NBA Chatter Thread

[Cotton]

I won't post the whole article because of how long it is, but here is a snippet...

______________________________________________

Before he could tweet JaVale McGee again or say something on TV past the point of no return – something that might begin, “Yo mama” – Shaquille O’Neal received a telephone call from straight up the chain of command.

“I have orders from the top to leave it alone,” O’Neal said past midnight on Saturday.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver?

“No,” O’Neal said. “My mama. Just say Shaq’s mom called him, told him, ‘Stop this silliness. Leave him alone.’ So that’s the end of the beef. You won’t be hearing about it from my side anymore. Mama has spoken.”

http://theundefeated.com/features/shaq-drops-his-twitter-feud-with-javale-mcgee-on-orders-from-the-top/

 

[1bigfan13]

Looks like another setback.

Despite my assessment of the Sixers' management of their organization, I genuinely like Embiid. I've said a couple of times before, Embiid's skillset reminds me of Olajuwon, but with better shooting range.

 

[NoDak]

Looks like another setback.

Despite my assessment of the Sixers' management of their organization, I genuinely like Embiid. I've said a couple of times before, Embiid's skillset reminds me of Olajuwon, but with better shooting range.

Eh. He's fine. The Sixers are just shutting him down because they're worried they might drop out of the lottery if he keeps playing this year.

Right?



Please?

 

[1bigfan13]

Eh. He's fine. The Sixers are just shutting him down because they're worried they might drop out of the lottery if he keeps playing this year.

Right?



Please?

I don't know the specifics of their lottery picks but I thought they were virtually guaranteed a top 3 pick this year regardless of their record.

 

[NoDak]

I don't know the specifics of their lottery picks but I thought they were virtually guaranteed a top 3 pick this year regardless of their record.

I don't know anything about that, other than they own the Lakers pick, but it's top 3 protected. It becomes unprotected next year if the Lakers end up in the top 3. They also own the right to swap firsts with Sacramento if the Kings' pick is higher. And their own pick. [MENTION=41]Genghis Khan[/MENTION] could probably explain it better than I could.

 

[1bigfan13]

I don't know anything about that, other than they own the Lakers pick, but it's top 3 protected. It becomes unprotected next year if the Lakers end up in the top 3. They also own the right to swap firsts with Sacramento if the Kings' pick is higher. And their own pick. [MENTION=41]Genghis Khan[/MENTION] could probably explain it better than I could.

Ok. That sounds about right.

The way things are playing out I'd be surprised if the Sixers highest draft pick was outside the top 6.

Which should still be pretty good from what I've been seeing. According to most of the experts, this is supposed to be one of the deeper drafts in years. I honestly couldn't tell you who's going to be a stud. It's damn near impossible for the casual CBB fan to keep up with who the top players are these days. You used to be able to get to know the players for 3 or 4 years, so you had a pretty good idea of who was a legit player.

 

[NoDak]

Ok. That sounds about right.

The way things are playing out I'd be surprised if the Sixers highest draft pick was outside the top 6.

Which should still be pretty good from what I've been seeing. According to most of the experts, this is supposed to be one of the deeper drafts in years. I honestly couldn't tell you who's going to be a stud. It's damn near impossible for the casual CBB fan to keep up with who the top players are these days. You used to be able to get to know the players for 3 or 4 years, so you had a pretty good idea of who was a legit player.

Yeah, I used to love college basketball and following teams. But I've become a casual fan, only catching the occasional game. Anybody with any kind of talent rarely stays more than a year or two. Hard to know who you're watching any more.

 

[1bigfan13]

The only thing I hate about the Durant injury is that it didn't happen closer to the playoffs. I've been secretly rooting all season for one of the Warriors' key guys to suffer a lengthy injury like a high ankle sprain right before the playoffs started. Looks like I may be getting my wish.

And as a preemptive.......spare me your "you shouldn't root for injuries" comments. It's a freaking knee injury. It's not like it's life or career threatening. Worst case scenario he'll likely be completely healthy by the end of the summer. So I'm not going to hide the fact that it made my day when I saw this news. I'm hoping that it's an 8-12 week injury that some notable NBA media members have been floating out.

Hopefully this post doesn't jinx it.

 

[Rev]

The only thing I hate about the Durant injury is that it didn't happen closer to the playoffs. I've been secretly rooting all season for one of the Warriors' key guys to suffer a lengthy injury like a high ankle sprain right before the playoffs started. Looks like I may be getting my wish.

And as a preemptive.......spare me your "you shouldn't root for injuries" comments. It's a freaking knee injury. It's not like it's life or career threatening. Worst case scenario he'll likely be completely healthy by the end of the summer. So I'm not going to hide the fact that it made my day when I saw this news. I'm hoping that it's an 8-12 week injury that some notable NBA media members have been floating out.

Hopefully this post doesn't jinx it.

You monster!!!

 

[1bigfan13]

They won't get much national love because they're currently 7th in the West with a 35-25 record but the new look OKC Thunder look like they could give some of the top teams problems in the playoffs. We added Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott at the trade deadline in order to help solidify the bench unit which has been shaky all season long. We are 3-0 since the trade; plus we got Kanter back this past weekend as well. They've done this without their 2nd best scorer (Oladipo) in the lineup. He's been out with back spasms but should be back by week's end. I'm looking forward to seeing what the full crew looks like together.

Removing Cameron Payne's shaky ass from the backup PG role has also been a huge bonus. Westbrook's current backup (Christon) does not have elite skills or great potential by any means, but he's a steadier player who knows who to run the offense and minimizes mental errors. Something Payne has struggled with.

The only team who I think OKC has absolutely no shot against would be a completely healthy Warriors squad. However I think they could push the Rockets, Spurs, and Clippers to 6 or 7 games in the playoffs.

Right now we're a half game behind the Grizzlies. OKC's remaining schedule is pretty light, so my guess is we'll end up jumping the Grizzlies and settle into the 6th seed meaning that we'll likely see the Rockets in the 1st round of the playoffs.

 

[1bigfan13]

Hopefully "indefinitely" means an additional 4-6 weeks on top of the initial 4 weeks.

 

[Jiggyfly]

Hopefully "indefinitely" means an additional 4-6 weeks on top of the initial 4 weeks.

 

[Jiggyfly]

So Simp.

What do you think of the Rockets so far?

I think they are a legitimate top 5 team in the NBA and if they get hot for a couple series they can be in it to the end.

I am higher on this team than the 2015 team because they have 3 legitimate playmakers instead of Harden having to initiate all offense.

They will definitely have to outscore everybody but they have shown the ability to get stops at crucial times.

Don't think we are true contenders but I like the direction the team is headed.

 

[Simpleton]

So Simp.

What do you think of the Rockets so far?

I think they are a legitimate top 5 team in the NBA and if they get hot for a couple series they can be in it to the end.

I am higher on this team than the 2015 team because they have 3 legitimate playmakers instead of Harden having to initiate all offense.

They will definitely have to outscore everybody but they have shown the ability to get stops at crucial times.

Don't think we are true contenders but I like the direction the team is headed.

They're definitely top 3 in the West, although nobody is beating the Warriors unless this Durant thing continues deep into the playoffs and/or they sustain some other major injury.

They can make the WCF for sure, although I think the Spurs (obviously) or even the Grizzlies could give them a tough time before then due to their wing defenders and ability to exploit the Rockets big men on the block.

Long-term I like Dekker and Harrell although it seems most of the roster is maxed out as far as improvement since Harden/Gordon/Beverly/Ariza/Anderson/Williams are all late 20's/early 30's, Ariza in particular who I think is like 32 or 33.

In order to win a title in the next 3 years they'll need some luck as far as injuries to one of the Warriors big 4 or LeBron, or they'll need to luck into another All Star caliber player one way or another. But even with that said they should be strong WCF contenders for the next few years, at least until some of the guys who are about 28-30 now get to be about 32-33.

In the mean time it'll be fun to watch their offense get after it in the playoffs, although I still cringe at Harden's blatant flopping/theatrics at times.

 

[Jiggyfly]

They're definitely top 3 in the West, although nobody is beating the Warriors unless this Durant thing continues deep into the playoffs and/or they sustain some other major injury.

They can make the WCF for sure, although I think the Spurs (obviously) or even the Grizzlies could give them a tough time before then due to their wing defenders and ability to exploit the Rockets big men on the block.

Long-term I like Dekker and Harrell although it seems most of the roster is maxed out as far as improvement since Harden/Gordon/Beverly/Ariza/Anderson/Williams are all late 20's/early 30's, Ariza in particular who I think is like 32 or 33.

In order to win a title in the next 3 years they'll need some luck as far as injuries to one of the Warriors big 4 or LeBron, or they'll need to luck into another All Star caliber player one way or another. But even with that said they should be strong WCF contenders for the next few years, at least until some of the guys who are about 28-30 now get to be about 32-33.

In the mean time it'll be fun to watch their offense get after it in the playoffs, although I still cringe at Harden's blatant flopping/theatrics at times.

I pretty much agree with all of this.

I think you left out Capela as somebody who also still has some upside and IMO is the real key to making the next step.

I am amazed every game how he gets that 3 point foul called because people can't stop reaching on the screen, That would piss me off on another team.

Also Beverly has taken a step up that I was not exspecting, he has become a much better playmaker.

 

[Simpleton]

I pretty much agree with all of this.

I think you left out Capela as somebody who also still has some upside and IMO is the real key to making the next step.

I am amazed every game how he gets that 3 point foul called because people can't stop reaching on the screen, That would piss me off on another team.

Also Beverly has taken a step up that I was not exspecting, he has become a much better playmaker.

Yea Capela, his development is probably their best bet at a title, if he can become a Gobert-level player but even then they'd still probably need some luck as far as the Warriors/LeBron.

The West playoffs will be be something though, I think anybody 2-7 could conceivably beat any of the others in a series. The Spurs and Clippers are clearly on the decline though with some older/expiring players, so that's why Houston is probably the clear number two in the West over the next 2-3 years but you never know.

 

[1bigfan13]

Last night took that L but tonight we bounce back.

Disappointing loss last night by OKC. They had a 9 point lead with about 6 minutes to play and blew it. The offense went ice cold and Steven Adams bum ass got worked over by Nurkic.

We’re still in pretty good position to pass Memphis. Hell, even the 4th seed is a real possibility. We’re only a game and a half behind the schizophrenic Clippers and two games behind the Jazz, who are currently the 4th seed.

 

[Texas Ace]

In Mavericks news, Steph Curry's brother has been a nice surprise.

Can't wait till we build around him next year on our way to an 8th seed and first round elimination.

 

[1bigfan13]

So far the Warriors are essentially 0-2 without Durant in the lineup. They’re still very good and I know it’s only a small sample but this is why I chuckle when people still assume they’ll come out of the West even without Durant. This isn’t the same Warriors team that won 73 games last year. They sacrificed a lot of size, depth, and experience to bring Durant onboard.

If Durant’s out I honestly don’t see them beating Houston or San Antonio.

Maybe they’ll figure things out and go on a run like previous years, but right now I’m of the opinion that you don’t just lose arguably the 2nd or 3rd best player in the world and not skip a beat.

 

[1bigfan13]

In Mavericks news, Steph Curry's brother has been a nice surprise.

Can't wait till we build around him next year on our way to an 8th seed and first round elimination.

If you can't get excited about Yogi Ferrell then you don't have a pulse.