10/19/21 NBA GameThread (2 games)

[Kurtz]

Why didnt Poole play the last 6 mins or so?

Looked like foot/ankle injury.

[stillgotgame]

Westbrook really should be handling the ball ahead of rondo, not because he's better at running offense (he's actually worse) but because he badly needs a niche on this team. He isn't even top 2 at any of scoring, rebounding or playmaking on the Lakers, just let him have something to do so it's not a waste of 40m.

They've got to stagger his minutes so he's primarily playing with the second unit. He's redundant as a starter next to LeBron and AD and whoever they have starting at center on any given night. The bulk of his minutes should be with the bench players where he handle the ball a lot more.

2nd unit, with Lebron off? What’s he gonna do, play 15 minutes a game. He’ll lose his cool if they do it, guaranteed.

[God Squad]

Are we allowed to slander Russ' game now or do we have to shut up and "appreciate him" because he "plays hard"?

I mean he is who we thought he was. He'll be a huge PRO more times than a con but it's definitely going to take him some time to find his space on this team. He'll be alright.

I've always considered him more of a CON than a Pro. His IQ and shot selection are bottom of the barrel.

[Doctor MJ]

To where? Who will take him?

Dunno, but if they have any picks there's this gentleman in Oklahoma, a collector...

I don't think Westbrook gets moved anywhere. They have to try make this work. It won't be worse than tonight on average.

I don't think it makes any sense for the Lakers to move him any time soon, but it's also hard for me to imagine Westbrook spending 2 years with the Lakers.

[whatisacenter]

Are you insane?? you don't think the 6ers can do better than Russ for Simmons? There is no way the 6ers would entertain that deal for a second

Sixers couldn't get Dame or Beal for Simmons and you think they could get Russ!?

Hell yah they could get Russ. lol wtf. Russ isn't on Dame or Beal level and doesn't carry the same value. Lakers would laugh and accept a Russ for Simmons swap. It's the Sixers that would hang up.

the Lakers would rush Westy to the airport for Simmons...

[DCasey91]

Bruh Lakers lose with AD and Brom playing as well as they can, while Steph was trash shooting. Not a good sign.
Warriors bench and Poole really did well.

Imo LeBron and Westbrook are not a good fit. Both too ball dominant

so my question is WHY does lebron have to be ball dominant???

are you(people in general) saying if lebron is not ball dominant he's useless? lebron is supposed to be the goat complete skillset player. if either of the two has to be ball dominant it has to be westbrook simply because that's the ONLY way he knows how to play. lebron otoh perplexes me. he should be able to do many things and shift his skills to accommodate russ.

if russ isn't 9rpg/10apg this season the lakers and lebron have wasted their time and lebron especially i would hold responsible as he should be ENABLING russ not shutting him down.

Did you watch the game? Westbrook did nothing and was a negative once he set foot on the floor. Lebron can’t enable Westbrook’s crap defensive effort either.

Just put him on the bench and stagger him.

Don’t cater to a worse player that’s not how sports or life in general works.

[Doctor MJ]

Westbrook really should be handling the ball ahead of rondo, not because he's better at running offense (he's actually worse) but because he badly needs a niche on this team. He isn't even top 2 at any of scoring, rebounding or playmaking on the Lakers, just let him have something to do so it's not a waste of 40m.

They've got to stagger his minutes so he's primarily playing with the second unit. He's redundant as a starter next to LeBron and AD and whoever they have starting at center on any given night. The bulk of his minutes should be with the bench players where he handle the ball a lot more.

2nd unit, with Lebron off? What’s he gonna do, play 15 minutes a game. He’ll lose his cool if they do it, guaranteed.

Staggering stars doesn't mean one guy plays bench minutes, it just means you prioritize having at least one of the two guys you're staggering on the court at all times. The two guys still have to play a good amount together, and your team is still screwed if they really suck together, but the trade off can be worth it.

[trickshot]

Westbrook really should be handling the ball ahead of rondo, not because he's better at running offense (he's actually worse) but because he badly needs a niche on this team. He isn't even top 2 at any of scoring, rebounding or playmaking on the Lakers, just let him have something to do so it's not a waste of 40m.

They've got to stagger his minutes so he's primarily playing with the second unit. He's redundant as a starter next to LeBron and AD and whoever they have starting at center on any given night. The bulk of his minutes should be with the bench players where he handle the ball a lot more.

It actually looks he plays a lot of minutes with the 2nd unit but with Rondo in the lineup. Vogel has to sacrifice Rondo and have a shooter in his place and let Westbrook take full control. He also has to sacrifice playing true centers with Westbrook. Vogel has been a size guy since his days with the Pacers. Between Rondo, Vogel, Lebron and the double big system I don't think the fit was ever ideal for Westbrook. I mean even the Rockets had to trade Capela to make it work and they were an infinitely better fit with D'antoni and all that shooting. You have to make costly sacrifices to get the best of him.

Of course it all falls back to Westbrook for never developing a single complementary skill.

[God Squad]

Sixers couldn't get Dame or Beal for Simmons and you think they could get Russ!?

Hell yah they could get Russ. lol wtf. Russ isn't on Dame or Beal level and doesn't carry the same value. Lakers would laugh and accept a Russ for Simmons swap. It's the Sixers that would hang up.

the Lakers would rush Westy to the airport for Simmons...

Facts. I don't know what this Lakers fan is thinking. Westbrook has been passed around more than a hooker at a frat party. He's been gracefully pushed out of every team situation he's been in.

[GSP]

Warriors won't be good defensively this year, Lakers just suck offensively right now. 0-6 preseason and just ugly iso offense with no 3pt shooting right now.

They won't be top 5 but not good?

It's basically the same team except swapping Oubre, Paschall (bad defender) and Bazemore for Iggy, Otto and Bjelica. And getting Klay back. Unless you're incredibly high on Bazemores defense why do you think their D won't be good?

Given his massive leg injuries and absence from the league for 2 years, I don't think Klay will be able to play defense this year. I think he will still hit his 3s, but defensively it'll take him a year to get back.

I don't think Bjelica is a good defender, and Wiseman and Kuminga are poor as well when they get back.

They'll be average defensively just like last year, I expect.

But we'll see.

Average last year?

Youre aware they were a top 5 defense last year right.......

[Chuck Everett]

Bruh Lakers lose with AD and Brom playing as well as they can, while Steph was trash shooting. Not a good sign.
Warriors bench and Poole really did well.

Imo LeBron and Westbrook are not a good fit. Both too ball dominant

so my question is WHY does lebron have to be ball dominant???

are you(people in general) saying if lebron is not ball dominant he's useless? lebron is supposed to be the goat complete skillset player. if either of the two has to be ball dominant it has to be westbrook simply because that's the ONLY way he knows how to play. lebron otoh perplexes me. he should be able to do many things and shift his skills to accommodate russ.

if russ isn't 9rpg/10apg this season the lakers and lebron have wasted their time and lebron especially i would hold responsible as he should be ENABLING russ not shutting him down.

Not a Westbrook fan, but I 100% agree with this. Lebron should adjust if it will help the team perform better. If not, then they will be horrible all year.

[Doctor MJ]

Bruh Lakers lose with AD and Brom playing as well as they can, while Steph was trash shooting. Not a good sign.
Warriors bench and Poole really did well.

Imo LeBron and Westbrook are not a good fit. Both too ball dominant

so my question is WHY does lebron have to be ball dominant???

are you(people in general) saying if lebron is not ball dominant he's useless? lebron is supposed to be the goat complete skillset player. if either of the two has to be ball dominant it has to be westbrook simply because that's the ONLY way he knows how to play. lebron otoh perplexes me. he should be able to do many things and shift his skills to accommodate russ.

if russ isn't 9rpg/10apg this season the lakers and lebron have wasted their time and lebron especially i would hold responsible as he should be ENABLING russ not shutting him down.

Westbrook doesn't only know how to play ball dominant ball though. He didn't play that way at UCLA. It's just a bad habit OKC encouraged him to embrace, and it's absolutely something he needs to break himself of because it doesn't make sense for a team to base their offense around his playmaking any more (though it's not a bad approach if you have him leading the 2nd unit).

As for why LeBron needs to be ball dominant, well you might as well ask the same thing about Magic Johnson. These guys can be valuable if they have less decision making power on the court, but since they are always better at making decisions than their teammates, you're generally better off letting them be floor generals.

[Doctor MJ]

They won't be top 5 but not good?

It's basically the same team except swapping Oubre, Paschall (bad defender) and Bazemore for Iggy, Otto and Bjelica. And getting Klay back. Unless you're incredibly high on Bazemores defense why do you think their D won't be good?

Given his massive leg injuries and absence from the league for 2 years, I don't think Klay will be able to play defense this year. I think he will still hit his 3s, but defensively it'll take him a year to get back.

I don't think Bjelica is a good defender, and Wiseman and Kuminga are poor as well when they get back.

They'll be average defensively just like last year, I expect.

But we'll see.

Average last year?

Youre aware they were a top 5 defense last year right.......

Yeah, I think Kurtz may be being influenced by PPG. As you allude to, what actually happened was that GS was a very strong defensive team that played at high pace.

[Flash Falcon X]

They won't be top 5 but not good?

It's basically the same team except swapping Oubre, Paschall (bad defender) and Bazemore for Iggy, Otto and Bjelica. And getting Klay back. Unless you're incredibly high on Bazemores defense why do you think their D won't be good?

Given his massive leg injuries and absence from the league for 2 years, I don't think Klay will be able to play defense this year. I think he will still hit his 3s, but defensively it'll take him a year to get back.

I don't think Bjelica is a good defender, and Wiseman and Kuminga are poor as well when they get back.

They'll be average defensively just like last year, I expect.

But we'll see.

Average last year?

Youre aware they were a top 5 defense last year right.......

Lol, its always hilarious when people assume Warriors are a bad defensive team when in reality they’ve always been one of the top defensive squads.

Last season was actually opposite, they were a great defensive team but the team overall lacked offense and depth.

Steph being the face of GSW has casuals thinking GSW doesn’t play defense.

[Reeko]

Skip was so accurate when he said that Westbrook is the perfect scape goat for LeBron if the Lakers fail this season.

I don't understand the concept of a scapegoat here.

1. For LeBron, things have to be championship or bust. Excuses aren't going to sway anyone to his side.

2. Whether or not LeBron in fact acts as GM, everything that happens is something he lets happen.

3. "Scapegoat" generally implies that what you did wasn't actually the cause of a lot of damage but you're being framed for it anyway. I don't know why Westbrook would require such framing. His potential for negative impact this year is quite considerable. If at the end of the season there's reason to cast blame, Westbrook will almost certainly warrant a sizable portion of it.

Because even if LeBron doesn't play up to his own standards, his defenders will be able to look at Russ and say "Well he's playing with Russell Westbrook, who couldn't win with Harden, Durant or George. How can we expect LeBron in year 19, to win with him?"

[trickshot]

Bruh Lakers lose with AD and Brom playing as well as they can, while Steph was trash shooting. Not a good sign.
Warriors bench and Poole really did well.

Imo LeBron and Westbrook are not a good fit. Both too ball dominant

so my question is WHY does lebron have to be ball dominant???

are you(people in general) saying if lebron is not ball dominant he's useless? lebron is supposed to be the goat complete skillset player. if either of the two has to be ball dominant it has to be westbrook simply because that's the ONLY way he knows how to play. lebron otoh perplexes me. he should be able to do many things and shift his skills to accommodate russ.

if russ isn't 9rpg/10apg this season the lakers and lebron have wasted their time and lebron especially i would hold responsible as he should be ENABLING russ not shutting him down.

Did you watch the game? Westbrook did nothing and was a negative once he set foot on the floor. Lebron can’t enable Westbrook’s crap defensive effort either.

Just put him on the bench and stagger him.

Don’t cater to a worse player that’s not how sports or life in general works.

It's a lazy take. Westbrook's struggles werent about ball dominance. How did Rondo manage to stay involved if that were the case? He was even ineffective with Lebron off the floor. Westbrook doesn't just require high usage, he needs high usage in a specific style of offense. The equal opportunity sets they're trying to run at times also doesn't suit him. He doesn't know how to screen or cut, he has to start the possession with the ball in his hand and at the top of the key. Any possession that has him starting from the weakside might as well start with 4 players.

[Catchall]

AD with 39 mins. Lebron with 37 mins. No one else in double figures. These guys are going to need to carry a heavy load.

They're pegged as two top 5 players on the same team and we're supposed to feel sorry for them? Lol

AD isn't top-5 right now, or at least he isn't playing like one consistently.

Giannis, KD, Jokic, Luka, Lebron are probably the top 5. Then probably Steph, Embiid, Harden...so maybe AD is 9 or 10.

[Flash Falcon X]

Should have been a 15+ point win by Golden State but Steph had an ugly off-night despite the triple double.

Oh well. Steph should come to form soon, Poole will only get better and better as the season progresses, new additions will gel even more, and they’ll be getting Klay and Wiseman back soon. Kuminga will be back too but I don’t expect too much from him as he’s a project. Moses Moody, however, I expect to at least be capable of nailing open shots; he has great composure for a rook.

[Kurtz]

They won't be top 5 but not good?

It's basically the same team except swapping Oubre, Paschall (bad defender) and Bazemore for Iggy, Otto and Bjelica. And getting Klay back. Unless you're incredibly high on Bazemores defense why do you think their D won't be good?

Given his massive leg injuries and absence from the league for 2 years, I don't think Klay will be able to play defense this year. I think he will still hit his 3s, but defensively it'll take him a year to get back.

I don't think Bjelica is a good defender, and Wiseman and Kuminga are poor as well when they get back.

They'll be average defensively just like last year, I expect.

But we'll see.

Average last year?

Youre aware they were a top 5 defense last year right.......

Fair enough, I did not see that their pace adjusted defense was the 5th best in the league last year.

Looking at their personnel, I don't expect them to be top 5 or even top 10 this year, but again, we'll see.

[Doctor MJ]

Skip was so accurate when he said that Westbrook is the perfect scape goat for LeBron if the Lakers fail this season.

I don't understand the concept of a scapegoat here.

1. For LeBron, things have to be championship or bust. Excuses aren't going to sway anyone to his side.

2. Whether or not LeBron in fact acts as GM, everything that happens is something he lets happen.

3. "Scapegoat" generally implies that what you did wasn't actually the cause of a lot of damage but you're being framed for it anyway. I don't know why Westbrook would require such framing. His potential for negative impact this year is quite considerable. If at the end of the season there's reason to cast blame, Westbrook will almost certainly warrant a sizable portion of it.

Because even if LeBron doesn't play up to his own standards, his defenders will be able to look at Russ and say "Well he's playing with Russell Westbrook, who couldn't win with Harden, Durant or George. How can we expect LeBron in year 19, to win with him?"

Well sure, they will do that, should that be the case. But it will probably also be true, and whether or not it is true, LeBron's season will still smell of failure.