Around the League

[BadMofoPimp]

Joel, Okafor, Noel, Saric, #1 pick, Covington...

Trade Okafor for a stellar guard...

Joel/Noel
Noel/Saric
#1/Covington
Junk
Dude from Okafor trade

I don't believe they're as far away as "people" think.

Sometimes all it takes is a stroke of luck and all of a sudden things can get rolling...look what happened to us when we got Sheed

Well, if they Draft Simmons, then the Sixers would need to keep Okafor because they can't have (3) front court players who can't shoot the ball well. Thus, I think they trade Embiid or Noel. Especially, if Simmons plays SF. Then, they would have to rely on their back court to stretch the floor and they currently don't have anyone in the back court who can shoot 3's. Would still be a horrible team.

[In SVG We Trust]

Hinkie was a scapegoat for sure, but that doesn't mean the Sixers way isn't a shame for the league.

[Pharaoh]

Hinkie was a scapegoat for sure, but that doesn't mean the Sixers way isn't a shame for the league.

The sixers way IS on the league.

Look at GSW, OKC, SAS & Cleveland.

Draft Lottery luck (& great management) got those teams their big guns

That's what Hinkie was trying to accomplish

[In SVG We Trust]

Are you serious Pharaoh? Are you talking about great management by the Cavs staff? Imagine a world without LeBron, where they would be? Waiters and Bennett are not great management, Varejao is not great management, they're a ridiculous organization saved by LeBron.

GSW has never tanking, and SAS did it once time in their history, and due to so many injuries.

When you're bad, you try to get better. If you don't, you deserve a high pick to grow and be competitive in the future. If you dismantle a team with good pieces and trade every player who can produce every year until you got the next LeBron, that's a fraud and you're corrupting the system.

[Pharaoh]

Philly weren't a good team - they were a treadmill team.

The system is what it is. Don't hate Hinkie for understanding it and using it to his advantage

[Pharaoh]

As for the Cavs: without lotto luck they don't have Wiggins to trade for Love, don't have Kyrie either.

You think Lebron leaves Miami to go home if they couldn't get him a better team?

[ElectricMayhem]

Too early to say we're the toughest challenge Cleveland has faced in the Eastern Conference playoffs?

[Snakebites]

Too early to say we're the toughest challenge Cleveland has faced in the Eastern Conference playoffs?

A bit too early. Raptors can be tough at home. Certainly looks that way though.

[DBC10]

Yeah I respectfully disagree SVG. I think Hinkie did this because the other option was retooling what was essentially a Josh Smith era Hawks. His ability to grab assets on the fly and wait a couple years is really no different with our luck before SVG, except he was consistently in the top 5 pick range while we sputtered on with the 8th picks.

You can tell the Cavs aren't even trying right now. They're literally waltzing into the paint. I don't think Lebron even took a jumpshot in that first game either. That's how flimsy this TOR team is right now. Lowry is mentally gone and Derozan is a Corey Maggette clone.

[MrBigShot]

Hinkie's issue is that he completely disregarded everything else that goes into building a franchise. Fan support, veteran leadership, player development, relationships/connections with other GMs and agents, and most importantly team culture. That's how you get players like Porzingis entering the draft and refusing to even give you an interview.

Look at Danny Ainge. He managed to compile assets while fielding a competitive team that looks attractive to free agents and has numerous developing young players. OKC tanked pretty hard to land WB/Harden, but in the process of doing so they didn't create a losing culture and an ugly public perception like Philly did. They have a chance to turn things around, but to be honest I think BC might actually be a worse GM than Hinkie. How they do will depend heavily on whether or not Embiid can actually come back and stay healthy.

Dan Gilbert's willingness to spend is where the Cavs' "good management" starts and ends. The rest of it was them lucking into several #1 picks (one of which was born in Ohio and is presently one of the greatest players of all time).

[Pharaoh]

I'm not saying the way Hinkie went about his work was the right way to go (it wasn't for all the reasons MrBigShot stated) but you can't blame him for tanking.

In order to become a great team you gotta have great players - either by trade, free agency or the Draft.

Hinkie chose Draft & dud everything possible to improve his odds on that front.

He was in control of the Draft - through trades & free agency your working in concert with outside parties

I don't condone tanking - but i understand why Hinkie chose to go that route

[DBC10]

Color me surprised that the Raptors managed to take one.

Then again, it was only a matter of time before KLove and especially Kyrie FINALLY cooled down. Nature of the playoffs I suppose.

[dVs33]

It's a complete joke that green didn't get suspended. That makes me so angry

[Snakebites]

It's a complete joke that green didn't get suspended. That makes me so angry

Ditto.

Total reluctance on the league's part to influence the outcome of a series. I hope Draymond follows up his performance in game 3 with a similar one and the Warriors go down. I was rooting for OKC over GS before this, but now I REALLY am.

[mattao313]

Gotta give Toronto credit their showing they are the second best in the East an not a push over.

[BadMofoPimp]

Dan Gilbert's willingness to spend is where the Cavs' "good management" starts and ends. The rest of it was NBA Gifting them into several #1 picks (one of which was born in Ohio and is presently one of the greatest players of all time).

FIXED!!!

[Hotmayo]

so when joe dumars desperately wanted bismack everyone was like oooo joe knows something... yea man

joe really knew something about bismack... joe man was a scout God

damn..

too bad joe isn around pistons anymore bc drummond is a problem and we couldve gotten bismack from free agency and then flipped drummond for #1 pick at least..****

[Pharaoh]

so when joe dumars desperately wanted bismack everyone was like oooo joe knows something... yea man

joe really knew something about bismack... joe man was a scout God

damn..

too bad joe isn around pistons anymore bc drummond is a problem and we couldve gotten bismack from free agency and then flipped drummond for #1 pick at least..****

LMAO!

Seriously? This is funny!

[Hotmayo]

so when joe dumars desperately wanted bismack everyone was like oooo joe knows something... yea man

joe really knew something about bismack... joe man was a scout God

damn..

too bad joe isn around pistons anymore bc drummond is a problem and we couldve gotten bismack from free agency and then flipped drummond for #1 pick at least..****

LMAO!

Seriously? This is funny!

Whats funny is what if drummond can never become a great free throw shooter. Whats funny is your stuck with a maxed out player who cant play in the 4rth quarter in the playoffs.

now thats funny

hmm...

lets all hope 5 year from now drummond can make free throws

or else no one will really be laughing anymore

and besides I'll take an elite defensive center over drummond any day.

did you forget ben wallace or rodman?

if toronto ends up beating cleveland itll be bc of biyombo.

and as of now, drummond sitting on the bench in the 4rth quarter means biyombo is outplaying drummond in the playoffs as a center

[BadMofoPimp]

Bismack looked great when he Clanked (2) straight Free Throws with 5 seconds to go. That is clutch.

FYI. Dwight was around a 50% Free Throw shooter when the Magic went to the Finals and Shaq wasn't much better. How many Ships did Shaq win? Get over the Drummond is a disaster because of his Free Throw Shooting kick.