 players that don't belong at the end of the bench. Rondo sucks now. McGee was never any good. Dudley? Who the are some of these kids that were signed? Maybe Kawhi and the Freak could take that team to the second round, maybe. LeBron, at this point in his career, and an overrated AD are not doing it.

Unless they make a big move, this is another 35-40 win Laker team.
 

nelsonmuntz

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Switching gears, Zion has to lose at least 20 pounds fast or he will have a short career. I don't care how jacked he is, joints are not designed to withstand as much force as he is putting on them. He has to slim down.
 
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I’m thinking Doc Rivers made the difference. Plus Ballmer

As dysfunctional as the Lakers have been Contrast with that Donald Sterling Clippers history ... the Clippers look like a structured franchise he could build.
 
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No one plays just 7 if you go deep. So who are the Lakers 8? What stars in the West have more injury concerns than AD?

Then you dig deeper and see the injury history of Rondo and Cousins. So 3 of the 8 are consistently hurt and Lebron at age 35 is a wildcard. Good luck with that roster.

To be fair, how many teams could lose one or both of their top two players and still think about even making the playoffs? Not many.

For all the bemoaning of the Lakers saying Lebron and AD could get injured, well the new Clippers pair also aren't exactly the paradigm of health either. Kawhi literally sat the whole of the season before last due to injury, he had to be carefully managed during the regular season and still was clearly not 100% by the end of the finals. PG has had surgery on both of his shoulders so far this off-season (he shot worse than Westbrook in the playoffs because of his shoulder issues) and may not even be healthy for training camp. He also had arthroscopic knee surgery last off season.

Injuries happen. Unless you're signing someone like Greg Oden don't worry about it, it's out of your control. Get good players and worry about the rest later.
 

nelsonmuntz

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What are people's projections?

East:

1) Bucks
2) Celtics
3) 76ers
4) Pacers - McMillan is a great coach. Oladipo's knee is a massive question mark.
5) Pistons - Derrick Rose signing is underrated move of off-season.
6) Raptors - depends on whether they start dumping salaries.
7) Heat - aren't done yet, they could move up
8) Hawks - I really like this team, and I think Collins could make next year's all-star team with a little promotion.

9) Nets - not a fan of their off-season moves. The gave up tomorrow's star to buy yesterday's stars.
10) Orlando - boring
11) Bulls - Satoransky (sp?) A great pickup. Some decent players, meh
12) Knicks - won't suck anymore, which is a start.
13) Wizards - should trade Beal soon.
14) Cavaliers - Kevin Love will fake some more injuries to avoid playing for this mess.
15) Hornets - Michael Jordan really is the Michael Jordan of bad front office executives.

Overall, the East seems to have gotten worse, although a few teams have upside.
 
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What are people's projections?

East:

1) Bucks
2) Celtics
3) 76ers
4) Pacers - McMillan is a great coach. Oladipo's knee is a massive question mark.
5) Pistons - Derrick Rose signing is underrated move of off-season.
6) Raptors - depends on whether they start dumping salaries.
7) Heat - aren't done yet, they could move up
8) Hawks - I really like this team, and I think Collins could make next year's all-star team with a little promotion.

9) Nets - not a fan of their off-season moves. The gave up tomorrow's star to buy yesterday's stars.
10) Orlando - boring
11) Bulls - Satoransky (sp?) A great pickup. Some decent players, meh
12) Knicks - won't suck anymore, which is a start.
13) Wizards - should trade Beal soon.
14) Cavaliers - Kevin Love will fake some more injuries to avoid playing for this mess.
15) Hornets - Michael Jordan really is the Michael Jordan of bad front office executives.

Overall, the East seems to have gotten worse, although a few teams have upside.
1. PHI
2. MIL
3. BOS
4. BKN
5. IND
6. TOR
7. ATL
8. ORL
---------
9. MIA - If they get Westbrook they'd be the 8
10-15. Who cares they suck
 
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To be fair, how many teams could lose one or both of their top two players and still think about even making the playoffs? Not many.

For all the bemoaning of the Lakers saying Lebron and AD could get injured, well the new Clippers pair also aren't exactly the paradigm of health either. Kawhi literally sat the whole of the season before last due to injury, he had to be carefully managed during the regular season and still was clearly not 100% by the end of the finals. PG has had surgery on both of his shoulders so far this off-season (he shot worse than Westbrook in the playoffs because of his shoulder issues) and may not even be healthy for training camp. He also had arthroscopic knee surgery last off season.

Injuries happen. Unless you're signing someone like Greg Oden don't worry about it, it's out of your control. Get good players and worry about the rest later.
The point is when injuries do happen, is your team deep enough to be competitive? The Raptors had a great record when Kawhi rested. The Clippers have a deep enough roster to again allow Kawhi to take games off. The Lakers do not. In fact, they can’t even afford early foul trouble to either guy. If Kawhi or Paul George miss 20 games, the Clippers will still make the playoffs. If AD or Lebron miss an extended period of time, the Lakers are toast.

So if the pattern persists an AD misses time or for that matter Rondo and Cosuins, I don’t see this roster being all that competitive. Their backcourt consists of Rondo, Quinn Cook, and Caruso. Even if Lebron plays point forward, good luck with that.
 

HuskyHawk

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What are people's projections?

East:

1) Bucks
2) Celtics
3) 76ers
4) Pacers - McMillan is a great coach. Oladipo's knee is a massive question mark.
5) Pistons - Derrick Rose signing is underrated move of off-season.
6) Raptors - depends on whether they start dumping salaries.
7) Heat - aren't done yet, they could move up
8) Hawks - I really like this team, and I think Collins could make next year's all-star team with a little promotion.

9) Nets - not a fan of their off-season moves. The gave up tomorrow's star to buy yesterday's stars.
10) Orlando - boring
11) Bulls - Satoransky (sp?) A great pickup. Some decent players, meh
12) Knicks - won't suck anymore, which is a start.
13) Wizards - should trade Beal soon.
14) Cavaliers - Kevin Love will fake some more injuries to avoid playing for this mess.
15) Hornets - Michael Jordan really is the Michael Jordan of bad front office executives.

Overall, the East seems to have gotten worse, although a few teams have upside.

I think the East is better and deeper than it was. But the talent is more spread out. Bucks have to be the favorite, then Boston. I think Philly is a poorly constructed team and lacks shooters. Who knows what will happen.
 
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What are people's projections?

East:

1) Bucks
2) Celtics
3) 76ers
4) Pacers - McMillan is a great coach. Oladipo's knee is a massive question mark.
5) Pistons - Derrick Rose signing is underrated move of off-season.
6) Raptors - depends on whether they start dumping salaries.
7) Heat - aren't done yet, they could move up
8) Hawks - I really like this team, and I think Collins could make next year's all-star team with a little promotion.

9) Nets - not a fan of their off-season moves. The gave up tomorrow's star to buy yesterday's stars.
10) Orlando - boring
11) Bulls - Satoransky (sp?) A great pickup. Some decent players, meh
12) Knicks - won't suck anymore, which is a start.
13) Wizards - should trade Beal soon.
14) Cavaliers - Kevin Love will fake some more injuries to avoid playing for this mess.
15) Hornets - Michael Jordan really is the Michael Jordan of bad front office executives.

Overall, the East seems to have gotten worse, although a few teams have upside.

I think the Magic will make the playoffs, and I don’t see the Celtics finishing above 5th. The rest I agree with generally, although I’d have the Nets over the Heat. The Bucks might win 65 games and I think they’re the clear favorites to win come out of the East, and probably the best bet to win it all.
 
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1. Bucks
2. 76ers
3. Celtics
4. Pacers
5. Raptors
6. Nets
7. Heat
8. Magic
 
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This thread was worth wading through just for this gem alone ... “Kawhi perceived a dynastic perpetuation of competitive imbalance if he went to the Lakers”

I just may have become a Clippers fan
 
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This thread was worth wading through just for this gem alone ... “Kawhi perceived a dynastic perpetuation of competitive imbalance if he went to the Lakers”

I just may have become a Clippers fan
Hey, that’s what Kawhi’s camp put out there. It’s all we have to go off. You can believe he’s lying, couldn’t blame you
 
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The Spurs won 5 titles playing team basketball. Kobe's last two titles were with a team built around a star. The teams that have gotten close in recent years (Celtics, Bucks) play team ball.

The Lakers will have 4 players that don't belong at the end of the bench. Rondo sucks now. McGee was never any good. Dudley? Who the are some of these kids that were signed? Maybe Kawhi and the Freak could take that team to the second round, maybe. LeBron, at this point in his career, and an overrated AD are not doing it.

Unless they make a big move, this is another 35-40 win Laker team.

The Spurs had an all time great when they won 5 titles...
 
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this thread and the laker hate make me sick. everyone fails to mention kuzma who is a budding star and much better then his underperforming draft class mate tatum. rondo sucks? he’s their 3-4th guard. mcgee averaged 12 7 and 2 blocks with 63% shooting and is their third big man. lebron was MVP candidate and lakers a top 4 seed before he got hurt and once again put up 28 8 and 8 like he usually does. enough with the kellerman fall off cliff crap. AD has injury concerns? great so does most of the league, including drose who apparently is going to take the detroit club of misfits to a title cause he dropped a 50 point game. cool so did terrance ross. celtics are going to be better than last year? kemba and kanter aren’t better than kyrie and horford. brooklyn is going to be worse? yeah dLo isn’t better than kyrie. they’ll be top 3 title favorites with KD back. watch some dang basketball.
 
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Hey, that’s what Kawhi’s camp put out there. It’s all we have to go off. You can believe he’s lying, couldn’t blame you
No offense intended ... struck me as funny that’s all.
 

nelsonmuntz

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this thread and the laker hate make me sick. everyone fails to mention kuzma who is a budding star and much better then his underperforming draft class mate tatum. rondo sucks? he’s their 3-4th guard. mcgee averaged 12 7 and 2 blocks with 63% shooting and is their third big man. lebron was MVP candidate and lakers a top 4 seed before he got hurt and once again put up 28 8 and 8 like he usually does. enough with the kellerman fall off cliff crap. AD has injury concerns? great so does most of the league, including drose who apparently is going to take the detroit club of misfits to a title cause he dropped a 50 point game. cool so did terrance ross. celtics are going to be better than last year? kemba and kanter aren’t better than kyrie and horford. brooklyn is going to be worse? yeah dLo isn’t better than kyrie. they’ll be top 3 title favorites with KD back. watch some dang basketball.

Finally, someone with the balls to say the Lakers are going to win the title.
 

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