2020-21 NBA Season Discussion

Post #1321 » by **Clyde Frazier** » Mon Mar 8, 2021 10:13 pm

I've been watching a lot of the g league bubble games and vince carter has been calling some of them. He's *worlds* better than mark jackson, webber and reggie. His experience prior to this was pretty minimal (summer league and a few ESPN appearances here and there?) so he's just a natural. I know he had a podcast but that's obviously a different format. ESPN was smart to lock him up. Can't wait for him to start calling NBA games.

Max123 · Post #1322 » by **Max123** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 7:21 pm

Can someone explain to why the Suns are doing so well? I haven’t watched many games and I can’t seem to be able to put it together by just watching who’s on the team and their advanced metrics?

Post #1323 » by **Texas Chuck** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 7:33 pm

Max123 wrote:Can someone explain to why the Suns are doing so well? I haven’t watched many games and I can’t seem to be able to put it together by just watching who’s on the team and their advanced metrics?

Chris Paul is really freaking good at basketball and Mikal Bridges took a significant leap. Those are the big ones. Then Crowder just knows how to play more than the more talented Oubre so that was another upgrade. Monty Williams being in year 2, players are more comfortable with the system. Saric has really found his place in the league finally.

But mainly this is the Chris Paul effect and Bridge turning into an absolute stud.

Post #1324 » by **bondom34** » Sat Mar 13, 2021 7:40 pm

Their bench has been a bit under the radar too. Chuck mentioned Saric, but Cam Payne is now a quality rotation player, Kaminsky's been solid, and Cam Johnson ended up being a move I was wrong on (have to remember to eat crow there on the trade board). Their starters are posting negative on/offs, which is kind of wild (on/off is noisy but its almost straight down the line starters/bench which is still wild).

Chuck mentioned Paul and Bridges, but had to check the BBR info and 3rd on their team in BPM is.....Cam Payne! Which I never thought I'd be saying, he's been legitimately good to very good for them. Ayton I'm still confused by, but really they're a solid roster top to bottom.

Post #1325 » by **bondom34** » Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:36 pm

POKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Edit: And SGA (he's been legitimately amazing and people haven't seemed to notice as much this year), but POKUUUUUUUUUUUU.

therealbig3 · Post #1326 » by **therealbig3** » Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:02 pm

bondom34 wrote:POKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Edit: And SGA (he's been legitimately amazing and people haven't seemed to notice as much this year), but POKUUUUUUUUUUUU.

SGA has been comparable to Paul George by himself lol, let alone all the other assets the Clippers gave up for him.

Post #1327 » by **bondom34** » Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:11 pm

therealbig3 wrote:
bondom34 wrote:POKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Edit: And SGA (he's been legitimately amazing and people haven't seemed to notice as much this year), but POKUUUUUUUUUUUU.

SGA has been comparable to Paul George by himself lol, let alone all the other assets the Clippers gave up for him.

Admit I never saw this coming from him, but he's firmly put himself in the upper tier of young guards to me (Vecenie had him as the sixth ranked prospect in the NBA and think I'd even put him over another but close enough). I'm so confused how they keep winning.

parsnips33 wrote:Thunder fans/viewers:

How has Al Horford been this year? I know a lot of people speculated his sudden downturn last year was a result of playing out of position next to Embiid - has that borne out? Is he playing more center now and does he seem to be more in line with his impact in Boston? He's definitely a player it's hard to gauge just looking at the box score

Also just saw this post now but he's been solid. He's overpaid, but definitely seems like a fit issue in Philly which wasn't tough to believe. Even last year his non-Embiid lineups were good and that seems to be following. Playing pretty much all center that I can think of, and they're resting him plenty (and still can't tank), but overall he's been solid and wouldn't be surprised if he's just traded this off-season for expirings or similar.

He'd be pretty good on a few teams right now...tbh including Boston.

Edit: If I recall, his impact numbers weren't bad last year either and are pretty comparable this year. Almost think it was an optics thing in Philly.

therealbig3 · Post #1328 » by **therealbig3** » Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:25 pm

Horford is a guy that confuses me...he's someone who in terms of skillset should be able to fit seamlessly next to anyone. But that hasn't actually panned out. Was an awkward fit in Boston next to Kyrie. Went to Philly and on paper, seems like a great fit next to Embiid, since Horford can shoot and pass and defend on the perimeter...but that wasn't ideal either.

Post #1329 » by **bondom34** » Mon Mar 15, 2021 2:22 am

Anthony Edwards is fun I think. Not watching much Wolves, but there seem to be flashes.

Read on Twitter

mikejames23 · Post #1330 » by **mikejames23** » Mon Mar 15, 2021 2:40 am

Bruh would give something good to see Poku in a Knicks jersey.

OKC no luck after their superstar era. Dort/SGA seems like a good start tho.

HeartBreakKid · Post #1331 » by **HeartBreakKid** » Mon Mar 15, 2021 6:35 am

I thought SGA was the best prospect in his draft including over Luka. Luka ended up going crazy in his second season so it would be ignorant to die on my sword with that one - but SGA as #2 yeah.

Certainly thought the Thunder made out like bandits in that trade.

Post #1332 » by **Goudelock** » Mon Mar 15, 2021 3:59 pm

bondom34 wrote:Anthony Edwards is fun I think. Not watching much Wolves, but there seem to be flashes.

Read on Twitter

Between Edwards, McDaniels, Vanderbilt, and KAT, the Wolves are a lowkey fun team to watch. Especially now that DLO and Beasley aren't chucking up shots every other possession.

Krodis · Post #1333 » by **Krodis** » Tue Mar 16, 2021 5:55 pm

DeAndre Jordan is probably the most skilled starting center Harden has played with. And that’s sad.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

therealbig3 · Post #1334 » by **therealbig3** » Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:29 pm

So was the Randle play a travel or not?

The debate seems to be whether or not Kyrie making contact with the ball made him lose control or not. In my biased view, on first watch, it didn’t look like he lost control, and so it was a travel.

In that situation, Randle coming down with the ball means it should be a jump ball then? Deciding to put the ball down and dribble is what made it a travel?

Idk, I can see it being assumed almost automatically by the player that if the ball gets hit while they’re trying to shoot, it resets their possession with the ball.

The play:

Watch on YouTube

eminence · Post #1335 » by **eminence** » Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:40 pm

That's just a foul on Kyrie, he scrapes him on the elbow on the follow through, dunno about the rest.

Not an egregious missed call or anything as best I can tell.

yoyoboy · Post #1336 » by **yoyoboy** » Tue Mar 16, 2021 8:28 pm

Yeah SGA is a stud. Really bummed the Cavs didn’t draft him but he apparently didn’t want to play for Cleveland.

Max123 · Post #1337 » by **Max123** » Tue Mar 16, 2021 10:51 pm

Can someone explain to me the Ben Simmons for DPOY hype train? Looking at the advanced metrics there is nothing to suggest anything of the sort.

eminence · Post #1338 » by **eminence** » Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:33 am

Max123 wrote:Can someone explain to me the Ben Simmons for DPOY hype train? Looking at the advanced metrics there is nothing to suggest anything of the sort.

A) He's a very good defender. B) His team is good, both overall and defensively. C) He looks like what people want a good defender to look like, up in guys face, very aggressive on-ball defender.

I personally have Gobert pretty clearly as DPOY again. Close to a 1 man top 5 unit in Utah. LeBron's quarterbacking of LA has also been impressive.

Max123 · Post #1339 » by **Max123** » Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:49 am

eminence wrote:
Max123 wrote:Can someone explain to me the Ben Simmons for DPOY hype train? Looking at the advanced metrics there is nothing to suggest anything of the sort.

A) He's a very good defender. B) His team is good, both overall and defensively. C) He looks like what people want a good defender to look like, up in guys face, very aggressive on-ball defender.

I personally have Gobert pretty clearly as DPOY again. Close to a 1 man top 5 unit in Utah. LeBron's quarterbacking of LA has also been impressive.

Fair, I think you are on to something here. It does seem like people appreciate the Ben Simmons aesthetic of defense more than a Rudy Gobert even though, at the very least in the regular season, it's quite clear that big men like Gobert have a bigger impact than Simmons. Would you prefer Simmons over Lebron defensively this season if we restrict our analysis only to guards/wings?

Post #1340 » by **Texas Chuck** » Wed Mar 17, 2021 1:20 pm

Dame is just ridiculous this year.