G25: Hornets @ 76ers 12/20 7:00 pm.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

We're going to be playing catch-up for the next couple of months. This season is far from over for us if our main three can stay healthy. Oubre, Yabu, Council, and KJ are all playing well in their roles. Caleb Martin will be coming back as well. In theory and in relatively good health, we should be able to go on a run and win some games.
It would be epic if we somehow found a way to beat Cleveland tomorrow night. Of course we'll be without Joel tomorrow and probably Paul George as both will need a day off after playing basketball, but I'd love to see both Embiid and George show up and play tomorrow. I just hope we don't hear about an Embiid injury later on tomorrow after his unnecessary save attempt late in the 4th quarter tonight that ended in him crashing sideways into the front row. It really needs to stop with him. He's got to know the right moments at this point.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Must say I'm super mad Joel played tonight instead of the Cavs. That's janky and truthfully not how this situation should be going. That's the mindset by this organization that's going to give OKC the 10th overall pick

Now these 2 broken highest paid players on the team get to rest tomorrow as they go out and sacrifice Maxey to the Cavs only for these pundits to claim George and Joel are saviors when they come back to play another lesser team.

I don't understand it. To me it's just a way to duck a superior opponent. Jarrett Allen is one of a few in the league that has been able to frustrate Jo over the years. Jo's gotten injured against him if I'm not mistaken.
Either way, I say we roll out all of our guys against them and at least see where we are at against the upper echelon of the league. I keep saying it, but Maxey, George, and Embiid need game time minutes together. They'll never find "it" taking every other game off. It's why I was against the George signing. The guy blatantly takes games off. He took tonight off despite playing and if he sits tomorrow it'll just annoy me.

[76ciology]

Must say I'm super mad Joel played tonight instead of the Cavs. That's janky and truthfully not how this situation should be going. That's the mindset by this organization that's going to give OKC the 10th overall pick

Now these 2 broken highest paid players on the team get to rest tomorrow as they go out and sacrifice Maxey to the Cavs only for these pundits to claim George and Joel are saviors when they come back to play another lesser team.

Totally agree. If the goal is to get wins, we should have rested those two tonight and played them tomorrow. Initially, I thought the decision to play Biid tonight was just to get him warmed up for tomorrow.

[76ciology]

The good news is Maxey has been shooting well the past two games.

[76ciology]

The fewer games you play, the less you learn how to win.

Being healthy doesn’t guarantee victory; it allows you to play more games. And the more games you play, the better you understand how to win.

[JordanMars]

it has already been reported by keith that PG will play tomorrow. Joel is out.

[Arsenal]

I’m hoping Lowry is out also. Imagine him against the Cavs D? Give all his mins to Jackson.

[M2J]

The fewer games you play, the less you learn how to win.

Being healthy doesn’t guarantee victory; it allows you to play more games. And the more games you play, the better you understand how to win.

Morey leaked to the press a few days ago that he's waiting to see the Big 3 play together to decide if he's going to be a seller at the deadline... Well you don't learn crap seeing them against the team they played tonight. It's games like the Cavs that you learn. Win or lose.


Truth be told with all of the discussion nationally about NBA ratings.... **** 3pters or not it's this crap they're doing tomorrow. Fans don't want to see Drummond vs the Cavs. Gamblers don't know what to trust with these teams. No reason to watch

[mjkvol]

Are there any good teams on the schedule, or is this what the NBA has become?

No kidding, with even the "good teams" like the Sixers who were supposed to be a "super team" and the former champion Nuggets, the Lakers with 2 superstars all sucking its no wonder the ratings are down.

The only teams worth following night in and night out are the bottom market Thunder or Cavs, and the 3pt do or die Celtics. Even the Knicks are inconsistent

And Silver believes that the answer is gimmicky "in season tournaments" and goofy all-star games. There was even discussion on whether they should do anything about the 3-point shot explosion. When a sport feels the need to change rules and gimmick up its season due to cratering ratings, the sport is in trouble.

[M2J]

Are there any good teams on the schedule, or is this what the NBA has become?

No kidding, with even the "good teams" like the Sixers who were supposed to be a "super team" and the former champion Nuggets, the Lakers with 2 superstars all sucking its no wonder the ratings are down.

The only teams worth following night in and night out are the bottom market Thunder or Cavs, and the 3pt do or die Celtics. Even the Knicks are inconsistent

And Silver believes that the answer is gimmicky "in season tournaments" and goofy all-star games. There was even discussion on whether they should do anything about the 3-point shot explosion. When a sport feels the need to change rules and gimmick up its season due to cratering ratings, the sport is in trouble.

Literally the issue is when you have a chance at a showdown game vs Cavs and 76ers. 76ers play Joel vs hornets instead and rest him. Philly should get a maximum fine

[FlyingArrow]

No kidding, with even the "good teams" like the Sixers who were supposed to be a "super team" and the former champion Nuggets, the Lakers with 2 superstars all sucking its no wonder the ratings are down.

The only teams worth following night in and night out are the bottom market Thunder or Cavs, and the 3pt do or die Celtics. Even the Knicks are inconsistent

And Silver believes that the answer is gimmicky "in season tournaments" and goofy all-star games. There was even discussion on whether they should do anything about the 3-point shot explosion. When a sport feels the need to change rules and gimmick up its season due to cratering ratings, the sport is in trouble.

Literally the issue is when you have a chance at a showdown game vs Cavs and 76ers. 76ers play Joel vs hornets instead and rest him. Philly should get a maximum fine

Showdown game? There are no showdown games - the regular season has been rendered pretty much meaningless. By who? By the fans. By every fan who doesn't care about anything but a championship. By every fan who says, "6 is more than 4." By the fans who consider the in-season tournament meaningless, considers individual accolades meaningless, etc.

If all that matters is the championship, then that's all that the teams and players will play for. The Sixers' biggest hurdle to being a real contender is having all their main players healthy for the playoffs. That's a bigger hurdle than simply making the playoffs. They are aiming at being healthy above anything else, because almost everyone values the playoffs that much above the regular season. If that's the goal, they are doing the right thing. Injuries are measurably more common in back-to-backs. Every game that a player sits is a game he doesn't get hurt.

If the Sixers make the 10 seed but have Embiid, PG, McCain, and Maxey all healthy for the play-in game and everything (anything?) that follows, they will call that a successful season. Every fan and player who wants a championship and considers 2nd place as bad as last place should be glad they're doing it that way, because they are maximizing the chances of winning the championship with that approach.

[DCasey91]

Good game by the big oaf. Things still got tight against a doo doo team. Should take a leaf out of Keem/Shaq's playbook, pace it in the regular and go nuts in the playoffs not the other way around.

Team chances are way better when he's playing like a top 3 defensive anchor in the comp while not ballhogging. Dude can get an effective 30 against bad teams in his sleep.

Playstyle should be slower and tempo based with 4 out shooters and cutters. Has to be really really simple sets nothing fancy all fundamentals. He's still not at the level of Hakeem's comfortably on the block/high facilitating/playmaking and def not Shaq level who always looked like he took a smoko break

This is all not surprising though.

Our best chance has always been for him to double down on defence and let others pressure the outside with shooting and ball play.

[mjkvol]

And Silver believes that the answer is gimmicky "in season tournaments" and goofy all-star games. There was even discussion on whether they should do anything about the 3-point shot explosion. When a sport feels the need to change rules and gimmick up its season due to cratering ratings, the sport is in trouble.

Literally the issue is when you have a chance at a showdown game vs Cavs and 76ers. 76ers play Joel vs hornets instead and rest him. Philly should get a maximum fine

Showdown game? There are no showdown games - the regular season has been rendered pretty much meaningless. By who? By the fans. By every fan who doesn't care about anything but a championship. By every fan who says, "6 is more than 4." By the fans who consider the in-season tournament meaningless, considers individual accolades meaningless, etc.

If all that matters is the championship, then that's all that the teams and players will play for. The Sixers' biggest hurdle to being a real contender is having all their main players healthy for the playoffs. That's a bigger hurdle than simply making the playoffs. They are aiming at being healthy above anything else, because almost everyone values the playoffs that much above the regular season. If that's the goal, they are doing the right thing. Injuries are measurably more common in back-to-backs. Every game that a player sits is a game he doesn't get hurt.

If the Sixers make the 10 seed but have Embiid, PG, McCain, and Maxey all healthy for the play-in game and everything (anything?) that follows, they will call that a successful season. Every fan and player who wants a championship and considers 2nd place as bad as last place should be glad they're doing it that way, because they are maximizing the chances of winning the championship with that approach.

I don't disagree with you with regard to championships being all that matters anymore. The same is happening to college football with the expanded playoffs. A 10-2 season with a bowl win used to be celebrated, but now at big time programs it is a big disappointment if you don't get selected into this playoff with a chance for the "natty".

I was a huge fan of NBA and NCAA hoops in the late '70's thru the early '90's when the regular seasons were compelling and players just played. The huge TV money ruined that, fueling the need to maintain ratings when good quality product would take care of that without need for constant rule changes and tinkering with the season.

The problem is that the NBA product by and large is mediocre at best. Creating an artificial tournament in-season with a trophy that means nothing is not going to generate viewer interest, but compelling product with players who play every night will. The NBA season was always made up of peaks and valleys, but those CBS double and triple headers on Sundays with those Sixers, Celtics, Bulls, Jazz, and Lakers teams were must-see TV.

Individual accolades used to be celebrated, but there was never a "minimum games" requirement to qualify, because players played. And they always played in the big regular season games. Always. If you want to create interest in the regular season again, it's really simple - the best players playing 70-75 games and never missing big games would be a great start. Without necessitating threats from the NBA offices or silly gimmicks.

[DCasey91]

My argument is thats what people care about. Playoffs/Finals is legit the essence of sports regular stuff is what it is. NBA tried something with the mid season tournament. But because the incentives for teams is to tank if your'e bad then what incentive? There goes the competitive stuff for mid/low table teams.

Completely redo the lotto. Just make 14 teams have equal chance of of getting the 1st pick and have huge incentive for teams that make the playoffs I mean dangle the carrot in front of the owners.

It's also because there's a lack if threat at the top. There's a reason why players today have crazy egos. Goes without saying but if a rotation player can make 200mill something went wrong down the line.

[mjkvol]

My argument is thats what people care about. Playoffs/Finals is legit the essence of sports regular stuff is what it is. NBA tried something with the mid season tournament. But because the incentives for teams is to tank if your'e bad then what incentive? There goes the competitive stuff for mid/low table teams.

Completely redo the lotto. Just make 14 teams have equal chance of of getting the 1st pick and have huge incentive for teams that make the playoffs I mean dangle the carrot in front of the owners.

It's also because there's a lack if threat at the top. There's a reason why players today have crazy egos. Goes without saying but if a rotation player can make 200mill something went wrong down the line.

The NBA has always been about the playoffs, but the desperate need for ratings all season due to the massive outlay by networks is what has created the constant tinkering with the season. Like I said, the regular season was always peaks and valleys, but I remember the big regular season games as must see TV, and the great players would never miss them.

You're dead on correct regarding tanking, which has become commonplace, and not just for 1-2 teams but a good half dozen. I'm not sure there's a solution, because of dated management strategies and one bad contract killing team building opportunities and hamstringing teams for years, like with Tobias or Levine, thus creating so many middle of the road teams with the only answer to tank.

[zaz102]

My argument is thats what people care about. Playoffs/Finals is legit the essence of sports regular stuff is what it is. NBA tried something with the mid season tournament. But because the incentives for teams is to tank if your'e bad then what incentive? There goes the competitive stuff for mid/low table teams.

Completely redo the lotto. Just make 14 teams have equal chance of of getting the 1st pick and have huge incentive for teams that make the playoffs I mean dangle the carrot in front of the owners.

It's also because there's a lack if threat at the top. There's a reason why players today have crazy egos. Goes without saying but if a rotation player can make 200mill something went wrong down the line.

I'd have to think about your lottery idea more, but on the surface has potential.

* Bad teams and/or injury plagued teams now have no incentive to throw games.

* Treadmill teams could get lucky that could either make them either new legitimate contenders or speed up the rebuild process. This could also make for a more active trade market as these teams could instantly be buyers (contenders) or sellers (rebuilding teams).

The only problem are for teams like the Wizards (or small market bad teams) that are bad and would have even more of a hard time getting good players. I'm not sure how to combat this part.

[DCasey91]

My argument is thats what people care about. Playoffs/Finals is legit the essence of sports regular stuff is what it is. NBA tried something with the mid season tournament. But because the incentives for teams is to tank if your'e bad then what incentive? There goes the competitive stuff for mid/low table teams.

Completely redo the lotto. Just make 14 teams have equal chance of of getting the 1st pick and have huge incentive for teams that make the playoffs I mean dangle the carrot in front of the owners.

It's also because there's a lack if threat at the top. There's a reason why players today have crazy egos. Goes without saying but if a rotation player can make 200mill something went wrong down the line.

I'd have to think about your lottery idea more, but on the surface has potential.

* Bad teams and/or injury plagued teams now have no incentive to throw games.

* Treadmill teams could get lucky that could either make them either new legitimate contenders or speed up the rebuild process. This could also make for a more active trade market as these teams could instantly be buyers (contenders) or sellers (rebuilding teams).

The only problem are for teams like the Wizards (or small market bad teams) that are bad and would have even more of a hard time getting good players. I'm not sure how to combat this part.

Trust me drafting will never be an exact science. As in the Moneyball movie you just don't know at the end of it. And success and tanking aren't mutually exclusive nor is getting a top 3 pick let's say. You can get quality players from a seemingly arbitrary position in the draft basically speaking

My thing is to reward competitiveness and stop handing out participation stuff, it's a competition. The Play In hasn't work imo
TV viewership isn't the best way to gauge popularity (we are all internet cyborgs lmao) but the growing criticism of 3spam is very real in public discourse i.e casual which is the majority that's not good

I do think an even system works out better across the board because better ran FO's outperform lesser ones

Also have a strong belief in having a Bayern Munich type club whereby the power is with people as stakeholders, if anything we would do better trading let's say and said f that if selling low/ buying high.

[Jailblazers7]

The most obvious solution is to shrink the season to 65-70 games max so that the games matter more & players get more rest days throughout the season. It wont happen because shrinking the inventory is not something any sports league is willing to entertain.