Around The NBA

[toooskies]

Bryce James entering his senior year of high school next year might factor into LeBron staying in LA one more season.

[JonFromVA]

Bryce James entering his senior year of high school next year might factor into LeBron staying in LA one more season.

Unless of course they feel another school would be in his best interests, but yes. Same goes for Bronny, nothing says he has to stay at USC if he stays at all.

[toooskies]

Saw on wiretap that New York is optimistic that Randle will return this season-- which is really surprising to me because I thought he was only going to be out a few weeks.

[ijspeelman]

Saw on wiretap that New York is optimistic that Randle will return this season-- which is really surprising to me because I thought he was only going to be out a few weeks.

I guess they tried to downplay his injuries for whatever reason... or they are just stating the obvious that he's coming back bc he's only out a few weeks.

Apparently, Mitchell Robinson hasn't been ruled out for post-season play either

A selfish part of me wants to play the Knicks early in the play-offs and win to expel the demons of last year, but also realize that we are some incredibly well-matched teams so maybe meeting in the 2nd round would be ok lol

[toooskies]

Saw on wiretap that New York is optimistic that Randle will return this season-- which is really surprising to me because I thought he was only going to be out a few weeks.

I guess they tried to downplay his injuries for whatever reason... or they are just stating the obvious that he's coming back bc he's only out a few weeks.

Apparently, Mitchell Robinson hasn't been ruled out for post-season play either

A selfish part of me wants to play the Knicks early in the play-offs and win to expel the demons of last year, but also realize that we are some incredibly well-matched teams so maybe meeting in the 2nd round would be ok lol

My only seeding desire is to not play the Sixers with a healthy Embiid in the first round.

[ijspeelman]

Saw on wiretap that New York is optimistic that Randle will return this season-- which is really surprising to me because I thought he was only going to be out a few weeks.

I guess they tried to downplay his injuries for whatever reason... or they are just stating the obvious that he's coming back bc he's only out a few weeks.

Apparently, Mitchell Robinson hasn't been ruled out for post-season play either

A selfish part of me wants to play the Knicks early in the play-offs and win to expel the demons of last year, but also realize that we are some incredibly well-matched teams so maybe meeting in the 2nd round would be ok lol

My only seeding desire is to not play the Sixers with a healthy Embiid in the first round.

No matter the result, it'll be unwatchable lol. My friend is a massive 6ers fan and I am very loud about how much I hate watching Embiid even if I think he's MVP level.

Also, I'm actually scared of them

[JujitsuFlip]

Saw on wiretap that New York is optimistic that Randle will return this season-- which is really surprising to me because I thought he was only going to be out a few weeks.

I guess they tried to downplay his injuries for whatever reason... or they are just stating the obvious that he's coming back bc he's only out a few weeks.

Apparently, Mitchell Robinson hasn't been ruled out for post-season play either

A selfish part of me wants to play the Knicks early in the play-offs and win to expel the demons of last year, but also realize that we are some incredibly well-matched teams so maybe meeting in the 2nd round would be ok lol

Gotta be careful what ya wish for because with the Cavs making zero trades and shunning away buyout guys, the core who will play in a tightened playoff rotation is very similar to last season.

Last thing ya wanna do is get bounced early 2 seasons in a row, especially by the same team. It is compunded by what Mitchell told Malika that winning is the only thing he's focused on in the short-term.

[ijspeelman]

Saw on wiretap that New York is optimistic that Randle will return this season-- which is really surprising to me because I thought he was only going to be out a few weeks.

I guess they tried to downplay his injuries for whatever reason... or they are just stating the obvious that he's coming back bc he's only out a few weeks.

Apparently, Mitchell Robinson hasn't been ruled out for post-season play either

A selfish part of me wants to play the Knicks early in the play-offs and win to expel the demons of last year, but also realize that we are some incredibly well-matched teams so maybe meeting in the 2nd round would be ok lol

Gotta be careful what ya wish for because with the Cavs making zero trades and shunning away buyout guys, the core who will play in a tightened playoff rotation is very similar to last season.

Last thing ya wanna do is get bounced early 2 seasons in a row, especially by the same team. It is compunded by what Mitchell told Malika that winning is the only thing he's focused on in the short-term.

I want to win against whatever opponent we get matched up against. If we lose, it feels like a failure no matter who we are against (especially in the first round). I don't think we are gunning for a championship this year so I am not necessarily rooting for an easy route to the conference finals

[JonFromVA]

Saw on wiretap that New York is optimistic that Randle will return this season-- which is really surprising to me because I thought he was only going to be out a few weeks.

I guess they tried to downplay his injuries for whatever reason... or they are just stating the obvious that he's coming back bc he's only out a few weeks.

Apparently, Mitchell Robinson hasn't been ruled out for post-season play either

A selfish part of me wants to play the Knicks early in the play-offs and win to expel the demons of last year, but also realize that we are some incredibly well-matched teams so maybe meeting in the 2nd round would be ok lol

Gotta be careful what ya wish for because with the Cavs making zero trades and shunning away buyout guys, the core who will play in a tightened playoff rotation is very similar to last season.

Last thing ya wanna do is get bounced early 2 seasons in a row, especially by the same team. It is compunded by what Mitchell told Malika that winning is the only thing he's focused on in the short-term.

Unless you want JBB fired, possibly Altman, and the roster shook up.

Personally, I just want to see them make the playoffs mostly healthy so they get a fair shake and we get a fair appraisal. I don't care who we face, the goal as far as I'm concerned isn't to sneak our way in to the finals, it's to beat everyone in our way and become more than a curiosity or a one hit wonder.

Curiously we're about the same home .vs. road. Maybe these guys truly are playing for each other and the fans don't much matter one way or another. Or perhaps they're even more fueled by the adversity of a road crowd than the comfort and cheers of a home crowd.

Either way, I don't feel these guys are to the point yet where they truly would have a home court advantage in the playoffs. They might even be more comfortable going on the road to start a series where the expectations are lower and they can try to steal a win .vs. feeling like they have to win or they've already lost the series.

The only way that stops is if Don and DG become the kind of closers that can suffocate an opponent. Our defense is great, but I wouldn't count on it stopping a team with some bucket getters, so there are going to be times we just have to keep scoring and keep the pressure on.

Here's another potential project for lj if he's interested, but my theory is that fundamental defenses don't stop offenses they just trim the %'s down. Which is great in the regular season because there's enough games for the averages to take hold, but much riskier in the playoffs where both teams are playing hard. So for instance, as good of a job as Isaac Okoro did on Dame Lillard last time we faced the Bucks, there are going to be times those shots are going down for him even falling away with a hand in his face.

[toooskies]

Curiously we're about the same home .vs. road. Maybe these guys truly are playing for each other and the fans don't much matter one way or another. Or perhaps they're even more fueled by the adversity of a road crowd than the comfort and cheers of a home crowd.

We started off at home with an 0-3 record because Garland and Allen missed the second, third, and fourth games of the season against OKC, IND, and NYK. Mitchell also missed the game against IND.

Kind of skews the whole thing.

[JonFromVA]

Curiously we're about the same home .vs. road. Maybe these guys truly are playing for each other and the fans don't much matter one way or another. Or perhaps they're even more fueled by the adversity of a road crowd than the comfort and cheers of a home crowd.

We started off at home with an 0-3 record because Garland and Allen missed the second, third, and fourth games of the season against OKC, IND, and NYK. Mitchell also missed the game against IND.

Kind of skews the whole thing.

Yet it doesn't change the fact we've been terrific on the road (#1 in the league), which is kind of weird for a young team.

In a good way, sure, but it may be telling us something about either the composure of our team or the strength of our road schedule.

[toooskies]

Curiously we're about the same home .vs. road. Maybe these guys truly are playing for each other and the fans don't much matter one way or another. Or perhaps they're even more fueled by the adversity of a road crowd than the comfort and cheers of a home crowd.

We started off at home with an 0-3 record because Garland and Allen missed the second, third, and fourth games of the season against OKC, IND, and NYK. Mitchell also missed the game against IND.

Kind of skews the whole thing.

Yet it doesn't change the fact we've been terrific on the road (#1 in the league), which is kind of weird for a young team.

In a good way, sure, but it may be telling us something about either the composure of our team or the strength of our road schedule.

... Or maybe we didn't have a home-court advantage early in the year because of how many Cavs "fans" wanted to fire the coach or trade the best player.

[ijspeelman]

We started off at home with an 0-3 record because Garland and Allen missed the second, third, and fourth games of the season against OKC, IND, and NYK. Mitchell also missed the game against IND.

Kind of skews the whole thing.

Yet it doesn't change the fact we've been terrific on the road (#1 in the league), which is kind of weird for a young team.

In a good way, sure, but it may be telling us something about either the composure of our team or the strength of our road schedule.

... Or maybe we didn't have a home-court advantage early in the year because of how many Cavs "fans" wanted to fire the coach or trade the best player.

I get what you are saying here, but fairly certain that didn't translate to regular season crowd energy. The average fan going to a RS NBA game probably isn't even thinking about JB Bickerstaff or the previous post-season. And even so, it wouldn't stop them celebrating.

This isn't Philly lol (idk why but wanted to throw that jab in)

[JujitsuFlip]

I guess they tried to downplay his injuries for whatever reason... or they are just stating the obvious that he's coming back bc he's only out a few weeks.

Apparently, Mitchell Robinson hasn't been ruled out for post-season play either

A selfish part of me wants to play the Knicks early in the play-offs and win to expel the demons of last year, but also realize that we are some incredibly well-matched teams so maybe meeting in the 2nd round would be ok lol

Gotta be careful what ya wish for because with the Cavs making zero trades and shunning away buyout guys, the core who will play in a tightened playoff rotation is very similar to last season.

Last thing ya wanna do is get bounced early 2 seasons in a row, especially by the same team. It is compunded by what Mitchell told Malika that winning is the only thing he's focused on in the short-term.

I want to win against whatever opponent we get matched up against. If we lose, it feels like a failure no matter who we are against (especially in the first round). I don't think we are gunning for a championship this year so I am not necessarily rooting for an easy route to the conference finals

Me too, more than anything, Cavs haven't won a series without LeBron in like 30+ years or something.

Yeah, agreed another 1st round loss probably ensures Mitchell doesn't extend. Doesn't mean they will trade him though, Koby has been very okay with being very passive this season. It doesn't even mean Jb will be gone, especially if the Cavs eclipse that 51 regular season win mark.

As it stands today the Cavs are currently matched up with the Heat, which I hate that matchup but nothing guarantees the Cavs will finish #2 then even if they do, the play-in has to happen.

[JonFromVA]

We started off at home with an 0-3 record because Garland and Allen missed the second, third, and fourth games of the season against OKC, IND, and NYK. Mitchell also missed the game against IND.

Kind of skews the whole thing.

Yet it doesn't change the fact we've been terrific on the road (#1 in the league), which is kind of weird for a young team.

In a good way, sure, but it may be telling us something about either the composure of our team or the strength of our road schedule.

... Or maybe we didn't have a home-court advantage early in the year because of how many Cavs "fans" wanted to fire the coach or trade the best player.

Haha, I think even the critics are going to get in to the game and cheer when things get fun, unless they bet against the Cavs? How miserable would that be to bet against your team and then go to the game and watch them cost you money.

[JonFromVA]

Gotta be careful what ya wish for because with the Cavs making zero trades and shunning away buyout guys, the core who will play in a tightened playoff rotation is very similar to last season.

Last thing ya wanna do is get bounced early 2 seasons in a row, especially by the same team. It is compunded by what Mitchell told Malika that winning is the only thing he's focused on in the short-term.

I want to win against whatever opponent we get matched up against. If we lose, it feels like a failure no matter who we are against (especially in the first round). I don't think we are gunning for a championship this year so I am not necessarily rooting for an easy route to the conference finals

Me too, more than anything, Cavs haven't won a series without LeBron in like 30+ years or something.

Yeah, agreed another 1st round loss probably ensures Mitchell doesn't extend. Doesn't mean they will trade him though, Koby has been very okay with being very passive this season. It doesn't even mean Jb will be gone, especially if the Cavs eclipse that 51 regular season win mark.

As it stands today the Cavs are currently matched up with the Heat, which I hate that matchup but nothing guarantees the Cavs will finish #2 then even if they do, the play-in has to happen.

I am not fond of firing a coach just to fire a coach. If the playoffs go poorly and we do fire JBB, I'm hoping we have someone back-channeled in mind. And if a specific coach is a pre-condition of Mitchell or Mobley being willing to extend, we'd have to consider that.

JBB is lined up to be the fall guy in case the team disappoints. I wonder if what the Bucks have gone through will inform our actions.

[Iwasawitness]

Saw on wiretap that New York is optimistic that Randle will return this season-- which is really surprising to me because I thought he was only going to be out a few weeks.

I guess they tried to downplay his injuries for whatever reason... or they are just stating the obvious that he's coming back bc he's only out a few weeks.

Apparently, Mitchell Robinson hasn't been ruled out for post-season play either

A selfish part of me wants to play the Knicks early in the play-offs and win to expel the demons of last year, but also realize that we are some incredibly well-matched teams so maybe meeting in the 2nd round would be ok lol

My only seeding desire is to not play the Sixers with a healthy Embiid in the first round.

The 76ers are the team we’d want to face if anything. Embiid is a poor playoff performer and we have Mobley and Embiid… I’ll take that matchup anyway of the week.

[JujitsuFlip]

I want to win against whatever opponent we get matched up against. If we lose, it feels like a failure no matter who we are against (especially in the first round). I don't think we are gunning for a championship this year so I am not necessarily rooting for an easy route to the conference finals

Me too, more than anything, Cavs haven't won a series without LeBron in like 30+ years or something.

Yeah, agreed another 1st round loss probably ensures Mitchell doesn't extend. Doesn't mean they will trade him though, Koby has been very okay with being very passive this season. It doesn't even mean Jb will be gone, especially if the Cavs eclipse that 51 regular season win mark.

As it stands today the Cavs are currently matched up with the Heat, which I hate that matchup but nothing guarantees the Cavs will finish #2 then even if they do, the play-in has to happen.

I am not fond of firing a coach just to fire a coach. If the playoffs go poorly and we do fire JBB, I'm hoping we have someone back-channeled in mind. And if a specific coach is a pre-condition of Mitchell or Mobley being willing to extend, we'd have to consider that.

JBB is lined up to be the fall guy in case the team disappoints. I wonder if what the Bucks have gone through will inform our actions.

But the "playoffs going poorly" is a very subjective term.

What Mitchell thinks that means is important to his future.

What Koby thinks that means is important to Jb's future.

Potetinally what Dan thinks that means is important to Koby and Jb's future but i doubt it.

What the fan's think that mean isn't important but it could still vary from fan to fan.

I think Koby resting on his laurels based on a 20 game sample is foolish; especially since the opponent combined record is 448-646 (40.95% winning percentage). Sitting on his hands could come back to bite him in the butt.

[toooskies]

Me too, more than anything, Cavs haven't won a series without LeBron in like 30+ years or something.

Yeah, agreed another 1st round loss probably ensures Mitchell doesn't extend. Doesn't mean they will trade him though, Koby has been very okay with being very passive this season. It doesn't even mean Jb will be gone, especially if the Cavs eclipse that 51 regular season win mark.

As it stands today the Cavs are currently matched up with the Heat, which I hate that matchup but nothing guarantees the Cavs will finish #2 then even if they do, the play-in has to happen.

I am not fond of firing a coach just to fire a coach. If the playoffs go poorly and we do fire JBB, I'm hoping we have someone back-channeled in mind. And if a specific coach is a pre-condition of Mitchell or Mobley being willing to extend, we'd have to consider that.

JBB is lined up to be the fall guy in case the team disappoints. I wonder if what the Bucks have gone through will inform our actions.

But the "playoffs going poorly" is a very subjective term.

What Mitchell thinks that means is important to his future.

What Koby thinks that means is important to Jb's future.

Potetinally what Dan thinks that means is important to Koby and Jb's future but i doubt it.

What the fan's think that mean isn't important but it could still vary from fan to fan.

I think Koby resting on his laurels based on a 20 game sample is foolish; especially since the opponent combined record is 448-646 (40.95% winning percentage). Sitting on his hands could come back to bite him in the butt.

Name your move, describe why it would be beneficial and not mess up team chemistry, why the player would play in the rotation (or why they'd be happy on the bench), and why it would be worth whatever assets are going out.

[JujitsuFlip]

I am not fond of firing a coach just to fire a coach. If the playoffs go poorly and we do fire JBB, I'm hoping we have someone back-channeled in mind. And if a specific coach is a pre-condition of Mitchell or Mobley being willing to extend, we'd have to consider that.

JBB is lined up to be the fall guy in case the team disappoints. I wonder if what the Bucks have gone through will inform our actions.

But the "playoffs going poorly" is a very subjective term.

What Mitchell thinks that means is important to his future.

What Koby thinks that means is important to Jb's future.

Potetinally what Dan thinks that means is important to Koby and Jb's future but i doubt it.

What the fan's think that mean isn't important but it could still vary from fan to fan.

I think Koby resting on his laurels based on a 20 game sample is foolish; especially since the opponent combined record is 448-646 (40.95% winning percentage). Sitting on his hands could come back to bite him in the butt.

Name your move, describe why it would be beneficial and not mess up team chemistry, why the player would play in the rotation (or why they'd be happy on the bench), and why it would be worth whatever assets are going out.

Let's just wait until April and see if being passive was the correct move.