Around the NBA 2023-2024

[retrobro90]

For news and discussion pertaining to the rest of the NBA or the entire NBA

[Clav]

Season begins tomorrow LAL @ DEN and PHX @ GSW.

Former Thunder G Harden is holding out appearing at Philly events or practices (last sighted in Houston's many gentlemen's clubs).

Former Thunder C Steven Adams is having PCL surgery and is out for the year.

Dame was traded to Milwaukee and JRUE to Portland, then Holiday to Boston for RWII and Brogdon.

Boston also traded for Zingis at the cost of Marcus Smart

Bruce Brown got a big bag in Indiana

Kai Jones declared himself the GOAT on X and demanded to be traded from Charlotte; he was traded to the waiver wire and not claimed by any team. #GreatSuccess!

Former OKC PG Chris Paul traded to Wiz for Beal and then to GSW for Poole. GSW now has a formidable top 7 but injury concerns.
Washington is tanking ? Phoenix also traded Ayton for Nurkic in the Dame trade.

Former Thunder SF/PF Jerami Grant got a massive 5-year contract.

Wembanyama, Miller, Henderson selected 1-3 in the draft. Wembanyama looks like a nightmare to deal with. Holmgren also looking excellent in SL and PreSeason.


GLHF

[Devilanche]

There’s some stuff that has been very well and some rookie are showing up.

Ausar looking awesome on defence and not so much on the other end.

Houston still looks like a bottom 6-7 team for now .

[retrobro90]

I absolutely knew Jordan Hawkins would be a beast coming in and that he was getting undervalued. Still very happy with the Cason pick (how could you not be?) but I love watching Hawkins blossom the way I thought he could.

[retrobro90]

Clippers 7-9 now after a loss at home against a Jokic-less Nuggets team. I'm gonna probably give them 4 more games before I bang the gavel that they actually just stink.

[Clav]

I also want to watch a few more Clippers games before I get a read on them... They are kind of an anomaly for me because I do like the squad... in theory.... They all got what they want, they have minimum 8 players that are playoff tested... They just have so many unknowns, and I feel like unless they start clicking and dominating it will be a 6-10 spot in the PO race for LAC.

That Clippers pick is such a wild-card....


Other big storylines in the first 20% of the season because I catch a lot of basketball...

The Magic off to a brilliant start, good defense, young players playing very well. Magic games are excellent to watch, long switchy defenders and they play very inspired offensively, even if they miss some shots, they are working the actions. Highly recommended.

Timberwolves top of the table in WC, good defense. The team looks more complete with a year under its belt defensively, Edwards is awesome. Will it last ? Offense looks clunky at times, prone to bad bench play, fouls.

Rockets w/ pleasantly surprising results defensively. Idoka, Brooks, FVV, and the youth movement are not going away quietly (as of today, likely 1-4 prot 24 HOU pick will convey to OKC). Athleticism is evident and there is intensity in Rockets games. I need to watch a few more before understanding this team better.

Boston looks very dangerous, but injury to KP now. I believe Celts are seriously a contender. They look sharp.

Philly the same, even if Embiid gets 20% of their points at the FT line every game. Solid team. It only takes one year to erase "choker" status, never sleep on teams with a top-5 player in the NBA.

Yet, some teams are a mess (Det, Washington, Charlotte, BKN, Chicago, Memphis, Utah, San Antonio)

Though Wemby looks 'as-advertised' in my opinion. (once SAS has better players he will look even better.) He's just so good at impacting the shots and flow of the other team, and offensively he's chucking more than necessary but **** it, he should get the shots up with this sorry ass squad around him.

Spurs...
McDermott, Osman, Vassell, Branham, Johnson, Sochan -- all these weird mix of wings that cannot playmake are just derivative or chuckers. Vassell's got some game, Johnson too, but they aren't top-50 players and need a LOT to get there. Collins at C is not great, it would be better if he's a bench C and just put Wembanyama at C and put a shooter at the 4 instead.

Utah got a win vs Pels last night but overall have looked very vulnerable, especially in the paint. Kessler hitting sophomore wall a bit, the rest of the team isn't as potent as the 'unscouted' version last year. Now teams know better what to expect. [unsure if 1-10 prot. UTAH 24 pick will convey to OKC]

Chicago is a mess and has looked bad. OKC forced this team into a player's only meeting after G1 and things have not improved much since. I'd guess that all players are on the trading block. All players not named Lonzo Ball because no one is accepting that contract back unless it's Portland and with it, POR's pick that it owes to the Bulls.

Charlotte just lost Lamelo to ankle injury, and B Miller is looking good, Miles Bridges has returned to the lineup and is playing well [22/8r/3a] much to my displeasure. trade pieces... Mark Williams untouchable with Ball, and everyone else should be on the block or not in the league

Detroit cannot shoot and cannot stop turning it over despite some good pieces at G. Bogdanovic injured, Harris slow. Washington is a 'have-fun-and-chuck' team, but they do score because there's no pressure. [I watched the DET/WASH game last night between the 2-14 clubs and WAS outplayed DET by a fair margin, take my word for it]

Milwaukee hasn't looked dominant, but then they went on a stretch a couple nights back coming back to beat POR from 26 or so down. POR just gave up, let's be real, but MIL shouldn't be given such a run because if they discover the feel offensively and gain massive confidence I think they are super dangerous. Probably a big run to be expected from Bucks later this year...

Lakers are kind of in a tough spot because Vanderbilt hasn't played a game and DLO and Reaves are not showing out every game while giving up loads of pts. Big minutes played for LBJ and AD this year so far, and all the other post players are easily game planned against. Wood and Hayes are bad for different reasons. Cam Reddish, and I'd never thought I'd write this, but he's looked okay. However, I'm not betting on a supernova Reddish-resurgence, so yeah. One injury to LBJ or AD and LA may slide.

Meanwhile Memphis is dropping game after game. Winless at home, using G-league talent at G and F (since I watch OKC Blue GL sometimes, I know the struggle they are going though ) Aldama and Z-Williams are bright spots, but Tillman is overmatched vs night-in-night-out NBA competition. Smart is hurt, Rose is a effective one out of 9 games or so, and Bane / JJJ are good but not 1A stars to take over every night. Bane is now getting tons of attention and having to work hard for shots. JJJ is not an inside bruiser, he's a flex F/C like LMA .. He really needs a guard to get him shots and drive/kick. This team may miss the playoffs unless Morant wills them back into contention.

I don't trust Dallas or New Orleans. Hawkins looks good for NOLA and Lively is great for DAL, but for some reason I don't get a good feeling for either team after watching some of their games.

Sacramento is hot/cold so far, no read on the Kings until I watch more


until next time...

[Xatticus]

I also want to watch a few more Clippers games before I get a read on them... They are kind of an anomaly for me because I do like the squad... in theory.... They all got what they want, they have minimum 8 players that are playoff tested... They just have so many unknowns, and I feel like unless they start clicking and dominating it will be a 6-10 spot in the PO race for LAC.

That Clippers pick is such a wild-card....


Other big storylines in the first 20% of the season because I catch a lot of basketball...

The Magic off to a brilliant start, good defense, young players playing very well. Magic games are excellent to watch, long switchy defenders and they play very inspired offensively, even if they miss some shots, they are working the actions. Highly recommended.

Spoiler:

Timberwolves top of the table in WC, good defense. The team looks more complete with a year under its belt defensively, Edwards is awesome. Will it last ? Offense looks clunky at times, prone to bad bench play, fouls.

Rockets w/ pleasantly surprising results defensively. Idoka, Brooks, FVV, and the youth movement are not going away quietly (as of today, likely 1-4 prot 24 HOU pick will convey to OKC). Athleticism is evident and there is intensity in Rockets games. I need to watch a few more before understanding this team better.

Boston looks very dangerous, but injury to KP now. I believe Celts are seriously a contender. They look sharp.

Philly the same, even if Embiid gets 20% of their points at the FT line every game. Solid team. It only takes one year to erase "choker" status, never sleep on teams with a top-5 player in the NBA.

Yet, some teams are a mess (Det, Washington, Charlotte, BKN, Chicago, Memphis, Utah, San Antonio)

Though Wemby looks 'as-advertised' in my opinion. (once SAS has better players he will look even better.) He's just so good at impacting the shots and flow of the other team, and offensively he's chucking more than necessary but **** it, he should get the shots up with this sorry ass squad around him.

Spurs...
McDermott, Osman, Vassell, Branham, Johnson, Sochan -- all these weird mix of wings that cannot playmake are just derivative or chuckers. Vassell's got some game, Johnson too, but they aren't top-50 players and need a LOT to get there. Collins at C is not great, it would be better if he's a bench C and just put Wembanyama at C and put a shooter at the 4 instead.

Utah got a win vs Pels last night but overall have looked very vulnerable, especially in the paint. Kessler hitting sophomore wall a bit, the rest of the team isn't as potent as the 'unscouted' version last year. Now teams know better what to expect. [unsure if 1-10 prot. UTAH 24 pick will convey to OKC]

Chicago is a mess and has looked bad. OKC forced this team into a player's only meeting after G1 and things have not improved much since. I'd guess that all players are on the trading block. All players not named Lonzo Ball because no one is accepting that contract back unless it's Portland and with it, POR's pick that it owes to the Bulls.

Charlotte just lost Lamelo to ankle injury, and B Miller is looking good, Miles Bridges has returned to the lineup and is playing well [22/8r/3a] much to my displeasure. trade pieces... Mark Williams untouchable with Ball, and everyone else should be on the block or not in the league

Detroit cannot shoot and cannot stop turning it over despite some good pieces at G. Bogdanovic injured, Harris slow. Washington is a 'have-fun-and-chuck' team, but they do score because there's no pressure. [I watched the DET/WASH game last night between the 2-14 clubs and WAS outplayed DET by a fair margin, take my word for it]

Milwaukee hasn't looked dominant, but then they went on a stretch a couple nights back coming back to beat POR from 26 or so down. POR just gave up, let's be real, but MIL shouldn't be given such a run because if they discover the feel offensively and gain massive confidence I think they are super dangerous. Probably a big run to be expected from Bucks later this year...

Lakers are kind of in a tough spot because Vanderbilt hasn't played a game and DLO and Reaves are not showing out every game while giving up loads of pts. Big minutes played for LBJ and AD this year so far, and all the other post players are easily game planned against. Wood and Hayes are bad for different reasons. Cam Reddish, and I'd never thought I'd write this, but he's looked okay. However, I'm not betting on a supernova Reddish-resurgence, so yeah. One injury to LBJ or AD and LA may slide.

Meanwhile Memphis is dropping game after game. Winless at home, using G-league talent at G and F (since I watch OKC Blue GL sometimes, I know the struggle they are going though ) Aldama and Z-Williams are bright spots, but Tillman is overmatched vs night-in-night-out NBA competition. Smart is hurt, Rose is a effective one out of 9 games or so, and Bane / JJJ are good but not 1A stars to take over every night. Bane is now getting tons of attention and having to work hard for shots. JJJ is not an inside bruiser, he's a flex F/C like LMA .. He really needs a guard to get him shots and drive/kick. This team may miss the playoffs unless Morant wills them back into contention.

I don't trust Dallas or New Orleans. Hawkins looks good for NOLA and Lively is great for DAL, but for some reason I don't get a good feeling for either team after watching some of their games.

Sacramento is hot/cold so far, no read on the Kings until I watch more


until next time...

Suggs and Isaac are just different. They are both potential DPOY guys. If Suggs has an Achilles heel, it's that he plays too hard. Isaac would be the most valuable defender in the league if he could stay healthy.

[Clav]

What's going on in the new year around the NBA ?

Toronto Raps makin' trades!

Pascal Siakam -> Indiana // Bruce Brown -> Toronto

Raps are signalling a position to realign and other rostered players are probably up for grabs too. Targets for OKC ? That's debatable.

Indiana are banking that Siakam will re-sign and all signs point to him helping the Pacers out so far. I think the fit is great and they should be dangerous, in the Top-4 of the East? Will be a fight with NYK and MIA.

Knicks also traded for OG Anunoby from TOR, for RJ Barrett and Quickley. Knicks have been playing great as of late, there's some 'loading up' happening among the teams 4, 5, 6 in the East to challenge BOS MIL and PHL as Miami, New York, and Indiana all made trades to win.

Some EC teams are really struggling and are definite sellers before the Trade Deadline
Charlotte, Washington, Detroit is a pick your player to trade for and as long as those teams receive assets to draft, they could be convinced to part ways with most of the roster.

On that note Charlotte traded Rozier to the Heat for Lowry. Rozier will definitely help the Heat score but I'm not sure about this Heat team, they have had injury issues and some really inconsistent play.


in the West... OKC is currently the top seed, MIN and DEN going through some tough games, but all teams in Jan had loads of B2Bs and fortunately the Thunder have done pretty well this month on the B2Bs and have beaten some game opponents. Some losses, but no losses to Charlotte (fingers crossed) as the Wolves did [when KAT scored 62]. DEN also was beaten by the Knicks by 40. Ooph...

The Minnesota season series vs OKC is really important and OKC/MIN 3rd matchup is Monday Jan 29, in two days.

I watch a lot of TWolves basketball because they are my second team and my report on the team is that.... Very dangerous when things go right (ANT is on. Gobert getting 15+ rebs. Towns integrated into the offense. Bench players hitting shots). The basic basketball analysis, when it's good, it's good. Defensively they really are long and can make teams work hard for shots.

But the thing about the Twolves is the offense dries up really strangely. They play so slow pace at times that it looks clunky. Edwards goes hero ball sometimes and doesn't pass, Towns disappears. Prone to mindless turnovers, prone to getting upset at officials. Honestly, the Thunder have impressed me more with composure in games than Minnesota.

Denver is playing really well, when their players are available. Murray's prior absence has hurt the champs -- but I feel the late season push is coming for DEN, the top 3 are really close.

The rest of the west is in a major dogfight (no surprise) with huge gains from the Mavs, Clippers, Suns, and oddly enough, the Jazz over the past month. HOU is hitting a wall, Warriors are an injury and chemistry mess, Lakers are hit or miss every night [even if they beat OKC two times this season], Pelicans with Zion look good, but without him look terrible, Grizzlies shut down Morant so they are out of the picture, and the Kings have still been kind of Kang-y with some bad losses.

Spurs are bad, but Wembanyama is excellent. I love Chet but the big Frenchman is my RoY so far.