2017-2018 NBA thread

[Blueobelisk]

Seems like a good change. Is it enough? Maybe. Only because of the new scheduling not allowing 4 games in 5 nights and shit like that.

[Deleted]

Do any1 honestly believe the Kyrie drama will end with Melo in Cleveland and Kyrie in NY?

To this point I can't even say what is the truth and what's made up. It is a let's wait and see scenario right now.

About LeBron: He makes the ones around him better, no doubt. I don't agree with the Wade thing since he won a ring without Lebron. The thing here is that LeBron pushes his teammates to give the best. Didn't Bosh say he changed his diet completely because of 'bron? I'm not the biggest Lebron fan as many of you know, but any player that has that sort of impact on a team is a top tier player no doubt about it.

I'm still thinking about what's going on with Love.

[ItachiZaku]

All i know is, my biggest fear is driving to Chicago to watch the Blazers and have it be a rest day for Dame or Dame AND CJ. Be like... really? Last season I almost went, turned out to be a great game with the good guys winning by a bucket late.

Best deal for Kyrie is a Heat deal. They'll get position replacement with a young piece or two with draft picks. All of that helps them next season when Bron is back home in LA to play.

[xskarma]

The 2017-2018 schedules have been released, check your team's website to check out any potential cool stuff.

Fun one for me, Celtics play the GSW at home on my B-day. Probably going to make a small party out of that.

[Racthoh]

some news on the kyrie front

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn 31m31 minutes ago
Sources: Boston, Cleveland nearing deal on Kyrie Irving, but details still working to completion. Isaiah Thomas, Crowder, pick(s) in talks.

i'm shocked and its from woj too

[Sharpbladez]

Sounds like the Kyrie trade is finalizing right now.

At least he didnt go to the Western Conference lol

---

"First game of the NBA season: Kyrie Irving and the Celtics at Cleveland. Oct. 17. "(source)

aint that some shit, scheduled before the trade happened.

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IT cant catch a break man. Traded from PHX, SAC. Takes Boston to the EC Finals & gets traded still.

[xskarma]

Hoooooooooooooooooooly shit.

Not sure I agree with this trade tbh. We gave up so much. Irving is a good player, but we gave up pretty much ALL of our best assets. IT AND the Crowder contract AND the Brooklyn 2018 first.

Kyrie better play out of his god damn mind this year to make that worth it.

@Sharpbladez That first game of the season will be fireworks now. I bet you that IT is going to be absolutely on fire in that game. He's easily motivated at the worst of times and this is like serious motivational material, being traded by the team you thought was with you for the long haul.

[Racthoh]

i think it's a good move for cleveland. facilitate the destruction of the cavs so they have a better chance of making it out of the east. assuming lebron is going west next year.

[xskarma]

"Here are the returning Celtics from the Eastern Conference finals team: Horford, Jaylen, Rozier, Smart. That's it." from twitter

And only one of those is a starter, Horford. That is mindboggling. For all intents and purposes, this is a completely new team this year. Going to take one hell of a coaching job to get all these new guys on the same page and working in Brad Stevens system.

Celtics will make the playoffs, but that is one hell of a hill to climb to go from never having played together to having to make a run to get to the ECF and hopefully, the Finals.

Would not surprise me if this team needs a year to get it together.

[xskarma]

Well after all this speculation it's finally apparent what Ainge's endgame is: Gordon Haywood, Kyrie, Horford, and hope one of the kids is a star.

Honestly, having Horford, Kyrie and Haywood playing at full potential would already be a fearsome team. The issue is, like you already pointed to, the young guys on the other 2 spots on the team.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are definitely going to play a lot of minutes now. Marcus Smart is going to probably be starting and no longer be leading the second team.


I mean, honestly, the ceiling of the team we have now is higher than when we still had IT and Crowder, but that's also a whoooooole lot of experience and heart going away. It's definitely going to be a question how the players that are now on the Celtics will respond to everything that's happened and to being a team together now. And it will also be a question of, when the heat is on, does this team have the mental fortitude and winning mentality that last year's team had?

[Darth Belichick]

All i cared about was that they didn't trade Brown or Tatum. I think they've gotten the most they will get out of those picks, and I like that they will be playing big minutes. The hopes being you end up with something like the GSW have.

[xskarma]

All i cared about was that they didn't trade Brown or Tatum. I think they've gotten the most they will get out of those picks, and I like that they will be playing big minutes. The hopes being you end up with something like the GSW have.

I think the Brooklyn 2018 pick is what is what is the most divisive part of this trade. If forced between giving up that pick, in what looks to be a loaded 2018 draft and still having Brown and Tatum, I think I;d rather have the more immediate benefit of Brown and Tatum. That 2018 pick would mean this year's team is not as solid and we basically only have a 2 year window before both Kyrie and Horford can opt out. We basically do not have the time to wait for that Brooklyn pick.

Given the situation, I'm more and more inclined to think that this was a trade that works out for both Cleveland and the Celtics, they both get what they want. Cleveland gets cheap and expiring contracts to help rebuild if (when) Lebron moves and the Celtics get a better organized and efficient chance at a 2 or 3 year window where they can make a run at a championship.

All of the sticking points (IT contract, not enough playtime for all the young guys, too many long term assets and not enough current options for a legit run at a title) are largely gone now and turned into a pretty efficient, clearly defined window. Either we go somewhere in the next 2 years with the current core OR in 2 years you retool again around Brown/Tatum and whatever the draft brought (still have the Lakers/Kings pick and potentially Clippers pick + Celtics own picks).

[fixit]

Great trade for both teams in my opinion, both got better. Will make for a heated and interesting ECF.
It seems like they gave up a lot, but imo the Celts had so much depth and assets and after missing on PG and Butler i'm stoked they patiently waited and got their superstar in Kyrie, who is younger than IT and a playoff beast. IT has a hip injury that may require surgery, and a looming max contract, by sending him to the Cavs they don't have to shit on him and let him walk/not pay him. Crowder was on a cheap contract but the Celtics have so many wings he wasn't needed and would his minutes would detriment Jason Tatum, Semi Ojele, and Jaylen Brown's progression.

The Cavs get flexibility and depth out of this trade which will give them options if Lebron decides to leave at the end of the season. They could also trade the Brooklyn pick/and or Love to get a star/s who will help them against GSW this year. But i think they'll hold onto the pick incase LBJ bolts.

[Deleted]

Great trade for both teams. I don't see the Cavs beating GSW yet.

[ItachiZaku]

Hmm. This helps Cleveland recover for next season and losing Bron. It helps the C's as they have a legit backcourt for the first time since Rhonda Frankenstein face and the GOAT shooter Jesus Shuttlesworth. C's easily the #1 seed now, Cavs don't have a team, just even more iso guys. I mean, that's still good enough for top 2 seed in the leastern conference, but that doesn't beat any of the top 14-15 teams in the West.

Not Zeke Isiah will give up as much, if not more than he scores cuz his defense is THAT bad, and he lacks the pure take over a game element that Dame has to compensate, so even shit guards will match his offense on any given night. Crowder is a body.

[Stommped]

It will be a disaster for Ainge if Kyrie doesn't re-sign

[Darth Belichick]

Word on the street is unless he just for some reason genuinely hates it here, he already feels Boston could be a team he stays with the long term. Adrian Woj(not gonna attempt to finish the name, but anyone who know's NBA knows he is a legit insider) said that.

[xskarma]

It will be a disaster for Ainge if Kyrie doesn't re-sign

Would it be though? IT is only signed for 1 year, so he's a big part of this trade, but trading a guy you have for 1 year for a guy you have at least 2 years is already smart business. Let's assume Kyrie is valued higher around the league than IT and you need to make up for that. So you throw in Crowder's good contract and Zizic, who's got potential as a bench big guy/rebounder.

Means you basically pay a first rounder for 1 year of Kyrie and the potential that he stays 1 or more years after that.

And that first rounder itsself is somewhat a contested thing as well. People seem to assume that cause the Nets pick this year turned into a #1 that that means that next year's pick will just automatically turn out to be a high pick too. Thing is, Nets quietly made quite a few decent roster moves AND they have absolute zero reason to tank, since they don't own their own pick anyway. They have a good coach and a good GM now too that seem firmly entrenched, meanign there's not going to be any housecleanign and roster blow ups.

It's not that hard to imagine these Nets to compete reasonably this year and try to skip ahead of obvious tanking teams and maybe even get an 8th seed playoff spot. That would suddenly make the price for getting 1 year of Kyrie and the potential of more a LOT more affordable.


The only way this blows up for Ainge is if Kyrie just doesn't deliver or somehow checks out or becomes a locker room problem. But that is honestly then on the whole organization, every front office type and coach alike, for not getting him and keeping him on board and getting the most out of an obviously very talented player.



For all the hate Ainge gets sometimes, he managed to sign Horford, Hayward and Kyrie in the space of 2 offseasons. That's ridiculously impressive. If all of this doesn't result in a title, it's definitely not due to anything Ainge did (or didn't do).

[xskarma]

Oooooooooooh boy.

"Sources: After Isaiah Thomas underwent physical today, Cavs still evaluating injured hip and weighing options w/ completion of Irving deal."

Woj



That might get ugly if they rescind the deal on IT's physical, for both teams. IT will be pissed, Kyrie will be pissed, Crowder will be pis...wait, Crowder is always pissed, nvm.

- - - Updated - - -

The intrigue continues:

"Sources: Teams have yet to talk, but #Celtics do not believe Isaiah Thomas will be cleared by a #Cavs physical, planning for more dialogue."

https://twitter.com/AmicoHoops/statu...26842766376960


Looks like it's going to be a high stakes poker game between Celtics and Cavs about further compensation, or perhaps just a full rescinding of the deal.

- - - Updated - - -

Yep, as expected.

"Story posting soon on ESPN: After Thomas physical, Cavs planning to seek further compensation before finalizing Irving trade to Boston."

Woj



I'm okay with Ainge playing hardball here. Cavs already got MORE than fine compensation with the unprotected Brooklyn pick. Anything further is kind of bullshit. They knew IT was injured and were willing to do the trade. Unless Celtics lied to them in some way or they discovered medical details Boston wasn't aware of, this is just a play to get more out of Boston. And screw that.

[Stommped]

Would it be though? IT is only signed for 1 year, so he's a big part of this trade, but trading a guy you have for 1 year for a guy you have at least 2 years is already smart business. Let's assume Kyrie is valued higher around the league than IT and you need to make up for that. So you throw in Crowder's good contract and Zizic, who's got potential as a bench big guy/rebounder.

Means you basically pay a first rounder for 1 year of Kyrie and the potential that he stays 1 or more years after that.

And that first rounder itsself is somewhat a contested thing as well. People seem to assume that cause the Nets pick this year turned into a #1 that that means that next year's pick will just automatically turn out to be a high pick too. Thing is, Nets quietly made quite a few decent roster moves AND they have absolute zero reason to tank, since they don't own their own pick anyway. They have a good coach and a good GM now too that seem firmly entrenched, meanign there's not going to be any housecleanign and roster blow ups.

It's not that hard to imagine these Nets to compete reasonably this year and try to skip ahead of obvious tanking teams and maybe even get an 8th seed playoff spot. That would suddenly make the price for getting 1 year of Kyrie and the potential of more a LOT more affordable.


The only way this blows up for Ainge is if Kyrie just doesn't deliver or somehow checks out or becomes a locker room problem. But that is honestly then on the whole organization, every front office type and coach alike, for not getting him and keeping him on board and getting the most out of an obviously very talented player.



For all the hate Ainge gets sometimes, he managed to sign Horford, Hayward and Kyrie in the space of 2 offseasons. That's ridiculously impressive. If all of this doesn't result in a title, it's definitely not due to anything Ainge did (or didn't do).

If Brooklyn makes the playoffs, I'll donate $100 to the charity of your choice. They had 0 reason to tank last year as well, doesn't mean the roster has any talent. They traded away far and away their best player on top of everything.