2022-23 Around the NBA Thread

Cheesebeef

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That’s not on them. Have you see the rest of the roster?! They scored 47 points between them. Takes zero away from what they are doing.
The rest of the roster scored too. Unfortunately none of them played a lick of D apparently.
 

Covert Rain

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The rest of the roster scored too. Unfortunately none of them played a lick of D apparently.
Aside from Dinwiddie there is a massive drop off on that roster in the top five let alone that bench. Those two guys are playing their asses off. Again, takes nothing away from what they are doing.
 

95pro

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AD went at the Mavs with authority and got the win. I missed most of the todays suns game but I saw the ayton clip of him spinning the opposite way, take a dribble, and jump hook over Allen. Just night and day with AD and DA.
 

Cheesebeef

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Aside from Dinwiddie there is a massive drop off on that roster in the top five let alone that bench. Those two guys are playing their asses off. Again, takes nothing away from what they are doing.
Again, the word on this board was that Brooklyn was gonna be feisty with a bunch of wings who could score and defend with a solid C in Claxton and since the trade their defense has been an absolute abomination. Defense is part of the game and Bridges and Cam have gotten roasted there along with the rest of the team.

Hell, I think someone even said they wouldn’t be surprised if they have a scare or pulled off a first round upset. Gonna be hard to do when you’re giving up 122 ppg.
 

Covert Rain

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Again, the word on this board was that Brooklyn was gonna be feisty with a bunch of wings who could score and defend with a solid C in Claxton and since the trade their defense has been an absolute abomination. Defense is part of the game and Bridges and Cam have gotten roasted there along with the rest of the team.

Hell, I think someone even said they wouldn’t be surprised if they have a scare or pulled off a first round upset. Gonna be hard to do when you’re giving up 122 ppg.
That certainly was not the consensus. Most analyst and people talking about these trades said these were all about the future and stocking up assets for the Nets. I don’t know many fans either that felt that wasn’t the case either. There is a reason many of the trades they made involved getting tons of picks back in return.

I lost count but I think the Nets since the first trade acquired six first-round picks and 7 second-round picks with all those moves. They also shed over 90 million in salary. That is not a team thinking about this year. That is not a team anybody should be surprised will struggle.

If the roster is made up of duck tape, I don’t care if you have the best defender in the entire league. They are going to look bad.
 
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GatorAZ

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Healthy Kawhi might be the best player in the west. I posted his impact stats earlier. Getting Plummer was also a huge addition for the Clipps.
 

Phrazbit

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Healthy Kawhi might be the best player in the west. I posted his impact stats earlier. Getting Plummer was also a huge addition for the Clipps.

His defense is still really special, on offense he doesn't have the burst he used to. He's still really good but he has to work a lot harder than to get his.

Also, what the heck is with Jokic's arms? Did he corner a badger?

Aaaaaaaaand another 60 foot (not quite) buzzer beater.
 

elindholm

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Again, the word on this board was that Brooklyn was gonna be feisty with a bunch of wings who could score and defend with a solid C in Claxton and since the trade their defense has been an absolute abomination. Defense is part of the game and Bridges and Cam have gotten roasted there along with the rest of the team.

Hell, I think someone even said they wouldn’t be surprised if they have a scare or pulled off a first round upset. Gonna be hard to do when you’re giving up 122 ppg.

The Durant trade isn't about Bridges and Johnson. It's about the Suns' first-round picks in 2027, 2028, and 2029.
 

Brian in Mesa

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The Durant trade isn't about Bridges and Johnson. It's about the Suns' first-round picks in 2027, 2028, and 2029.
Actually, it's more than that. Here is their haul of draft picks resulting from that trade:

2023 first-round pick (from Phoenix)
2025 first-round pick (from Phoenix)
2027 first-round pick (from Phoenix)
2028 first-round pick swap (from Phoenix)
2028 second-round pick (from Milwaukee)
2029 first-round pick (from Phoenix
2029 second-round pick (from Milwaukee)
 

elindholm

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Actually, it's more than that. Here is their haul of draft picks resulting from that trade:

2023 first-round pick (from Phoenix)
2025 first-round pick (from Phoenix)
2027 first-round pick (from Phoenix)
2028 first-round pick swap (from Phoenix)
2028 second-round pick (from Milwaukee)
2029 first-round pick (from Phoenix
2029 second-round pick (from Milwaukee)
Yes, I'm aware. But the assets of real value are the ones I itemized.
 

GatorAZ

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Actually, it's more than that. Here is their haul of draft picks resulting from that trade:

2023 first-round pick (from Phoenix)
2025 first-round pick (from Phoenix)
2027 first-round pick (from Phoenix)
2028 first-round pick swap (from Phoenix)
2028 second-round pick (from Milwaukee)
2029 first-round pick (from Phoenix
2029 second-round pick (from Milwaukee)
The Rudy Gobert package in other words.
 

Phrazbit

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The Rudy Gobert package in other words.

Well... I will say this. While I wouldn't have done the Durant trade, I probably would have burned down the arena if I was a Wolves fan. That trade is a horror show. I don't see any path for them.

KAT is just as bad defensively at the 4 as he was at the 5, but as a 4 he is a homeless man's Kevin Love... at least at the 5 he was, more often than not, dynamic on offense.

They're married to Gobert, so they'll likely shop KAT in the off season, try to form a team that makes more sense. Edwards has given every indication that he is very unhappy with the "twin towers" experiment, he might stay for the money, but even with an extension he will be looking for an exit. Also, if they give Edwards a max and keep Towns and Gobert, they're going to be a luxury tax payer despite being... pretty dang lousy.

But my dark reflection of the Durant deal is the Nets trade with the Celtics. They traded 3 firsts, a pick swap and a bunch of cap filler for some aged stars in Pierce and Garnett, both in the mid 30s. They had Deron Williams that hadn't fallen off a cliff yet, a 32 year old Joe Johnson, a young Brook Lopez, a bunch of good role players, they won 49 games the year before, they thought all they needed to push it over the top was a couple big stars and that "super team" got a ton of hype.

But... Pierce and Garnett rapidly declined, Deron fell off a cliff

The picks they sent to Boston turned into, among other things, Tatum and Brown.

Paul is declining fast, none of us really trust Ayton.

I trust Booker, but he can't carry a team alone and we don't have any assets to lure other stars in. We are banking everything that Durant can get and stay healthy and that these guys can produce a title in the very near future, because beyond that it's going to take some absolutely brilliant front office work to stay relevant.

But at least we have a chance for a title...

Unlike the Wolves. Utah is going to get a ton of talent out of that trade... luckily they're still the UTAH Jazz, and will struggle to retain any of it.
 
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Hoop Head

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I trust Booker, but he can't carry a team alone and we don't have any assets to lure other stars in. We are banking everything that Durant can get and stay healthy and that these guys can produce a title in the very near future, because beyond that it's going to take some absolutely brilliant front office work to stay relevant.

This is the real issue. Look at how much Miami, Cleveland, and LA struggled to retool after shipping off all of their assets to build teams around Lebron. People keep saying the new owner won't sit idly by and allow this team to be in the dregs of the league but that's much easier said than done. Had the Suns held onto 1 of the twins or even 1 pick I'd have a lot more faith something could be done to replace Paul but the only real tradable asset we have is Ayton and he'll have to be dealt in order to retool around Booker unless he becomes a legit #2, which I don't see happening.
 

Russ Smith

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Damian Lillard with 71 points, 13 threes, perfect from the foul line (14-14).

It's insane how many 50+ games have happened this year. That's two 71 point games, Dame and before Mitchell.

Houston's guys must be shell shocked last game Klay went for 42 and 12 threes against them, and then Dame goes 71 and 13 in the next game. It is remarkable how good NBA players are.
 

Hoop Head

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NBA players have definitely gotten better at shooting but I think going off against bad teams like Houston kind of says something for the lesser teams. The bad teams are worse than they've been in the past. Teams throw in the towel far too early now and tank from the get go. They avoid adding veterans and playing any they may have.

I don't mean to detract from a 70+ point outing but I think it's not rare anymore because of the reliance on 3's and also the lack of established talent on some clubs. Hitting 70 now is like hitting 50+ in the 90's.
 

Brian in Mesa

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NBA players have definitely gotten better at shooting but I think going off against bad teams like Houston kind of says something for the lesser teams. The bad teams are worse than they've been in the past. Teams throw in the towel far too early now and tank from the get go. They avoid adding veterans and playing any they may have.

I don't mean to detract from a 70+ point outing but I think it's not rare anymore because of the reliance on 3's and also the lack of established talent on some clubs. Hitting 70 now is like hitting 50+ in the 90's.
The highest-scoring game in NBA history happened nearly 40 years ago. December 13, 1983. The Pistons beat the Nuggets 186-184 in 3OT. The craziest stat? Both teams went 1-2 from 3-point range.
 
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I think the NBA wants higher scoring games with the focus on not being able to touch an outside shooter, while often allowing players to mug each other inside without calling fouls. I really don't understand the latter trend.

The end result seems to devalue big men and good defensive play.
 

Finito

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It's insane how many 50+ games have happened this year. That's two 71 point games, Dame and before Mitchell.

Houston's guys must be shell shocked last game Klay went for 42 and 12 threes against them, and then Dame goes 71 and 13 in the next game. It is remarkable how good NBA players are.

I don’t think it’s how good NBA players they’ve made it so you can’t play defense anymore. This is what the NBA wants same with the NFL.
 

Finito

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AD went at the Mavs with authority and got the win. I missed most of the todays suns game but I saw the ayton clip of him spinning the opposite way, take a dribble, and jump hook over Allen. Just night and day with AD and DA.

You must not watch a lot of AD. The same criticism we have of DA they have of AD. AD loves to fall in love with the 3 he can be dominate at times then he falls into loving the perimeter game and his toughness is always in question. He breaks a nail and he’s out two weeks
 
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