2023-24 Around the NBA Thread

Hoop Head

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The thing is we needed a PG at the time. Big time miss by McDonough. The beginning of the end. Jackson has gotta go down as one of our biggest draft busts if not the biggest.

We didn't need a PG though, we had Bledsoe. Of course Bledsoe pulled his "I don't want to be here" nonsense 3 games into the season and was sat until traded but JJ looked really good and filled a need. I think we were taking Jackson or Tatum, whichever was available, and unfortunately McD "tricked" Boston into taking Tatum so we got JJ. On paper that team looked like a solid young squad ready to turn the corner but in reality it was about to hit bottom.
 

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UCLA played UK twice that year, won the first lost in the NCAA's when Fox went off. UCLA had both Lonzo and Aaron Holiday, Holiday was a very good college defender, Lonzo was better than people realized but Fox torched both of them both times we played, especially the NCAA game he basically won single handedly. He was not a good shooter then that was the knock on him but he was so good off the bounce then, and because he's improved the shot, now he's unguardable. He's not as good defensively as he should be given his length and athleticism but he's gotten better.

Of course in hindsight the team kicking themselves for not picking him is the Lakers

It’s crazy to think that UCLA shot over 40% from 3 as a team that season. Can’t say Alford didn’t know offense.

Cal not making the F4 with Fox, Monk and Bam was probably the beginning of the end for him as the premier CBB brand. Duke became Kentucky with the Zion class right after that.
 

Russ Smith

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It’s crazy to think that UCLA shot over 40% from 3 as a team that season. Can’t say Alford didn’t know offense.

Cal not making the F4 with Fox, Monk and Bam was probably the beginning of the end for him as the premier CBB brand. Duke became Kentucky with the Zion class right after that.


THat was just a weird game in general. UCLA fans still complain Alford didn't make the FF with that team. I mean he was a terrible coach but the team that beat him had 2 future All stars in Fox and Bam plus Monk who was a 5 star recruit himself. They beat them earlier that year at Kentucky and it created this false sense of UCLA having more talent than UK did.

UCLA had talent, but Lonzo was the best NBA player from that team and he's a big disappointment. Leaf bottomed out early, Holiday has had a solid career but nothing special, Welsh bottomed out, Alford and I Ham never made it.

But yeah UK not going further with that level of talent was definitely a sign.
 
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Mainstreet

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Unless a team is absolutely set at the position, passing on a top point guard in the NBA is like a quarterback needy team passing on a quarterback in the NFL. They are at a premium. It's hard to go wrong drafting them.

The Suns should have snatched up one of Fox, Shai or Haliburton.
 
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Mainstreet

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This has to hurt.

Montrezl Harrell of the 76ers reportedly has a torn ACL and meniscus after undergoing an MRI.

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Mainstreet

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That sucks. I liked Harrell when he was a Clipper. He's had really bad luck since he left to get paid.

I would have liked for the Suns to add Harrell this season. Things have gone well for him lately.
 

Proximo

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Unless a team is absolutely set at the position, passing on a top point guard in the NBA is like a quarterback needy team passing on a quarterback in the NFL. They are at a premium. It's hard to go wrong drafting them.

The Suns should have snatched up one of Fox, Shai or Haliburton.
I don’t agree on the need for a so called point guard.

Shai and fox are far more like traditional 2 guards the traditional point guards.

What you need in todays nba is efficient shot creators and ball handlers.

Don’t get me wrong, passing on Halliburton was the dumbest move in the last 5 years, and I was right about that one at the time.
 
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Mainstreet

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I don’t agree on the need for a so called point guard.

Shai and fox are far more like traditional 2 guards the traditional point guards.

What you need in todays nba is efficient shot creators and ball handlers.

Don’t get me wrong, passing on Halliburton was the dumbest move in the last 5 years, and I was right about that one at the time.

Yeah, the days of using labels for position are mostly over, although it helps to identify what a player does.
 
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Mainstreet

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The 76ers will keep Harrell on the roster perhaps as a trade piece.

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Phrazbit

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This has to hurt.

Montrezl Harrell of the 76ers reportedly has a torn ACL and meniscus after undergoing an MRI.

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I can’t believe how much these guys play in the offseason.

It ain’t good for their bodies. I get it when it’s the Olympics but these guys playing pickup games non stop… it seems reckless.
 
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Mainstreet

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Here is the yearly breakdown of Anthony Davis' contract, with extension.

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JCSunsfan

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I will admit I thought Josh Jackson was the better of the two and we got a steal. Then also I suck at day trading so..
I remember watching both Jackson and Tatum playing and thinking that Tatum was a really highly skilled and polished player. But the scouts like Jackson's raw athletic ability and I assumed that they were right and I was thrilled when we got him over Tatum.

In the present context, teams value raw athleticism and youth much too highly, and they do not value maturity, work ethic, and skill set enough. It's especially the case about youth.
 

Superbone

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I remember watching both Jackson and Tatum playing and thinking that Tatum was a really highly skilled and polished player. But the scouts like Jackson's raw athletic ability and I assumed that they were right and I was thrilled when we got him over Tatum.

In the present context, teams value raw athleticism and youth much too highly, and they do not value maturity, work ethic, and skill set enough. It's especially the case about youth.
How absolutely silly McDonough looks now after bragging about tricking Ainge into picking Tatum over Jackson.
 

Germz249

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I remember watching both Jackson and Tatum playing and thinking that Tatum was a really highly skilled and polished player. But the scouts like Jackson's raw athletic ability and I assumed that they were right and I was thrilled when we got him over Tatum.

In the present context, teams value raw athleticism and youth much too highly, and they do not value maturity, work ethic, and skill set enough. It's especially the case about youth.

When I heard he refused to work out for Boston I was over the moon. We finally got a great player.. then again I was over the moon when we picked up Bender and Chriss lol.
 

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I remember watching both Jackson and Tatum playing and thinking that Tatum was a really highly skilled and polished player. But the scouts like Jackson's raw athletic ability and I assumed that they were right and I was thrilled when we got him over Tatum.

In the present context, teams value raw athleticism and youth much too highly, and they do not value maturity, work ethic, and skill set enough. It's especially the case about youth.
Yeah my opinion has changed quite a bit, give me a good shooter and mediocre athlete over a great athlete and bad shooter any day.

Kind of obvious since the three point shot is king now.
 

Germz249

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Yeah my opinion has changed quite a bit, give me a good shooter and mediocre athlete over a great athlete and bad shooter any day.

Kind of obvious since the three point shot is king now.

I am with ya. I use to think going for the athletic freaks that we could work with.. now it seems like the opposite. Look at Luka as an example.
 
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