The 2018-2019 Around the NBA thread

[Mainstreet]

Adrian Wojnarowski

✔@wojespn

Jimmy Butler practiced with the Timberwolves today, league sources tell ESPN.

I'm not sure if it means he will play though.

 

[Mainstreet]

What... PJ Tucker is the sticking point.

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[Mainstreet]

Maybe the Wolves should trade Butler soon.

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[Chaplin]

What... PJ Tucker is the sticking point.

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Marquese Chriss is now listed as their starting PF. No wonder they don't want to give up PJ.

 

[Mainstreet]

Marquese Chriss is now listed as their starting PF. No wonder they don't want to give up PJ.

This will be interesting to see how it plays out with the two former Suns.

 

[SirStefan32]

Maybe the Wolves should trade Butler soon.

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Well, he's not wrong.

 

[Phrazbit]

Hey, I'm old enough to remember when a healthy player practiced with his team and it wasn't reported like it was breaking news.

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[Russ Smith]

2 comments Warriors related. The NBA has GOT to do something about players initiating contact to get fouls on 3 point attempts. In the Suns and lakers games I think Curry got fouled shooting a 3 a total of 5 times, and 2 of them were legit. Against the Lakers he shot the ball came down and stepped to his right to draw the foul(think it was Kuzma). Aside from being horrible, if they're trying to prevent injuries by keeping defenders out from under shooters(which I agree with) what about keeping shooters from getting under defenders intentionally to draw fouls?

And, either they're just getting a couple of refs with an agenda or the NBA is planning on cracking down on illegal screens and the Warriors are the target. Steph has picked up I think 4 fouls, 2 each game in the last 2 for screens. One against the Suns I thought was a good call but it led to a T and a ejection because the first one seemed bad. Then they did it again against the Lakers and I think Durant got a T for yelling about it. Seems like a determined effort to clean that up, which is fine as long as they at the same time clean up the grab the shooter and prevent him from getting around the screen which happens to Curry just as often. I remember a game last year where the warriors post game showed a hastily put together clip of at least 6 times where the defender just grabbed Curry to defend off a screen, and only 1 of the 6 was called a foul. I think it's why Curry is screening the way he does he's so used to being grabbed and not get a call, he's just decided to do it himself.

I thought the Lakers looked really improved in the bit I watched last night, Ingram's shot looks much better. Lonzo looked like someone who hadn't played in 6 months, couple of bad passes early, but the tempo visibly sped up when he got in, and then stayed that way with Rondo. His shot looked better andhe's obviously been working out the kid is ripped in the upper body now. He will get less minutes this year obviously with Rondo, but he looks to be improved. I hated losing Javale McGee and the first quarter last night showed why, running the court for lob dunks, blocks, intimidation, he was just the perfect role playing 5 for the Warriors. Damian Jones is big and has athletic ability but he's not nearly as far along as a player, I actually prefer Looney or Bell at the 5 right now but it sounds like Jones will start.

 

[elindholm]

And, either they're just getting a couple of refs with an agenda or the NBA is planning on cracking down on illegal screens and the Warriors are the target. Steph has picked up I think 4 fouls, 2 each game in the last 2 for screens. One against the Suns I thought was a good call but it led to a T and a ejection because the first one seemed bad. Then they did it again against the Lakers and I think Durant got a T for yelling about it.

I saw that exchange in the Suns game and thought it had Popovich written all over it. One of his techniques with the Spurs has always been to break the rules in subtle ways, then throw a fit if an official calls them on it. Especially if you're one of the league's marquee teams, those repeated outbursts are eventually going to get into the officials' heads and make them question their judgment. Lo and behold, eventually the team starts getting away with it more consistently. If a later referee should screw up and make the call that others have decided they won't, he'll face an even greater wrath.

Kerr learned that trick from Popovich and is training the Warriors accordingly. And the broadcasters are in on it too: The Warriors' guys went on and on about how the official who made the calls was new and didn't know what he was doing. The fact that he was right was irrelevant.

 

[Russ Smith]

I saw that exchange in the Suns game and thought it had Popovich written all over it. One of his techniques with the Spurs has always been to break the rules in subtle ways, then throw a fit if an official calls them on it. Especially if you're one of the league's marquee teams, those repeated outbursts are eventually going to get into the officials' heads and make them question their judgment. Lo and behold, eventually the team starts getting away with it more consistently. If a later referee should screw up and make the call that others have decided they won't, he'll face an even greater wrath.

Kerr learned that trick from Popovich and is training the Warriors accordingly. And the broadcasters are in on it too: The Warriors' guys went on and on about how the official who made the calls was new and didn't know what he was doing. The fact that he was right was irrelevant.

That's one of the reasons I didn't necessarily like getting Boogie Cousins. they already had Draymond, Kerr has been getting more T's, and Durant has too. Steph even got into the act last year, now you add in Cousins and there's a real risk of a boy who cried wolf thing where they have so many guys complaining so much, they start to see backlash.

I have no problem with illegal screens being called and Steph does at times do it, I just think if you crack down on the screens but allow the defenders to grab the guy the screen is for, it's going to have an impact they're not expecting. They want free flowing offense, that's not what they're going to get.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I saw that exchange in the Suns game and thought it had Popovich written all over it. One of his techniques with the Spurs has always been to break the rules in subtle ways, then throw a fit if an official calls them on it. Especially if you're one of the league's marquee teams, those repeated outbursts are eventually going to get into the officials' heads and make them question their judgment. Lo and behold, eventually the team starts getting away with it more consistently. If a later referee should screw up and make the call that others have decided they won't, he'll face an even greater wrath.

Kerr learned that trick from Popovich and is training the Warriors accordingly. And the broadcasters are in on it too: The Warriors' guys went on and on about how the official who made the calls was new and didn't know what he was doing. The fact that he was right was irrelevant.

Right?!? Curry had a hold of the defenders arm for goodness sake. It was the epitome of a good call.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

That's one of the reasons I didn't necessarily like getting Boogie Cousins. they already had Draymond, Kerr has been getting more T's, and Durant has too. Steph even got into the act last year, now you add in Cousins and there's a real risk of a boy who cried wolf thing where they have so many guys complaining so much, they start to see backlash.

I have no problem with illegal screens being called and Steph does at times do it, I just think if you crack down on the screens but allow the defenders to grab the guy the screen is for, it's going to have an impact they're not expecting. They want free flowing offense, that's not what they're going to get.

Hey welcome to the club. Suns best teams have historically been grabbed, bumped, etc. offensive teams get beaten up. At least the warriors ply in a time when the rules more favor the offense.

 

[Russ Smith]

Right?!? Curry had a hold of the defenders arm for goodness sake. It was the epitome of a good call.

I honestly don't think kerr was arguing that call he was arguing the earlier one and the way he felt the young ref was making an issue of it while two veteran refs weren't.

I think that's why he went off like he did out on the court saying I don't want to be here. It was a good call, he just didn't like the earlier one and some of the stuff that one ref had called.

I don't know why Steph argued the call at all it was clearly an illegal screen.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I hate to say it, but if Mike James has a punchable face, so does Steph Curry. Love his game, but his personna really annoys me.

 

[Hoop Head]

I hate to say it, but if Mike James has a punchable face, so does Steph Curry. Love his game, but his personna really annoys me.

Curry looks like he's 12 or 13 years old. He needs to be grounded and his allowance taken away, not punched.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Curry looks like he's 12 or 13 years old. He needs to be grounded and his allowance taken away, not punched.

He behaves like a junior higher too. His celebrations are very childish.

 

[Ronin]

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[JCSunsfan]

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So it begins.

 

[Errntknght]

Wow, Toronto sat their top seven players the whole game and still whooped the Pels 134-119 - NO played their typical minutes.

 

[Phrazbit]

Wow, Toronto sat their top seven players the whole game and still whooped the Pels 134-119 - NO played their typical minutes.

I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of Toronto players desperate to make a roster played a LOT harder than entrenched Pelican players coasting through their last preseason game.

 

[Phrazbit]

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What a fall. Before his disapointing year at UCLA and the reveal that his family had lied about his age "tank for Shabazz" was a thing.

 

[95pro]

What a fall. Before his disapointing year at UCLA and the reveal that his family had lied about his age "tank for Shabazz" was a thing.

What’s up with the guy? I didn’t really follow him when all that hype was going on.

 

[ColdPickleNachos]

What’s up with the guy? I didn’t really follow him when all that hype was going on.

My understanding is he was bigger and stronger than everyone in high school. It turns out they lied about his age, so part of that advantage was that he was older than his peers, which is a much bigger deal at early ages. He never developed great skills beyond overpowering competition, so once he got to the NBA (and even college), he was pretty run of the mill. Still really strong and athletic, but not enough to make up for other deficiencies.

 

[Hoop Head]

My understanding is he was bigger and stronger than everyone in high school. It turns out they lied about his age, so part of that advantage was that he was older than his peers, which is a much bigger deal at early ages. He never developed great skills beyond overpowering competition, so once he got to the NBA (and even college), he was pretty run of the mill. Still really strong and athletic, but not enough to make up for other deficiencies.

Has there been proof that Shabazz lied about his age? You hear that rumor every so often with NBA players and I think that's odd on it's own. With the NBA there has been quite a few players whose age was questionable.

Some said Manute Bol was over 10 years older than he said. He was 32 when he retired after the 94-95 season but I don't buy that. Some said he was nearing 50 at that point though. When he died in 2010 it was said he was well into his 50's. Having a son in college now might point towards him being a little younger than some predict but I really doubt he was 32 when he retired or 47 when he passed. he wasn't 32 when he retired.

Biyombo, Yi Jianlian, Yao, Greg Oden, Thon Maker, and Serge Ibaka are all rumored to have shaved some years off but every player I saw whose age was in question shaved off more than 1 year, like Muhammed supposedly did.

 

[slinslin]

I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of Toronto players desperate to make a roster played a LOT harder than entrenched Pelican players coasting through their last preseason game.

I sure would like our scrubs to score 130 in a game instead our scrubs always struggle to score 90.