2017-2018 NBA thread

[xskarma]

Been busy with WoW, but plenty of interesting stuff Celtics side.

Signed Greg Monroe with the exemption we had for the Hayward injury. Gave up nothing, basically and still got the bench scoring/low post scorer we needed. Apparently played his college days in a similar setting to Celtics positionless basket ball ran under Stevens at Princeton, so that's pretty cool.

Also SOMEHOW managed to win 2 games with basically nothing but rookies and Al Horford. Had 5 people out with injury today and still easily beat the Atlanta Hawks. That's crazy.

You could tell though as the veterans got subbed out at the end that the rookies are still just a bunch of rookies. They were very loose at the end and making lots of small mental errors. Guess part of it was also being up enough to not have to worry about a comeback, but it would have been nice if the rookies could have made their plays and finished the game strong. Still not sure all these rookie shenanigans will really fly if they are called upon in the post season.

But, we'll see. For now it seems we can somewhat relax and just get Greg Monroe fitted in and up to speed and then that's likely the team till the end of the season unless crazy things happen.

- - - Updated - - -

Brad Stevens is hilarious.

https://streamable.com/4hpzt

[Rennadrel]

So much for the Celtics being the best defensive team eh @xskarma?

[xskarma]

So much for the Celtics being the best defensive team eh @xskarma?

Celtics are banged up and having an off night. It happens.

At least we're not the Cavs.

"The Cavs since Christmas

29th in defensive rating
28th in offensive rating
30th in net rating
27th in FG%
30th in opp FG%
28th in record"

https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/961063890061688833

[Mooboxx]

I'm just waiting to see what kind of things if anything the Cavs try to pull off to right the ship here... It seems like ever since IT came back from injury and got to playing with the team everything just went down hill from there.. I'm just glad that guy is far away from my Suns.. was never a fan of him here..

[xskarma]

I'm just waiting to see what kind of things if anything the Cavs try to pull off to right the ship here... It seems like ever since IT came back from injury and got to playing with the team everything just went down hill from there.. I'm just glad that guy is far away from my Suns.. was never a fan of him here..

Eh. Cavs were old and slow before he joined them on the floor and they are still old and slow and now teams have figured them out on top of that. Not saying he's not part of the problem, but there were major issues before him too.



In other news, Porzingis tore his ACL in his left knee. Done for the season. Huge blow for the Knicks, both now and potentially in the future, cause a big man is already liable to have back/foot issues, and now with Porzingis you might have to worry about knee issues too.

That franchise definitely still seems cursed.

[Rennadrel]

Celtics are banged up and having an off night. It happens.

At least we're not the Cavs.

"The Cavs since Christmas

29th in defensive rating
28th in offensive rating
30th in net rating
27th in FG%
30th in opp FG%
28th in record"

https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/961063890061688833

Oh come.on, you can't tell me that in the now two games that the Raptors and Celtics have played, that the Celtics were legitimately the better team. They won by one point earlier in the season where they were evenly matched. How is it they can beat most other teams with the same injured roster, but got dominated on both sides of the ball last night if they are truly the better team? They have had a much easier schedule, and are only a game up while we have two games in hand. I expect a Boston vs Toronto East final, because i don't see any other teams as a legitimate threat in the conference.

Horford had two points all night and the Celtics shot for under 40% from the paint, that's pretty sad from a team with a couple of all star players like Irving and Horford

Intresting is how much less on average our starters play compared to the rest of the league. Our bench plays more, and is really deep, so they have helped keep our starters fresh night after night. This has certainly helped us stay healthy all year.

As for the Cavs, they are a god damn train wreck. Glad to see them suffering the reality of having old players who can't stay healthy. That trade that sent Irving to Boston looks pretty stupid on the Cavs part.

[Blueobelisk]

Alright I need to prepare adequate snacks for next weekend's All Star games. There are 3 nights so I'll probably opt for something light like chips instead of appetizers in the oven.

[-aiko-]

The Jazz are on a 7-win streak.

Trying not to get hyped but it was against some of the league's best teams too.

[Blueobelisk]

Watch the whole thing.



Bow down before the fucking God of Basketball, peasants.

[Rennadrel]

Watch the whole thing.



Bow down before the fucking God of Basketball, peasants.

He is still the most overrated POS in the NBA. Gotta love how the Cavs think that trading their dead weight is going to make them a contender with ~30 games to go in the season. Thomas going to the Lakers and Wade back to Miami doesn't make the Cavs better than Boston or Toronto.

[Racthoh]

Wade back to miami !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rennadrel]

Did you just call Lebron overrated?

- - - Updated - - -

Cavs traded everyone.

Yeah, gotta problem with that? He is as overrated as much as his ego is over inflated. Also, I have never seen an athlete with as much a selfish attitude as I have seen with Lebron.

I love how he basically destroyed any future the Cavs might have had in order to fuel his selfish desire for more championships, rather than treating the game like a team sport. He won't win another championship, regardless of what he does aside from try and join GSW, and the league would nix that attempt in an instant.

[Rennadrel]

Lebron is certainly one of the best 2 players in NBA history.

And by the way, when you have a chance to win the championship you go for it. The issue with Lebron and the Cavs stems all the way back to the early 2000s when the Cavs had nothing to put around him. When Lebron was young and developing they had time the build a contender and they failed (same way the Pelicans are currently failing with Anthony Davis).

Since then, any team with Lebron and a bit of other athleticism has been a contender. This year’s Cavs had nothing: Kevin Love is a member of the Sharif Abdur-Rahim all stars (20 point scorers whose team would go 0-82 because they can’t play defense). Lebron is more capable of carrying a bad team to contention than any other player in the NBA, but he can’t fix a defensive catastrophe like this.

Maybe because it takes more than one guy to win a championship? Because that's exactly why Lebron has failed at his approach to beating GSW, you need guys who play like a team, not other ego maniacs. Thinking he could get management to bring in a few veterans and former All Star players like Wade and Thomas while teams around him got better and more cohesive on both sides of the ball, and actually play a team game like GSW does by supporting one another, is why they will have success and the Cavs won't go anywhere this year. Look at Boston and Toronto in the East, one missing a star player but is stupidly deep defensively and the other playing like a cohesive unit and has a talented bench, those are teams that will actually do better against GSW than the Cavs did last year.

[Blueobelisk]

Sounds like you are saying Lebron James is not a great player because the Cavs don’t have a team to put around him.

Let’s remember who Lebron is:

1. He’s a famously versatile player who has played any one of 4 positions depending on what his team needs.
2. At his peak he was one of the best defenders in the league.
3. At age 26, entering the heart of his prime, had a lower usage rate than his obviously inferior teammate (Wade).

This is a guy who could co-exist with a good supporting cast. He just spent his first 7 years on a team that completely failed to build one. It’s not Lebron’s fault that the Cavs couldn’t find any other talent when he was young and developing, so he quite reasonably decided to try to find that talent himself because he knew he was entering his prime and the Cavs had nothing. You only get one shot to build a great core around a superstar and the Cavs blew it.

I guess what I’m wondering is, what do you think he should have done differently? Stayed in Cleveland, which had so little talent that they got 3 #1 picks in 4 years? Or stayed with an over the hill Heat roster that had reached its expiration date?

Or are you saying that if Lebron had a lower ego, Kevin Love would have learned how to protect the rim and somehow all his teammates would have learned how to play? Because that strikes me as a weak argument that will get even weaker when he leaves next year and the Cavs win 18 games again.

The Warriors found Klay, Draymond, Harrison Barnes, to play with Curry. Ironically, Lebron was almost too good too soon - whereas the Warriors and even the Thunder with Durant had a couple years to draft other guys, the Cavs got good really fast with Lebron so they never got any more primo picks.

TL;DR Lebron is the God of basketball.

I agree with you saying AD has a shitty team and the Pelicans are bad for not setting him up better, but....I don't think even with a balanced team around him, that he'd be a contender. Not a real contender. Not with GSW and HOU being pretty good. Or SAS.

But I don't actually watch the games or follow basketball so my opinion means nothing. (I love it when people don't actually watch but pretend their opinion is valid. Not that I'm accusing any of the main posters here of that, but I definitely know people who do that.)

[Vestig3]

Also, I have never seen an athlete with as much a selfish attitude as I have seen with Lebron

We need some Steven A smith up in this place because Max kellerman is going cray cray again

[Rennadrel]

Sounds like you are saying Lebron James is not a great player because the Cavs don’t have a team to put around him.

Let’s remember who Lebron is:

1. He’s a famously versatile player who has played any one of 4 positions depending on what his team needs.
2. At his peak he was one of the best defenders in the league.
3. At age 26, entering the heart of his prime, had a lower usage rate than his obviously inferior teammate (Wade).

This is a guy who could co-exist with a good supporting cast. He just spent his first 7 years on a team that completely failed to build one. It’s not Lebron’s fault that the Cavs couldn’t find any other talent when he was young and developing, so he quite reasonably decided to try to find that talent himself because he knew he was entering his prime and the Cavs had nothing. You only get one shot to build a great core around a superstar and the Cavs blew it.

I guess what I’m wondering is, what do you think he should have done differently? Stayed in Cleveland, which had so little talent that they got 3 #1 picks in 4 years? Or stayed with an over the hill Heat roster that had reached its expiration date?

Or are you saying that if Lebron had a lower ego, Kevin Love would have learned how to protect the rim and somehow all his teammates would have learned how to play? Because that strikes me as a weak argument that will get even weaker when he leaves next year and the Cavs win 18 games again.

The Warriors found Klay, Draymond, Harrison Barnes, to play with Curry. Ironically, Lebron was almost too good too soon - whereas the Warriors and even the Thunder with Durant had a couple years to draft other guys, the Cavs got good really fast with Lebron so they never got any more primo picks.

I never said he wasn't a great player, I said he is overrated. There are plenty of other great players in the league, I could make the argument that they are better players because they have better supporting casts. You can only do so much putting up big numbers by yourself. I'll never put LeBron in the same category.as Jordan, which so many people seem to do. Jordan was a great player who had a great team for much of his career. Definitely the Cavs haven't been able to draft well because of how good they got, but they damn well traded away one of the best prospects in the NBA in Andrew Wiggins for fuckin Kevin Love. How stupid of a move is that, in hindsight?

[-aiko-]

Tbh I'm kind of tired of arguing Lebron to death. Haters gon' hate.


Jazz with the 8-win streak

[xskarma]

Celtics dropped a game against the Pacers apparently? I was watching beta BfA coverage so totally missed it. Hope I remember the Cavs-Celtics game on Sunday, cause that one is kinda important...

[xskarma]

Damnit. Missed the game, thought it was tonight (like in 15 min from now). Ah well, seem to have missed another total no-show. Celtics have been bad on offense lately and today (apparently) the defense sucked balls too. Hopefully this is a wake up call to start taking things seriously, cause if they continue playing like this, the Cavs will be there in the playoffs and the Celtics will run into them if they want to get far. HAVE to be better than this.

[Buckeyenut88]

LeBron shitting on Paul Pierce one last time.