2024-25 NBA Season Discussion

[Colbinii]

Oh right, it was either/or, wasn't it?

Either way, if they do have our 2025, it's protected anyway.

Yeah it was Top 6 protected in 2024 [and would have rolled over to 2025 if it didn't convey] but because of the lottery balls it conveyed. Toronto finished with the 6th worst record [and the Pick was Top 6 protected] but then Atlanta and Houston jumped up to #1 and #3 respectively.

I think I might have confused 2024 and 2025 then. But I guess regardless, we're clear to suck and maybe get a decent pick out of it, heh.

The group of Toronto, Charlotte, Detroit and Atlanta are interesting because all of them could be Play-In teams if the right player(s) make a leap [or if Trae stays healthy]. I see Brooklyn, Chicago and Washington all having little hope of being remotely competitive.

[tsherkin]

The group of Toronto, Charlotte, Detroit and Atlanta are interesting because all of them could be Play-In teams if the right player(s) make a leap [or if Trae stays healthy]. I see Brooklyn, Chicago and Washington all having little hope of being remotely competitive.

I'd be flabbergasted if we were top 10 in the conference, tbh. But if Scottie suddenly becomes a good scorer and carries us even to a play-in elimination, then I will happily eat crow.

[AEnigma]

Oh right, it was either/or, wasn't it?

Either way, if they do have our 2025, it's protected anyway.

Yeah it was Top 6 protected in 2024 [and would have rolled over to 2025 if it didn't convey] but because of the lottery balls it conveyed. Toronto finished with the 6th worst record [and the Pick was Top 6 protected] but then Atlanta and Houston jumped up to #1 and #3 respectively.

I think I might have confused 2024 and 2025 then. But I guess regardless, we're clear to suck and maybe get a decent pick out of it, heh.

Yep, my bad, for whatever reason I thought I remembered reading something about it not conveying. Definitely should be something of a tank year then.

[Colbinii]

The group of Toronto, Charlotte, Detroit and Atlanta are interesting because all of them could be Play-In teams if the right player(s) make a leap [or if Trae stays healthy]. I see Brooklyn, Chicago and Washington all having little hope of being remotely competitive.

I'd be flabbergasted if we were top 10 in the conference, tbh. But if Scottie suddenly becomes a good scorer and carries us even to a play-in elimination, then I will happily eat crow.

I see all of Toronto, Charlotte, Detroit and Atlanta having roughly equal chances fighting for the 2 Play-In spots. That gives Toronto close to a 50% chance

[tsherkin]

Yep, my bad, for whatever reason I thought I remembered reading something about it not conveying. Definitely should be something of a tank year then.

All good. We desperately need to suck this year and get a high pick which pays off, lol.

I see all of Toronto, Charlotte, Detroit and Atlanta having roughly equal chances fighting for the 2 Play-In spots. That gives Toronto close to a 50% chance

I hope we don't, to be honest. We need an infusion of talent pretty badly.

[Fadeaway_J]

Do people generally have Knicks over Bucks going into the year? Not sure what I should be thinking about Milwaukee

That Bucks team just seems to have so much disaster potential compared to previous years. At the very least, I think New York is a better bet in the regular season.

[tsherkin]

Do people generally have Knicks over Bucks going into the year? Not sure what I should be thinking about Milwaukee

That Bucks team just seems to have so much disaster potential compared to previous years. At the very least, I think New York is a better bet in the regular season.

We'll see what happens with Giannis, I guess. And with Lillard's impact on their D.

[Fadeaway_J]

Do people generally have Knicks over Bucks going into the year? Not sure what I should be thinking about Milwaukee

That Bucks team just seems to have so much disaster potential compared to previous years. At the very least, I think New York is a better bet in the regular season.

We'll see what happens with Giannis, I guess. And with Lillard's impact on their D.

It's just alarming how little they've done to build on the foundation they had with the vets. Giannis is still a monster, but outside of him you have Lopez heading into his age 36 season, Middleton coming off two ankle surgeries, and 34-year-old Dame as the guys you're relying on, with no-one waiting in the wings ready to take on a larger role if necessary. That's super precarious, and the latter two have already shown signs of slippage. And this may be a hot take, but Doc as coach doesn't do much to alleviate my concerns either.

[tsherkin]

It's just alarming how little they've done to build on the foundation they had with the vets.

Well, we haven't seen a postseason with Lillard and Giannis together, so there's that.

But yeah, they haven't added an infusion of other talent, for sure. And Doc isn't a particularly good coach. I think he's still riding on the reputation from that COY with Orlando and then winning with KG, Pierce and Ray-Ray. of course, coaching means only so much, but the Bucks do need to get their defensive mojo back. They were below-average last season and that hurt.

[OhayoKD]

Yep, my bad, for whatever reason I thought I remembered reading something about it not conveying. Definitely should be something of a tank year then.

All good. We desperately need to suck this year and get a high pick which pays off, lol.

I see all of Toronto, Charlotte, Detroit and Atlanta having roughly equal chances fighting for the 2 Play-In spots. That gives Toronto close to a 50% chance

I hope we don't, to be honest. We need an infusion of talent pretty badly.

We're going to start dynastying when Masai starts drafting from that african nba thing he was setting up. Trust.

[tsherkin]

Yep, my bad, for whatever reason I thought I remembered reading something about it not conveying. Definitely should be something of a tank year then.

All good. We desperately need to suck this year and get a high pick which pays off, lol.

I see all of Toronto, Charlotte, Detroit and Atlanta having roughly equal chances fighting for the 2 Play-In spots. That gives Toronto close to a 50% chance

I hope we don't, to be honest. We need an infusion of talent pretty badly.

We're going to start dynastying when Masai starts drafting from that african nba thing he was setting up. Trust.

Haha, a return to his "6'9 with wingspan but needs skill development" strategy?

[falcolombardi]

I love international team basketball so goddamn much

[Peregrine01]

I love international team basketball so goddamn much

Me too. Way more watchable than the NBA regular season. Hard-nosed basketball, no foul-baiting, way more intensity.

[OhayoKD]

How is white better than finals mvp, ecf mvp, lockdown d bro who scores 2x as many points?

Bro was literally 2 wins away from winning finals mvp again when white wasnt even starting.

white being better is just crazy

My first thought is that he is a 3+D guy who can fill in at the point, but doesnt need lots of touches or dribbles. Brown is good, but what he does best, the team already has in much better form. Also, White is a better 3pt shooter.

Brown is better as an individual talent. White is better at making a team already stacked with individual talent even better.

Well, this aged terribly.

[jalengreen]

I am really interested to see how future Olympics go - the USA’s reliance on the old stars does not bode well as the international field continues to improve.

[Peregrine01]

I am really interested to see how future Olympics go - the USA’s reliance on the old stars does not bode well as the international field continues to improve.

Definitely not as dominant as now. Bron, KD and Steph are probably still better than the three best young USA players. But the international teams are way more dependent on their lone stars than the USA.

[MyUniBroDavis]

My first thought is that he is a 3+D guy who can fill in at the point, but doesnt need lots of touches or dribbles. Brown is good, but what he does best, the team already has in much better form. Also, White is a better 3pt shooter.

Brown is better as an individual talent. White is better at making a team already stacked with individual talent even better.

Well, this aged terribly.

“Second best player of the 2020s” is out of the team USA rotation too lol

[Peregrine01]

Lebron is still the best player on team USA when he wants to be.

[MyUniBroDavis]

Lebron is still the best player on team USA when he wants to be.

I’ve been led to believe he’s a top 15 player by some on here

[Peregrine01]

Lebron is still the best player on team USA when he wants to be.

I’ve been led to believe he’s a top 15 player by some on here

I’d go as far as to say that he’s the best player in the world during spurts. He can’t sustain that level anymore because of age but it’s crazy how much these sprints look like the vintage version.