OT: 2017-2018 NBA Season Thread

[Rocktheworld]

Ball is -18 in 21 minutes. Oof.

Lmao did you see that nigh-uncontested air ball he put up in transition (believe it was in the first half)?

Cringed pretty hard at that. Kid is having a real tough time and it’s clear the shot ain’t gonna work at this level

 

[Huskyforlife]

Is it a stretch to say lonzo is the worst offensive player in the league right now? His assists don’t make up for his horrid shooting displays.

 

[Matrim55]

 

[champs99and04]

For as much as Embiid did last night, the enduring visual for me will be him standing on the block, with is left shoulder to the defender, palming the ball in his right hand as he looks over the defense. Almost exactly like Duncan used to but somehow he makes it look even more badass, probably because his hand is engulfing the ball as if it's a marble. What a freak.

 

[UConn990411]

Sure Tatum would have been nice but they don't need him, Simmons and Embiid together is frightening. A 6'10 freak point guard and a generational big man is pretty hard to stop. With all things that went wrong due to bad picks and injuries it still shows you tanking clearly worked. Now they just have to stay healthy.

Even if Simmons and Embiid pan out, they’ll need a lot more than that to compete for titles.

I’ve loved what I’ve seen from those two, but Philly ain’t exactly a quality organization. Let’s see if they can keep developing their players and actually surround them with a lineup capable of winning.

Not for nothing, but a year ago Minnesota was essentially where Philly is now. It could still pan out for them, but winning in the NBA is hard with very few guarantees.

 

[Walker11]

Even if Simmons and Embiid pan out, they’ll need a lot more than that to compete for titles.

I’ve loved what I’ve seen from those two, but Philly ain’t exactly a quality organization. Let’s see if they can keep developing their players and actually surround them with a lineup capable of winning.

Not for nothing, but a year ago Minnesota was essentially where Philly is now. It could still pan out for them, but winning in the NBA is hard with very few guarantees.

Your hate for Philly is real. I hated the process as well but IMO it worked out terrifically. To win a ship you need a top 5 talent and Embiid looks the part. As for development guys, look at Covington. Highly valuable player and they just locked him up at a very favorable rate. And they still have intriguing assets like the LAL/SAC pick.

You can argue that Embiid is a wildcard and that's fair. You can point to Okafor but Hinkie's premise was that it is extremely hard to predict draft picks so you should aquire as many as possible. Noel was a misstep, no doubt. But they have an very high ceiling and I see no reason to judge the organization as low quality. Look at what vets like Brand had to say about the professionalism of the operation, even during the most trying of times.

 

[superjohn]

Even if Simmons and Embiid pan out, they’ll need a lot more than that to compete for titles.

I’ve loved what I’ve seen from those two, but Philly ain’t exactly a quality organization. Let’s see if they can keep developing their players and actually surround them with a lineup capable of winning.

Not for nothing, but a year ago Minnesota was essentially where Philly is now. It could still pan out for them, but winning in the NBA is hard with very few guarantees.

Even if they pan out?!?? Stopped reading after that.

 

[Walker11]

Even if they pan out?!?? Stopped reading after that.

I think the process has been proven already but whether or not this experiment is deemed as a success or failure long term is going to depend on Embiid's health.

Tuning into the W's C's game right now. Love watching these Celtics. I almost wish JSM was still posting to rip on him and his opinion of the C's wings.

 

[UConn990411]

Even if they pan out?!?? Stopped reading after that.

Lol, what a ridiculous overreaction by you.

As good as they already are, they still have a ton of upside left (not to mention Embiid's injury questions). That's all I meant by pan out.

But feel free to proceed with your typical overreacting routine.

 

[nomar]

HOW 'BOUT THEM CELTICS??????????

 

[Huskyforlife]

HOW 'BOUT THEM CELTICS??????????

The warriors scored 88 pts.

 

[awfuldan]

Jalen Brown was awesome last night. My favorite part of that game, for sure.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Jalen Brown was awesome last night. My favorite part of that game, for sure.

Need that dude beating the "Jaylen Brown LOL what a bust" drum to come through.

 

[tzznandrew]

The warriors scored 88 pts.

Curry was coming off injury, 7 game series, etc etc. All the necessary caveats.

And yet, damn that felt good to see that comeback, and to see Brown play such a huge role. A lineup next year of Irving-Brown-Haywood-Tatum-Horford, and with another high lottery pick in the next few years?

Also, that Fulke-Tatum trade is looking better and better. No way the Nets finish below the Kings/Mavs/Hawks/Bulls, and I think Tatum > Fulke (though more time is perhaps needed there...)

 

[Rocktheworld]

Need that dude beating the "Jaylen Brown LOL what a bust" drum to come through.

Haven’t seen JSM aka husky91 in a while

Maybe he didn’t take a cesspool banning well

 

[Matrim55]

And yet, damn that felt good to see that comeback, and to see Brown play such a huge role.

He seems to have Kawhi-level defensive potential. Kid's a stud.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

He seems to have Kawhi-level defensive potential. Kid's a stud.

Celtics team defense is smothering right now.

Like ace said, it's ABSURD how much good young talent there is in the league right now.

 

[superjohn]

Celtics team defense is smothering right now.

Like ace said, it's ABSURD how much good young talent there is in the league right now.

Most young star talent I've seen in my lifetime. Greek Freak, Embiid, Porzingis and Simmons are all unicorns and generational type talents. Stevens is the best coach in the league.

 

[nomar]

The warriors scored 88 pts.

Exactly right! And the Celtics scored 92. And because 92 > 88, the Celtics won!

 

[Walker11]

It was amazing to see how physical the refs allowed the Celtics to be with the Warriors. Smart and Brown were mugging the offense throughout the game. The game was officiated more like a playoff game than a regular season one.

The two things that stood out to me were how much better Brown has become with the ball and how impressive Klay was in defending Kyrie.

 

[HooperScooper]

It was amazing to see how physical the refs allowed the Celtics to be with the Warriors. Smart and Brown were mugging the offense throughout the game. The game was officiated more like a playoff game than a regular season one.

What about Tatum's "block" where he never touched the ball and totally took out the guy's (Curry?) arm? I was laughing how bad a call that was.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Andre needs to start scoring. He should be able to throw Sabonis around on the block, yet Sabonis is consistently beating him. Played really bad defense down the stretch of this game.

 

[aceboon]

Hornets are a mess even with MKG and Batum back, if they waste this night from Kemba...

 

[aceboon]

Even with the body contact those are the kind of finishes that Kemba usually makes at the rim, brutal loss

 

[superjohn]

Kemba with 47 but he misses the game winning layup against the Bulls. Bummer.