The 2019-2020 Around the NBA thread

[Hoop Head]

https://nypost.com/2019/10/10/how-the-nba-censored-me-on-american-soil/

Highly recommend anyone and everyone read that. It's about a fan who attended a preseason game between the Wizards and a Chinese team a few days ago and had their signage taken from them and threatened to be removed. I won't get into it more because it should be read on it's own but thought I'd add a little info as to what it's about. It's a short piece also, should only take a couple of minutes to read.

 

[AzStevenCal]

The NBA is a business, not a charity, so I have no problem with the way they handled this in Philly. I may be in the minority, I don't really know, but I do know I'm not alone when I say I am sick and tired of people thinking that sporting events is where political and social issues should be brought to the fore. I watch sports for sports and that's it. And any business ought to be able to tell it's customers that there are certain things they cannot wear should they choose to attend.

 

[GatorAZ]

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[AzStevenCal]

All this hoopla over a player that might not even become a superstar? I can think of several things that will prevent Zion from showing how special he can be: Injury, alien abduction, being called to the priest-hood, kidnapped by Pelican haters, kidnapped by Pelican fans, kidnapped by friends of any other team and so on. But I can't think of a legit basketball reason that he'll be anything other than highly successful.

 

[GatorAZ]

All this hoopla over a player that might not even become a superstar? I can think of several things that will prevent Zion from showing how special he can be: Injury, alien abduction, being called to the priest-hood, kidnapped by Pelican haters, kidnapped by Pelican fans, kidnapped by friends of any other team and so on. But I can't think of a legit basketball reason that he'll be anything other than highly successful.

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[AzStevenCal]

^^Yeah, I forgot to allow for the Oliver Miller training method.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

^^Yeah, I forgot to allow for the Oliver Miller training method.

I really doubt that's going to be an issue for him. From everything I have heard he is a very hard worker.

 

[Raindog]

The NBA is a business, not a charity, so I have no problem with the way they handled this in Philly. I may be in the minority, I don't really know, but I do know I'm not alone when I say I am sick and tired of people thinking that sporting events is where political and social issues should be brought to the fore. I watch sports for sports and that's it. And any business ought to be able to tell it's customers that there are certain things they cannot wear should they choose to attend.

So 1936 Berlin Olympics... say some athletes or spectators there had the audacity to openly protest the Nazi regime and its atrocities (which would have been a pretty courageous thing then). You think they should have just stuck a sock in it - not the appropriate time, place, or setting?

 

[AzStevenCal]

I really doubt that's going to be an issue for him. From everything I have heard he is a very hard worker.

Yeah. I really like what I know of him and I find myself wishing I were a Pelican fan. Unfortunately, it's Suns or nothing for me.

 

[AzStevenCal]

So 1936 Berlin Olympics... say some athletes or spectators there had the audacity to openly protest the Nazi regime and its atrocities (which would have been a pretty courageous thing then). You think they should have just stuck a sock in it - not the appropriate time, place, or setting?

Well, I would say this is quite a bit different than what we're talking about but without having put much thought into it, I think I'd say yes. The time to protest was before they went to another's country.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Well, I would say this is quite a bit different than what we're talking about but without having put much thought into it, I think I'd say yes. The time to protest was before they went to another's country.

Huh?

 

[GatorAZ]

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Interesting part near the end where McD talking about guys having the GM title but getting overruled in the draft hmmm... Still though, what a scrub GM. Not just drafting but hiring useless coaches and not communicating/caring at all about chemistry.

But as long as Booker leads us to multiple playoffs runs he’ll have a place in my heart for the 2015 draft.

 

[Ronin]

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[JCSunsfan]

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Interesting part near the end where McD talking about guys having the GM title but getting overruled in the draft hmmm... Still though, what a scrub GM. Not just drafting but hiring useless coaches and not communicating/caring at all about chemistry.

But as long as Booker leads us to multiple playoffs runs he’ll have a place in my heart for the 2015 draft.

So. He says they wanted to move up to #1 and take Oladipo. I loved Oladipo in that draft, but I'm sort of glad we did not take him. We would not have developed him. We probably would have shipped him off like Orlando did, and who knows, if we did have Oladipo, we might not have taken Booker in 2015.

 

[Hoop Head]

Was the Bledsoe trade made before or after that draft? I don't recall. I could see McD thinking Oladipo was a PG but we already had Dragic there. A Bledsoe/Oladipo backcourt would have been interesting but I think McD would have screwed it up, somehow.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Was the Bledsoe trade made before or after that draft? I don't recall. I could see McD thinking Oladipo was a PG but we already had Dragic there. A Bledsoe/Oladipo backcourt would have been interesting but I think McD would have screwed it up, somehow.

Well after. Bledsoe started the season with us in 17 before forcing his way out whereas Oladipo came out in the 13 draft with Len as I recall.

 

[Phrazbit]

Well after. Bledsoe started the season with us in 17 before forcing his way out whereas Oladipo came out in the 13 draft with Len as I recall.

I think he is asking if we'd acquired Bledsoe yet, in the Clippers trade, which I think was in the early hours of free agency in 2013.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think he is asking if we'd acquired Bledsoe yet, in the Clippers trade, which I think was in the early hours of free agency in 2013.

Ahh, yeah, that makes more sense. Thanks. And in that case, I'd agree that, Oladipo was drafted prior to Bledsoe being traded to the Suns. As you said, I'm pretty sure we made that deal when the trading period opened up after that draft.

 

[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

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[Mainstreet]

Adrian Wojnarowski‏Verified account @wojespn


Celtics are converting 7-foot-6 rookie Tacko Fall to a two-way contract, league sources tell ESPN. He will spend most of his season developing with G-League affiliate Maine, but can spend up to 45 days with Celtics in NBA.

11:00 AM - 13 Oct 2019

 

[Mainstreet]

Dragan Bender continues to score in double figures this preseason.


Kellan Olson‏Verified account @KellanOlson

Dragan Bender with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 21 minutes tonight. He has scored in double figures for all 4 preseason games. In 171 career games for the Suns, he posted 10+ points 31 times. Averaging 13.0-6.0-2.5-1.5 on 60.7-53.8-84.6 in 18.1 MPG this preseason.

8:54 PM - 13 Oct 2019

 

[BC867]

Dragan Bender continues to score in double figures this preseason.


Kellan Olson‏Verified account @KellanOlson

Dragan Bender with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 21 minutes tonight. He has scored in double figures for all 4 preseason games. In 171 career games for the Suns, he posted 10+ points 31 times. Averaging 13.0-6.0-2.5-1.5 on 60.7-53.8-84.6 in 18.1 MPG this preseason.

8:54 PM - 13 Oct 2019

Does anyone believe that, if he were still here, he'd be doing that? I don't think so.

He had the misfortune to be on a mis-managed team that went from too many
starting Power Forwards to none. And too many starting Point Guards to none.

As has been posted numerously, sharing the Power Forward position between
two rookies instead of a vet and a rookie was a mistake. As we watched.

'Glad to hear that Bender is in a position where he can fill a role. And perhaps
do it consistently. He deserves that. At the least, we can say that he just
didn't fit here. And, alongside Ayton this season, I don't think he would either.

 

[Hoop Head]

Dragan Bender continues to score in double figures this preseason.


Kellan Olson‏Verified account @KellanOlson

Dragan Bender with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 21 minutes tonight. He has scored in double figures for all 4 preseason games. In 171 career games for the Suns, he posted 10+ points 31 times. Averaging 13.0-6.0-2.5-1.5 on 60.7-53.8-84.6 in 18.1 MPG this preseason.

8:54 PM - 13 Oct 2019

I haven't seen him with the Bucks but based on the stats it appears he's finally decided to look for his shot. I'm not sure what clicked for him, maybe it was being on the verge of having to go back to Europe as a bust but he had talent, the problem was between his ears and between his legs. He got in his head too much and he lacked testicular fortitude.

Hearing that he's doing well in Milwaukee does make me wonder how he would have looked last year if we had managed to get Coach Budenholzer to come here instead. Of course we don't know what kept that from happening but he's coaching the top team in the East now that happens to have one of the top players in the league who has won an MVP well before entering his prime. Giannis is only 24 years old right now, which is crazy to think about. Hopefully he's able to maintain his health because he'll be one of the all time greats if he continues improving.

 

[Hoop Head]

Bleacher Report wrote a piece naming their top 15 PG's headed into this season and Rubio was absent, which I'm not that surprised by but regardless of him being a Sun, I think he deserved a mention at or around 15.

#15 was Lou Williams and while he's a fine player, he's not a PG. That makes it easy to bump someone for him right there. Other than that the list wasn't terrible. There was an interesting note also, they had Bledsoe listed at #14 despite his All-Defensive team appearance last year. They had Brogdan one spot ahead of him at #13, which I thought was interesting. Both of their write ups contained a ton of references to each other also.

The only other issue I had was how they overrated Ben Simmons, putting him at #5. He can't make a jumper and until he can, he's not a top 5 PG. Maybe if Philly used his size a bit better to really take advantage of the opposing team's lack of size then I could understand rating him so high but it seems they haven't done that much, which isn't his fault but it could have something to do with his lack of shooting.

For those that don't want to click, Curry was #1, Lillard #2, Kyrie #3, Westbrook #4, and Simmons at #5.

Another note, they didn't have D'Angelo Russell listed at all. He wasn't mentioned in the beginning either when they made note that Jrue Holiday would be listed with the SG list.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...nkings-top-15-point-guards-for-2019-20#slide0