The 2019-2020 Around the NBA thread

[Mainstreet]

Reportedly Patrick Ewing has tested positive for the coronavirus.

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[Ronin]

Report: Once again Bradley Beal's agent has to shut down trade rumors

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-once-again-bradley-beals-231746884.html

 

[Mainstreet]

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-once-again-bradley-beals-231746884.html

I was reading about this yesterday as well. Isn't trade talk tampering after the trade deadline?

 

[GatorAZ]

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[Mainstreet]

I'm so glad Ginobili retired otherwise he could probably do the same thing to the Suns today. It always looked like he was doing things in slow motion. He was such a clever player.

 

[Hoop Head]

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Why are you posting links to those highlights, aren't people suffering enough in this pandemic?

 

[GatorAZ]

Why are you posting links to those highlights, aren't people suffering enough in this pandemic?

Got sucked down a dark youtube worm hole.

 

[GatorAZ]

I'm so glad Ginobili retired otherwise he could probably do the same thing to the Suns today. It always looked like he was doing things in slow motion. He was such a clever player.

I was always in awe of Ginobili but it’s like we never watched film or practiced team defense.

 

[Mainstreet]

I was always in awe of Ginobili but it’s like we never watched film or practiced team defense.

Ginobili made things look so easy but you are right, the Suns didn't play much defense.

 

[Ronin]

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[Raze]

I was always in awe of Ginobili but it’s like we never watched film or practiced team defense.

(I've also found myself in way too many dark Youtube vortexes these past weeks. I'm way too entertained watching The Rock vs Stone Cold, or Best Fan Moments, or Cambodia's Got Talent. But since you brought him up...)

I respected Ginobili immensely for his selflessness as a team player and for his high energy on the court. The perfect "glue" role player.

Personally I was never in awe of him though (I felt the same with Parker). I was in awe of Pop and Timmy.

Pop is the greatest HC of all time. I don't think that's arguable anymore. No one got more out of would be G Leaguers than that guy. System guys like that are beyond rare. Even more rare are HCs who can get players to buy in.

Timmy is correctly respected as the greatest PF/C of all time. Had he not played for Pop, he STILL would have been the greatest PF/C of all time. Their 2014 Championship team is THE best "non Big-3" TEAM I've ever seen play. (Boris Diaw was a stud in that series). Perfect team ball.

Manu wisely thrived under their greatness. He was a good player. I don't see anything more than that, nor anything less. If he'd ever been the best player on an NBA team with a different HC, I can't see them being very good.

There seems little doubt he makes the Basketball HOF due to his overseas accolades combined with his solid NBA career. However, if there was purely an NBA HOF, I wouldn't consider him.

 

[Raindog]

Ginobili made things look so easy but you are right, the Suns didn't play much defense.

That was D'Antoni's philosophy: put as many shots up as you possibly can and hope you make at least one more than the other team. And forget about every other aspect of the game.

The problem is he got out coached by Pops every time, slowing the game to a half court wrestling match. If D'Antoni had another card up his sleeve, it might not have always worked. But D'Antoni was too damn stubborn to admit he needed another card.

 

[Mainstreet]

That was D'Antoni's philosophy: put as many shots up as you possibly can and hope you make at least one more than the other team. And forget about every other aspect of the game.

The problem is he got out coached by Pops every time, slowing the game to a half court wrestling match. If D'Antoni had another card up his sleeve, it might not have always worked. But D'Antoni was too damn stubborn to admit he needed another card.

Of course that was SSOL.

The Suns didn't really have a stopper on defense except when they had Raja Bell.

That extra card might have been encouraging Steve Nash to take those open shots much like Stephen Curry.

 

[Hoop Head]

(I've also found myself in way too many dark Youtube voretexes these past weeks. I'm way too entertained watching The Rock vs Stone Cold, or Best Fan Moments, or Cambodia's Got Talent. But since you brought him up...)

I respected Ginobili immensely for his selflessness as a team player and for his high energy on the court. The perfect "glue" role player.

Personally I was never in awe of him though (I felt the same with Parker). I was in awe of Pop and Timmy.

Pop is the greatest HC of all time. I don't think that's arguable anymore. No one got more out of would be G Leaguers than that guy. System guys like that are beyond rare. Even more rare are HCs who can get players to buy in.

Timmy is correctly respected as the greatest PF/C of all time. Had he not played for Pop, he STILL would have been the greatest PF/C of all time. Their 2014 Championship team is THE best "non Big-3" TEAM I've ever seen play. (Boris Diaw was a stud in that series). Perfect team ball.

Manu wisely thrived under their greatness. He was a good player. I don't see anything more than that, nor anything less. If he'd ever been the best player on an NBA team with a different HC, I can't see them being very good.

There seems little doubt he makes the Basketball HOF due to his overseas accolades combined with his solid NBA career. However, if there was purely an NBA HOF, I wouldn't consider him.

That 2014 Spurs team was on a mission and I think the best Spurs team we've seen under Pop. They may have had better rosters at other points but that team was built perfectly to compliment one another and Pop had everyone buying in at a level that he hadn't previously. Everyone bought in to Pop's gameplan before but there was another level there, like they all knew that varying from that gameplan cost them the previous years title so they listened and did everything he asked, to a T. That previous years finals loss to the Heat drove them throughout the entire regular season and postseason up until they got their redemption.

That is the Spurs team that got me to sit back and really appreciate what all Popovich, Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker brought to the table. I'm still not a fan of Parker and don't think he wins a title as the PG on another team but that's a different discussion entirely. That team was built to win it all that year and were lazer focused on accomplishing that, like no other team I've seen since the Jordan Bulls. There have been favorites, sure, but from game 1 of the regular season, San Antonio were playing for keeps.

 

[GatorAZ]

(I've also found myself in way too many dark Youtube vortexes these past weeks. I'm way too entertained watching The Rock vs Stone Cold, or Best Fan Moments, or Cambodia's Got Talent. But since you brought him up...)

I respected Ginobili immensely for his selflessness as a team player and for his high energy on the court. The perfect "glue" role player.

Personally I was never in awe of him though (I felt the same with Parker). I was in awe of Pop and Timmy.

Pop is the greatest HC of all time. I don't think that's arguable anymore. No one got more out of would be G Leaguers than that guy. System guys like that are beyond rare. Even more rare are HCs who can get players to buy in.

Timmy is correctly respected as the greatest PF/C of all time. Had he not played for Pop, he STILL would have been the greatest PF/C of all time. Their 2014 Championship team is THE best "non Big-3" TEAM I've ever seen play. (Boris Diaw was a stud in that series). Perfect team ball.

Manu wisely thrived under their greatness. He was a good player. I don't see anything more than that, nor anything less. If he'd ever been the best player on an NBA team with a different HC, I can't see them being very good.

There seems little doubt he makes the Basketball HOF due to his overseas accolades combined with his solid NBA career. However, if there was purely an NBA HOF, I wouldn't consider him.

Manu was a borderline star for a 4-5 year stretch. If it wasn’t for his international career he would’ve been a legit star SG but his body was always worn down. He was also a complete player and underrated defender (and terrible flopper).

 

[Finito]

I think if you replaced Nash and Marion with Parker and Manu we win multiple titles.

or if you replaced D’Antoni with Pop we win a handful of titles.

they just schooled us year in and year out. Parker ate Nash up all day. We played no defense at all

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think if you replaced Nash and Marion with Parker and Manu we win multiple titles.

or if you replaced D’Antoni with Pop we win a handful of titles.

they just schooled us year in and year out. Parker ate Nash up all day. We played no defense at all

Not sure about swapping Nash/Marion with Parker/Manu but I agree on this one. I think we'd have been better a little better with Parker and Manu but we'd still probably lose to the greatest NBA coach ever.

 

[GatorAZ]

I think if you replaced Nash and Marion with Parker and Manu we win multiple titles.

or if you replaced D’Antoni with Pop we win a handful of titles.

they just schooled us year in and year out. Parker ate Nash up all day. We played no defense at all

Parker really only outplayed Nash in 08’ when we had Shaq. In 05’, 07’ and 10’ Nash was the one eating him alive. Both were complete sieves though.

 

[Finito]

Parker really only outplayed Nash in 08’ when we had Shaq. In 05’, 07’ and 10’ Nash was the one eating him alive. Both were complete sieves though.

nash was a complete liability in the playoffs no matter how you slice it. They feasted on him

 

[Raze]

I think if you replaced Nash and Marion with Parker and Manu we win multiple titles.

or if you replaced D’Antoni with Pop we win a handful of titles.

they just schooled us year in and year out. Parker ate Nash up all day. We played no defense at all

Gotta say, I'm having fun with the discussion, in spite of the content being from yesteryear.

Completely agree that if we switch out Pop for Dantoni that we win titles. Also agree that in Phoenix, D stood for Dantoni and nothing else.

Can't agree on the other points.

For example: Parker and Manu for Nash and Marion.

Remember, in this scenario, Parker and Manu play for Dantoni. So they'll suck at team defense unlike they did in SA under Pop. Also you would have to consider that Manu/Parker/Dantoni would have to get past Pop/Nash/Marion/Duncan. Can't see that EVER happening. Nash was a 2 time MVP for a reason and Marion, as most people forget, was a statistical monster (had one of the best fantasy basketball seasons ever). Tough to see Manu/Parker/Dantoni better than Nash/Marion/Pop.

Also, Tony never really ate Nash up. In fact it was the other way around. Nash was nearly 48/40/90 against him, while Parker was closer to 45/30/70 in both regular season and playoffs. Nash destroyed him in APG while Parker has a slight edge on ppg and spg. Most of Nash's Playoff stats are slightly above his career averages, while Tony's were slightly less. (Tony was surely a better team defender on a team committed to D).

https://www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/steve_nash_vs_tony_parker.htm

 

[Hoop Head]

I can kind of see swapping Marion for Manu working but I don't think Parker could run D'Antoni's offense so swapping those 2, Marion & Nash for Manu & Parker, isn't as clear cut as you make it out to be. Nash was an MVP and perhaps he's not elsewhere or even on the Suns with a few changes but he was the driving force of that offense. Manu would be even better next to Nash and allow for him to rest occasionally since he can create offense for himself and others but I still can't see Parker being better than Barbosa was in D'Antoni's system. It was until later in his career that Parker developed a decent 3pt shot also so I would actually stick with Barbosa compared to Parker for that reason.

If we could swap Diaw's, the Suns version for the Spurs, I think the Suns could have won a title. He played more like a big as a Spur and there was no masquerading him as a guard, like D'Antoni did. He also had a good 3pt shot at that time and was overall a smarter player. He may have had stamina issues but he did actually develop the BB-IQ side of the game and played much smarter.

 

[GatorAZ]

As much as I defend Marion I’d trade him for Manu in a second. Ginobili was a 2-way player and impact metric God. It would kind of be a mix between Joe Johnson’s offense and Grant Hill’s defense.

Of course we could’ve just kept Joe and had the secondary ball handler/shot creator/closer we were always missing.

 

[95pro]

Giflopli has ok stats, maybe even subpar, he was part of the spurs system plain and simple. He earned his stats by being crafty and being in the system. Without the system, craftiness only gets you so far.

 

[GatorAZ]

Giflopli has ok stats, maybe even subpar, he was part of the spurs system plain and simple. He earned his stats by being crafty and being in the system. Without the system, craftiness only gets you so far.

https://sites.google.com/site/rapmstats/2005-rapm

https://sites.google.com/site/rapmstats/2006-rapm

https://sites.google.com/site/rapmstats/2007-rapm

https://sites.google.com/site/rapmstats/2008-rapm

 

[Ronin]

Tom Thibodeau is reportedly Knicks' top choice for next head coach to be steamrolled by James Dolan

https://sports.yahoo.com/tom-thibod...-be-steamrolled-by-james-dolan-193500567.html