2024-25 Season Discussion and Speculation Part IV

[bullsaficianado]

Eagles were out for blood. Chiefs got whooped pretty good.

[Slim Charless]

Pretty shtty Super Bowl… halftime included

I don’t want to sound racist or anything, but anytime there’s a black performer I immediately turn off my tv. So tonight for halftime show guess what I did?

I know you're whole thing is to be a semi troll on this forum but still. I reported you for racism and BW, lilfishi22 or Quigz should give you a ban.

Seriously. Go **** yourself. Scumbag

[SunsRback4Good]

Pretty shtty Super Bowl… halftime included

I don’t want to sound racist or anything, but anytime there’s a black performer I immediately turn off my tv. So tonight for halftime show guess what I did?

I know you're whole thing is to be a semi troll on this forum but still. I reported you for racism and BW, lilfishi22 or Quigz should give you a ban.

Seriously. Go **** yourself. Scumbag

Haha! You pretty much get in fights with anyone on here even call out mods. It was a joke and you take it personal even took a lil on the chin as well. (Wipe yourself off champ). I’m not f—- scared of you like the rest on here might be.

You think I’m scared of getting banned? I could care less weather I post or not. The Suns are gonna be complete garbage for the next decade, so I could care less if I’m banned and not posting.

Anyways, long story short, you don’t put fear in me ur just a hard azz thinking people should be scared of you and bow down to ur ever word. Never gonna happen chump.

[lilfishi22]

Agreed...it just happens. Although I don't think it was Pelinkas silver tongue so much as it was Nico bamboozling himself with fantasies of how his team would look with AD. Pelinkas skills came into play (once Nico had already traded Luka in his head) by negotiating the price downwards.

Similar thing happened to Ishbia when he ordered Jones to trade for KD. Happened to me when I traded Trae Young for an aging Harden and Butler.

Sometimes you just have to step back and breathe.

100%

The fact that teams get away with highway robbery deals where the GM's aren't friends is enough to suggest **** happens. I lean much further along the spectrum of Dumont is a very bad owner who had a very narrow minded view on team culture and now they are the laughing stock of the town, no matter what comes after to justify the trade.

This is just a **** happens on a monumental, franchise changing level

no way. This is possibly the worst deal in the history of the nba. There’s a reason they kept it quiet. No fake GM on this board does this trade, no casual fan. NOBODY. Seeing people talk themselves out of critical thinking is wild.

There will always be a worst trade in NBA history by default. This may very well have taken the cake. Again, I've explained very reasonably how his could've been done without collusion. You say it's wild seeing people talk them out of critical thinking but I can say the exact same thing about people talking themselves into a conspiracy theory.

All it takes is one really dumb NBA owner to tell their GM what to do.

[sunskerr]

100%

The fact that teams get away with highway robbery deals where the GM's aren't friends is enough to suggest **** happens. I lean much further along the spectrum of Dumont is a very bad owner who had a very narrow minded view on team culture and now they are the laughing stock of the town, no matter what comes after to justify the trade.

This is just a **** happens on a monumental, franchise changing level

no way. This is possibly the worst deal in the history of the nba. There’s a reason they kept it quiet. No fake GM on this board does this trade, no casual fan. NOBODY. Seeing people talk themselves out of critical thinking is wild.

There will always be a worst trade in NBA history by default. This may very well have taken the cake. Again, I've explained very reasonably how his could've been done without collusion. You say it's wild seeing people talk them out of critical thinking but I can say the exact same thing about people talking themselves into a conspiracy theory.

All it takes is one really dumb NBA owner to tell their GM what to do.

Yep. One dumb owner, one yes man, and theyve already traded Luka in their heads. That means they probably didn't have a red line/minimum to cross in negotiations. Enter any negotiations like that and you get taken to the cleaners especially since it's Pelinkas job/or any of the 28 other GMs to get as favourable a package as possible.

[sunsbum]

100%

The fact that teams get away with highway robbery deals where the GM's aren't friends is enough to suggest **** happens. I lean much further along the spectrum of Dumont is a very bad owner who had a very narrow minded view on team culture and now they are the laughing stock of the town, no matter what comes after to justify the trade.

This is just a **** happens on a monumental, franchise changing level

no way. This is possibly the worst deal in the history of the nba. There’s a reason they kept it quiet. No fake GM on this board does this trade, no casual fan. NOBODY. Seeing people talk themselves out of critical thinking is wild.

There will always be a worst trade in NBA history by default. This may very well have taken the cake. Again, I've explained very reasonably how his could've been done without collusion. You say it's wild seeing people talk them out of critical thinking but I can say the exact same thing about people talking themselves into a conspiracy theory.

All it takes is one really dumb NBA owner to tell their GM what to do.

all this narrative about Luka coming out of Dallas, then he personally shoots it down, now different narratives coming out. It’s crap. If they had all these problems with him and it was public knowledge they STILL could have gotten 3x what they did for him. In this case ok, the owner wants him gone. Fine. But you trade him for Anthony Davis and a late first rounder in a back alley having coffee? It doesn’t make sense even from this weird “logical” standpoint. This wasn’t just a bad trade, oopsies. There is no way. None, zero chance that any one is that incompetent and doesn’t know the worth of their player even if he was Jimmy butlering them.

[lilfishi22]

no way. This is possibly the worst deal in the history of the nba. There’s a reason they kept it quiet. No fake GM on this board does this trade, no casual fan. NOBODY. Seeing people talk themselves out of critical thinking is wild.

There will always be a worst trade in NBA history by default. This may very well have taken the cake. Again, I've explained very reasonably how his could've been done without collusion. You say it's wild seeing people talk them out of critical thinking but I can say the exact same thing about people talking themselves into a conspiracy theory.

All it takes is one really dumb NBA owner to tell their GM what to do.

all this narrative about Luka coming out of Dallas, then he personally shoots it down, now different narratives coming out. It’s crap. If they had all these problems with him and it was public knowledge they STILL could have gotten 3x what they did for him. In this case ok, the owner wants him gone. Fine. But you trade him for Anthony Davis and a late first rounder in a back alley having coffee? It doesn’t make sense even from this weird “logical” standpoint. This wasn’t just a bad trade, oopsies. There is no way. None, zero chance that any one is that incompetent and doesn’t know the worth of their player even if he was Jimmy butlering them.

But that's the point. Dumont wanted Anthony Davis. They didn't want picks for the future and salary. They didn't want good role players. They specifically wanted AD (and Giannis). When you go in knowing exactly who you want and the other team is open to giving up that player, there is little need to go to any other team because no other teams has an Anthony Davis

At the end of the day, it doesn't take much more than a GM going into negotiation in an already compromised position (directive from owner to get AD, no matter the cost - use Luka) and a GM who knows he's not bidding against anyone else to be stern on not giving up more than said player and some so-so assets.

[thamadkant]

The Luka trade is very bad if you just take it at face value. But look at Paul George, look at Ben Simmons, look at Bradley Beal, look at Kawhi Leonard, look at Zion etc.

Mavericks owners saw Luka every day, they saw the people he hangs out with, he saw the lack of work ethic. As a 25 year old, you'd think he would be ripped or lean and full of motivation. But he's a bit of a slob.. or lazy in regards to body maintenance. He also has a LOT of mileage even though he's young, and its fair to assume that the medical team flagged that Luka is high risk for a huge decline once he hits 30 or he is high risk for injuries that would lead to him missing games.

Its all reasonable for owners who put emphasis on risks.

Also, it could also be his diva behaviour and his intent to leave for bigger spotlights once he secures the super max. The CBA has made it very hard to trade once you're over the apron as Suns have found out.

Another factor could be that Luka is networking with people that doesnt align with the Mavericks ownership.

Another one could be that the Mavericks owner have plans to clean house in 2 years to maybe sell the team, so big long contracts could complicate that. Mavericks owners apparently have big interest in Vegas due to their business interests. Mavericks could be a short term investment to flip once Vegas becomes more feasible.


Also, Davis is no slouch, he had a healthy 2024 season and has played a lot this season, so he looked relatively healthy apart from that abdominal strain that now has re-surfaced and he could be out a month at best.

My biggest issue is that Mavericks should have asked for 3 first rounders at minimum.... but Pelinka using Luka's fitness as bargaining tool also could really be a risk or issue and Mavericks owner didnt want Lakers to backout because once Luka finds out he was being shopped he would probably do a Jimmy Butler and hold the team hostage until he gets what he wants.

[Frank Lee]

Pretty shtty Super Bowl… halftime included

Tell me you're a boomer, without telling me you're a boomer. That show was **** awesome.

Game sucked tho

Tell me you’re a punkazz, without telling me you’re a punkazz. but that’s ok dude. I wont knock you for your lack of exposure.

That show appealed to a very narrow scope of fans. Certainly not the majority of attendees or viewers. Guess this is what happens when they get rid of DEI

[Slim Charless]

Pretty shtty Super Bowl… halftime included

Tell me you're a boomer, without telling me you're a boomer. That show was **** awesome.

Game sucked tho

Tell me you’re a punkazz, without telling me you’re a punkazz. but that’s ok dude. I wont knock you for your lack of exposure.

That show appealed to a very narrow scope of fans. Certainly not the majority of attendees or viewers. Guess this is what happens when they get rid of DEI

I think the majority of viewers were of the younger variety. Hence, why Kendric was there. If it were geared to older people, they would've booked Meryl Haggard or ACDC or whatever. They probably knew boomers were watching Matlock reruns or maybe the Andy Griffith Show.

[NavLDO]

I don't think there is collusion. I just think he got bamboozled, but at the same time lost patience with Luka and really wanted AD in particular.

Spoiler:

Yeah, I know that you personally don't believe there was any collusion involved. But aside from being entitled to your opinion, I just don't know how anyone could look at all the circumstances, connections, statements made, contextual circumstances of how everything played out, etc and come to such a conclusion that there's nothing shady about this trade. Or there's no collusion? I mean it is normal practice to intentionally hide the trade availability of Luka from literally every other NBA franchise and only broker a deal with the lakers GM Rob Pelinka whom Harrison just happened to have a deep friendship with as well as the lakers.

How often has an NBA GM willingly withheld the availability of their franchises generational franchise player knowing if they only made it known that he was available, around 90% of the entire league would field legitimate interest resulting in a much more lucrative offer being tendered?

By Harrison's own admission, he stated that he really only spoke with the lakers about Luka in a trade. And didn't even try to speak to any other teams. And the rest of the league was blindsided by the trade. So considering how Harrison kept Lukas' trade availability secret to the entire rest of the league, and really only let Pelinka know and then brokered a very favorable deal for him and the lakers without any other team even getting an opportunity to submit any offers, how is this not collusion?

Harrison decieved the rest of the NBA GMS/ TEAMS that otherwise might have fielded competitive or greater offers than what they recieved from LA just to ensure that his good friend Pelinka ended up with Luka even on a low value outcome offer ( pennies on the dollar) by comparison to what the Mavs would've gotten had the information on Doncics' availability not been kept secret. Is there a difference in what happened here and the very implicit definition of collusion man?

Regardless of your, and the majority of non-Laker fans view on this, the only thing that matters is if the two GMs did anything 'illegal', or in direct violation to NBA 'policies'. You are intimating to know the exact intent of Nico Harrison, as if his sole purpose was to help another team succeed over the rest of the league. But as has been put forth, it's entirely possible that he feels he got fair compensation for Luka. He may feel that AD, and Christie, together benefits the Mavericks more that Luka does, which, if you look at the Maverick's lack of standout success this season, prior to the trade, it's not entirely improbable.

I get it...it's a bummer for everyone else, but unless it can be proven that Nico did something wrong, we all just have to deal with it.

[Saberestar]

Daniel Theis has cleared waivers and is free to sign with any NBA team, but there may not be an offer available for the 32-year-old big man. He played for four EuroLeague teams before coming to the NBA in 2017, and a return to Europe may be his best option.


SDNA reports that Monaco “has taken a big lead” in the competition for Theis due to his familiarity with its personnel. He worked with assistant coach Ilias Kantzouris for three seasons at Brose Bamberg and was a former teammate of star player Nikos Zisis.

Has Theis regressed so badly that he's not an NBA player anymore?

I hasn't watched any game from him but last year he was fine as a backup C. IMO he is a good intangibles guy who can make a bit of everything at 4/5 and has a high basketball IQ. A lesser version of Horford.

If he is out of the market our options at PF/C (with the Lakers searching too) aren't any good. Waiting for buyouts.

[Frank Lee]

Tell me you're a boomer, without telling me you're a boomer. That show was **** awesome.

Game sucked tho

Tell me you’re a punkazz, without telling me you’re a punkazz. but that’s ok dude. I wont knock you for your lack of exposure.

That show appealed to a very narrow scope of fans. Certainly not the majority of attendees or viewers. Guess this is what happens when they get rid of DEI

I think the majority of viewers were of the younger variety. Hence, why Kendric was there. If it were geared to older people, they would've booked Meryl Haggard or ACDC or whatever. They probably knew boomers were watching Matlock reruns or maybe the Andy Griffith Show.

Atta boy Snidely, what you think and what is are often very different. The tiniest bit of research shows that.

The half time show is geared to try to attract younger viewers not to entertain the actual ones. Networks realized this a few years back when the average age was steadily increasing. It’s all a ratings game. One big commercial engrained into our society/culture

Average age of viewers is 49.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

The Mavs supposedly trading their franchise player due to potential conditioning/ injury concerns clearly makes logical sense as some here are arguing in favor of it. Even the very dumbest, dimwitted, and obtuse owner would still have some modicum of experts/ consultants/ advisors to give input on such conditions as "risk assessment" is a huge part of any business negotiations, in sports or anywhere else. But everyone is absolutely entitled to their own interpretation and perspective of a situation, occasionally making for good discussion even if oppositional views are tendered. Sometimes ignorance is bliss and accepting the obfuscation of key details that would otherwise illuminate the underlying narratives behind such rare and anomalous outcomes continually benefitting a specific team offers simplicity and peace of mind when arguing oppositional perspectives.

Just another typical example of the Lakers getting away with absurd outcomes that benefit them greatly and the mentality of acceptance through the lens of futility by everyone else. I honestly can't say I feel sorry for either team involved. Rather, just going through the motions as the NBA continues to do the same ol' BS and we all just shrug and go on to the next clown show moment offered.

[bwgood77]

Agreed...it just happens. Although I don't think it was Pelinkas silver tongue so much as it was Nico bamboozling himself with fantasies of how his team would look with AD. Pelinkas skills came into play (once Nico had already traded Luka in his head) by negotiating the price downwards.

Similar thing happened to Ishbia when he ordered Jones to trade for KD. Happened to me when I traded Trae Young for an aging Harden and Butler.

Sometimes you just have to step back and breathe.

100%

The fact that teams get away with highway robbery deals where the GM's aren't friends is enough to suggest **** happens. I lean much further along the spectrum of Dumont is a very bad owner who had a very narrow minded view on team culture and now they are the laughing stock of the town, no matter what comes after to justify the trade.

This is just a **** happens on a monumental, franchise changing level

no way. This is possibly the worst deal in the history of the nba. There’s a reason they kept it quiet. No fake GM on this board does this trade, no casual fan. NOBODY. Seeing people talk themselves out of critical thinking is wild.

Yeah, but none of us are around Luka daily watching him drink beer in the locker room, come in out of shape, get injured because of it, etc.

Now a lot of that doesn't matter too much, but at the same time, Luka was attacked by Boston possession after possession in the finals because he couldn't defend.

I thought maybe Luka had OKC's #, but apparently the Mavs beat the Thunder 3x this year without Luka. I think the Mavs size and depth they put around Luka is probably underrated.

Of course most don't do this trade and Nico was an idiot, but did have more insight into Luka and AD then any casual fan.

[bwgood77]

There will always be a worst trade in NBA history by default. This may very well have taken the cake. Again, I've explained very reasonably how his could've been done without collusion. You say it's wild seeing people talk them out of critical thinking but I can say the exact same thing about people talking themselves into a conspiracy theory.

All it takes is one really dumb NBA owner to tell their GM what to do.

all this narrative about Luka coming out of Dallas, then he personally shoots it down, now different narratives coming out. It’s crap. If they had all these problems with him and it was public knowledge they STILL could have gotten 3x what they did for him. In this case ok, the owner wants him gone. Fine. But you trade him for Anthony Davis and a late first rounder in a back alley having coffee? It doesn’t make sense even from this weird “logical” standpoint. This wasn’t just a bad trade, oopsies. There is no way. None, zero chance that any one is that incompetent and doesn’t know the worth of their player even if he was Jimmy butlering them.

But that's the point. Dumont wanted Anthony Davis. They didn't want picks for the future and salary. They didn't want good role players. They specifically wanted AD (and Giannis). When you go in knowing exactly who you want and the other team is open to giving up that player, there is little need to go to any other team because no other teams has an Anthony Davis

At the end of the day, it doesn't take much more than a GM going into negotiation in an already compromised position (directive from owner to get AD, no matter the cost - use Luka) and a GM who knows he's not bidding against anyone else to be stern on not giving up more than said player and some so-so assets.

Yeah, pretty much. If you know you want AD and you think he's worth 7 firsts, then you trade for him. I mean he's worth way more than Gobert or Bridges who got 5 firsts and probably more right now than KD was when we traded for him. He's an all around better player, and younger, so it just depends on how you view him. Look at what the Lakers gave up (Ball, Hart, Ingram, 4 firsts, 3 swaps, etc)...I know he's older, but he's a guy that can be a game changer.

[DirtyDez]

Kyrie can opt out meaning he has the Mavs bent over a barrel. It sounds like ownership is on board with Nico Harrison or it was their idea to move on from Luka based on some quotes. We’ve never seen a team bet against their franchise player like this. It’d be like the Suns trading Steve Nash in
2006 because of defense and back problems. Just completely misguided priorities.

[bwgood77]

Suns may get in with AD out probably at least a month. If more stars go down they may convince themselves they are good, still a playoff contender and to stay the course!

Houston, Dallas and GS tie for having played the toughest WC schedule so far, followed closely by Minnesota, so their schedules should be the easiest.

Memphis has played the easiest one now, followed by the Suns.

https://www.espn.com/nba/stats/rpi/_/sort/SOS

[yosemiteben]

Have you guys seen anything official announced about the Nurk trade? We haven't seen anything from the Charlotte side and it's starting to get awkward.

[bwgood77]

Have you guys seen anything official announced about the Nurk trade? We haven't seen anything from the Charlotte side and it's starting to get awkward.

No, and the players we apparently got haven't been around yet. I hadn't thought about how weird it is the players haven't been announced yet.