The 2018-2019 Around the NBA thread

[Hoop Head]

Apparently Magic Johnson didn't like how the Pelicans handled trade talks regarding Anthony Davis. He said they did not negotiate fairly and they didn't act in good faith.

His team and his "marquee free agent signing" from last summer didn't act in good faith by how they tried rigging the system to get Davis in LA. Magic said the Pelicans deliberately stalled things and never intended on sending AD to LA but hoped to disrupt the Laker's locker room while dragging their feet in negotiations.

I really hope that Davis ends up having to leave a bunch of money on the table to go to LA in free agency after next season. The Laker's should be used to not getting what they want, they've struck in free agency for the past 5-6 years until Lebron finally signed there last summer.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...tions-anthony-davis-magic-johnson/2831290002/

 

[Phrazbit]

Yes. Anybody that watches NBA games knows that more than half of the T's on players are the result of bad or no calls by the refs. Sure the players can NOT react but that's not reality. The ref blew an easy goaltend call and then compounded it by calling a T on the player who pointed it out to him.

If poophead is right the NBA should rescind the T, it was as a result of a terrible no call, the refs already admitted to Kerr they missed both calls there.

I suspect that Green is the benefactor of more bad calls than the victim of them. Especially at the rate he sets moving screens.

T's should be given out based on player behavior, Green deserved a T because he was being a D bag, Green needs to stop being a D bag. T's should be rescinded in situations where the REF was the d bag... such as like 90% of Danny Crawford's T's.

I miss that like... one month about 5 years ago when the NBA was supposedly cracking down on player reactions and giving out T's when players screamed about calls and non-calls. It's really too bad it didn't last. Paul and Harden would get ejected within the first 10 possessions if the crack down was still in place.

 

[Russ Smith]

I suspect that Green is the benefactor of more bad calls than the victim of them. Especially at the rate he sets moving screens.

T's should be given out based on player behavior, Green deserved a T because he was being a D bag, Green needs to stop being a D bag. T's should be rescinded in situations where the REF was the d bag... such as like 90% of Danny Crawford's T's.

I miss that like... one month about 5 years ago when the NBA was supposedly cracking down on player reactions and giving out T's when players screamed about calls and non-calls. It's really too bad it didn't last. Paul and Harden would get ejected within the first 10 possessions if the crack down was still in place.

I think it comes down to the NBA understands human nature. If you blow a call as easy as goaltending a shot that's already hit the glass, players and coaches are going to get mad about it, it cost them 2 points. Good refs when they know they missed a call will give the player or coach more leeway, in this case he gave Green the T before he'd seen the overhead replay that made it so obvious it was a goaltend. So they did the NBA thing the makeup call and called a bad offensive foul on Miami.

I agree the NBA should do what they say, if they say we're cracking down, do it, I also think they have to realize that suspensions are a big deal so you sort of want to try and be sure that a player gets a fair shake. If they can rescind T's they ought to do so under certain circumstances.

With Draymond he's simply been this way too long, he's not going to get the benefit of the doubt he has too much history, that's his fault.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I miss that like... one month about 5 years ago when the NBA was supposedly cracking down on player reactions and giving out T's when players screamed about calls and non-calls. It's really too bad it didn't last. Paul and Harden would get ejected within the first 10 possessions if the crack down was still in place.

Yeah that happened at the same time that Duncan was tossed for applauding from the bench at Joey Crawford's call. When the league reversed the T and suspended Joey that told the refs all they needed to know. And now we're right back to where it was or maybe worse. IMO the league will one day regret not curtailing the ref baiting and attacks by players and coaches. Some junior Artest will blow his top and start removing ref limbs out of frustration.

 

[Western Font]

Apparently Magic Johnson didn't like how the Pelicans handled trade talks regarding Anthony Davis. He said they did not negotiate fairly and they didn't act in good faith.

His team and his "marquee free agent signing" from last summer didn't act in good faith by how they tried rigging the system to get Davis in LA. Magic said the Pelicans deliberately stalled things and never intended on sending AD to LA but hoped to disrupt the Laker's locker room while dragging their feet in negotiations.

I really hope that Davis ends up having to leave a bunch of money on the table to go to LA in free agency after next season. The Laker's should be used to not getting what they want, they've struck in free agency for the past 5-6 years until Lebron finally signed there last summer.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...tions-anthony-davis-magic-johnson/2831290002/

As we know, the Lakers are continuously being fined for (Paul George), investigated for (Ben Simmons; Giannis), or alleged to be (Anthony Davis) tampering. It's rich for Magic to claim bad faith following Davis's demand for a trade shortly after GM LeBron suggests he come to LA.

I'm sure this gets rebutted by those who strangely think the league is out to get the Lakers, when it's actually several steps behind in mitigating the damage. It's not even a Laker-hating, evil empire thing. This is a strategy Magic and now LeBron are employing. They're not nearly the only ones, and sure, "players talk." But it's annoying to see the Lakers be crybabies about gamesmanship from another club. Especially one whose centerpiece they've openly targeted while he's under contract.

 

[Mainstreet]

Trail Blazers add Enes Kanter. He should be a solid addition on offense.

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[Cheesebeef]

Apparently Magic Johnson didn't like how the Pelicans handled trade talks regarding Anthony Davis. He said they did not negotiate fairly and they didn't act in good faith.

His team and his "marquee free agent signing" from last summer didn't act in good faith by how they tried rigging the system to get Davis in LA. Magic said the Pelicans deliberately stalled things and never intended on sending AD to LA but hoped to disrupt the Laker's locker room while dragging their feet in negotiations.

I really hope that Davis ends up having to leave a bunch of money on the table to go to LA in free agency after next season. The Laker's should be used to not getting what they want, they've struck in free agency for the past 5-6 years until Lebron finally signed there last summer.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...tions-anthony-davis-magic-johnson/2831290002/

Magic can eat a big fat tube steak.

 

[Hoop Head]

Trail Blazers add Enes Kanter. He should be a solid addition on offense.

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And the Lakers miss out again. I hope they miss the playoffs this year. I can't wait to hear Lebron throw people under the bus when the talking heads start talking about how him failing to make the postseason removes him from the GOAT debate. He is the greatest of this generation but not of all time. I'm sure some will compare this to Jordan's Wizard run though when making excuses for him.

 

[Mainstreet]

And the Lakers miss out again. I hope they miss the playoffs this year. I can't wait to hear Lebron throw people under the bus when the talking heads start talking about how him failing to make the postseason removes him from the GOAT debate. He is the greatest of this generation but not of all time. I'm sure some will compare this to Jordan's Wizard run though when making excuses for him.

Nothing nicer than the Lakers not making the playoffs especially after the Anthony Davis hoopla.

 

[Cheesebeef]

And the Lakers miss out again. I hope they miss the playoffs this year. I can't wait to hear Lebron throw people under the bus when the talking heads start talking about how him failing to make the postseason removes him from the GOAT debate. He is the greatest of this generation but not of all time. I'm sure some will compare this to Jordan's Wizard run though when making excuses for him.

careful what you wish for... the league will probably make sure they get Zion if they miss the playoffs.

 

[GatorAZ]

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[sunsfan88]

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Kerr has gotten worse at controlling his emotions to the refs over the years.

For a guy that’s a media darling, he says some pretty despicable stuff to the refs. My brother lives in the Bay Area and went to a game last season and had very good seats because of the company he works for. He said Kerr actually gets personal and brings up refs and their families when he gets upset over calls.

I cannot wait till the Warriors suck again.

 

[sunsfan88]

careful what you wish for... the league will probably make sure they get Zion if they miss the playoffs.

I don’t think the league can make it that obvious with its rigging.

 

[sunsfan88]

Nothing nicer than the Lakers not making the playoffs especially after the Anthony Davis hoopla.

The Lakers demise has been one of the most entertaining things for me in this year’s NBA season.

 

[sunsfan88]

And the Lakers miss out again. I hope they miss the playoffs this year. I can't wait to hear Lebron throw people under the bus when the talking heads start talking about how him failing to make the postseason removes him from the GOAT debate. He is the greatest of this generation but not of all time. I'm sure some will compare this to Jordan's Wizard run though when making excuses for him.

Kanter and LeBron despise each other so it’s no surprise that he passed on the Lakers.

And I’m not even buying that LeGM was actually going after Kanter in the market.

 

[sunsfan88]

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[SunnyBaller]

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Just once I wish Igor would do this for the team

 

[Phrazbit]

Yeah that happened at the same time that Duncan was tossed for applauding from the bench at Joey Crawford's call. When the league reversed the T and suspended Joey that told the refs all they needed to know. And now we're right back to where it was or maybe worse. IMO the league will one day regret not curtailing the ref baiting and attacks by players and coaches. Some junior Artest will blow his top and start removing ref limbs out of frustration.

One more reason to hate Joey Crawford (whom I believe I called Danny Crawford in my previous post, also a ref, just the wrong one). The league's crack down on players disrespecting refs probably would have lasted longer if not for Crawford's love of baiting players into Ts. That guy was the absolute worst of the worst. He'd knowingly make an awful call and then stare at the player he screwed, flat out daring them to do something to get T'd up.

If he'd been a cop he would probably be serving a life sentence after opening fire on an entire auditorium of teenagers for not paying attention during a D.A.R.E. assembly.

 

[Hoop Head]

Kanter and LeBron despise each other so it’s no surprise that he passed on the Lakers.

And I’m not even buying that LeGM was actually going after Kanter in the market.

It wouldn't surprise me to learn there are a lot of players that dislike Lebron, even players who willingly teamed with him to chase a ring. This year in LA is quite different though. He can't even promise a playoff run this time when trying to recruit people on the buyout market. If you posed the question after Lebron signed in LA this summer that is players being bought out would prefer to sign in Portland or with the Lakers to experience a good playoff run I'm not sure who would have picked Portland. Many people thought Portland might blow things up after their terrible exit from the playoffs last year. I think they're on borrowed time, kind of like Lebron in LA. He's got to be near the end of his prime right now. He's 34 years old and he did suffer an injury this year that caused him to miss more games than any year in his career. No wonder he was campaigning for Anthony Davis to come there and shoulder the load.


I heard earlier that if the Lakers managed to go 500 during the 18 games Lebron missed they would be 5th or 6th in the playoff race but instead they went 6-12. There's a real chance the Clippers make the playoffs this year and the Lakers don't and that's while the Clippers have been selling off all of their best players. If anyone but Magic was running that team they would be fired. Walton doesn't have much of a chance of keeping his job come year's end.

This could be what's needed to get the league to look at playoff realignment though. Lebron being a Laker, in what could be the final year of his prime, and missing the playoffs will hurt the NBA in terms of viewership come this postseason. I don't know what system they'd adopt but that's a different argument. I think something needs to be done to change things some.

 

[AzStevenCal]

One more reason to hate Joey Crawford (whom I believe I called Danny Crawford in my previous post, also a ref, just the wrong one). The league's crack down on players disrespecting refs probably would have lasted longer if not for Crawford's love of baiting players into Ts. That guy was the absolute worst of the worst. He'd knowingly make an awful call and then stare at the player he screwed, flat out daring them to do something to get T'd up.

If he'd been a cop he would probably be serving a life sentence after opening fire on an entire auditorium of teenagers for not paying attention during a D.A.R.E. assembly.

Joey often behaved as if he was the show but he should have been supported on that call IMO. I don't remember how they got to that place in the game, maybe Crawford crossed the line as he frequently did but I know Duncan would get special treatment most nights back then that other stars would have killed for. And there was no doubt that he was mocking the referees when he was called for that T. The NBA probably should have suspended him well before that incident but they should have stood by the refs on that one AFAIC.

 

[Phrazbit]

It wouldn't surprise me to learn there are a lot of players that dislike Lebron, even players who willingly teamed with him to chase a ring. This year in LA is quite different though. He can't even promise a playoff run this time when trying to recruit people on the buyout market. If you posed the question after Lebron signed in LA this summer that is players being bought out would prefer to sign in Portland or with the Lakers to experience a good playoff run I'm not sure who would have picked Portland. Many people thought Portland might blow things up after their terrible exit from the playoffs last year. I think they're on borrowed time, kind of like Lebron in LA. He's got to be near the end of his prime right now. He's 34 years old and he did suffer an injury this year that caused him to miss more games than any year in his career. No wonder he was campaigning for Anthony Davis to come there and shoulder the load.


I heard earlier that if the Lakers managed to go 500 during the 18 games Lebron missed they would be 5th or 6th in the playoff race but instead they went 6-12. There's a real chance the Clippers make the playoffs this year and the Lakers don't and that's while the Clippers have been selling off all of their best players. If anyone but Magic was running that team they would be fired. Walton doesn't have much of a chance of keeping his job come year's end.

This could be what's needed to get the league to look at playoff realignment though. Lebron being a Laker, in what could be the final year of his prime, and missing the playoffs will hurt the NBA in terms of viewership come this postseason. I don't know what system they'd adopt but that's a different argument. I think something needs to be done to change things some.

I feel bad for Walton. Take LeBron off that team and it's a putrid roster. Almost completely lacking in shooters, 2 way players, big men and rebounding. On top of the deficiencies on paper, it is also a "who's who" of cancers, head cases and goof balls of the last decade.

With LeBron missing almost a quarter of the games, I don't know if anyone could have gotten that disaster to the playoffs in the West.

Magic is as bad a GM as he was a coach. I'm loving it. It's really hard to see the Lakers assembling a true contender in the final 2 or 3 years LeBron has left in him... and it's really easy to see them destroying their future in desperation to win now.

If I had to guess, I would say that their big free agent signing of the coming summer will be Cousins. Which will add another clown to the circus, while, at best, elevate them to a 6th-8th seed in the West... if LeBron is healthy.

Only way I see the Lakers contending is if they get Klay as a free agent and Davis in a trade, and it would have to happen this summer and I just don't see that Lakers being able to outbid several other teams in trade with the Pelicans.

 

[Phrazbit]

Joey often behaved as if he was the show but he should have been supported on that call IMO. I don't remember how they got to that place in the game, maybe Crawford crossed the line as he frequently did but I know Duncan would get special treatment most nights back then that other stars would have killed for. And there was no doubt that he was mocking the referees when he was called for that T. The NBA probably should have suspended him well before that incident but they should have stood by the refs on that one AFAIC.

But it was hardly demonstrative, he ducked his head on the bench and was laughing, it's not like he yelled "BALL DON'T LIE", and, as typical with Crawford, he made a knowingly awful call to see if it would elicit a reaction.

And people forget, both of Duncan's T's came from the bench, without him saying anything, all he did was laugh and shake his head, his teammates were doing it too, but Duncan was singled out because Crawford, as you note, loved being the center of attention. Bench guys always react to bad calls, big plays, ect ect, Duncan in that game did nothing that isn't done all the time, Crawford is just insane.

What fries me is stuff like Chris Paul the other night vs the Suns, he goes in for a layup, one of our players (JJ or Bridges I believe) has the gall to challenge him and Paul gives them a forearm to the face as a reward, while still making his shot. Paul forearming our guy in the face was the only contact on the play, Paul goes to the court after making his shot and proceeds to scream at the refs for a good 5+ seconds in "shock" that he wasn't given an and-1.

You see it the most with the teams that are good right now, the Rockets and Warriors are especially awful, despite benefiting from probably twice the amount of BS as any other team. Harden, Paul, Durant especially... those guys act like it's a foul if a defender even tries to contest them.

The NBA looks like a poorly programed arcade game right now... NBA Jam with hyper active refs. I get that the late 90s and early 2000s NBA was a terrible product but they've gone too far the other way. It was important that they cracked down on defenders mugging guys while dribbling and grabbing people off the ball, but they also need to crack down on offensive 3 in the key and, especially, moving screens. Draymond Green is a perpetual moving screen, when the ball isn't in his hands on offense he plays more like a left tackle in the NFL than an NBA player.

 

[Hoop Head]

Joey often behaved as if he was the show but he should have been supported on that call IMO. I don't remember how they got to that place in the game, maybe Crawford crossed the line as he frequently did but I know Duncan would get special treatment most nights back then that other stars would have killed for. And there was no doubt that he was mocking the referees when he was called for that T. The NBA probably should have suspended him well before that incident but they should have stood by the refs on that one AFAIC.

If there was 1 T called then I could see the league standing behind him but the 2nd was when he went too far. Duncan did not say a word or react any differently than his teammates after the first technical so that 2nd was too far and where it was clear Crawford was out to right a personal wrong more-so than calling the game as it should be.

 

[AzStevenCal]

^^I'll have to watch that Crawford/Duncan incident again, it sounds like I'm mis-remembering it.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Magic can eat a big fat tube steak.

Eat a bag of Richards...