Official NBA General Discussion 2024-25 V2.0

[Raptaurus]

OKC is ridiculous with their rotation players and defense. Their only weakness is Jalen Williams/Chet is not a great 2nd creator yet.

But they can basically rotate any of their role-players with Shai and be elite. Kenrich Williams didn't play high leverage game last 2 series and suddenly getting rotation minutes.


People thinking Shai will leave this team to any other team are crazy (atleast in the duration of his next max contract). Also, Shai is an all time great scorer at this point, his on ball gravity is up there with any guard bar Kobe/Harden that I have seen. he just keeps coming at you. What an improvement from where he was even 3 years ago.

Maybe if he wins his championship with OKC, he may just wanna come back home….Kwahi did. Shai lives in the GTA during the offseason and his wife/partner is also from the GTA.

Masai and Ed Rogers shouldn’t be afraid to tamper and try to lure him. As good as OKCs defense is, it’s Shai who always shows up on the offensive side and consistently hits the big shots. Without him, they would be a tread mill 1st round exit team pretty much. Forget Giannis. This is who the Raptors should be going all out to recruit.

[Clay Davis]

You mean Beyonce?

Familiar rizz... lol I knew she looked familiar and I figured I Could Work It Out, but maybe it's better that I post here so I can Check On It.

Clay you have no rizz if you can't recognize Beyonce smh

Many such cases of girls who beg for the bequeathing of my rizz only for me to not even know who they are

[HumbleRen]

Idk how you can root against for Shai after watching him play for Team Canada. Dude is an absolute pro.

We’re talking about a potential top 5 SG of all time and he’s from our country. Don’t take that for granted.

[MiamiSPX]

OKC is ridiculous with their rotation players and defense. Their only weakness is Jalen Williams/Chet is not a great 2nd creator yet.

But they can basically rotate any of their role-players with Shai and be elite. Kenrich Williams didn't play high leverage game last 2 series and suddenly getting rotation minutes.


People thinking Shai will leave this team to any other team are crazy (atleast in the duration of his next max contract). Also, Shai is an all time great scorer at this point, his on ball gravity is up there with any guard bar Kobe/Harden that I have seen. he just keeps coming at you. What an improvement from where he was even 3 years ago.

Maybe if he wins his championship with OKC, he may just wanna come back home….Kwahi did. Shai lives in the GTA during the offseason and his wife/partner is also from the GTA.

Masai and Ed Rogers shouldn’t be afraid to tamper and try to lure him. As good as OKCs defense is, it’s Shai who always shows up on the offensive side and consistently hits the big shots. Without him, they would be a tread mill 1st round exit team pretty much. Forget Giannis. This is who the Raptors should be going all out to recruit.

I've been saying this for 2 years on here. I never automatically assume a Canadian would want to play for the Raptors but in his case, like you said, he actually lives in the GTA in the offseason. Which is rare (only one AFAIK). I hope Masai has been tampering for years now. Makes it easier to leave if he delivers them a title, plus with the new CBA, they cannot keep that team for too many years anyway.

[Basketball_Jones]

OKC finally winning the chip led by Canadian. Sounds amazing but I don’t feel connected to it at all. Shai should really be marketed way better.

That's because Shai is not actually that likeable. It's not like those SSOL Suns teams where all Canadians were rooting for our guy Steve Nash.

Shai is a free throw merchant, plays an ugly brand of basketball, and has no personality to speak of, he's also playing on a stacked team.

I'll be rooting for the Knicks or Pacers, I feel more connected to rooting for OG or Siakam's success than FTA.

I think Shai has a pretty cool style game but yes I find there is personality lacking rooting for OKC. To be honest even during the Durant era I just never liked them. Maybe lack of history there being a young franchise and not Seattle.

[tanuki1031]

Idk how you can root against for Shai after watching him play for Team Canada. Dude is an absolute pro.

We’re talking about a potential top 5 SG of all time and he’s from our country. Don’t take that for granted.

Some wannabe American Canadians desperately want to relate more to their American counterparts.

It's OK to cheer and vote for the no personality, no likeability, flagrant foul merchants who simulate contact seconds before reaching a defender, work on how to trick officials, and demonstratively whining to officials and media for calls, and that they themselves are incapable of fouling on defense.
These are the same idiots who revere the Luka/Lebron Lakers, Brunson Knicks, Embiid Sixers, Jokic Nuggets.

When a Canadian puts his head down and goes to work and gets calls because he attacks relentlessly and respects the league, that player is a foul merchant with no personality and no likeability.

I guarantee you if Steve Nash was playing today these "Canadians" would be hating on him too.

I'm calling out Doris Burke on this too.
She looked around and saw her women colleagues getting fired from ESPN over the years and figured she'd better get with the program. Now she gets her hair extra curled, extra make up, wears contacts instead of her smart glasses, dresses brighter, and has replaced her actual basketball insights with repeating a catchphrase "I see you...." and whatever has caught traction, like calling SGA a foul merchant because he tripped and the refs called it a foul. He slipped, refs made a call based on what he though happened - that's on the ref. This isn't like Jokic grabbing Caruso's arm and walking him over to the sideline ref crying for a call as if Caruso was the one dragging him.

Disappointment Doris has been a tough listen this year.

[Spida888]

OKC is ridiculous with their rotation players and defense. Their only weakness is Jalen Williams/Chet is not a great 2nd creator yet.

But they can basically rotate any of their role-players with Shai and be elite. Kenrich Williams didn't play high leverage game last 2 series and suddenly getting rotation minutes.


People thinking Shai will leave this team to any other team are crazy (atleast in the duration of his next max contract). Also, Shai is an all time great scorer at this point, his on ball gravity is up there with any guard bar Kobe/Harden that I have seen. he just keeps coming at you. What an improvement from where he was even 3 years ago.

Maybe if he wins his championship with OKC, he may just wanna come back home….Kwahi did. Shai lives in the GTA during the offseason and his wife/partner is also from the GTA.

Masai and Ed Rogers shouldn’t be afraid to tamper and try to lure him. As good as OKCs defense is, it’s Shai who always shows up on the offensive side and consistently hits the big shots. Without him, they would be a tread mill 1st round exit team pretty much. Forget Giannis. This is who the Raptors should be going all out to recruit.

I've been saying this for 2 years on here. I never automatically assume a Canadian would want to play for the Raptors but in his case, like you said, he actually lives in the GTA in the offseason. Which is rare (only one AFAIK). I hope Masai has been tampering for years now. Makes it easier to leave if he delivers them a title, plus with the new CBA, they cannot keep that team for too many years anyway.

Pretty much my thoughts. I see Shai signing the super max in OKC, and *may* request a trade down the road if they can't keep the core together once Chet and Williams gets their max contracts.

[MiamiSPX]

Shai is MVP, per Shams.

[dohboy_24]

Shai is MVP, per Shams.

Jokic averages a triple double for the season, has arguably the best season of his career, and somehow doesn't win the MVP?

While I have love for SGA - especially as a Canadian product - the JOKER was robbed!

[Scizzup]

Shai is MVP, per Shams.

Jokic averages a triple double for the season, has arguably the best season of his career, and somehow doesn't win the MVP?

While I have love for SGA - especially as a Canadian product - the JOKER was robbed!

This is not Jokic best season at all....You can argue offensively but not overall (was very lazy on defense). And even then I would say 22-23 season was as good offensively.

Because Shai does not put up counting stats like that or wow you athletically people really miss out on how good he is. He is very deserving of the MVP even if I think Joker is the better player in a vacuum. He also leads Joker on most advanced stats which is rare to do and they won 68 games going away.

Shai just had a season as good as some of Jordan/Harden best seasons. better than Kobe best...

[sidsid]

I know both of these teams have made improvements, but neither of them play anything close to what should be playoff defense. At least until KAT's off the floor or Mitch is at least on it.

[raptorstime]

I know both of these teams have made improvements, but neither of them play anything close to what should be playoff defense. At least until KAT's off the floor or Mitch is at least on it.

i think OKC will smoke either team... like in 4 or 5.

[TheRealDeal]

McConnell reminds me a bit of Jamal Shead

[sidsid]

Looks like the Knicks are hard matching the OG to Siakam minutes. The only locked in substitution matchup for either team.

[Basketball_Jones]

McConnell is like the point guard version of RJ just keeps attacking the rim

[mdenny]

Og oof. Tough sequence lol.

[Brinbe]

LOL TOPPIN REJECTED BY THE RIM PULLING THE OLE HOFFA SPECIAL

[Basketball_Jones]

lol these guys are just throwing up anything OKC is gonna stomp them

[tms]

teams put up 130+ in the first half and it still feels like they left some points on the floor. breakneck pace

[mdenny]

Weird half with alot of chaotic sequences. Fun to watch though. Way better than watching Celtics.