Around The NBA : 21-22 Edition

[MrSparkle]

Morey/Harden link always made sense. I know the board's sour on Harden, but i really don't think there's a better SG since Kobe. He's been a bit injured, but also working with shells of good supporting casts (particularly that Rockets team after their depth chart got hit after Ariza/Capella left, and the Westbrook trade). The Nets traded their farm for Harden, and with Durant/Kyrie's injuries and vacc'ing, he's still not playing with a playoff caliber supporting cast.

Anyway, if PHI somehow gets Simmons/Harden done by this summer, that might be the best 1-2 punch the NBA has seen since Kobe/Shaq TBH. We've had a lot of Big 3s that needed all 3+ stars to win those chips, but there hasn't been a true two-MVP tandem in a while. Wade hit a bit of a decline and his game was really too redundant for him and Lebron to really dominate the league like Shaq and MJ's duos did.

Now this would also assume that Harden and Embiid could stay healthy for a full run. But if Beard could pull a CP3 and have a late career resurgence, fix his diet and conditioning, and Joel keeps doing what he's doing, I can't lie- that'd one of the great inside-out tandems.

I do expect this deal to get done eventually. Harden and his agent hold the cards against BRK.

Of course there was Durant/Curry, but I just consider that whole 3y stretch as an asterisk video ga'me abomination in pro sports. Durant was never added (with league-wide free cap space) to the 73-win Warriors AFAIC. He's played on 2 teams: OKC and BRK. I mean, that 16/17 Warriors team had 2 legitimate superstars and 3 legitimate all-stars IMO (inc. Iguodala).

[MrSparkle]

As far as Wiggins goes, I'll say it straight up:

He is by and far the worst player to ever start in an NBA all-star game. Sure there have been some old-timer wash-ups who got voted in based on their past reps, but big deal: a HOFer is a HOFer.

BJ was a #2 scoring option for the Bulls, and doing a pretty good job until he drastically cooled off after the ASG. Hit the mid-point wall, but ASG votes are based on Nov-Jan, and he was putting up over 20+ PPG at that point.

The Wiggins thing is just hilarious. His advanced numbers are just around league average for a starter.

The positional voting is really pointless. Everyone and their mom knows that Booker or Luka should start over Wiggins; they had the same weighted score even with the preposterous GS fan votes (who also put inactive till 2 weeks ago Klay high on the charts). But because they're "guards", they couldn't get placed at SF.

[BullChit]

As far as Wiggins goes, I'll say it straight up:

He is by and far the worst player to ever start in an NBA all-star game. Sure there have been some old-timer wash-ups who got voted in based on their past reps, but big deal: a HOFer is a HOFer.

BJ was a #2 scoring option for the Bulls, and doing a pretty good job until he drastically cooled off after the ASG. Hit the mid-point wall, but ASG votes are based on Nov-Jan, and he was putting up over 20+ PPG at that point.

The Wiggins thing is just hilarious. His advanced numbers are just around league average for a starter.

The positional voting is really pointless. Everyone and their mom knows that Booker or Luka should start over Wiggins; they had the same weighted score even with the preposterous GS fan votes (who also put inactive till 2 weeks ago Klay high on the charts). But because they're "guards", they couldn't get placed at SF.

Wiggins being selected at all let alone as a starter has me questioning the validity of someone saying "yeah well we have X amount of all stars on our team"

[Ice Man]

I love these headlines ... "Pacers want at least two 1st round picks for Caris LaVert." Yeah, and I want Elon Musk to email me 100,000 shares of Tesla.

[Ice Man]

Grammar is hard ... a headline on nba.com reads "The Suns Deny Wolves' Late Push for 9th Consecutive VIctory." I was like, how can that be? Didn't Minnnesota just lose to the Dubs? But it turns out, thats it's Phoenix that has the 9th straight victory.

Pay attention in school, kids.

[MrSparkle]

So state of the Bulls…

I’m seeing us nearly lose to OKC, getting blown out by ORL, man-handled by SAS…we lost Caruso in MIL, but he did play 24 min there, and that’s really the only good game we’ve played against a good team, in a while.

Realistically, what’s our record in 20 games? We “should” beat some teams, but i can see this squad just folding. Not sure we beat TOR again, esp. if they have FVV.

We are 3-7 in the last 10. I can see us drop atleast 4, maybe 6 out of the next 7 games (inc. CHA, PHX, PHI). Then you have the Feb. 10 deadline.

In a worst case, we could actually slip down to #8 seed as early as Feb. I’m seeing the Hawks, Hornets, Sixers gobble up wins.

Kind of torn what to do here. It’ll be brutal watching this team for the next 2.5 months without a trade, and that’s the optimistic timeline for some of the injury returns. At the same time, no one trade is going to fix the issues, and you don’t want to make desperation trades. But honestly, maybe they need to do both. 17 Cavs were a dumpster fire until the trade deadline, then they made the finals. It can be done.

AKME are gonna be put to the test. I know GarPax would’ve closed their laptops and gone spa’ing in AZ with Jerry and the White Sox, but I’m hoping these guys make some stealth gains. If they don’t, IMO we go from #1 wonderkids to Friedell/ESPN/Vegas laughingstock. Dead serious - I’m seeing 11th seed trajectory right now, without upgrade trades.

And I realize we have an “easy” schedule from here out. Doesn’t matter much when Orlando, OKC and SAS either blow you out or push you to a 1-pt. win aided by a miracle half court shot.

[Wingy]

MrSparkle, why you pollute my around the league thread with this Chicago Bulls gibberish?

[MrSparkle]

MrSparkle, why you pollute my around the league thread with this Chicago Bulls gibberish?

Cause we’re gonna slip Around the NBA.

[dice]

Atlanta didn't want to resign him last season but then they had the ECF run and they had their hands forced. This doesn't shock me at all.

per 36:

derozan 27/5/5, 58% TS (contract age 32-34)
collins 19/9/2, 63% TS (contract age 24-28)

collins is paid a bit less and he's the better defender (not that he's good on that end), derozan has been clutch this year but hardly known for it previously. so derozan's contract is this huge bargain and collins's is a "massive overpay"? hogwash. atlanta overachieved last season and is just looking for a scapegoat for their regression. collins is the same guy

Comparing true shooting percentages here is just ridiculous. DeRozan creates most of his points for himself, Collins is a pure play finisher. You absolutely cannot make a case that Collins has been as good as DeRozan this season. One is going to be an All-Star starter, the other is not even in the discussion to make the team.

Teams should really prepare to max out Javale McGee (67% TS) this offseason, right?

i did NOT say that collins has been as good as derozan. please really need to stop reading what they want to read

and stop clowning with that javale mcgee BS

[Andi Obst]

per 36:

derozan 27/5/5, 58% TS (contract age 32-34)
collins 19/9/2, 63% TS (contract age 24-28)

collins is paid a bit less and he's the better defender (not that he's good on that end), derozan has been clutch this year but hardly known for it previously. so derozan's contract is this huge bargain and collins's is a "massive overpay"? hogwash. atlanta overachieved last season and is just looking for a scapegoat for their regression. collins is the same guy

Comparing true shooting percentages here is just ridiculous. DeRozan creates most of his points for himself, Collins is a pure play finisher. You absolutely cannot make a case that Collins has been as good as DeRozan this season. One is going to be an All-Star starter, the other is not even in the discussion to make the team.

Teams should really prepare to max out Javale McGee (67% TS) this offseason, right?

i did NOT say that collins has been as good as derozan. please really need to stop reading what they want to read

and stop clowning with that javale mcgee BS

Okay. I still don’t see what your point is then.

[dice]

Comparing true shooting percentages here is just ridiculous. DeRozan creates most of his points for himself, Collins is a pure play finisher. You absolutely cannot make a case that Collins has been as good as DeRozan this season. One is going to be an All-Star starter, the other is not even in the discussion to make the team.

Teams should really prepare to max out Javale McGee (67% TS) this offseason, right?

i did NOT say that collins has been as good as derozan. please really need to stop reading what they want to read

and stop clowning with that javale mcgee BS

Okay. I still don’t see what your point is then.

my point was twofold and pretty clear:

1) collins has not regressed as a player. the hawks did not sign him to that deal and suddenly decide after half a season that they made a huge mistake. they're just in sell mode because the team has disappointed. and he's obviously not a significant asset at that price

2) derozan makes more money. he is considered a huge bargain at the moment by many if not most people. collins is considered a huge overpay by many. for all of those things to be true it would suggest that derozan is a MASSIVELY better player. he isn't. not if you consider anything other than who you want with the ball in their hands with the game clock winding down

[the ultimates]

Derozan is a better player than Collins because in today's NBA players who can create efficient offense for themselves and teammates are extremely valuable. They're considerably more valuable than a guy who can finish plays at the rim or pick and pop when someone else does the heavy lifting and draws the defense. So it is much more than end of game situations. In order for Collins to live up to his deal, he has to become a number two option you can run the offense through or become Gobert defensively and the chances of that are slim.

[dice]

Derozan is a better player than Collins because in today's NBA players who can create efficient offense for themselves and teammates are extremely valuable. They're considerably more valuable than a guy who can finish plays at the rim or pick and pop when someone else does the heavy lifting and draws the defense. So it is much more than end of game situations. In order for Collins to live up to his deal, he has to become a number two option you can run the offense through or become Gobert defensively and the chances of that are slim.

if he becomes gobert defensively he'll be worth...as much as rudy gobert. which is substantially more than collins is making

[BullChit]

heat struggling to put away the Raptors... See.. it happens to the best of us...

[jordanwilliams6]

Heat & Nets both lose.

[Clocian]

Yessir. Both heat and Nets lose. Let's get a W tomorrow

[kdapiton]

We really shoulda won the Spurs game.

Now we really gotta win tomorrow.

[weneeda2guard]

After depression

Still only a game out of 1st with a winnable game at home,

In February we have a lot of home games while the heat have a 5 game road trip coming early in February.

To be honest heat been better than us but we can benefit from the schedule.

[FriedRise]

Pretty good night overall with Ls to both Nets and Heat. Wish Philly would’ve lost also - Sacramento were up big but Kangs gonna Kangs.

Brooklyn is sliding like us too. On a 4-game losing streak, 4-6 in their last 10 with only a 1.9pt differential.

Top 6 in the East is so tight.

[DASMACKDOWN]

Pretty good night overall with Ls to both Nets and Heat. Wish Philly would’ve lost also - Sacramento were up big but Kangs gonna Kangs.

Brooklyn is sliding like us too. On a 4-game losing streak, 4-6 in their last 10 with only a 1.9pt differential.

Top 6 in the East is so tight.

There is going to be alot of flip flopping between now and the end of the season. Thing may not be solid till like the last 10 games of the year.

Im really not too concerning of what position we end up being (1-6) as long as we are healthy and ready once the playoffs start.