Around the League: 2024-25 Season

[Skybox]

Not sure how you watched all possessions and came out thinking Camara was primarily on White. That was Simons. Also all the times Jaylen Brown took Simons off of switches to the basket for a bucket or easy assist off of help. Possession he fell asleep on Horford fast break three. He was horrid defensively. I don’t really wait for guards to go off on him and post though, I was mainly pointing out what I thought was a historic performance with a little hint of anti-Simons bias

BTW Blazers shot as good as Celtics this game. Rebounding was huge difference here. Simons grabbed 1 board in 38 minutes. My point is every contribution from every player matters. How efficiently you score, how well you rebound, how well you defend, how many extra possessions you create by taking care of ball or getting steals. People hyperfocus mostly on scoring, everything matters out of everyone .

Of course in our spot we could probably sacrifice some defense for someone more scoring oriented. Of course I would take him over the slop we have. But just trying to be realistic about what he does or doesn’t do and it isn’t worth anywhere close to his salary IMO. There is a price I would take him, but I don’t get too excited about trading assets for 28 mil Simons.

By watching all possessions where White & Prichard actually scored while Simons was on them. 5 times out of 28 made FGA.

If you want to make case for Simons sucking on defense, there is plenty of evidence for it , but this game wasn't it

What's the point about talking about rebounds in context of Simons ? Blazers were without Robert Williams and Ayton, only center they had was a rookie. ( who only played 20 min)

Wanna flip a tables:
Simons 30 points on 12-21 FG and 6 assists
- tricks White off the dribble ,gets uncotested mid range
- beats White off the dribble for uncotested shot
-stepback over Walsh
- cooks Horford off the switch for corner 3 assists
- cooks Horford off switch for layup
- Horford late switch results in open 3 ( Simons assist)
-Horford late switch again results in open 3 ( Simons assists)
- White beaten off the dribble again
- Horford chasing ghosts, lost in switches, results in Simons dunk (on/near) Brown
- beats Queta off dribble for layup
. beats Hauser for layup
-shoots over Prichard who doesn't even contest shot
- makes 3 in Horfrod's face

by watching this game, Simons cooked White and Horford too many times to count. And would you call them trash defenders?
Guy beat more people off the dribble in this game than Magic guards combined for whole season.


It's nba, guards are hard to guard. People are hyperfocused on defense. Magic have bad offensive rating. By 2012 standards. And 1 nba level guard ( Suggs) and he is not returning any time soon and God knows how he will recover.

Because rebounds do matter. It’s not only the center’s job. Guy can’t contest shots, can’t rebound, won’t get you any steals. Offense needs to be terrific to make up for it. Every aspect matters. Dude was getting rebounded over which led to open 3s. He’s supposed to just tell his centers to grab long 3 rebounds ? No need to box out?

Argument isn’t if Simons is better than Joseph. Everyone is taking Simons there. Simons is a solid player. Is he worth trade assets and committing 20+ million to? Debatable right? Maybe not for you, I’ve seen you suggest multiple 1sts for Kispert and Josh freakin Green. I want to win a title, not end up with an OK roster devoid of young talent to sustain or left with no 1sts to trade for a meaningful true plus contributor.

All of Pritchard, White and Simons were taken in the late 20s BTW for the people parroting how the Denver pick is worthless.

Pepe's analysis here is thorough and dead-on...all of the other skills matter, sure...but points are what go on the scoreboard. It means nothing that, for example, Cole is a "good rebounder for a guard", etc if there's no one else in the backcourt that can do, I don't know, guard things like pass, shoot, and score. WCJ gets crappy grades because he doesn't average enough rebounds...either 1)he's boxing out his man, leaving easy boards for teammates, or 2)his own guys are grabbing them from an unusual position, PG. WCJ should be averaging 10+ rebounds (he's done it before) and I'm certainly not his biggest fan, but I'd rather see one of our guards actually contribute meaningfully beyond something like rebounding...point is that team construction is everything and offense is absolutely more substantial than defense. Obviously, you need both, but scorers are going to score on anybody, to some degree. We would fall all over Suggs if he "held" Donovan Mitchell to only 18 (which would, on a locked-down night for DM, be above our best guard's scoring avg-by a lot ), but they'd still beat the crap out of us. You can only stop X% of an opponent's scoring...it's not like the best defenses in the league routinely hold teams to 80 or 90 points. The way all of the trade ideas are discounted because of defense is nuts...there are no "bad boys" terrorizing in 2025.

[Idiosyncratic]

By watching all possessions where White & Prichard actually scored while Simons was on them. 5 times out of 28 made FGA.

If you want to make case for Simons sucking on defense, there is plenty of evidence for it , but this game wasn't it

What's the point about talking about rebounds in context of Simons ? Blazers were without Robert Williams and Ayton, only center they had was a rookie. ( who only played 20 min)

Wanna flip a tables:
Simons 30 points on 12-21 FG and 6 assists
- tricks White off the dribble ,gets uncotested mid range
- beats White off the dribble for uncotested shot
-stepback over Walsh
- cooks Horford off the switch for corner 3 assists
- cooks Horford off switch for layup
- Horford late switch results in open 3 ( Simons assist)
-Horford late switch again results in open 3 ( Simons assists)
- White beaten off the dribble again
- Horford chasing ghosts, lost in switches, results in Simons dunk (on/near) Brown
- beats Queta off dribble for layup
. beats Hauser for layup
-shoots over Prichard who doesn't even contest shot
- makes 3 in Horfrod's face

by watching this game, Simons cooked White and Horford too many times to count. And would you call them trash defenders?
Guy beat more people off the dribble in this game than Magic guards combined for whole season.


It's nba, guards are hard to guard. People are hyperfocused on defense. Magic have bad offensive rating. By 2012 standards. And 1 nba level guard ( Suggs) and he is not returning any time soon and God knows how he will recover.

Because rebounds do matter. It’s not only the center’s job. Guy can’t contest shots, can’t rebound, won’t get you any steals. Offense needs to be terrific to make up for it. Every aspect matters. Dude was getting rebounded over which led to open 3s. He’s supposed to just tell his centers to grab long 3 rebounds ? No need to box out?

Argument isn’t if Simons is better than Joseph. Everyone is taking Simons there. Simons is a solid player. Is he worth trade assets and committing 20+ million to? Debatable right? Maybe not for you, I’ve seen you suggest multiple 1sts for Kispert and Josh freakin Green. I want to win a title, not end up with an OK roster devoid of young talent to sustain or left with no 1sts to trade for a meaningful true plus contributor.

All of Pritchard, White and Simons were taken in the late 20s BTW for the people parroting how the Denver pick is worthless.

Pepe's analysis here is thorough and dead-on...all of the other skills matter, sure...but points are what go on the scoreboard. It means nothing that, for example, Cole is a "good rebounder for a guard", etc if there's no one else in the backcourt that can do, I don't know, guard things like pass, shoot, and score. WCJ gets crappy grades because he doesn't average enough rebounds...either 1)he's boxing out his man, leaving easy boards for teammates, or 2)his own guys are grabbing them from an unusual position, PG. WCJ should be averaging 10+ rebounds (he's done it before) and I'm certainly not his biggest fan, but I'd rather see one of our guards actually contribute meaningfully beyond something like rebounding...point is that team construction is everything and offense is absolutely more substantial than defense. Obviously, you need both, but scorers are going to score on anybody, to some degree. We would fall all over Suggs if he "held" Donovan Mitchell to only 18 (which would, on a locked-down night for DM, be above our best guard's scoring avg-by a lot ), but they'd still beat the crap out of us. You can only stop X% of an opponent's scoring...it's not like the best defenses in the league routinely hold teams to 80 or 90 points. The way all of the trade ideas are discounted because of defense is nuts...there are no "bad boys" terrorizing in 2025.

OK, but Simons getting 1 rebound in 38 minutes is not good. His 3 rebounds per 36 is not good. His defense in a game where the opposing guards of a team not playing several of their best players went off for 80 was not good. This is part of the reason his team isn't any better with him on the court this year.

I'm not even talking about how he would fit with us. The fact is compared to his peers he is a poor rebounder, ditto his defense, that is a part of his value. In my opinion 19 a game at an OK TS% doesn't go with his poor defense and other attributes to make him worth his salary.

I've said he could be a decent fit here, I would be OK trying it. Price has to be right and they have to be willing to trade him though. It's also not dumb for people to question his defensive fit here or adding his poor rebounding when our stars aren't great in that regard.

I don't care about this thing of building on defense, IDK why that is always mentioned, I don't care how we are built. I care about adding net positive players regardless of how they get there. I am not positive Simons is that at his price. Crazy, apparently.

[Idiosyncratic]

All of Pritchard, White and Simons were taken in the late 20s BTW for the people parroting how the Denver pick is worthless.

Weltman first round picks outside of the top 10:

Okeke
Cole
Jett

too easy...why not list all of the hundreds of bums instead of the handfuls of hits?

Maybe because we were talking about Pritchard, White and Simons?

Most picks fail regardless of where they are picked. Obviously it scales the later you go down the round, but probably not to the extent that people think.

You could trade every pick for an average starter and think you are winning the trades, but suddenly you have no cheap producers to support your big contracts and you have also lost the opportunity of being able to package the picks together for a piece who might actually make a huge impact on winning.

Somehow this will be taken as me saying don't trade anything. No I am very for a trade, I just hate the idea some have that this team no longer has use for picks. I get that Weltman hurt people, but man it is unreal to me.

[Skybox]

Weltman first round picks outside of the top 10:

Okeke
Cole
Jett

too easy...why not list all of the hundreds of bums instead of the handfuls of hits?

Maybe because we were talking about Pritchard, White and Simons?

Most picks fail regardless of where they are picked. Obviously it scales the later you go down the round, but probably not to the extent that people think.

You could trade every pick for an average starter and think you are winning the trades, but suddenly you have no cheap producers to support your big contracts and you have also lost the opportunity of being able to package the picks together for a piece who might actually make a huge impact on winning.

Somehow this will be taken as me saying don't trade anything. No I am very for a trade, I just hate the idea some have that this team no longer has use for picks. I get that Weltman hurt people, but man it is unreal to me.

People get paid what you pay them...you don't have to be a rookie to be a bargain. Paying Gary Harris $7m and Cole Anthony $12m and WCJ and Isaac and Moe and, well, everybody on this team gets a nice salary...that's something that further reinforces the idea that Weltman is a coward and can't handle himself in a confrontation or negotiation. It's complete lack of perspective of the cap situation.

Pritchard isn't on a rookie deal and he makes $6.7m...look at the Celtics' payroll, 6 of the top 13 make less than $3m

Austin Reaves broke out and he got rewarded with $13m...not far off of Cole...I guess he's not a lockdown guy - like Luka

Spend on your top 6 and skimp on the rest. When someone plucks them from you for too much - wish them the best, like how Weltman "stole" KCP for $22.7m when he was only making $15m at the young age of 30 the year before.

I can see the interview with Simons..."says here you only get 3 rebounds per game-what are you just standing around the perimeter? We do things by committe around here. Anyway, good luck"...I could not care less if Simons or Steph or Trae or Sharpe or Maxey ever get a rebound....Pritchard is battling Simons for rebounding champ, btw.

[Idiosyncratic]

too easy...why not list all of the hundreds of bums instead of the handfuls of hits?

Maybe because we were talking about Pritchard, White and Simons?

Most picks fail regardless of where they are picked. Obviously it scales the later you go down the round, but probably not to the extent that people think.

You could trade every pick for an average starter and think you are winning the trades, but suddenly you have no cheap producers to support your big contracts and you have also lost the opportunity of being able to package the picks together for a piece who might actually make a huge impact on winning.

Somehow this will be taken as me saying don't trade anything. No I am very for a trade, I just hate the idea some have that this team no longer has use for picks. I get that Weltman hurt people, but man it is unreal to me.

People get paid what you pay them...you don't have to be a rookie to be a bargain. Paying Gary Harris $7m and Cole Anthony $12m and WCJ and Isaac and Moe and, well, everybody on this team gets a nice salary...that's something that further reinforces the idea that Weltman is a coward and can't handle himself in a confrontation or negotiation. It's complete lack of perspective of the cap situation.

Pritchard isn't on a rookie deal and he makes $6.7m...look at the Celtics' payroll, 6 of the top 13 make less than $3m

Austin Reaves broke out and he got rewarded with $13m...not far off of Cole...I guess he's not a lockdown guy - like Luka

Spend on your top 6 and skimp on the rest. When someone plucks them from you for too much - wish them the best, like how Weltman "stole" KCP for $22.7m when he was only making $15m at the young age of 30 the year before.

I can see the interview with Simons..."says here you only get 3 rebounds per game-what are you just standing around the perimeter? We do things by committe around here. Anyway, good luck"...I could not care less if Simons or Steph or Trae or Sharpe or Maxey ever get a rebound....Pritchard is battling Simons for rebounding champ, btw.

I respect your view on this and I get and agree with many aspects of what you and pepe are saying. I think I probably evaluate players a little differently, but I mean it is what it is, even professional FO's aren't perfect at evaluating. You know we all could be wrong to degrees, I have certainly been wrong about many things.

I will never not hate the notion that we have no use for picks though. Not saying you specifically say that, but I see it here a lot. I'm more than fine trading some, but every team can always stand to take a shot in the draft. Especially us since we have three huge contracts. A lot of the bargain contracts are extended picks. They do need to get their roster in order a bit 1st and that will involve smart trades and FA signings, but I will always personally be excited about the prospect of adding prospects. And I 100% will always believe it is the best place to add talent.

And on Simons, I would be perfectly fine with him or a player like him. I don't think he is a bad player, but I just don't think giving up a lot and then extending him for what I think it will take is the no-brainer that many seem to think. But again, I mostly agree with people that they can use a player like that.

And Pritchard is a much better rebounder than Simons and got 3 offensive boards yesterday. Shooting more shots than your opponent is a fantastic way to increase wins.

[Skybox]

Maybe because we were talking about Pritchard, White and Simons?

Most picks fail regardless of where they are picked. Obviously it scales the later you go down the round, but probably not to the extent that people think.

You could trade every pick for an average starter and think you are winning the trades, but suddenly you have no cheap producers to support your big contracts and you have also lost the opportunity of being able to package the picks together for a piece who might actually make a huge impact on winning.

Somehow this will be taken as me saying don't trade anything. No I am very for a trade, I just hate the idea some have that this team no longer has use for picks. I get that Weltman hurt people, but man it is unreal to me.

People get paid what you pay them...you don't have to be a rookie to be a bargain. Paying Gary Harris $7m and Cole Anthony $12m and WCJ and Isaac and Moe and, well, everybody on this team gets a nice salary...that's something that further reinforces the idea that Weltman is a coward and can't handle himself in a confrontation or negotiation. It's complete lack of perspective of the cap situation.

Pritchard isn't on a rookie deal and he makes $6.7m...look at the Celtics' payroll, 6 of the top 13 make less than $3m

Austin Reaves broke out and he got rewarded with $13m...not far off of Cole...I guess he's not a lockdown guy - like Luka

Spend on your top 6 and skimp on the rest. When someone plucks them from you for too much - wish them the best, like how Weltman "stole" KCP for $22.7m when he was only making $15m at the young age of 30 the year before.

I can see the interview with Simons..."says here you only get 3 rebounds per game-what are you just standing around the perimeter? We do things by committe around here. Anyway, good luck"...I could not care less if Simons or Steph or Trae or Sharpe or Maxey ever get a rebound....Pritchard is battling Simons for rebounding champ, btw.

I respect your view on this and I get and agree with many aspects of what you and pepe are saying. I think I probably evaluate players a little differently, but I mean it is what it is, even professional FO's aren't perfect at evaluating. You know we all could be wrong to degrees, I have certainly been wrong about many things.

I will never not hate the notion that we have no use for picks though. Not saying you specifically say that, but I see it here a lot. I'm more than fine trading some, but every team can always stand to take a shot in the draft. Especially us since we have three huge contracts. A lot of the bargain contracts are extended picks. They do need to get their roster in order a bit 1st and that will involve smart trades and FA signings, but I will always personally be excited about the prospect of adding prospects. And I 100% will always believe it is the best place to add talent.

And on Simons, I would be perfectly fine with him or a player like him. I don't think he is a bad player, but I just don't think giving up a lot and then extending him for what I think it will take is the no-brainer that many seem to think. But again, I mostly agree with people that they can use a player like that.

And Pritchard is a much better rebounder than Simons and got 3 offensive boards yesterday. Shooting more shots than your opponent is a fantastic way to increase wins.

Pritchard and Simons have very similar rebounding numbers...both are meaningless. Pritchard probably has 5 offensive rebounds for the season - I love the guy and I'm glad he had a great game. Considering that both of our 6'10 forwards are mediocre rebounders (I should say mediocre numbers since they both play a largely perimeter on-ball game...or watch the other guy ) we could really use an old school 12 rpg bruiser like Zubac or Kessler or Steven Adams, who collects offensive rebounds and loose teeth from picks like Gary Harris collects bed sores on his butt from the bench.

[Idiosyncratic]

People get paid what you pay them...you don't have to be a rookie to be a bargain. Paying Gary Harris $7m and Cole Anthony $12m and WCJ and Isaac and Moe and, well, everybody on this team gets a nice salary...that's something that further reinforces the idea that Weltman is a coward and can't handle himself in a confrontation or negotiation. It's complete lack of perspective of the cap situation.

Pritchard isn't on a rookie deal and he makes $6.7m...look at the Celtics' payroll, 6 of the top 13 make less than $3m

Austin Reaves broke out and he got rewarded with $13m...not far off of Cole...I guess he's not a lockdown guy - like Luka

Spend on your top 6 and skimp on the rest. When someone plucks them from you for too much - wish them the best, like how Weltman "stole" KCP for $22.7m when he was only making $15m at the young age of 30 the year before.

I can see the interview with Simons..."says here you only get 3 rebounds per game-what are you just standing around the perimeter? We do things by committe around here. Anyway, good luck"...I could not care less if Simons or Steph or Trae or Sharpe or Maxey ever get a rebound....Pritchard is battling Simons for rebounding champ, btw.

I respect your view on this and I get and agree with many aspects of what you and pepe are saying. I think I probably evaluate players a little differently, but I mean it is what it is, even professional FO's aren't perfect at evaluating. You know we all could be wrong to degrees, I have certainly been wrong about many things.

I will never not hate the notion that we have no use for picks though. Not saying you specifically say that, but I see it here a lot. I'm more than fine trading some, but every team can always stand to take a shot in the draft. Especially us since we have three huge contracts. A lot of the bargain contracts are extended picks. They do need to get their roster in order a bit 1st and that will involve smart trades and FA signings, but I will always personally be excited about the prospect of adding prospects. And I 100% will always believe it is the best place to add talent.

And on Simons, I would be perfectly fine with him or a player like him. I don't think he is a bad player, but I just don't think giving up a lot and then extending him for what I think it will take is the no-brainer that many seem to think. But again, I mostly agree with people that they can use a player like that.

And Pritchard is a much better rebounder than Simons and got 3 offensive boards yesterday. Shooting more shots than your opponent is a fantastic way to increase wins.

Pritchard and Simons have very similar rebounding numbers...both are meaningless. Pritchard probably has 5 offensive rebounds for the season - I love the guy and I'm glad he had a great game. Considering that both of our 6'10 forwards are mediocre rebounders (I should say mediocre numbers since they both play a largely perimeter on-ball game...or watch the other guy ) we could really use an old school 12 rpg bruiser like Zubac or Kessler or Steven Adams, who collects offensive rebounds and loose teeth from picks like Gary Harris collects bed sores on his butt from the bench.

I disagree that it is meaningless. Pritchard averages 5 boards per 36 and Simons averages 3, big difference. Pritchard has 81 offensive boards on the year, Simons has 19. It matters man, it is part of their total value. Simons is a flamethrower, but he also has to do the other stuff on the court. No DH in basketball.

Think of how many games come down to one possession in the NBA. A player that can create just one possession more per game than their counterpart can probably add several wins per year. Everything matters. It all weighs together IMO. That is just the point I am making. Keep in mind I still would be fine with Simons on this team. I'm not saying he wouldn't help our guard rotation or our shooting.

I agree with you completely on the big.

[Idiosyncratic]

I don't think Simons is much of a plus player because he is pretty good at scoring, but horrible at almost everything else. His contract is of that of a really good player. He fills some needs we have for sure, I understand why some want him, for me it would depend on price.

Those are my Simons thoughts. I do think it will be interesting to see what Portland does with him because they still are giving him way more minutes than Scoot. Makes me think they won't trade him, especially if they have a nice little play-in run, which for a young team in the tough west is something. I think most of their fans would have preferred lottery luck to start the year, no clue what they currently think.

[pepe1991]

I respect your view on this and I get and agree with many aspects of what you and pepe are saying. I think I probably evaluate players a little differently, but I mean it is what it is, even professional FO's aren't perfect at evaluating. You know we all could be wrong to degrees, I have certainly been wrong about many things.

I will never not hate the notion that we have no use for picks though. Not saying you specifically say that, but I see it here a lot. I'm more than fine trading some, but every team can always stand to take a shot in the draft. Especially us since we have three huge contracts. A lot of the bargain contracts are extended picks. They do need to get their roster in order a bit 1st and that will involve smart trades and FA signings, but I will always personally be excited about the prospect of adding prospects. And I 100% will always believe it is the best place to add talent.

And on Simons, I would be perfectly fine with him or a player like him. I don't think he is a bad player, but I just don't think giving up a lot and then extending him for what I think it will take is the no-brainer that many seem to think. But again, I mostly agree with people that they can use a player like that.

And Pritchard is a much better rebounder than Simons and got 3 offensive boards yesterday. Shooting more shots than your opponent is a fantastic way to increase wins.

Pritchard and Simons have very similar rebounding numbers...both are meaningless. Pritchard probably has 5 offensive rebounds for the season - I love the guy and I'm glad he had a great game. Considering that both of our 6'10 forwards are mediocre rebounders (I should say mediocre numbers since they both play a largely perimeter on-ball game...or watch the other guy ) we could really use an old school 12 rpg bruiser like Zubac or Kessler or Steven Adams, who collects offensive rebounds and loose teeth from picks like Gary Harris collects bed sores on his butt from the bench.

I disagree that it is meaningless. Pritchard averages 5 boards per 36 and Simons averages 3, big difference. Pritchard has 81 offensive boards on the year, Simons has 19. It matters man, it is part of their total value. Simons is a flamethrower, but he also has to do the other stuff on the court. No DH in basketball.

Think of how many games come down to one possession in the NBA. A player that can create just one possession more per game than their counterpart can probably add several wins per year. Everything matters. It all weighs together IMO. That is just the point I am making. Keep in mind I still would be fine with Simons on this team. I'm not saying he wouldn't help our guard rotation or our shooting.

I agree with you completely on the big.

How do you feel about Franz Wagner, 6'10 person, having 2 rebounds vs Bulls in 38 min vs Zach Collins, rookie and 3 guards if everything matters ?


It's not that i disagree with everything you said, i just don't find rebounding for guard that important, lot of kids are coached as guards to prevent other guards to run inside paint after shot is up, in box outs, not to chase rebounds.

As for Simons sucking at everything else but scoring, guy averages 5 APGs on 1,7 To, those are solid passing numbers for combo guard

If Simons is elite at everything he would cost $50M and not he in trade talks.

[Skybox]

Pritchard and Simons have very similar rebounding numbers...both are meaningless. Pritchard probably has 5 offensive rebounds for the season - I love the guy and I'm glad he had a great game. Considering that both of our 6'10 forwards are mediocre rebounders (I should say mediocre numbers since they both play a largely perimeter on-ball game...or watch the other guy ) we could really use an old school 12 rpg bruiser like Zubac or Kessler or Steven Adams, who collects offensive rebounds and loose teeth from picks like Gary Harris collects bed sores on his butt from the bench.

I disagree that it is meaningless. Pritchard averages 5 boards per 36 and Simons averages 3, big difference. Pritchard has 81 offensive boards on the year, Simons has 19. It matters man, it is part of their total value. Simons is a flamethrower, but he also has to do the other stuff on the court. No DH in basketball.

Think of how many games come down to one possession in the NBA. A player that can create just one possession more per game than their counterpart can probably add several wins per year. Everything matters. It all weighs together IMO. That is just the point I am making. Keep in mind I still would be fine with Simons on this team. I'm not saying he wouldn't help our guard rotation or our shooting.

I agree with you completely on the big.

How do you feel about Franz Wagner, 6'10 person, having 2 rebounds vs Bulls in 38 min vs Zach Collins, rookie and 3 guards if everything matters ?


It's not that i disagree with everything you said, i just don't find rebounding for guard that important, lot of kids are coached as guards to prevent other guards to run inside paint after shot is up, in box outs, not to chase rebounds.

As for Simons sucking at everything else but scoring, guy averages 5 APGs on 1,7 To, those are solid passing numbers for combo guard

If Simons is elite at everything he would cost $50M and not he in trade talks.

...and, he's not "pretty good" at scoring...there's a tier, right below Steph, for elite effortless high-volume 3pt shooters. Even if that's all he did (it isn't), he's among the very best and more well-rounded than the others (Hield, Kennard, etc)...not to mention has a 6'9 wingspan and dunk contest athleticism. As a 3rd option, (but probably 4th most valuable after Suggs) he'd be spectacular...but he's being dissected like a top guy.

[Idiosyncratic]

Speaking of the Phil Jackson 40-20 rule... With the win last night the Lakers are 40-21 out of nowhere. Being gifted Luka certainly helped, but man never imagined the Lakers would be ticking contender boxes this year.

Lakers vs. Cavs finals if it could happen either of these next couple of years would be pretty darn cool I would have to admit.

[Skybox]

Speaking of the Phil Jackson 40-20 rule... With the win last night the Lakers are 40-21 out of nowhere. Being gifted Luka certainly helped, but man never imagined the Lakers would be ticking contender boxes this year.

Lakers vs. Cavs finals if it could happen either of these next couple of years would be pretty darn cool I would have to admit.

I'm a confirmed Laker hater from my Boston days...but, man I love Luka tearing it up and he and LBJ are really the ultimate model of big, incredibly versatile, high BBIQ guys for what we'd love from Paolo & Franz...moreso than Tatum and Brown, imo.

The court vision is just awesome...mix in some Hillbilly Kobe...In a few short weeks, when we have to choose a serious team to root for, I might be breaking out the Purple and Yellow Converse Weapons

[JoshuaPotter]

The owners of the Dallas Mavericks should be forced to sell the franchise for what they did. There really isn't any hiding it. They are tanking that team in favor of a move.

[pepe1991]

Historic Jokić game

[drsd]

Historic Jokić game

Jokić is the 4th best basketball player of all time. He could grow to being the all time GOAT.

Anyhow: wow -

Watch on YouTube

[jezzerinho]

Historic Jokić game

Jokić is the 4th best basketball player of all time. He could grow to being the all time GOAT.

Anyhow: wow -

Watch on YouTube

The guy has transcended comparison with anybody historically. Objectively there has never been anybody like him.

He is a legit unicorn (maybe why horses give him such a hardon)

[JoshuaPotter]

Jokic is an amazing basketball player.

[ogmagicfan]

Pacers Bucks games are consistently great games, love it

Giannis went to the bench and immediate 10-0 Pacers run. A shame he's on such a bad team, this MVP race should be a 3 way conversation not a 2 way

[thelead]

Pacers Bucks games are consistently great games, love it

Giannis went to the bench and immediate 10-0 Pacers run. A shame he's on such a bad team, this MVP race should be a 3 way conversation not a 2 way

What a finish too. I miss the Magic competing like that.

[pepe1991]

Pacers Bucks games are consistently great games, love it

Giannis went to the bench and immediate 10-0 Pacers run. A shame he's on such a bad team, this MVP race should be a 3 way conversation not a 2 way

What a finish too. I miss the Magic competing like that.

It will be great 4-5 series.
On West Lakers- Warriors as potential first round matchup