2019-20 NBA Season Discussion

[HeartBreakKid]

Not to mention Caruso, I think he's more useful right now than Herro or Robinson too.

It's just hard to compensate for bad play on one side of the basketball, a role player who yeah, probably can't have the highs that those two have, but plays within his role very well and is actually good on defense is just more useful to a wide variety of teams.

Like, how different is Duncan Robinson right now from say, Steve Novak from a few years ago?

Duncan Robinson has a much quicker release and moves around more - more athletic in general by a lot.



Also, KCP is not a very good defender. His defense is very exploitable. Always has been. He never lived up to his defensive potential or came that close to it.



You're going with this assumption that KCP is a great 3 and D player, when he is not. Neither is Danny Green. A great 3 and D player is better than Tyler Herro. Ancient Danny Green is not what I would call a great 3 and D player.


And why are we even speaking hypothetical? Herro and Robinson already proved they can contribute to a championship caliber team. The Heat are a championship caliber team - if they are not, then who the hell is? Only the Lakers? That would just make them outliers, and it's not because of KCP.

[therealbig3]

Not to mention Caruso, I think he's more useful right now than Herro or Robinson too.

It's just hard to compensate for bad play on one side of the basketball, a role player who yeah, probably can't have the highs that those two have, but plays within his role very well and is actually good on defense is just more useful to a wide variety of teams.

Like, how different is Duncan Robinson right now from say, Steve Novak from a few years ago?

Duncan Robinson has a much quicker release and moves around more - more athletic in general by a lot.



Also, KCP is not a very good defender. His defense is very exploitable. Always has been. He never lived up to his defensive potential or came that close to it.

lol, come on man, nobody is saying KCP is a shutdown wing defender...but he's good. Can defend multiple positions, doesn't get beat off the dribble all that much, contests well, rotates well, is never targeted on defense unless it's an obvious mismatch. He's easily an above average defender for the Lakers, while being a good spot up shooter.

He's certainly nowhere near as exploitable as someone like Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro, who are essentially the Lakers offensive gamplan, in the sense that the Lakers are bum hunting those two nearly every possession.

[HeartBreakKid]

Not to mention Caruso, I think he's more useful right now than Herro or Robinson too.

It's just hard to compensate for bad play on one side of the basketball, a role player who yeah, probably can't have the highs that those two have, but plays within his role very well and is actually good on defense is just more useful to a wide variety of teams.

Like, how different is Duncan Robinson right now from say, Steve Novak from a few years ago?

Duncan Robinson has a much quicker release and moves around more - more athletic in general by a lot.



Also, KCP is not a very good defender. His defense is very exploitable. Always has been. He never lived up to his defensive potential or came that close to it.

lol, come on man, nobody is saying KCP is a shutdown wing defender...but he's good. Can defend multiple positions, doesn't get beat off the dribble all that much, contests well, rotates well, is never targeted on defense unless it's an obvious mismatch. He's easily an above average defender for the Lakers, while being a good spot up shooter.

He's certainly nowhere near as exploitable as someone like Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro, who are essentially the Lakers offensive gamplan, in the sense that the Lakers are bum hunting those two nearly every possession.

Yeah, he's an above average defender. That's really all you can say about him.

Actually, I do very much get the vibe that people are saying he is some type of great defensive player. He's not. He's a decent 3 and D guy. That's really it.


The Lakers have Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Those are big deals...what other teams would KCP would be so useful on? He wasn't even hitting shots before the finals - he would be considered a whipping boy on most other teams. You can't just say "well, he is good but only when ti comes to championship teams" - then name these teams? The Clippers? Bucks? Celtics? He doesn't make any of those teams better, so what other teams are we talking about here?

Again - the Heat are the second best team in the league, and part of that is because of Tyler Herro. How does that not have any impact whatsoever just because the Lakers are better? The Lakers are not better because KCP > Herro.

[therealbig3]

Not to mention Caruso, I think he's more useful right now than Herro or Robinson too.

It's just hard to compensate for bad play on one side of the basketball, a role player who yeah, probably can't have the highs that those two have, but plays within his role very well and is actually good on defense is just more useful to a wide variety of teams.

Like, how different is Duncan Robinson right now from say, Steve Novak from a few years ago?

Duncan Robinson has a much quicker release and moves around more - more athletic in general by a lot.



Also, KCP is not a very good defender. His defense is very exploitable. Always has been. He never lived up to his defensive potential or came that close to it.



You're going with this assumption that KCP is a great 3 and D player, when he is not. Neither is Danny Green. A great 3 and D player is better than Tyler Herro. Ancient Danny Green is not what I would call a great 3 and D player.


And why are we even speaking hypothetical? Herro and Robinson already proved they can contribute to a championship caliber team. The Heat are a championship caliber team - if they are not, then who the hell is? Only the Lakers? That would just make them outliers, and it's not because of KCP.

This year, KCP is a great 3 and D player.

Ancient Danny Green isn't because of his 3pt shooting, which has been trash. But he was 37% during the RS, if he was able to maintain that, then yeah, he's better too.

I think the Nuggets/Clippers/Jazz would all be better off with KCP and "normal" Danny Green than with Herro or Robinson, because their defense would be compromised with the latter two and not with KCP or Green.

[therealbig3]

Duncan Robinson has a much quicker release and moves around more - more athletic in general by a lot.



Also, KCP is not a very good defender. His defense is very exploitable. Always has been. He never lived up to his defensive potential or came that close to it.

lol, come on man, nobody is saying KCP is a shutdown wing defender...but he's good. Can defend multiple positions, doesn't get beat off the dribble all that much, contests well, rotates well, is never targeted on defense unless it's an obvious mismatch. He's easily an above average defender for the Lakers, while being a good spot up shooter.

He's certainly nowhere near as exploitable as someone like Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro, who are essentially the Lakers offensive gamplan, in the sense that the Lakers are bum hunting those two nearly every possession.

Yeah, he's an above average defender. That's really all you can say about him.

So what are you arguing lol? You just said that he never lived up to his defensive potential or ever came close to it really...is this just semantics, that he's not "very good" but he's "above average"? The point is, he doesn't hurt the Lakers defense and actually contributes to it. You can't target him and play him off the floor. That's not the case with Herro or Robinson...the Lakers are doing just that.

So he's not Gary Payton. So what? He's still a good defender and a good shooter. That makes him a good 3 and D player, which is more useful in the playoffs than Herro or Robinson.

[HeartBreakKid]

Not to mention Caruso, I think he's more useful right now than Herro or Robinson too.

It's just hard to compensate for bad play on one side of the basketball, a role player who yeah, probably can't have the highs that those two have, but plays within his role very well and is actually good on defense is just more useful to a wide variety of teams.

Like, how different is Duncan Robinson right now from say, Steve Novak from a few years ago?

Duncan Robinson has a much quicker release and moves around more - more athletic in general by a lot.



Also, KCP is not a very good defender. His defense is very exploitable. Always has been. He never lived up to his defensive potential or came that close to it.



You're going with this assumption that KCP is a great 3 and D player, when he is not. Neither is Danny Green. A great 3 and D player is better than Tyler Herro. Ancient Danny Green is not what I would call a great 3 and D player.


And why are we even speaking hypothetical? Herro and Robinson already proved they can contribute to a championship caliber team. The Heat are a championship caliber team - if they are not, then who the hell is? Only the Lakers? That would just make them outliers, and it's not because of KCP.

This year, KCP is a great 3 and D player.

Ancient Danny Green isn't because of his 3pt shooting, which has been trash. But he was 37% during the RS, if he was able to maintain that, then yeah, he's better too.

I think the Nuggets/Clippers/Jazz would all be better off with KCP and "normal" Danny Green than with Herro or Robinson, because their defense would be compromised with the latter two and not with KCP or Green.

If I was shooting 44% and had Jordan's athleticism I'd be an all-star. Obviously PRIME Danny Green is better than Herro, he is better than KCP also. He is not in his prime anymore...so no, he is not better than Tyler Herro. He would be considered an awful player on all the other contenders. He is considered an awful player even on the Lakers.

You are attaching a player to an entire archtype. You are basically saying 3 and D guys > Herro - but not even evaluating the quality of that 3 and D guy. Who is the worst 3 and D guy you would take over Tyler Herro?

There is no way the Clippers and Jazz would be better - you think they lack defensive players? They need guys who can make plays not spot up guys.


You also cannot evaluate that someone is a bad defender based on the match up of one series. Its not nearly as easy to "head hunt" the Heat's shooters as you say it is.

[HeartBreakKid]

lol, come on man, nobody is saying KCP is a shutdown wing defender...but he's good. Can defend multiple positions, doesn't get beat off the dribble all that much, contests well, rotates well, is never targeted on defense unless it's an obvious mismatch. He's easily an above average defender for the Lakers, while being a good spot up shooter.

He's certainly nowhere near as exploitable as someone like Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro, who are essentially the Lakers offensive gamplan, in the sense that the Lakers are bum hunting those two nearly every possession.

Yeah, he's an above average defender. That's really all you can say about him.

So what are you arguing lol? You just said that he never lived up to his defensive potential or ever came close to it really...is this just semantics, that he's not "very good" but he's "above average"? The point is, he doesn't hurt the Lakers defense and actually contributes to it. You can't target him and play him off the floor. That's not the case with Herro or Robinson...the Lakers are doing just that.

So he's not Gary Payton. So what? He's still a good defender and a good shooter. That makes him a good 3 and D player, which is more useful in the playoffs than Herro or Robinson.

I'm arguing that he is not a great defender... he is a decent one. Not a GOOD one, not a great, not elite, not "Gary Payton".

You guys realize there are different levels of defense right? There isn't just "above average" and "gary payton" - there is a lot in between that.

So who is the worst 3 and D player who is better than Tyler Herro? I don't think you can evaluate the difference in quality between 3 and D players, they are all not equal. The fact that you pair Danny Geen with KCP kind of reveals that - you know Danny Green was a much better player than KCP right?



But sure - if we are evaluating goodness by who pairs with lebron james the best (the guy who basically has played with 3 and D guys for a decade!), then sure - I guess a 3 and d guy is better...? That's great if your team has Lebron James.

[GSP]

Kcp is a really good defender. His defense off ball is a big reason why Robinson has had a mostly mediocre series. He's been glued to him.off ball

[therealbig3]

Duncan Robinson has a much quicker release and moves around more - more athletic in general by a lot.



Also, KCP is not a very good defender. His defense is very exploitable. Always has been. He never lived up to his defensive potential or came that close to it.

lol, come on man, nobody is saying KCP is a shutdown wing defender...but he's good. Can defend multiple positions, doesn't get beat off the dribble all that much, contests well, rotates well, is never targeted on defense unless it's an obvious mismatch. He's easily an above average defender for the Lakers, while being a good spot up shooter.

He's certainly nowhere near as exploitable as someone like Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro, who are essentially the Lakers offensive gamplan, in the sense that the Lakers are bum hunting those two nearly every possession.

Yeah, he's an above average defender. That's really all you can say about him.

Actually, I do very much get the vibe that people are saying he is some type of great defensive player. He's not. He's a decent 3 and D guy. That's really it.


The Lakers have Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Those are big deals...what other teams would KCP would be so useful on? He wasn't even hitting shots before the finals - he would be considered a whipping boy on most other teams. You can't just say "well, he is good but only when ti comes to championship teams" - then name these teams? The Clippers? Bucks? Celtics? He doesn't make any of those teams better, so what other teams are we talking about here?

Again - the Heat are the second best team in the league, and part of that is because of Tyler Herro. How does that not have any impact whatsoever just because the Lakers are better? The Lakers are not better because KCP > Herro.

The argument is whether or not he'd be more useful for those teams than Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson. IMO, yes he would be. He's not the shooter they are, but he's still very good and deserves respect as a spot up shooter by opposing defenses. And he can be a positive impact defender for them too.

And you're not really responding to the point that the less weaknesses you have in your lineup, the less you're figured out in the playoffs. Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are for sure better offensively than KCP...but they're also a lot worse defensively (if this is a point of contention for you, then there's no point in continuing, because you're the only one that either thinks KCP isn't a good defender, or that Herro or Robinson aren't big negatives on defense). Meaning, they can be picked apart on defense in a way that KCP can't be, which means a lot of their offensive impact is negated. And KCP can still contribute on offense.

The way I see it, Herro and Robinson are like +5 on offense, and -2 on defense. KCP is a +3 on offense and a +1 on defense.

[HeartBreakKid]

lol, come on man, nobody is saying KCP is a shutdown wing defender...but he's good. Can defend multiple positions, doesn't get beat off the dribble all that much, contests well, rotates well, is never targeted on defense unless it's an obvious mismatch. He's easily an above average defender for the Lakers, while being a good spot up shooter.

He's certainly nowhere near as exploitable as someone like Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro, who are essentially the Lakers offensive gamplan, in the sense that the Lakers are bum hunting those two nearly every possession.

Yeah, he's an above average defender. That's really all you can say about him.

Actually, I do very much get the vibe that people are saying he is some type of great defensive player. He's not. He's a decent 3 and D guy. That's really it.


The Lakers have Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Those are big deals...what other teams would KCP would be so useful on? He wasn't even hitting shots before the finals - he would be considered a whipping boy on most other teams. You can't just say "well, he is good but only when ti comes to championship teams" - then name these teams? The Clippers? Bucks? Celtics? He doesn't make any of those teams better, so what other teams are we talking about here?

Again - the Heat are the second best team in the league, and part of that is because of Tyler Herro. How does that not have any impact whatsoever just because the Lakers are better? The Lakers are not better because KCP > Herro.

The argument is whether or not he'd be more useful for those teams than Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson. IMO, yes he would be. He's not the shooter they are, but he's still very good and deserves respect as a spot up shooter by opposing defenses. And he can be a positive impact defender for them too.

And you're not really responding to the point that the less weaknesses you have in your lineup, the less you're figured out in the playoffs. Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are for sure better offensively than KCP...but they're also a lot worse defensively (if this is a point of contention for you, then there's no point in continuing, because you're the only one that either thinks KCP isn't a good defender, or that Herro or Robinson aren't big negatives on defense). Meaning, they can be picked apart on defense in a way that KCP can't be, which means a lot of their offensive impact is negated. And KCP can still contribute on offense.

The way I see it, Herro and Robinson are like +5 on offense, and -2 on defense. KCP is a +3 on offense and a +1 on defense.

But Herro and Robinson cannot be picked apart by most teams - the Lakers can do it because the Lakers are the best team in the league by a lot this season. All other teams TRY to head hunt the shooters and it doesn't work out that well, because they're not actually THAT bad. They are more like 0 or -1 on defense. The Heat can still play good defense when they are on the court. If they can play good defense, then how exploitable are they really?


I'm not sure if KCP is really that good on offense. Yes, he stretches the floor - but if he's cold then people will cheat off of him. It hasn't mattered this post season because the Lakers out matched everyone regardless. There is a reason why KCP is getting attention this finals series, it's because before he was not making shots. He would kill a lot of teams if he can't make shots, I know your numbers are arbitrary but the gap in offense between Herro/DR is much bigger.

[HeartBreakKid]

Again - arguing if a player is better than another and only drawing from one series is weak.

If one want to argue KCP is better than Herro - then why not reference the things BEFORE this series? Literally almost every point about either player is just from this series, that seems like when people argue about Allen Iverson and then only focus on 2001. If KCP is that much better there should be mountains of evidence to suggest so, not just one lopsided series.

[therealbig3]

If I was shooting 44% and had Jordan's athleticism I'd be an all-star. Obviously PRIME Danny Green is better than Herro, he is better than KCP also. He is not in his prime anymore...so no, he is not better than Tyler Herro. He would be considered an awful player on all the other contenders. He is considered an awful player even on the Lakers.

He shot 37% from 3 THIS YEAR. A 37% 3pt shooter that plays Green's defense is better than Herro. The reason he sucks right now is because he's shooting 33% in the playoffs and 23% in the Finals.

You also cannot evaluate that someone is a bad defender based on the match up of one series. Its not nearly as easy to "head hunt" the Heat's shooters as you say it is.

Meh, Heej actually had a good post about it, and I agree that the Celtics just didn't play it right and dropped the ball in that respect. I think you definitely need there right combo of shooters and secondary playmakers in order to pull it off, so not every team can do it...but the Celtics certainly could have.

And much of NBA strategy is to see what works and start adopting it. It may not have been as obvious around the league that they can be exploited on defense this way...until the Lakers are showing us how to do it. Maybe the second time around, other teams can pick on Herro and Robinson a lot more until they improve defensively.

The fact that they CAN be targeted, while KCP can't, just makes him much less exploitable, so that his contributions become additive and not a balancing act. Overall, that leads to a more useful player, because at least he's not hurting you.

This is an extreme example, but it's kind of like Horford vs prime Amare. I'm taking Horford every time, because he's good on both sides of the ball, while Amare gives back nearly everything he gives you on offense on the defensive end.

Also, you're underrating KCP's defense if you think he's closer to average than elite. I think he's very good, like among the better defenders at his position around the league.

[therealbig3]

Again - arguing if a player is better than another and only drawing from one series is weak.

If one want to argue KCP is better than Herro - then why not reference the things BEFORE this series? Literally almost every point about either player is just from this series, that seems like when people argue about Allen Iverson and then only focus on 2001. If KCP is that much better there should be mountains of evidence to suggest so, not just one lopsided series.

Because the Celtics played dumb against the Heat? We're to give Herro credit for taking advantage of a dumb team?

Heej had a post breaking that down, the Celtics COULD have attacked Herro a lot more than they did, and they dropped the ball on that.

[Bidofo]

But Herro and Robinson cannot be picked apart by most teams - the Lakers can do it because the Lakers are the best team in the league by a lot this season. All other teams TRY to head hunt the shooters and it doesn't work out that well, because they're not actually THAT bad. They are more like 0 or -1 on defense. The Heat can still play good defense when they are on the court. If they can play good defense, then how exploitable are they really?

I don't have a particular horse in this discussion, but this reasoning brings up an interesting thought: if the Lakers are clearly the best team in the league and you know you have to beat them in a series to win the 2020 championship, how vulnerable on defense are Robinson and Herro really in the context of winning a championship this year? In other words, aren't they as bad defensively as they would be/are in a series against the Lakers?

[Heej]

But Herro and Robinson cannot be picked apart by most teams - the Lakers can do it because the Lakers are the best team in the league by a lot this season. All other teams TRY to head hunt the shooters and it doesn't work out that well, because they're not actually THAT bad. They are more like 0 or -1 on defense. The Heat can still play good defense when they are on the court. If they can play good defense, then how exploitable are they really?

I don't have a particular horse in this discussion, but this reasoning brings up an interesting thought: if the Lakers are clearly the best team in the league and you know you have to beat them in a series to win the 2020 championship, how vulnerable on defense are Robinson and Herro really in the context of winning a championship this year? In other words, aren't they as bad defensively as they would be/are in a series against the Lakers?

This lol. Same thing would've happened with the Nuggets too. Same thing would've happened vs the Raptors or Warriors last year or Cavs and Warriors from 2015 on (pre-KD warriors probably look to exploit them more off-ball if anything). These are the types of teams you have to go through to win a championship. If you're providing weaknesses vs championship level teams that are proven to be exploited then you're a liability plain and simple.

The Celtics are not, and likely never will be a true championship level team unless they change their approach. This is 3 seasons in a row now of them underperforming relative to their talent. If you think surviving against the Celtics is your barometer for what constitutes a championship team you're in for a rude awakening for whatever you think is important to win rings in basketball for this next decade. Ditto with the Bucks. Good job on surviving vs pretenders, but the Lakers are basically a standard or slightly better than average champion from 2010-2020. If you can't cut it vs this how are you gonna cut it vs better versions and better teams as we go further into this decade.

Side note: This is the same reason why I think Giannis going to the Heat wouldn't create the juggernaut team people think should come from it because Spo is gonna have to keep coaching at an all time great/GOAT level just to account for his best lineup being comprised of 3 guys that can't shoot 3s and 2 guys that can't defend.

[Orin]

You guys are discrediting Boston and the Bucks, calling themp "stupids" and "frauds" instead of giving credits to the Heat. Everybody was saying that the Heat would get smashed, that Herro/Robinson would get played off the court (including against the Pacers). That Warren/Oladipo/Brogdon would kill the Heat white guys. That Middleton/Giannis/Blesoe would feast. Then it was Kemba/Brown/Tatum/Hayward/Smart. This is the first series in the playoff where it's actually true, but since people are so focused on performance, I don't know why we are ignoring again that the Heat role players are playing with Olynik/Nunn instead of Bam/Dragic and acting like that doesn't have any impact on how they perform. I do think that calling Herro and Duncan "the worst players in the league on defense" is a gross exageration, especially since we managed to play good defense with them in the 4th quarter for three straights series.

I hear what Heej and therealbig3 are saying about how important it is not to have weakness on defense in the playoffs, and I agree, it's nothing new. Herro and Robinson are slight negatives on defense who can get bullied by strong players, and that's enough for Lebron to hunt them. But Kevin Love was also hunted and played off the floor by the Warriors, are you guys also going to argue that Love was a worse player than KCP?

Not having weakness is important, but it is also important to have enough weapons to rely on in the playoffs. Herro and Robinson are weapons, Herro right now is 6th man who can score in multiples ways, create for others and is able to hit tough and clutch shots. Robinson is one of the scariest shooter in the league, and Miami uses that gravity to run sets through him and generate buckets without him even touching the ball. Herro not being able to be the second option on offense in the finals against a very good defensive team just means that he is not a star yet, it doesn't mean that he is not a good role player. Robinson being in a shooting slump doesn't mean that he is not one of the very best 3 point shooter in the league.

KCP and Green are not weapons. They provide you slight positive values on both ends. Their gravitiy on offense is not in the same universe than the other two. Teams are letting KCP and Green shoot wide open threes, that's the play they are giving up because they play next to two of the five best player in the league. Teams are planning against Duncan 3pts shot first and foremost, because that's one of the most dangerous play in the league. And btw, KCP and Green are being hunted by Butler. That's why they had to put AD on Butler, because he was bullying all the other Lakers defenders.

Now, who provides more value to a team in terms of winning a championship? Well, it depends on your roster. 3&D players are generally more portable, but I would argue that if the Lakers had Duncan Robinson instead of Morris, Kuzma, or Green, they'd be much better on offense, while not being that much worse on defense, especially with AD and Lebron being monsters on that end.

[Heej]

^What this guy doesn't get when bringing in KLove into the argument is that you have to compare archetypes within the same tier of player. KLove is in a completely different tier than all these guys.

Also, don't defend the Bucks and the Celtics. They clearly don't understand what it takes to win in the playoffs. If you're not willing to deviate from your same offensive system or defensive scheme in the playoffs when the time calls for it, you're a fraud. Plain and simple. Even Steve Kerr would turn to spamming Curry PNR when it was winning time.

Orin makes a fair point about Robinson being a weapon, but it's been proven time and time again that with the Kyle Korver archetype of player they get worse the deeper a run/series goes. Those type of gimmick system buckets just get harder to come by. Eventually it gets to a point where most of the time you're wasting 10 seconds on the shot clock trying to get to what's ultimately become a low EV play and you're better off just getting reliable offense from a star. And also man, that dude just plain has the worst shot selection I've ever seen from a player lol. I get Miami fans' infatuation with Duncan Robinson but I could never get behind someone throwing up as many rushed and contested looks from 25 feet as I've seen that guy shoot. I'm good off that man being anywhere near my team.

[kayess]

^What this guy doesn't get when bringing in KLove into the argument is that you have to compare archetypes within the same tier of player. KLove is in a completely different tier than all these guys.

Also, don't defend the Bucks and the Celtics. They clearly don't understand what it takes to win in the playoffs. If you're not willing to deviate from your same offensive system or defensive scheme in the playoffs when the time calls for it, you're a fraud. Plain and simple. Even Steve Kerr would turn to spamming Curry PNR when it was winning time.

Orin makes a fair point about Robinson being a weapon, but it's been proven time and time again that with the Kyle Korver archetype of player they get worse the deeper a run/series goes. Those type of gimmick system buckets just get harder to come by. Eventually it gets to a point where most of the time you're wasting 10 seconds on the shot clock trying to get to what's ultimately become a low EV play and you're better off just getting reliable offense from a star. And also man, that dude just plain has the worst shot selection I've ever seen from a player lol. I get Miami fans' infatuation with Duncan Robinson but I could never get behind someone throwing up as many rushed and contested looks from 25 feet as I've seen that guy shoot. I'm good off that man being anywhere near my team.

He'll probably counter by saying Robinson's a tier above Kyle (probably true; maybe not to the same extent Love is vs. all these guys). Maybe he is going to be Steph-lite in that he's like 80% of what Steph is off-ball and he literally cannot get separation or else he will bury you, but we'll see.

[jackpal]

Several NBA coaches are also planning to coach in the Tokyo Olympics or in qualifying: San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich will coach USA Basketball and be assisted by Golden State’s Steve Kerr and Atlanta’s Lloyd Pierce; Golden State associate head coach Mike Brown is set to coach Nigeria; Toronto assistant Sergio Scariolo will coach Spain and Raptors head coach Nick Nurse will lead Canada in qualifying and then the Olympics should it qualify.

“These are highly unique and unusual circumstances,” Silver said. “And I think just as it is for the Olympic movement, it is for us as well. And we’re just going to have to sort of finding a way to meld and mesh those two competing considerations.”

[RCM88x]

I think they have to take the Olympics into consideration, maybe if just the Finals are still going it would allow the majority of guys to go?

Granted who knows when the Olympics will actually happen next summer if at all. Feel like the next NBA season is definitely more of a sure thing than the Olympics are at this point.