The Around The NBA Thread

[Andi Obst]

Let me be honest; this is the silliest NBA WCF in my life-time. Of course the fellas are playing hard, and good for Cam Payne, but this year's top-8 teams got hosed by an injury turret.

The injuries are super annoying, yeah, but I really disagree with that. The Clippers and Suns are still 2 extremely good teams playing great basketball right now. I love this.

[TheGOATRises007]

Suns do make me realize that this easily could have been us.... Zack Lavine our Devin Booker.... A great young top pick coming to fruition in Ayton (but we never sucked enough)...

Maybe... Just maybe... If PWill can pan out, this could be us. Our group REALLY needs a good veteran. Vuc, Lavine, PWill, Thad, a savvy high impact vet... We could do this too.

LaVine isn't really close to Booker

He literally had a better RS than Booker did despite playing on a worse team.

Some of you guys either really underrate Lavine or overrate Booker.

[robert76]

Its still pretty amazing that 2 years ago about 99% of us here thought that Cam Payne would never sniff an NBA roster after us.

Now dude is making an impact in the WCF.

Crazy world.

To be fair, Payne from 2 years ago didn't deserve to be on an NBA team.

[FecesOfDeath]

I was always a CamPayner. His feel for the game was miles ahead of Jerian's, but he was surrounded by non-shooters and ball-dominators, which limited him from showing his entire skillset. CP15 has been a very capable substitute for CP3.

[BullChit]

Suns do make me realize that this easily could have been us.... Zack Lavine our Devin Booker.... A great young top pick coming to fruition in Ayton (but we never sucked enough)...

Maybe... Just maybe... If PWill can pan out, this could be us. Our group REALLY needs a good veteran. Vuc, Lavine, PWill, Thad, a savvy high impact vet... We could do this too.

LaVine isn't really close to Booker

He literally had a better RS than Booker did despite playing on a worse team.

Some of you guys either really underrate Lavine or overrate Booker.

I'm on this page too... I think Lavine needs a playoff run to prove himself on that level.

And I think he can do it too which is why making the playoffs this season would have been so important to the team.

Honestly I didn't know if Booker had this in him but here we are... Happy to be wrong because I like him as a player and it gives me extra hope for Zach...

Ball
Lavine
P.Will
Theis
Vuc

I believe that team can make the playoffs in a week eastern conference.

[MrFortune3]

Suns do make me realize that this easily could have been us.... Zack Lavine our Devin Booker.... A great young top pick coming to fruition in Ayton (but we never sucked enough)...

Maybe... Just maybe... If PWill can pan out, this could be us. Our group REALLY needs a good veteran. Vuc, Lavine, PWill, Thad, a savvy high impact vet... We could do this too.

LaVine isn't really close to Booker

He literally had a better RS than Booker did despite playing on a worse team.

Some of you guys either really underrate Lavine or overrate Booker.

The hate on LaVine is extremely silly. They can't claim empty stats anymore so now the narrative is he's not on the level of X player.
It's beyond tired and played out. If you prefer Booker or someone like him then just say you prefer him.
Booker wasn't highly thought of as a winning player until the bubble and even then before they traded for Chris Paul they didn't win a ton in terms of a full season.
They went 23-59, 24-58, 21-61, 19-63, 34-39 and now 51-21 with the addition of Chris Paul and the maturation of Ayton and Bridges along with Monty Williams as the HC.

[FriedRise]

GarPax was light years ahead. They somehow correctly identified Cam Payne as the point guard of the future.

[DASMACKDOWN]

That last minute of that game was ridiculous. That Booker out of bounds play was the most ridiculous call I have ever seen. They will probably have to look at it in the off season.

There needs to be some digression in these cases.

[jc23]

The clippers are kinda impressive. I think adding a healthy Kahwai does more for them then an healthy cp3 does for the suns. I guess they just were a team that couldnt flourish in the bubble. Or Ty Lue is a much better coach then Doc.

[Michael Jackson]

The clippers are kinda impressive. I think adding a healthy Kahwai does more for them then an healthy cp3 does for the suns. I guess they just were a team that couldnt flourish in the bubble. Or Ty Lue is a much better coach then Doc.

Lue is a better coach. Also PG13 is playing way better even though h missed those FT’s last night.

[Am2626]

Suns do make me realize that this easily could have been us.... Zack Lavine our Devin Booker.... A great young top pick coming to fruition in Ayton (but we never sucked enough)...

Maybe... Just maybe... If PWill can pan out, this could be us. Our group REALLY needs a good veteran. Vuc, Lavine, PWill, Thad, a savvy high impact vet... We could do this too.

LaVine isn't really close to Booker

I disagree. I think they are very close. If anything, Zach was even more dominant this year.

Yes agreed. I see LaVine doing the exact same thing if he replaces Booker. Both guys are interchangeable.

[MrSparkle]

Let me be honest; this is the silliest NBA WCF in my life-time. Of course the fellas are playing hard, and good for Cam Payne, but this year's top-8 teams got hosed by an injury turret.

The injuries are super annoying, yeah, but I really disagree with that. The Clippers and Suns are still 2 extremely good teams playing great basketball right now. I love this.

Well - it’s competitive. And fun to watch. The takeaway is that even competition is more entertaining than blowout basketball (made even by Kawhi’s and Paul’s absences).

I’m all about deregulating the league - kill the max salary and make teams pay $90m for a superstar’s salary. That’ll quickly make super-teams a more risky scenario.

[TheStig]

Let me be honest; this is the silliest NBA WCF in my life-time. Of course the fellas are playing hard, and good for Cam Payne, but this year's top-8 teams got hosed by an injury turret.

The injuries are super annoying, yeah, but I really disagree with that. The Clippers and Suns are still 2 extremely good teams playing great basketball right now. I love this.

Well - it’s competitive. And fun to watch. The takeaway is that even competition is more entertaining than blowout basketball (made even by Kawhi’s and Paul’s absences).

I’m all about deregulating the league - kill the max salary and make teams pay $90m for a superstar’s salary. That’ll quickly make super-teams a more risky scenario.

Kill the max and have a hard cap. If the 3 stars want to play together, they'll have to take 30 mill and no role players or pass a 50 mill salary with a couple of role players or a 90 million offer with scrubs.

[Mech Engineer]

I am not so sure about Lavine duplicating Booker's success. A lot of small things have happened for Booker. It is easy to speculate and compare but we have to first see how he performs in a playoff setting mentally. Look at how Simmons looks awful in a playoff setting and Paul George struggled last year etc...

[Ice Man]

Kill the max and have a hard cap. If the 3 stars want to play together, they'll have to take 30 mill and no role players or pass a 50 mill salary with a couple of role players or a 90 million offer with scrubs.

Can't rep enough. I can understand why the players union wants max salaries, because doing so raises the salary for average players (at the expense of the superstars). I can understand why owners want max salaries, because that limits the size of the mistake that they can make. But what I can't understand is why any fan would support the max-salary rule. Well, except for fans in NY, Los Angeles, and Miami, who benefit from the formation of superteams.

[MrSparkle]

The max basically makes it impossible for any team with a “lesser” set of stars to win (barre injuries).

Obviously $80m spent on Lebron/Davis will beat the same spent on Mitchell/Gobert. Every time.

And even worse they’ve figured out how to land in super markets LA and BRK anyway.

[TheSuzerain]

The max basically makes it impossible for any team with a “lesser” set of stars to win (barre injuries).

Obviously $80m spent on Lebron/Davis will beat the same spent on Mitchell/Gobert. Every time.

And even worse they’ve figured out how to land in super markets LA and BRK anyway.

it's not going to happen. The max contract is important to the union to keep all its members well fed.

[TheStig]

The max basically makes it impossible for any team with a “lesser” set of stars to win (barre injuries).

Obviously $80m spent on Lebron/Davis will beat the same spent on Mitchell/Gobert. Every time.

And even worse they’ve figured out how to land in super markets LA and BRK anyway.

it's not going to happen. The max contract is important to the union to keep all its members well fed.

But Mitchell and Gobert won't get Bron/Davis money. They'll get what they make but Bron will have to pass on some team giving him 90% of the cap. Right now he might give up a couple mill. Will he give up 50 mill a year?

[TheSuzerain]

The max basically makes it impossible for any team with a “lesser” set of stars to win (barre injuries).

Obviously $80m spent on Lebron/Davis will beat the same spent on Mitchell/Gobert. Every time.

And even worse they’ve figured out how to land in super markets LA and BRK anyway.

it's not going to happen. The max contract is important to the union to keep all its members well fed.

But Mitchell and Gobert won't get Bron/Davis money. They'll get what they make but Bron will have to pass on some team giving him 90% of the cap. Right now he might give up a couple mill. Will he give up 50 mill a year?

I'm saying the union says no. LeBron doesn't enter the picture.

[PrimzyBulls81]

I'm happy for Ime Udoka to get a chance as head coach with Celtics.