2024-2025 Around the NBA Thread

[Hoop Head]

Neither? I certainly know which of those two has a better chance of knowing what they are talking about but I'm equally confident that Riley would lie without hesitation if he believes it's in his best interests to do so. But in this case, I'd lean towards Riley's direction as it seems to make the most sense (to me).

I think they call Butler's bluff and let him opt out. I don't see him being traded unless the Suns offer Booker or Golden State gives up Kuminga & Podz for him. Miami seems capable of making things happen given they're a destination city with no state tax. Any deal that happens will favor them and short of a great return it favors them to let Butler walk.

Riley will lie, I agree, but I don't think he's lying here so much as forcing offers to grow and if they don't then he's fine with the alternative.

 

[Lorenzo]

Luka Doncic could miss an extended period of time. He suffered a reported strained calf.

He will get at MRI on Thursday.

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yeah I heard it's the same calf that caused him to miss some of the Utah playoff series a couple years ago. don't want him to tear his achilles or something else. not ideal because it seemed like recently doncic was finally playing well with the rest of the squad. they have played well with him out this year and they almost pulled off the comeback yesterday.

 

[Hoop Head]

yeah I heard it's the same calf that caused him to miss some of the Utah playoff series a couple years ago. don't want him to tear his achilles or something else. not ideal because it seemed like recently doncic was finally playing well with the rest of the squad. they have played well with him out this year and they almost pulled off the comeback yesterday.

I was watching Luka closer the last 2 weeks and by that I mean in pre game, when I can, or during whistles, and he's a weird guy who seems to have an unusual view of the game. What I mean is he routinely will toss the ball very high, like 40' in the air, from 15' out and it'll go in. It helped me understand how he's so efficient. I genuinely wonder if he has some sort of mathematical talent that allows him to see and decipher angles in order to make baskets from anywhere over any defense. It's impressive. Not sure if you've seen him do that or not but it made me want to see him live. You can get a good portion of shootaround on league pass with the arena feed but you're still at the mercy of the camera operator. Have you noticed this?


I know this is slightly off topic. I was sort of waiting for you to post about the Mavs or Luka next for a few days though so I'd been stewing on this as you're our resident Dallas guy.

 

[Russ Smith]

That corner three by Curry to bring the Warriors back was incredible and it was well defended.

I don't know how Steph got that shot to go down, but he has been doing it his whole career.

Yeah the replay you can see him lifting his heels so he's shooting off his toes to make sure he's inbounds.

 

[Lorenzo]

I was watching Luka closer the last 2 weeks and by that I mean in pre game, when I can, or during whistles, and he's a weird guy who seems to have an unusual view of the game. What I mean is he routinely will toss the ball very high, like 40' in the air, from 15' out and it'll go in. It helped me understand how he's so efficient. I genuinely wonder if he has some sort of mathematical talent that allows him to see and decipher angles in order to make baskets from anywhere over any defense. It's impressive. Not sure if you've seen him do that or not but it made me want to see him live. You can get a good portion of shootaround on league pass with the arena feed but you're still at the mercy of the camera operator. Have you noticed this?


I know this is slightly off topic. I was sort of waiting for you to post about the Mavs or Luka next for a few days though so I'd been stewing on this as you're our resident Dallas guy.

yes I've seen some of it. In dallas I think Mark Followill, their main play by play guy coined the saying Luka magic, because he practices all of those things and then executes it in the game. as a mavs fan it kind of reminds me of Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and dirk all in one when you factor that Doncic played with Dirk as well and Dirk was heavily influenced by Nash and Holger. you can see that he kind of emulates all of that somewhat, but he definitely is unique. I have not had a chance to catch a mavs game live since Luka has been there. I've been away the entire time. As of now I am planning on moving to the Texas hill country this summer, so I'll get a chance to see him play at Spurs and in Dallas.

 

[Hoop Head]

yes I've seen some of it. In dallas I think Mark Followill, their main play by play guy coined the saying Luka magic, because he practices all of those things and then executes it in the game. as a mavs fan it kind of reminds me of Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and dirk all in one when you factor that Doncic played with Dirk as well and Dirk was heavily influenced by Nash and Holger. you can see that he kind of emulates all of that somewhat, but he definitely is unique. I have not had a chance to catch a mavs game live since Luka has been there. I've been away the entire time. As of now I am planning on moving to the Texas hill country this summer, so I'll get a chance to see him play at Spurs and in Dallas.

There's a magic to it, for sure. I can dig that sort of call. I generally listen to music instead of other broadcasters and Luka plays with a rhythm unlike I've ever seen. Maybe the mix of Kyrie's ball handling helps me sort of get in the right headspace to appreciate Luka more. They're better together than I thought they'd be. Luka is exceeding all expectations though despite limited athleticism.


I hope to catch a Suns vs Mavs games next season but it'll be costly as a Luka game is a marquee game, regardless of where the Suns stand. Plus with the Suns injuries, it's tough to shell out that cash if 2/3 of our Mid 3 sit, which is a real possibility. The joys of having an NBA team though are the cheap tickets to see them pounce on the Wizards or someone equally as inept. I saw almost every Suns vs Pistons and Suns vs Jazz game for 5 years in the mid 2010's because the state of those teams.

 

[Lorenzo]

There's a magic to it, for sure. I can dig that sort of call. I generally listen to music instead of other broadcasters and Luka plays with a rhythm unlike I've ever seen. Maybe the mix of Kyrie's ball handling helps me sort of get in the right headspace to appreciate Luka more. They're better together than I thought they'd be. Luka is exceeding all expectations though despite limited athleticism.


I hope to catch a Suns vs Mavs games next season but it'll be costly as a Luka game is a marquee game, regardless of where the Suns stand. Plus with the Suns injuries, it's tough to shell out that cash if 2/3 of our Mid 3 sit, which is a real possibility. The joys of having an NBA team though are the cheap tickets to see them pounce on the Wizards or someone equally as inept. I saw almost every Suns vs Pistons and Suns vs Jazz game for 5 years in the mid 2010's because the state of those teams.

for sure. and I echo the surprise of Luka and Kyrie. I give credit to Kidd and Nico Harrison for getting that right and building the rest of the team that they have built now. I think doncic needs to play less or at least let others handle the ball more and we have seen that with Irving and in some cases PJ Washington.

you've seriously made me reflect about my own NBA attendance. I had forgotten that my last mavs game was in 2014 or 2015 and the tickets were free because Cuban/Mavs donated an entire section to our unit. My memories of that game were being thankful to get to see dirk live one last time because I knew he was past his prime. I was in Europe and Korea for 5 years after that so I missed a lot. And now I've been in Vegas since 2023. I guess I could have driven to phoenix to catch a game, but like you said that would be an expensive trip for a regular season game. I was in San Antonio for a while recently and I'm going back in January. not sure when the next time Dallas goes there. I don't like the spurs fans so I guess that will be fun.

 

[Hoop Head]

for sure. and I echo the surprise of Luka and Kyrie. I give credit to Kidd and Nico Harrison for getting that right and building the rest of the team that they have built now. I think doncic needs to play less or at least let others handle the ball more and we have seen that with Irving and in some cases PJ Washington.

you've seriously made me reflect about my own NBA attendance. I had forgotten that my last mavs game was in 2014 or 2015 and the tickets were free because Cuban/Mavs donated an entire section to our unit. My memories of that game were being thankful to get to see dirk live one last time because I knew he was past his prime. I was in Europe and Korea for 5 years after that so I missed a lot. And now I've been in Vegas since 2023. I guess I could have driven to phoenix to catch a game, but like you said that would be an expensive trip for a regular season game. I was in San Antonio for a while recently and I'm going back in January. not sure when the next time Dallas goes there. I don't like the spurs fans so I guess that will be fun.

I saw Dirk live for the first and only time the year before the Ayton/Luka draft. Mavs vs Suns tickets were cheap, I paid like $40 a pop for the back of the lower bowl. I usually would do upper bowl but I wanted to try and get closer for Dirk. Upper bowl would be around $10-20 for bad matchups, especially on week nights and I'm on the light rail line so getting to and from the games was a cakewalk. Attending games is always fun, especially when tickets are cheap. A date night out with the spouse is well worth $50-100 and in my experience they seem to enjoy games in person much more than on television.

Spurs fans can be rough, although I'm speaking as a Suns fan. However seeing Wemby would be worth it. Watching him yesterday and how he made KAT look small was crazy. Kid is an alien. It's cool seeing CP3 help him along also. Might be the last chance you get to see Paul, who is amazing to see live. He's one of those guys who is always directing traffic and you can see how well he sees the floor in person much better. Hope you get a chance to catch a game soon.

 

[95pro]

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Eh he’s just trying to maintain some sort of control so they don’t look desperate. But the ball is in Butlers corner and the Heat are more so up against the wall with this.

 

[Mainstreet]

Yeah the replay you can see him lifting his heels so he's shooting off his toes to make sure he's inbounds.

It looked like Curry got just the right arc on the shot to get it to come off the far side of the rim and down.

It gave the appearance of a curveball in baseball, so I had to go find the video.

 

[Mainstreet]

I think they call Butler's bluff and let him opt out. I don't see him being traded unless the Suns offer Booker or Golden State gives up Kuminga & Podz for him. Miami seems capable of making things happen given they're a destination city with no state tax. Any deal that happens will favor them and short of a great return it favors them to let Butler walk.

Riley will lie, I agree, but I don't think he's lying here so much as making forcing offers to grow and if they don't then he's fine with the alternative.

I think this is what Riley is doing, calling Butler's bluff and pushing up his market value at the same time.

Shams' sources are pretty reliable.

 

[Lorenzo]

I think this is what Riley is doing, calling Butler's bluff and pushing up his market value at the same time.

Shams' sources are pretty reliable.

I wouldn't trust pat Riley in this situation. if he's smart he would say what he has said.

 

[GatorAZ]

It’s pretty simple. The Heat are getting crummy offers so they’ll keep him.

 

[Lorenzo]

I saw Dirk live for the first and only time the year before the Ayton/Luka draft. Mavs vs Suns tickets were cheap, I paid like $40 a pop for the back of the lower bowl. I usually would do upper bowl but I wanted to try and get closer for Dirk. Upper bowl would be around $10-20 for bad matchups, especially on week nights and I'm on the light rail line so getting to and from the games was a cakewalk. Attending games is always fun, especially when tickets are cheap. A date night out with the spouse is well worth $50-100 and in my experience they seem to enjoy games in person much more than on television.

Spurs fans can be rough, although I'm speaking as a Suns fan. However seeing Wemby would be worth it. Watching him yesterday and how he made KAT look small was crazy. Kid is an alien. It's cool seeing CP3 help him along also. Might be the last chance you get to see Paul, who is amazing to see live. He's one of those guys who is always directing traffic and you can see how well he sees the floor in person much better. Hope you get a chance to catch a game soon.

maybe spurs fans have finally been humbled. I agree about Wemby though. he is ridiculous. and he appears to have the ability to get under other players skin if you look at what he did to the Sixers the other night.

 

[Lorenzo]

It’s pretty simple. The Heat are getting crummy offers so they’ll keep him.

he's a lot older than I thought.

 

[Covert Rain]

yeah I heard it's the same calf that caused him to miss some of the Utah playoff series a couple years ago. don't want him to tear his achilles or something else. not ideal because it seemed like recently doncic was finally playing well with the rest of the squad. they have played well with him out this year and they almost pulled off the comeback yesterday.

I think this is Luka's 3rd calf injury. I think and he has had a couple Quad injuries in his legs the past couple seasons too. I remember some knee issues as well. It sure seems like many of his issues are in his legs?

 

[Hoop Head]

maybe spurs fans have finally been humbled. I agree about Wemby though. he is ridiculous. and he appears to have the ability to get under other players skin if you look at what he did to the Sixers the other night.

There's a weird passing of the guard thing and I also think some guys test him to see if he's Shawn Bradley-esque, just hyped because he's huge. KD kept going at him last year when we played the Spurs the first time and it was foolish. Even when he did score, it wasn't good offense. That's part of why the Spurs had the Suns number last year, I believe they went 3-0 or 3-1 against us. They won back to back games early on and it was clear the Suns weren't legit with how those played out.

 

[Lorenzo]

I think this is Luka's 3rd calf injury. I think and he has had a couple Quad injuries in his legs the past couple seasons too. I remember some knee issues as well. It sure seems like many of his issues are in his legs?

yep, they sound like overuse injuries.

 

[Hoop Head]

yeah I heard it's the same calf that caused him to miss some of the Utah playoff series a couple years ago. don't want him to tear his achilles or something else. not ideal because it seemed like recently doncic was finally playing well with the rest of the squad. they have played well with him out this year and they almost pulled off the comeback yesterday.

Eddie Johnson, Suns commentator, commented on the injury on X. I appreciate the insight he has based on his experience as a 17 year veteran NBA player.

Sounds like he believes Luka will need to start making some changes off the court to keep this from happening on it.

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[GatorAZ]

Eddie Johnson, Suns commentator, commented on the injury on X. I appreciate the insight he has based on his experience as a 17 year veteran NBA player.

Sounds like he believes Luka will need to start making some changes off the court to keep this from happening on it.

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So does Book if that’s the culprit.

 

[Hoop Head]

So does Book if that’s the culprit.

I thought Book had groin and hamstring problems not calf? Calf is KD and Beal. KD has torn an Achilles so him being cautious is understandable. Beal needs a new trainer and regime, for sure.

Groin and hamstring issues can plague you for a long time though. They're more individual based than overall, from my understanding.

*Insert crass joke about Book dating a Kardashian and having groin issues here*

 

[Phrazbit]

So does Book if that’s the culprit.

I've never questioned Book's conditioning... if anything, I think his random soft tissue strains are a result of him asking more of his body than it is capable of, several of his injuries have come after a chase down block or a fast break dunk.

Luka hurts himself pivoting. He's a great player but his conditioning is terrible.

 

[Covert Rain]

I've never questioned Book's conditioning... if anything, I think his random soft tissue strains are a result of him asking more of his body than it is capable of, several of his injuries have come after a chase down block or a fast break dunk.

Luka hurts himself pivoting. He's a great player but his conditioning is terrible.

What is weird is what happened this off-season. Did you see the photos a couple months prior? He was in the best shape I had ever seen him in. Then something happened and he let his weight balloon up again. Why do all that off-season work just to throw it away come season time?!? It baffled me.

 

[Mainstreet]

Luka Doncic will be out at least a month, as reported by ESPN per sources.

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Luka (calf) out at least a month, sources say

Mavs star Luka Doncic will be re-evaluated in one month after sustaining a left calf strain in Wednesday's loss to the Wolves, sources told ESPN.

www.espn.com