Around The NBA : 2024-25 Season

[sco]

Kawhi in the playoffs is always a treat. One of my favorite players ever.

It's a shame that guys who play hard on defense wear out sooner. You gotta keep Kawhi, Jimmy, Robinson and Caruso on ice for the regular season.

[Ccwatercraft]

Wonder if we could get 15 for Ayo plus POR 1st?

Why would bulls do this trade ayo is still young has great poa defense and he can make plays get to the rim etc

Ayo's defense is a little over rated

I wouldn't be upset if we offered a future unprotected for one or more of those 25' picks, if they prefer to kick the can.

[drosestruts]

Kawhi was unstoppable last night.

His health has certainly hampered their ability in years past, but if you can catch lightning in a bottle with a healthy playoffs for Kawhi, you're legitimately a title contender. He's that good.

[DASMACKDOWN]

Kawhi was unstoppable last night.

His health has certainly hampered their ability in years past, but if you can catch lightning in a bottle with a healthy playoffs for Kawhi, you're legitimately a title contender. He's that good.

The crazy thing us the last time a non injured Kawhi lost a series was the 2019-2020 season. Which was the bubble.

[MrSparkle]

Caruso blocking Morant, making a hook shot. The team feels like a cheat code. Shai "struggling", Memphis playing OK, but still down 20.

[Ice Man]

Caruso blocking Morant, making a hook shot. The team feels like a cheat code. Shai "struggling", Memphis playing OK, but still down 20.

I'd be surprised if any team but Boston is able to beat OKC in this year's playoffs. OKC is two levels better than anybody in the West, one level better than Cleveland, and one ahead of regular-season Boston. But Boston has another gear remaining ... I don't see OKC rolling them.

[GuardianEnzo]

Carsuo led them in +/- again, in 22 minutes. What a perfect spot this is for him.

[sco]

Carsuo led them in +/- again, in 22 minutes. What a perfect spot this is for him.

Yeah. He really needs a team that doesn't need him to play more than 15MPG during the regular season and can get to the playoffs. When we first got him, that's sorta what we were too. Ball was the guy we could lean on for big minutes (for 1/2 a season), and Caruso could do the same thing here.

[kodo]

I'd be surprised if any team but Boston is able to beat OKC in this year's playoffs. OKC is two levels better than anybody in the West, one level better than Cleveland, and one ahead of regular-season Boston. But Boston has another gear remaining ... I don't see OKC rolling them.

Yes historically good team in the regular season, I will be shocked if they lose the championship.
I wonder how bad the SGA/Jalen Williams for Paul George trade will go down in history.

[Ice Man]

I've written it before, but this is the season of the anti-superteam. Of the three favorites to win the title, on VORP (as good as measure as any) their best players are #2, #6, and #14 in the league (for OKC, Boston, and Cleveland, respectively). Thus, only one Top 5 player among those three teams, and with him shooting 33% from the field in its first 2 playoff games, OKC won by a combined 70 points.

Makes sense, really. Defense always takes numbers, and with offenses increasingly running spread systems, depth in the attack is more important than during the iso era.

[sco]

I've written it before, but this is the season of the anti-superteam. Of the three favorites to win the title, on VORP (as good as measure as any) their best players are #2, #6, and #14 in the league (for OKC, Boston, and Cleveland, respectively). Thus, only one Top 5 player among those three teams, and with him shooting 33% from the field in its first 2 playoff games, OKC won by a combined 70 points.

Makes sense, really. Defense always takes numbers, and with offenses increasingly running spread systems, depth in the attack is more important than during the iso era.

I think that Boston is a super team with how many allstars they have as starters. Regarding OKC, I think their young studs are just not household names yet, but I can't recall a team with so much young talent it's nuts. CLE has Spider and he's just a forgotton star because he's in CLE. Mobley is another star that just hasn't been noticed yet.

I'm still rooting for teams with old dudes winning the championship because they'll be gone soon.

[Ice Man]

Poor Thibs. He took abuse for years for leaving DRose in a playoff game, up by 12 with 1:10 left (when Rose then tore his ACL). On Tuesday night, OKC had SGA on the court when the team was up 17, with 15 seconds left.

The point being that what Thibs did was routine.

[Ice Man]

I think that Boston is a super team with how many allstars they have as starters.

Boston is not a superteam in how the word was used several years ago, meaning a team that collected Hall of Famers who wanted out of their old teams, such as Miami 2011, then the Nets with KD, and then Phoenix with KD.

[jnrjr79]

I've written it before, but this is the season of the anti-superteam. Of the three favorites to win the title, on VORP (as good as measure as any) their best players are #2, #6, and #14 in the league (for OKC, Boston, and Cleveland, respectively). Thus, only one Top 5 player among those three teams, and with him shooting 33% from the field in its first 2 playoff games, OKC won by a combined 70 points.

Makes sense, really. Defense always takes numbers, and with offenses increasingly running spread systems, depth in the attack is more important than during the iso era.

Sounds like a full-throated endorsement for AK's 9-10 good players plan! We're on the road to a championship!

[jump]

I've written it before, but this is the season of the anti-superteam. Of the three favorites to win the title, on VORP (as good as measure as any) their best players are #2, #6, and #14 in the league (for OKC, Boston, and Cleveland, respectively). Thus, only one Top 5 player among those three teams, and with him shooting 33% from the field in its first 2 playoff games, OKC won by a combined 70 points.

Makes sense, really. Defense always takes numbers, and with offenses increasingly running spread systems, depth in the attack is more important than during the iso era.

Sounds like a full-throated endorsement for AK's 9-10 good players plan! We're on the road to a championship!

Well we definitely need more talent, especially defensively. If Bulls could become a true defensive squad, we will have less need for a superstar.

[Ice Man]

Well we definitely need more talent, especially defensively. If Bulls could become a true defensive squad, we will have less need for a superstar.

Yep. To make AK's precept work, we need our "good" players to be better than how he uses the term, and most of them must also be defensive studs. As with the 2011 Bulls.

[kodo]

HOU is pretty much the AK 9 good players format, their top scorer is more or less a young Lavine. This year's Lavine was actually far more efficient than Jalen. They won last night's game with just 1 guy scoring hero-ball style, and the rest of the team playing gritty physical basketball and turning into a 90s playoff game.

Although HOU did have a lot of top picks (#2, #3, #4, #4) to make it work. Quite a difference when our "good players" are Terry & Phillips.

[MrSparkle]

HOU is pretty much the AK 9 good players format, their top scorer is more or less a young Lavine. This year's Lavine was actually far more efficient than Jalen. They won last night's game with just 1 guy scoring hero-ball style, and the rest of the team playing gritty physical basketball and turning into a 90s playoff game.

Although HOU did have a lot of top picks (#2, #3, #4, #4) to make it work. Quite a difference when our "good players" are Terry & Phillips.

Well, don't forget Sengun - he's actually their best player. The only all-star on the team.

This whole time-line would've been a lot different if Vuc was actually good (as opposed to his reputation as a 2x star from Orlando). Instead, Sengun was schooling him as a rookie.

AK's whole point is nonsense. I'd actually argue the 9 good players thing is and always has been a necessity for winning a ring. 7-9th guys being more about fit and roles than some objective NBA ranking of "good." I wouldn't call Pritchard a top-100 player, but he's incredible as a bench guy for Boston. Were the 2015-19 Warriors missing any bench depth? I recall the 6th man winning finals MVP. Are the Thunder lacking a bench?

When you build around defensive sieves, that idea doesn't work as well at all. Luka Mavs were more the blueprint, or even the Nuggets - you need extremely good lunch-n-pail scrappers to compensate for 2 mediocre defenders who you need to play 40+ to run your offense, and those are hard to get without poor offensive floors (Caruso, Herb, etc.).

And that's the deal with Coby and Giddey, except they will never be as good as Kyrie and Luka. Jalen and Sengun have better defensive floors, like Rasheed and Rip. But building around Cody and Giddey is like preparing a superstar build without the superstars. You need to consider that their line-ups need extra defensive help. That's where it becomes difficult roster building. You have to become more selective with your additions.

[Hangtime84]

HOU is pretty much the AK 9 good players format, their top scorer is more or less a young Lavine. This year's Lavine was actually far more efficient than Jalen. They won last night's game with just 1 guy scoring hero-ball style, and the rest of the team playing gritty physical basketball and turning into a 90s playoff game.

Although HOU did have a lot of top picks (#2, #3, #4, #4) to make it work. Quite a difference when our "good players" are Terry & Phillips.

Houston imo saw our first attempt to rebuild but did it better.

They stayed patient and used their cap space to gather assets with experience. They over paid but lucked out with brooks and grab an experienced pg with FVV.

I hope Chicago continues to stay the course. They need to continue to hit on draft picks with players who can contribute right away and add on hitting on G leaguers. There’s guys there that are better than Terrys or Philips of the world.

[sco]

HOU is pretty much the AK 9 good players format, their top scorer is more or less a young Lavine. This year's Lavine was actually far more efficient than Jalen. They won last night's game with just 1 guy scoring hero-ball style, and the rest of the team playing gritty physical basketball and turning into a 90s playoff game.

Although HOU did have a lot of top picks (#2, #3, #4, #4) to make it work. Quite a difference when our "good players" are Terry & Phillips.

Houston imo saw our first attempt to rebuild but did it better.

They stayed patient and used their cap space to gather assets with experience. They over paid but lucked out with brooks and grab an experienced pg with FVV.

I hope Chicago continues to stay the course. They need to continue to hit on draft picks with players who can contribute right away and add on hitting on G leaguers. There’s guys there that are better than Terrys or Philips of the world.

As much as their picks have been good (Really Sengun, the others one could argue have been just ok), I attribute a lot of HOU's success to the FVV and Brooks signings.