2025-2026: Around the League

[JoshuaPotter]

I think its interesting how the Knicks consider Brunson untradable.

Kinda hits close to home in a sense.

I guess on paper Franz is a lot like Brunson to us.

[thelead]

KCP is shooting well again... with a meh roster around him.

[SOUL]

KCP is shooting well again... with a meh roster around him.

KCP shot well 3 of the last 4 months here (36/45/52%) - granted the last one was only about 4 games. but he caught his groove here eventually. Just took too long and he never made any clutch shots for us.

[thelead]

KCP is shooting well again... with a meh roster around him.

KCP shot well 3 of the last 4 months here (36/45/52%) - granted the last one was only about 4 games. but he caught his groove here eventually. Just took too long and he never made any clutch shots for us.

He was also reluctant to take shots too, making him an offensive liability. I don't have the stats but it seemed like he practically only took wide open 3's. His middy was money but he barely took any.

[pepe1991]

KCP is shooting well again... with a meh roster around him.

KCP shot well 3 of the last 4 months here (36/45/52%) - granted the last one was only about 4 games. but he caught his groove here eventually. Just took too long and he never made any clutch shots for us.

He was also reluctant to take shots too, making him an offensive liability. I don't have the stats but it seemed like he practically only took wide open 3's. His middy was money but he barely took any.

Magic sloooow pace and shot clock milking for sake of defense kept everybody, including Magic players off ryhtym.

Btw KCP took most hot potato shots in his career last year, shots with sub 3 sec on the clock when teammate puts you in terrible situation to avoid own brick.

[SOUL]

KCP shot well 3 of the last 4 months here (36/45/52%) - granted the last one was only about 4 games. but he caught his groove here eventually. Just took too long and he never made any clutch shots for us.

He was also reluctant to take shots too, making him an offensive liability. I don't have the stats but it seemed like he practically only took wide open 3's. His middy was money but he barely took any.

Magic sloooow pace and shot clock milking for sake of defense kept everybody, including Magic players off ryhtym.

Btw KCP took most hot potato shots in his career last year, shots with sub 3 sec on the clock when teammate puts you in terrible situation to avoid own brick.

True, but let's be real, he bricked open shots too lol

[GelbeWand09]

It woudnt have mattered at all if KCP hit 40% 3's or even 45% or whatever. He was so limited on offense & his volume so low it woudnt have changed anything. Instead of being by faaaaar the worst 3point shooting team and top 3 worst offense we would have been by faaar the worst 3point shooting team and top 4 worst offense. He was a a horrible fit who doesnt adressed any needs from begin with.

No reason for me to watch his time in Memphis at all. He is a solid role player and a good fit for a lot of teams but not for us. He is the same player for 8-10 years or so.

[SOUL]

It woudnt have mattered at all if KCP hit 40% 3's or even 45% or whatever. He was so limited on offense & his volume so low it woudnt have changed anything. Instead of being by faaaaar the worst 3point shooting team and top 3 worst offense we would have been by faaar the worst 3point shooting team and top 4 worst offense. He was a a horrible fit who doesnt adressed any needs from begin with.

No reason for me to watch his time in Memphis at all. He is a solid role player and a good fit for a lot of teams but not for us. He is the same player for 8-10 years or so.

Yeah, I was concerned about his low three point output thinking he would maybe attempt 6-7 but he and Gary Harris had the same issues of never taking many.

I do think his POA defense was important when Suggs was out. Having him and Black able to do that still made our scheme possible to do even with a lot of injuries.

[basketballRob]

Bane is more valuable to us than KCP because of his handle and playmaking. Suggs and Black are both average ballhandlers and playmakers. They need an SG who can also handle the ball.

With Suggs, Black, Bane, Tyus, and Richardson, you have 5 guards who can bring the ball up the court. The bad is that you lose some defense with KCP and Harris.

KCP will probably have a great year next to JA. He needs to be next to a ball dominant guard. KCP isn't creating any offense.

We'll probably end up being around 5th in defense and 10th in offense. I think a few of our players will have career best shooting seasons.

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[pepe1991]

Just 5 more days of this nonsense of "preseason". Thank God.

[drsd]

... shot clock milking for sake of defense ....

Coach has made a BIG point of this in the pre-season pressers: the Magic were using offensive time to physically recover from tough defense. He want conditioning so that the Magic can play much faster on offense, AND still have gas in the tank for defense.

I think it was Pepe who pointed out that Orlando's poor shooting numbers could be do to in-game fatigue. We will see.

A 27 year old Bane should have a larger battery than a 32 year old Caldwell-Pope. I believe.

[drsd]

Just 5 more days of this nonsense of "preseason". Thank God.

Jalen Crutcher: Believe the hype!

In seriousness. If there was a vest awarded, who gets it here ?!?!?!?

Bitadze for being +15, on 1-5 shooting?
Anthony Black or Jase Richardson for leading minutes?

#0

(I know it would be F-Wagner because of his stellar 10-10 from the FT line; but come on, it's not like he had a great game)

[pepe1991]

Just 5 more days of this nonsense of "preseason". Thank God.

Jalen Crutcher: Believe the hype!

In seriousness. If there was a vest awarded, who gets it here ?!?!?!?

Bitadze for being +15, on 1-5 shooting?
Anthony Black or Jase Richardson for leading minutes?

#0

(I know it would be F-Wagner because of his stellar 10-10 from the FT line; but come on, it's not like he had a great game)

Forget vets, imagine paying $30-50 ticket to watch Warriors vs Lakers to find out hour before game that:
Luka won't play
Lebron won't play
Butler won't play
Curry won't play
Seth Curry won't play
Horford won't play

Or Cavs vs Celtics, where tickets were $20+ and literally rotation 8 guys from Cavs didn't even travel.

[pepe1991]

Just when you think League can't be any more pathetic than it is, Bucks sign Alex Antetokumpo. Guy who failed at Adriatic's second tear league. League where players who make €1000 a month play.

[eyriq]

Just when you think League can't be any more pathetic than it is, Bucks sign Alex Antetokumpo. Guy who failed at Adriatic's second tear league. League where players who make €1000 a month play.

Why are you a fan again?

[Kent]

Just when you think League can't be any more pathetic than it is, Bucks sign Alex Antetokumpo. Guy who failed at Adriatic's second tear league. League where players who make €1000 a month play.

It's silly, no doubt about it.

But if you're a fan of the Bucks, you want your GM to do anything and everything they can to keep their star player when he's looking around.

I think my biggest issue, and maybe yours too, is the depth at which front offices have to go now.

Seems like there's a line you can start to cross. At some point, you want to be able to say, "If you don't like it here anymore, keep things quiet so we can find an un-compromised trade."

It's like a personal relationship. At what point do you say, "This is who I am, this is what I offer, and if it's not a match, let's get real about it so we can move on and both be happy."

[RookieStar]

Houstan is still getting cooked on D no matter who he is guarding...

[Bakomagic]

Just when you think League can't be any more pathetic than it is, Bucks sign Alex Antetokumpo. Guy who failed at Adriatic's second tear league. League where players who make €1000 a month play.

I don’t think this is a “league” issue.

You don’t think [insert your favorite Euro league team] wouldn’t sign Giannis’s brothers if it brought them Giannis?

I feel like Olympiacos would start Giannis grandma at small forward if it meant they got Giannis haha.

[RookieStar]

Caleb Houstan game winning 3 against MIA in a OT game????? Well wonders never cease..

[pepe1991]

Just when you think League can't be any more pathetic than it is, Bucks sign Alex Antetokumpo. Guy who failed at Adriatic's second tear league. League where players who make €1000 a month play.

It's silly, no doubt about it.

But if you're a fan of the Bucks, you want your GM to do anything and everything they can to keep their star player when he's looking around.

I think my biggest issue, and maybe yours too, is the depth at which front offices have to go now.

Seems like there's a line you can start to cross. At some point, you want to be able to say, "If you don't like it here anymore, keep things quiet so we can find an un-compromised trade."

It's like a personal relationship. At what point do you say, "This is who I am, this is what I offer, and if it's not a match, let's get real about it so we can move on and both be happy."

Bold part is so true, and that's my pov as well.

It's abusive personal relationship where pro team acts like abused wife, begging on her knees all the time for husband to stay, bribing him with cheap offers. And team should never, at this level beg anybody. Pride and integrity are things A level teams should always keep.

Thing is, if guy wants to leave, he should leave. Because that team even with Giannis is irrelevant. But because of his clear pressure & power plays , but with very low intelligence involved, he plays major role in own unhappiness and continues to hurt Bucks future, that will end up being future without anyway.

This level of nepotism is unheard of in pro sports at this level. He blackmailed Greece and Bucks into signing their unskilled, untalented bum brothers on pro contracts, with limited amount of roster spots, to be paid serious money.

I can't stress hard enough how incompetent Alex Antetokumpo is to be pro player. Anywhere. Let alone in nba.

This is very same player that:
- went undrafted
- got fired in Spain because he sucked
- got cut by G league team because he sucked
- went to play in second division Adriatic league, where, as i said on GB, players play for €800 a month ($930 ) and still sucked, but got pro contract from Greek's PAOK as PR move.
- went to A division in Greece where he was worst player on mediocre PAOK team
- as award for being worst player, he signed with another A tear Greek team, Aris, where he continued to be worst player in entire league

And as award for being 100% incapable of playing basketball at any serious or semi serious level, he is now in nba.



With two separated contracts with Bucks, that only happened because of Giannis , nepotism & his powerplays, Bucks paid Alex $1,1M few years back, and now will pay him additional $800- ish K.
Alex Ant in his previous teams in Greece, probably had salary around $3000-4000 a month and was still overpaid because he had no business playing that league.


This multi layers of nepotism that NBA now has, involving two out of top 5 best players eventually hurt already shaken integrity of entire league. It sends message that players with power now hold all the power over teams and blackmail them into playing their skilless kids, brothers...
Eventually, you run into Kawhi Leonard- Aspiration- like situation, where whole things smells like nothing but sideways angles for teams to pay their superstars extra money.