2023-2024 NBA Thread

[ProphetFlume]

The US Men's team only won the bronze in 2004. That team had LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Dwayne Wade, Stephon Marbury, Amar'e Stoudemire...

Granted, a bunch of them were young at the time, but still. A lot of future rings on this squad.

My mistake, they lost once. Was there a bigger point?

[Crissi]

My mistake, they lost once. Was there a bigger point?

basically "pfft, his shit means nothing. We're supposed to win" is the most entitled argument ever and negates just how hard the Olympics is, as well as belittles Euro players who are also in the NBA.

Im nsorry you dont like KD, but thats not a reason in itself to belittle shit.

[ProphetFlume]

basically "pfft, his shit means nothing. We're supposed to win" is the most entitled argument ever and negates just how hard the Olympics is, as well as belittles Euro players who are also in the NBA.

Im nsorry you dont like KD, but thats not a reason in itself to belittle shit.

I don’t care about KD, I also don’t care about the NBA winning the Olympics, like most fans.

[Crissi]

I don’t care about KD, I also don’t care about the NBA winning the Olympics, like most fans.

If you dont care, then dont comment on something you dont know shit about then.

[ProphetFlume]

If you dont care, then dont comment on something you dont know shit about then.

How mad can a mod get before a mod gets modded?

The Olympics are meaningless and tbh it was more entertaining for everyone when they were a dumpster fire.

[PhaelixWW]

I don’t care about KD, I also don’t care about the NBA winning the Olympics, like most fans.

Uh...

Last Friday’s United States-France Olympic men’s basketball final averaged 9.2 million viewers on NBC, marking the seventh-largest basketball audience since the wave of cancellations and postponements that decimated the industry in March of last year. Figures do not include the streaming audience on NBC’s various digital platforms (Peacock simulcast NBC’s coverage).

The narrow U.S. win trails only the final two games of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament (Baylor-Gonzaga: 16.92M; Gonzaga-UCLA: 14.94M) and four games of this year’s NBA Finals.

Viewership declined 21% from the 2016 final between the U.S. and Serbia, which aired on a Sunday afternoon (11.7M), and 26% from the 2012 U.S.-Spain final, which aired on a Sunday morning (12.5M). This year marked the first time since 1996 that the Olympic men’s basketball final began during NBC’s primetime window. The full primetime window averaged 9.85 million on NBC alone (12.6 million across all platforms).

The last time the men’s gold medal game averaged fewer viewers was 2008, when the U.S. “Redeem Team” edged Spain in front of an NBC audience of 6.0 million. That figure is far more impressive than it looks given the game began at 2:30 AM ET.

The following night’s United States-Japan women’s final averaged 7.8 million, the largest audience for any women’s basketball game in at least five years. Figures for the 2016 gold medal game were unavailable. Viewership declined 24% from the 2012 gold medal game, which aired on a Saturday afternoon (10.2M), but increased 32% from the 2008 game, which aired on a Saturday morning (5.9M).

Seems to me that quite a lot of fans care.

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The Olympics are meaningless and tbh it was more entertaining for everyone when they were a dumpster fire.

"The only things that matter are the things I care about."

That's some self-centered garbage, right there.

[ProphetFlume]

Watching the Olympics does not equal considering winning the Olympics a hof career highlight.

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[B]

"The only things that matter are the things I care about."

That's some self-centered garbage, right there.

So you’re saying that you consider US Olympics a highlight of an nba players career and is a relatively impressive accomplishment that most fans consider a big deal?

[PhaelixWW]

So you’re saying that you consider US Olympics a highlight of an nba players career and is a relatively impressive accomplishment that most fans consider a big deal?

There's a whole lot of ground between that and "don't care".

And it's relatively impressive, regardless; there are few easy wins at that level, especially considering that a decent number of NBA stars play for their home country, not the US.

[Pendulous]

Minnesota just gave four first round picks, Pat Bev, and a few other players for Rudy Gobert. It's happening.

[xskarma]

To get back to actual relevant Basketball news:

Celtics got a GREAT deal in getting Malcolm Brogdon from the Pacers for basically bench players and a 1st.


Not to be outdone by his old team Danny Ainge then FLEECED the Minnesota Timberwolves. Like, good lord what a bloodbath.

Utah got: unprotected 1sts in 23, 25, 27, a swap in ‘26 and a top 5 protected in ‘29 and a bunch of bench/role players.

Utah gave up: Their Center, Rudy Gobert, who got played off the floor every playoffs and was feuding with the actual star on the team in Donovan Mitchell.


Fucking incredible. You may or may not like Ainge, but he knows how to work trades.

[PhaelixWW]

<sigh> I knew this was going to happen. The Warriors couldn't afford to keep GP2, and the Blazers snagged him on a 3-year $28m contract. That's a huge payday for a player who had bounced around and only earned about $2m over his 5-year career before last year's title run. He was only paid another $2m for last year, too, and I can't begrudge him the $9m+ per year average of his new contract. Talk about an outstanding defensive addition.

The Warriors did manage to lock down Looney on a similar 3-year $25.5m contract, though, so that's something.


Edit: Looks like bench players Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica have also signed elsewhere. Probably going to lean more heavily on Kuminga, Wiseman, and Moody next year for bench support.

[StillMcfuu]

Utah dropping Gobert for 4 potentials and PBev seems really good. But it also makes them irrelevant for a few years. They have no one to play defense except PBev, but he isn't exactly a team defender.
I've had my criticisms of Gobert but the rest of that team only shows up to play offense, he might actually be really scary on the Twolves who have strong defense and now a really legit paint anchor, something Kat has never been.

[xskarma]

Edit: Looks like bench players Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica have also signed elsewhere. Probably going to lean more heavily on Kuminga, Wiseman, and Moody next year for bench support.

Don't forget about Juan Toscano Anderson!

(who saw no meaningful play during any post season game I think? )


But yeah, you can clearly see the difference between what happened to the winner and the loser of the NBA Finals. Warriors had to let their bench go due to them just costing too much to retain even for the Warriors, and the Celtics are dipping pretty significantly into the tax to bring in bench scoring/help to hopefully make their way back and finish the job upcoming season.

Pretty happy with Celtics moves, and they still have the 17M TPE if they REALLY want to blow a wad of dough or get frisky.

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Utah dropping Gobert for 4 potentials and PBev seems really good. But it also makes them irrelevant for a few years. They have no one to play defense except PBev, but he isn't exactly a team defender.
I've had my criticisms of Gobert but the rest of that team only shows up to play offense, he might actually be really scary on the Twolves who have strong defense and now a really legit paint anchor, something Kat has never been.

Gobert and Kat together is going to be funky though the first few weeks I bet as they work out spacing. And it's still going to be a question if Gobert can stay on the floor in the playoffs with his lack of an outside shot and his lack of perimiter defense.

And the cost...

TWolves are going all in with this for maybe 2 or 3 years, but are giving up 5 years worth of assets.

[PhaelixWW]

Don't forget about Juan Toscano Anderson!

(who saw no meaningful play during any post season game I think? )

Statmuse says 49 minutes total.

Yeah, I knew I was forgetting someone. Chiozza (who didn't play at all in the postseason) is also gone. Not like most people probably care too much about the Warriors' bench players, I guess.

Looney was the real ironman, though, playing all 104 games this season for the Warriors, including 20+ mpg during the playoffs.

But yeah, you can clearly see the difference between what happened to the winner and the loser of the NBA Finals. Warriors had to let their bench go due to them just costing too much to retain even for the Warriors, and the Celtics are dipping pretty significantly into the tax to bring in bench scoring/help to hopefully make their way back and finish the job upcoming season.

Yeah, it's rough when the Warriors were already paying a lot of luxury tax, and then everyone obviously wants to be (and should be) paid following a successful year. One article I read said that signing GP2 to a competitive contract compared to what the Blazers were offering would actually cost the Warriors some 4-6x that value when you consider the impact on the luxury tax. The owners have shown that they're willing to go in heavy on the luxury tax to support the team, but there's a limit to even that.

But the Warriors have a lot of good young talent to develop now, and I fully expect Jordan Poole to resign with the Warriors on a multi-year extension. The biggest question left at this point is Wiggins and whether or not the Warriors can find a way to keep him.

Regardless, the salary cap increase has made things a bit less dicey for the Warriors.

Gobert and Kat together is going to be funky though the first few weeks I bet as they work out spacing. And it's still going to be a question if Gobert can stay on the floor in the playoffs with his lack of an outside shot and his lack of perimiter defense.

Ah, yes, the perennial "hack-a-Gobert". Not as euphonious as "hack-a-Shaq", but still a thing... unless the NBA lumps those in with take fouls and does away with them altogether, which I'm fine with.

[xskarma]

Ah, yes, the perennial "hack-a-Gobert". Not as euphonious as "hack-a-Shaq", but still a thing... unless the NBA lumps those in with take fouls and does away with them altogether, which I'm fine with.

Nah, not even that, but he just ruins spacing on the offense and if you go 5 out when he's on defense, he's basically useless too, cause he doesn;t have the recover ability to be on the perimter on his guy AND make it back fro drives. At least he wasn't on the Jazz, and he's just getting older every year now too, so that ability will just get worse.


I predict the Wolves will have a great season, and then in the playoffs run into the same issues the Jazz did with Gobert and have to choose between being gimped, or having their high priced addition sit on the bench.

[PhaelixWW]

Nah, not even that, but he just ruins spacing on the offense and if you go 5 out when he's on defense, he's basically useless too, cause he doesn;t have the recover ability to be on the perimter on his guy AND make it back fro drives. At least he wasn't on the Jazz, and he's just getting older every year now too, so that ability will just get worse.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I didn't mean to imply that that's what you meant, it was just that your talk of his incomplete skillset being taken advantage of in the playoffs reminded me of the other reason that he has trouble with crunch time. It's always tough when your big, defensive guy isn't also a capable mid-range shooter. You want him in for defense, but the other team's just going to keep sending him to the line to play the numbers.

The "hack-a" game is one Nellie-ball creation of which I am not a fan.

[Pendulous]

The difference is Gobert isn't as bad in free throws. Has been improving each year. Still inconsistent, but there was a game last year he made like 20/20.

[xskarma]

The difference is Gobert isn't as bad in free throws. Has been improving each year. Still inconsistent, but there was a game last year he made like 20/20.

Career 64% FT shooter. 69% last year. He;s up and down year to year, not really improving. But mid sixties FT is not the worst at least.

I consider Robert Williams a good free throw shooter for a big, and he shot 72% last year, his only year with volume.


Of the Centers playing at least 20 min on average, Gobert's FT% was the 9th worst last season. RWIII was 20th. Out of 46 qualifying.

So even in his best year ever, he was quite weak in this regard. (and Robert Williams is not as strong in it as I thought).



But honestly, there's worse problems, but you assume the Twolves did their homework and have a plan to make things work. We will see.

I still think Utah is better off regardless of if Gobert works out for Minnesota. Spider and Gobert just seemingly could not coexist on the court beyond the regular season. Something had to change and Mitchell has the easier to work with qualities to build a new team around, and is also younger. It just made sense.

In that regard, Pend, you can be assured that Ainge is going to build something great. The trouble starts when it's built and you have to actually stop aquiring assets and start making a complete team. Ainge like his draft picks and value too much, and was never willing to spend his picks on getting players in that compliment the core he had.

Brad finally did what Ainge wouldn't and in the first year he did we make the Finals. And in his second year he went and did even more things Ainge would never, and on paper it's made a team that should be going deep again.

But Ainge will definitely get you going on the right path.

[StillMcfuu]

Nah, not even that, but he just ruins spacing on the offense and if you go 5 out when he's on defense, he's basically useless too, cause he doesn;t have the recover ability to be on the perimter on his guy AND make it back fro drives. At least he wasn't on the Jazz, and he's just getting older every year now too, so that ability will just get worse.


I predict the Wolves will have a great season, and then in the playoffs run into the same issues the Jazz did with Gobert and have to choose between being gimped, or having their high priced addition sit on the bench.

There is nothing wrong with Gobert, it's the rest of the Jazz terrible fucking defense that caused issues for him. Their whole team would get beat on the first step, putting Gobert in a bingo situation of stepping up to cover for them and get over extended or stay back and give up easy midrange. Or leave his primary assignment open. Jazz are just a dog shit team when it comes to winning a series.

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Zion got his bag, which if I'm honest is the most obvious and scary for Pels signing. I've heard he's getting in shape and is down 40 or 50 lbs, but I swear we heard the same thing last year and he showed up +40lbs.
I want the dude to be the second coming of sir Charles and terrorize the nba, but damn if I don't think his body will make 5 years

[PhaelixWW]

Warriors Interested In Trading For Kevin Durant

What the... I don't even...

What is this, 2016?

Clickbait title aside, there's no way the Warriors should give up enough young talent to make this trade a real possibility. Thankfully, it's incredibly unlikely to happen.