NBA Season 20/21 thread

Both of last years finalists out in the first round. I thought last year was a fluke season in every way. The Lakers weren't impressive last year and I knew the Heat weren't very good at all. As great as he is, it's another year older for James and that much closer to the end.

The Heat had a big advantage last year that I really only heard 1 reporter at the time talk about and no one talk about this year when discussing their potential...They all live in Miami because of course you would.  So the entire shutdown they kept going to the gym and working out and getting shots and still working together.  They basically trained for 3 months while the rest of the league for the most part wasn't able to.  Lakers were actually largely the same as there is a famous private court in LA that some guy owns but let's pro's come use it whenever and just asks they sign the wall when they do.  It was no surprise at all that those teams were able to be better prepared and in better game shape than the rest of the league last year.

The Heat also already have the most rigorous conditioning regiment and standards in the league.

Clippers forced a game 7. It's an interesting styles contrast that Dallas is starting 7'4" Boban with 7'3" Porzingis, while Clippers had all their traditional bigs this game either injured or on the bench (Zubac only played 5 minutes, Ibaka was hurt, Demarcus Cousins DNP) and instead played a frontcourt of two 6'8" guys with Marcus Morris at PF and Nicolas Batum at C.

Smol update: Bucks are still a fraud ass team. My goodness.

Now, the question is, presumably, when Giannis demands a trade, would you be willing to decimate Dinosaur Team for him? A package around Siakam is actually straightforward. But there's the whole resentment from the Bucks thing. The packages other teams can put together would likely be more appealing.

This is the big problem that everyone seemed to gloss over.  People said Giannis should just sign the deal with the Bucks so that he could get the money and then get traded to a championship if he demands it.  The reality is that he would end up costing everything of value on the team and you would not then be able to build around him a championship team and we have the same problem.

If Giannis is demanding to come here then i think it wouldn't matter as that was probably part of their deal to send him where he wants.

Further to this, I don't think Giannis is going to worth giving up everything to get him, he is still one of the best players in the league, but again has the same can't shoot flaw that is killing him in the playoffs.  His mechanics are bad too, he really needs to rebuild his whole shooting, needs the best shooting coach and spend an entire summer restructuring it...I honestly don't see it happening exactly, so giving up everything you got just won't develop how we would want.

Yes.  But I agree that we probably don't have what it takes to get him.  Can injured players (Siakam) still get traded?

IMO, it takes a special player to play undersized at center for even a single season. They get the crap beat out of them by those high elbows and leaned on by guys as much as 50 lbs heavier. I don't think it works. Neither Siakam nor OG would be worth a damn after 20 games playing centre.  The fact that both of them spent time at centre last season was a failure as an organization. Just give me a big body who can rebound and soak up minutes. There used to be tons of guys like this, but now its hard to find a good rebounder.

Kawhi with the possible ACL tear. Horrible. I wasn't cheering for him (although i still love watching him play), but man, this is not good, physically and mentally for Kawhi. This could be the beginning of the end my friends.

I listened to Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst and I have to say, having not watched the game it wasn't clear to me, but Bud just might be one of the worst playoff coaches in the NBA and even if the Bucks ultimately win this series they should look to move on from him this off season. They talk about how the Nets attack switches and get favorable matchups all night, they say the same thing of the Hawks doing that in their series...then they talk about how the Bucks basically NEVER attacked Harden, the broken down guy who was waving people by on defense because he couldn't move. They had him on the court to save some ball handling from Durant and the Bucks basically just attack him. The Bucks had to remove Brook Lopez because the Nets did like 6 plays in a row exploiting him until he made the change and the Bucks did nothing. They are the ultimate 'we play how we play' team and they are done.

I didn't realize what else all happened today:

www.google.com/amp/s/www.thestar.com/amp/sports/basketball/analysis/2021/06/16/was-it-just-a-busy-nba-news-day-or-was-it-a-day-that-could-change-franchises-if-not-the-game.html

"Chris Paul, of the Phoenix Suns, out for who knows how long due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard sidelined for an undetermined period with a knee injury that may involve his ACL.

Stan Van Gundy done after one year as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Scott Brooks finished as head coach of the Washington Wizards.

Donnie Nelson through after a tenure of almost a quarter of a century with the Dallas Mavericks."

The recent reports of the Mavericks GM job sounds pretty terrible, the new report of horalobob being the secret GM and more then that they the GM also doesn't get to choose any of his staff and never feels like they own the job and can't actually do anything they want. I can see Donnie leaving just based on feeling a failure in leading if not another who thinks they don't have a say anymore so why stick around.

Couldn't agree more with everything you said, and actually laughed at the brain damage part. That streamable video is a great example about how clueless the team is in being coached in that the go at Harden in the only thing he is good at and capable. If they don't mercilessly attack Harden next game he should not only be fired but never be hired again by any team that makes the playoffs.

Simmons is a top 20 player and can't even play at the end of games? Ya good luck with that.

Terrance Mann > Kawhi

Holy choking Utah

Does it matter at all if Chris Paul misses most of the series with COVID? Probably not but Clippers are looking surprisingly feisty without Kawhi. 

It's a little bittersweet seeing Atlanta potentially make conference finals this year...I was a huge Atlanta guy last year and thought they'd easily make the playoffs. You pointed out in the betting thread I shouldn't have put down a bunch of money on Atlanta +34 wins. It ended up not mattering last year because Covid voided the bet, but I was definitely a year too early on the Atlanta hype train.