The 2019-2020 Around the NBA thread

[Finito]

Cmon. Credit where credit is due. TJ is a prolific scorer, and not just in garbage minutes. He is not the "carry a team on his back all by himself" type of scorer, but he can score in bunches and in important minutes. His speed from catch to score is as good as I have ever seen. Its his defense and rebounding that are not where they should be. I don't care much about his passing because his offensive efficiency makes it foolish for him to pass to less efficient players.

Lol

 

[AzStevenCal]

“Prolific” um no. Meaningless points then yes.

I honestly don’t ever remember TJ taking over a game or even late game heroics.

I don't know about "prolific" but I don't buy "meaningless" either. In fact, I think the "empty stats" label might be the most meaningless subject we discuss here.

And I can remember several games where TJ carried us. Unfortunately, I'm not sure we won many of those games but Booker is a basketball god AFAIC and we didn't win many of the games he carried us in either. It may not take a village to win a ball game but it certainly takes more than one player putting up numbers to make it happen.

I think moving on from TJ was the right decision. I still don't feel we got anywhere near enough value for him but I guess our lack of success the past few years probably had a lot to do with that. Regardless, I hold no ill will towards Warren but he's no longer on this team so he means very little to me. And I'm okay with losing a trade now and then especially if it helps the cause overall.

 

[Hoop Head]

I don't know about "prolific" but I don't buy "meaningless" either. In fact, I think the "empty stats" label might be the most meaningless subject we discuss here.

And I can remember several games where TJ carried us. Unfortunately, I'm not sure we won many of those games but Booker is a basketball god AFAIC and we didn't win many of the games he carried us in either. It may not take a village to win a ball game but it certainly takes more than one player putting up numbers to make it happen.

I think moving on from TJ was the right decision. I still don't feel we got anywhere near enough value for him but I guess our lack of success the past few years probably had a lot to do with that. Regardless, I hold no ill will towards Warren but he's no longer on this team so he means very little to me. And I'm okay with losing a trade now and then especially if it helps the cause overall.

I know TJ had some good scoring games in wins but I honestly can't remember any 4th quarters where he went off or even put up a good amount of points. He would usually score well throughout the game or not score at all. I don't remember any quarters where he went off. I know Triano liked going to him to start the 2nd half a lot and you'd see TJ put up the Suns first 6-8 points but that was before he developed his 3pt shot so it would usually cause the opposing team to start pressuring him and then his streak would be over.

I also think we should have received more for him in a trade but what's done is done. I feel like his trade sucked but when I look at all of the moves made on draft day last year, I'm happy with the overall results. Jones turned the #6 pick, #32 pick, Warren, and what would probably be a late 1st next year with the Bucks pick into Dario Saric, Aron Baynes, Cam Johnson, and Ty Jerome. It also gave us a little more flexibility in free agency to add some depth in Frank Kaminsky. It's not quite fair value but if Saric has a really good year, it could be. We addressed some needs and ultimately we didn't tie ourselves to any young player who may not fit here or be on the roster in 2 years like Bender, Jackson, Chriss, etc.

 

[Mainstreet]

Rockets try to stay out of politics in Hong Kong.

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta on Friday admonished general manager Daryl Morey for a tweet Morey posted in support of protesters in Hong Kong.

“Listen…@darylmorey does NOT speak for the @HoustonRockets. Our presence in Tokyo is all about the promotion of the @NBA internationally and we are NOT a political organization. @ESPN,” Fertitta tweeted.

That was in response to a now-deleted Morey tweet that read, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...ds-gm-daryl-morey-hong-kong-tweet/3879554002/

 

[GatorAZ]

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[Mainstreet]

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Always a delight to see Finley video. The Suns used to be good at finding talent later in the draft.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Always a delight to see Finley video. The Suns used to be good at finding talent later in the draft.

Agreed although I don't think I'd include Finley as a "find". He was a highly regarded college player as a freshman, sophomore and junior but for some reason his shooting percentages dropped considerably his senior season. Had it not been for that, he would probably have gone in the top 10, maybe top 5.

This brings a question to mind for me - Finley's significant drop in efficiency was atypical for a 4th year star especially one who had previously won the Male College Player of the Year award and was the all time leading scorer at a major University (until another Phoenix player, Alando Tucker, passed him by a decade later). So, the question is, obviously, what in the world happened to Finley's senior season? Did he have a death in the family, break a thumb, take a payoff or maybe it was just a Wisconsin team short on talent? I've never heard an explanation for it, does anyone here have one?

 

[Mainstreet]

Agreed although I don't think I'd include Finley as a "find". He was a highly regarded college player as a freshman, sophomore and junior but for some reason his shooting percentages dropped considerably his senior season. Had it not been for that, he would probably have gone in the top 10, maybe top 5.

This brings a question to mind for me - Finley's significant drop in efficiency was atypical for a 4th year star especially one who had previously won the Male College Player of the Year award and was the all time leading scorer at a major University (until another Phoenix player, Alando Tucker, passed him by a decade later). So, the question is, obviously, what in the world happened to Finley's senior season? Did he have a death in the family, break a thumb, take a payoff or maybe it was just a Wisconsin team short on talent? I've never heard an explanation for it, does anyone here have one?

I'm going to defer to someone who might remember Finley's senior season at Wisconsin or know what happened.

Obviously the Suns did not have the same success with Alando Tucker who was also from Wisconsin and drafted 29th in 2007.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

No idea what happened his senior year. It I was dancing around like a damn fool when we drafted him. I knew he was a stud.

 

[Mainstreet]

Draymond Green thinks Chriss is figuring it out.

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[JCSunsfan]

Draymond Green thinks Chriss is figuring it out.

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Maybe he is. It took three teams giving up on him to get him where he is.

 

[Hoop Head]

Draymond can speak highly of Chriss all day, I'd be surprised if he makes their regular season roster. He couldn't make it work in Houston, which was a system he should have thrived in with Harden and Chris Paul feeding him in D'Antoni's no D run and gun offense. Then he couldn't cut it in Cleveland, which is one of the few teams in the leagues that it's easy to say the Suns are better than. Cleveland doesn't have much for young talent either so knowing they didn't take the chance on keeping Chriss around says a lot about him as well.

 

[Phrazbit]

Draymond probably feels a connection with Chriss because they're both unhinged.

 

[Mainstreet]

Raptors sign Kyle Lowry to a 1 year contract extension for a reported $31 million.

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[Mainstreet]

China cancels G-League appearances with Rockets and Mavericks.


Shams Charania‏Verified account @ShamsCharania

Sources: In response to social media events over weekend, China (Chinese Basketball Association) has canceled NBA G League’s planned exhibition games between Rockets affiliate (Rio Grande Valley) and Dallas Mavericks affiliate (Texas) scheduled later this month in China.

7:22 AM - 7 Oct 2019

 

[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

China Cries Foul Over NBA GM’s Tweet
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s support for Hong Kong demonstrators ignites firestorm

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-cries-foul-over-nba-teams-tweet-11570461275

 

[Mainstreet]

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I guess we know the thickness of basketball shoes is about 2 inches.

We all sort of suspected it but it appears a little strange to see the measurements without shoes.

 

[Mainstreet]

The controversy over Daryl Morey's tweet continues to grow bigger not only in China but in the United States as well.

The NBA team's partnerships in China were thrown into doubt. CCTV 5, the sports channel of China's top state broadcaster, announced that it would suspend airing Houston Rockets events on television.

And Tencent Sports said it would suspend live streaming for Houston Rockets games, as well as news about the team. Tencent (TCEHY) is the NBA's exclusive digital partner in China. Nearly 500 million people in China watched NBA programming on Tencent platforms during the last season, according to the companies. They recently signed a five-year extension of that partnership.

"It's clear that the NBA is more interested in money than human rights," said Senator Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida, on Twitter. "The NBA is kowtowing to Beijing to protect their bottom line and disavowing those with the temerity to #standwithHongKong. Shameful!"

Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat from Texas who is running for the party's presidential nomination in 2020, called the NBA's response "an embarrassment."

"The only thing the NBA should be apologizing for is their blatant prioritization of profits over human rights," he wrote on Twitter.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/07/business/houston-rockets-nba-china-daryl-morey/index.html

 

[JCSunsfan]

The controversy over Daryl Morey's tweet continues to grow bigger not only in China but in the United States as well.





https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/07/business/houston-rockets-nba-china-daryl-morey/index.html

The bigger controversy is the NBA's response.

 

[Ronin]

Daryl Morey Issued A Statement Regarding His Hong Kong Tweet And Won’t Face Any Reported Discipline
The Houston Rockets and the NBA find themselves in a precarious position currently due to the response from China to a tweet sent by Rockets GM Daryl Morey on Friday.

The tweet, which has since been deleted, voiced support for the anti-government, pro-democratic protests that have been happening in Hong Kong for months. In the aftermath, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta insisted he didn’t speak for the organization, but that didn’t stop the Chinese government, basketball association, broadcast networks, and sponsors from all decrying the Rockets and Morey, “suspending cooperation” with the team until an apology is made.

The NBA and the Rockets now must navigate uncharted waters when it comes to how they handle this. China is a massive market for the NBA and the Rockets, who long employed center Yao Ming, and neither will want to lose the revenue that comes from there. However, particularly for the NBA, which has long prided itself on being one of the most progressive pro sports franchises in the U.S., forcing an apology or allowing Morey to be fired over this sort of statement supporting pro-democratic protesters would be a bad look stateside in the eyes of many.

https://uproxx.com/dimemag/houston-rockets-daryl-morey-fire-debate-china-hong-kong-tweet/

 

[Mainstreet]

The bigger controversy is the NBA's response.

NBA China is said to be worth more than $4 billion.

That's a lot of reasons for the NBA to stay out of politics.

 

[elindholm]

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No way in hell is Dwight Howard only 6' 9". I don't care how tall his shoes are.

 

[BC867]

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Wow! Two inches shorter. It sounds strange for fans to hear their new heights.

But, as I posted earlier, what does it matter in competition if they are all two
inches shorter? The odds are still even, so to speak.

Henry Winkler/The Fonz was only 5'6", but the studio carefully contrived to
make it appear different in their TV shots to present his tough persona.


Come to think of it, the height of NBA players in sneakers is indeed their
"playing" height on the court. Why are they even making this an issue?

Why would the NBA want to deglamorize that? Truth in advertising?

Dwight Howard is 6'11" on the court. Is it any different from movie
stars who bleach their hair blonde?

 

[Dan H]

I would bet China ships far more than 4 billion in counterfeit NBA merch.