2021-22 NBA Season Discussion

[Doctor MJ]

I don't know if the Nets team was disappointing in terms of actual results. They've looked like the top team in the RS whenever they played together. I think last yr. in the playoffs many had the Nets winning the series if the Big 3 was healthy vs Bucks. This was actually a team with some potential, but it looks like things might be over now (unless Nash has a brilliant turnaround in his head).

This is true. It is entirely possible that the Nets win the title last year if they just stay healthy. But I think that that's an explanation for disappointment, not something other than disappointment.

There's absolutely no doubt that if the Nets fail to win a title, much of what we talk about when we talk about these Nets is the fact that they seemed cursed by the Basketball Gods.

[Outside]

harden potentially going to sixers with a season of delay makes me wish he would have just been traded to sixers from the start and everyone would have been better off

21/22 sixers with harden+ embiid and nets with their depth and jarret allen around durant and (sometimes) irving

everybody wins (except bucks)

And Cavs. The Cavs got Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince out of that deal, and they subsequently traded Prince in the offseason for Ricky Rubio. It's a shame Rubio got hurt, but even so, it was a plus for the Cavs and a big part of their turnaround.

[Dr Positivity]

I don't know if the Nets team was disappointing in terms of actual results. They've looked like the top team in the RS whenever they played together. I think last yr. in the playoffs many had the Nets winning the series if the Big 3 was healthy vs Bucks. This was actually a team with some potential, but it looks like things might be over now (unless Nash has a brilliant turnaround in his head).

This is true. It is entirely possible that the Nets win the title last year if they just stay healthy. But I think that that's an explanation for disappointment, not something other than disappointment.

There's absolutely no doubt that if the Nets fail to win a title, much of what we talk about when we talk about these Nets is the fact that they seemed cursed by the Basketball Gods.

For me the Kyrie lack of reliability to be on the court hurt the Nets the most but that was totally predictable. I can't say Harden groin injury was bad luck too much when teams like the Bucks and Suns dealt with some adversity as well. I also think Nets with Durant + injured Harden were overperforming by playing it so close with the Bucks honestly. The Nets idea had so many red flags from the start from all offense combination, health and one of the most narcissistic big 3s in NBA history.

I do like how much superteam era has taken a hit

Giannis wins by staying in Milwaukee
Nets big 3 appears to flop
A star player asking out in Simmons finally has a GM call his bluff

[feyki]

Cuban probably would give Brunson for McCollum as his usual foolishness. Almost 20 of years drama I have with Mavs and another team, eligible executives please.

AD in the last 5 games after he returned:

29 PPG(1th), 13 RPG(3th), 3 APG, 123 ORTG(17th), 101,5 DRTG(2th), %62 TS(15th), 19 DFGA with %42 DFG(2th).

[MartinToVaught]

Yeah, it's mostly been a failure of availability for the Nets, think they've played about 350 minutes together with the big 3 over the last two seasons. Doing great in that time at around +15, but just not enough of that time.

Most of Kyrie's unavailability has been by choice, not bad luck, whether it's his off-court antics last season or his grandstanding about the vaccine this season.

The same could also be said for Harden last year. Maybe he would have stayed healthy if he hadn't purposely shown up to the season out of shape to sabotage the Rockets and force them to trade him.

This is part and parcel of building around narcissists who don't care about the game, the team they play for, or anything other than themselves.

[falcolombardi]

i wonder if even simmons is even willing to play this season to be honest

he has took almost a full year off, wouldnt be surprised if he refused to play too for whichever team trades for him

[HeartBreakKid]

Yeah, it's mostly been a failure of availability for the Nets, think they've played about 350 minutes together with the big 3 over the last two seasons. Doing great in that time at around +15, but just not enough of that time.

Most of Kyrie's unavailability has been by choice, not bad luck, whether it's his off-court antics last season or his grandstanding about the vaccine this season.

The same could also be said for Harden last year. Maybe he would have stayed healthy if he hadn't purposely shown up to the season out of shape to sabotage the Rockets and force them to trade him.

This is part and parcel of building around narcissists who don't care about the game, the team they play for, or anything other than themselves.

For this season sure...but Kyrie Irving is injury prone and that has been his problem for the two prior seasons.

I know you love your narratives and even more so you love to hate on people, but the biggest problem for the Nets by far is their health concerns not their "narcissistic' personalities. Their personalities had nothing to do with why they lost last year, much less the year before that.

[LukaTheGOAT]

Surprising Fact of the Day:

The Spurs offense is almost ELEVEN points better with Jakob Poeltl on

[frica]

If we act like Jokic doesn't exist for a moment. Would it be criminal to grant CP3 the MVP award?

[MartinToVaught]

Yeah, it's mostly been a failure of availability for the Nets, think they've played about 350 minutes together with the big 3 over the last two seasons. Doing great in that time at around +15, but just not enough of that time.

Most of Kyrie's unavailability has been by choice, not bad luck, whether it's his off-court antics last season or his grandstanding about the vaccine this season.

The same could also be said for Harden last year. Maybe he would have stayed healthy if he hadn't purposely shown up to the season out of shape to sabotage the Rockets and force them to trade him.

This is part and parcel of building around narcissists who don't care about the game, the team they play for, or anything other than themselves.

For this season sure...but Kyrie Irving is injury prone and that has been his problem for the two prior seasons.

I know you love your narratives and even more so you love to hate on people, but the biggest problem for the Nets by far is their health concerns not their "narcissistic' personalities. Their personalities had nothing to do with why they lost last year, much less the year before that.

Going on a "sabbatical" in the middle of the season for vague "personal issues" had nothing to do with injuries. That whole saga last year wasn't much different than him thinking it's okay to be a part-time player this year, even as it's visibly wearing on his teammates. Kyrie is a narcissist who only cares about himself, who never factors in what's best for his team, and thinks he's above honoring his contract. And the Nets have enabled him every step of the way.

It's not hating, it's simple facts. Everyone knew that the Nets were taking a huge risk by uniting the three biggest divas in the league. This isn't some "narrative" I'm spinning out of nothing, this was a widely acknowledged caveat with their team's construction.

[MisterHibachi]

Portland's front office seems bad.

[Mos_Heat]

Portland got(most likely) a lotto pick for McCollum. That's very good

[parsnips33]

I like Dort in OKC a lot. Feels like they are a team that's gonna break out 2-3 seasons before people expect them to

[falcolombardi]

I like Dort in OKC a lot. Feels like they are a team that's gonna break out 2-3 seasons before people expect them to

our issue is that we have exactly (no hyperbole) two players who can score in dort and shai at a nba rotational player level + one rookie who has insane passing but is a limited scorer still

is why we are an absolutely terrible offense despite good team ball movement (sometimes) and a star scorer in shai

we also dont have any good big

we need more than one great pick to get on track to being a good team

[parsnips33]

I like Dort in OKC a lot. Feels like they are a team that's gonna break out 2-3 seasons before people expect them to

our issue is that we have exactly (no hyperbole) two players who can score in dort and shai at a nba rotational player level + one rookie who has insane passing but is a limited scorer still

is why we are an absolutely terrible offense despite good team ball movement (sometimes) and a star scorer in shai

we also dont have any good big

we need more than one great pick to get on track to being a good team

The good thing is you have no shortage of draft picks in the pipeline!

[Doctor MJ]

If we act like Jokic doesn't exist for a moment. Would it be criminal to grant CP3 the MVP award?

Not criminal - nobody goin' to jail - but I would object to giving an award like the MVP as a lifetime achievement award.

I'd see a stronger case for Paul if his personal +/- number re-affirmed the idea that the Suns with him on the court played the best basketball in the world, but they really don't (see Curry). Most I could do is say Paul has a solid case for All-NBA 1st Team.

[falcolombardi]

I like Dort in OKC a lot. Feels like they are a team that's gonna break out 2-3 seasons before people expect them to

our issue is that we have exactly (no hyperbole) two players who can score in dort and shai at a nba rotational player level + one rookie who has insane passing but is a limited scorer still

is why we are an absolutely terrible offense despite good team ball movement (sometimes) and a star scorer in shai

we also dont have any good big

we need more than one great pick to get on track to being a good team

The good thing is you have no shortage of draft picks in the pipeline!

for sure but most are second round, we need to draft a potential star this season and start bringing up vets to win some games and start a competitive culture

i dont know much about draft prospects but holgrem and jabary Smith look good

[MartinToVaught]

Portland's front office seems bad.

I assumed the Norm trade was a case of meddling ownership forcing the front office to get under the luxury tax right now vs. patiently searching for the best deal, but as of today, it looks like their GM really is just dumb. My condolences, Portland fans.

I can't say I'm thrilled about New Orleans getting CJ. They already had some weird voodoo over the Clippers where they always whoop our ass before this trade. I'm nervous as hell about potentially facing them in the play-ins.

[MartinToVaught]

Celtics/Nets looks like the typical 1 vs. 16 game from March Madness.

[Peregrine01]

Most of Kyrie's unavailability has been by choice, not bad luck, whether it's his off-court antics last season or his grandstanding about the vaccine this season.

The same could also be said for Harden last year. Maybe he would have stayed healthy if he hadn't purposely shown up to the season out of shape to sabotage the Rockets and force them to trade him.

This is part and parcel of building around narcissists who don't care about the game, the team they play for, or anything other than themselves.

For this season sure...but Kyrie Irving is injury prone and that has been his problem for the two prior seasons.

I know you love your narratives and even more so you love to hate on people, but the biggest problem for the Nets by far is their health concerns not their "narcissistic' personalities. Their personalities had nothing to do with why they lost last year, much less the year before that.

Going on a "sabbatical" in the middle of the season for vague "personal issues" had nothing to do with injuries. That whole saga last year wasn't much different than him thinking it's okay to be a part-time player this year, even as it's visibly wearing on his teammates. Kyrie is a narcissist who only cares about himself, who never factors in what's best for his team, and thinks he's above honoring his contract. And the Nets have enabled him every step of the way.

It's not hating, it's simple facts. Everyone knew that the Nets were taking a huge risk by uniting the three biggest divas in the league. This isn't some "narrative" I'm spinning out of nothing, this was a widely acknowledged caveat with their team's construction.

Can't say that I disagree with a lot of the sentiments here.

To expand on this, it's incredibly ironic when you think about how all 3 of them ended up where they are now. To take a look at each:

KD: wanted to prove that he can lead a team to a championship after feeling like he didn't get enough credit on the Warriors. Irony is that he could've done that in OKC and seemed to be the only person in the world who didn't know how him joining a 73-win team that beat him in the year prior would be perceived. Disturbed by how others viewed him drove him to find new glory where he would be the undisputed #1. In return, he exchanged a great system and the best and most selfless teammate he ever had for two of the only players that rival him in diva-ness and an unproven organization.

Harden: wanted to join a contending team after declaring his old team as "just not good enough" and came into the season deliberately fat. Irony is that Houston wasn't good enough largely because he himself hamstrung them by forcing them to trade away his best teammate (who got him closest to winning a championship as the lead dog) after said teammate demanded that he play more within a team context at the expense of Harden's gaudy individual stats. Compounding this, Houston was forced to trade for Westbrook who had sky-high usage like him, couldn't shoot and was also on one of the worst contracts in the league. Westbrook soon tired of playing with Harden and the Rockets were once again forced to trade for an even worse contract in John Wall.

Now the team he demanded to be traded to is losing and he's unhappy about a myriad of things and wants to move again when at first all he supposedly wanted was to win a championship.

Kyrie: like KD, wanted to prove he could win without Bron and forced his way out. Went to the Celtics and torpedoed their season with his drama and joined forces with KD to create a contender by themselves. Three seasons have passed and he's torpedoing the very team that he himself played a big part in creating.