ATL - Nico gets the boot

[Ron Swanson]

Watching teams like OKC, Denver, and Cleveland on the same night just drives home how insanely far away we are from competing at that level. The talent gap is extreme enough, but it starts with the infrastructure and coaching staff.

[Profound23]

Watch on YouTube

Michelle Beadle for the win

[paulpressey25]

I really don't get why so many are trying to make excuses for this guy.

Nico has obviously buried his NBA career and that's on him.

The reason some of us focus on ownership is all the smoke around Miriam and Patrick. From everything you see, read and watch (see a couple of Dumont's press conferences) those two really are focused on casinos and maybe even getting the league to approve a deal to move to Vegas.

Then you get more hints from those two that they think NBA athletes are overpaid and coddled. So you can envision a scenario where the coach and GM are bitching to them last year about Luka's conditioning and Miriam and Patrick say to themselves "No way are then going to give this guy a $350 million dollar contract extension. Look for trades for the bum!" I truly believe it was ownership that ordered the trade discussions.

And yes, I'll put on the tinfoil hat that there was some non-zero chance it was mentioned that a deal to the Lakers might endear us with our new friend Adam Silver for favors we may want in the future if we can't get our Texas casino.

[paulpressey25]

Watching teams like OKC, Denver, and Cleveland on the same night just drives home how insanely far away we are from competing at that level. The talent gap is extreme enough, but it starts with the infrastructure and coaching staff.

I'm going to add in Boston. The front office is trying to tank but the culture and bench players are still too strong to let that happen.....at least for now.

[Ron Swanson]

Watching teams like OKC, Denver, and Cleveland on the same night just drives home how insanely far away we are from competing at that level. The talent gap is extreme enough, but it starts with the infrastructure and coaching staff.

I'm going to add in Boston. The front office is trying to tank but the culture and bench players are still too strong to let that happen.....at least for now.

Their shot and roster profile is also why I don't wanna hear any excuses for us. No Tatum, no Porzingis, no Jrue, and yet they're still a Top-8 defense and jacking up the 2nd most 3's in the league to make up for the amount of offensive talent they're missing and/or let walk out the door in the offseason.

[RogerMurdock]

I'm afraid to say we can't hate TJ McConnell

Read on Twitter

[emunney]

I really don't get why so many are trying to make excuses for this guy.

Nico has obviously buried his NBA career and that's on him.

The reason some of us focus on ownership is all the smoke around Miriam and Patrick. From everything you see, read and watch (see a couple of Dumont's press conferences) those two really are focused on casinos and maybe even getting the league to approve a deal to move to Vegas.

Then you get more hints from those two that they think NBA athletes are overpaid and coddled. So you can envision a scenario where the coach and GM are bitching to them last year about Luka's conditioning and Miriam and Patrick say to themselves "No way are then going to give this guy a $350 million dollar contract extension. Look for trades for the bum!" I truly believe it was ownership that ordered the trade discussions.

And yes, I'll put on the tinfoil hat that there was some non-zero chance it was mentioned that a deal to the Lakers might endear us with our new friend Adam Silver for favors we may want in the future if we can't get our Texas casino.

If this was the case (Adelsons ordered the hit on Luka), there's just no way "a source familiar with the situation" doesn't leak it to the press. Instead all we have is this kind of distal speculation.

[paulpressey25]

If this was the case (Adelsons ordered the hit on Luka), there's just no way "a source familiar with the situation" doesn't leak it to the press. Instead all we have is this kind of distal speculation.

I think some of that was already out there.

Besides, the two guys who might squeal are still being paid by the team. Kidd and Nico (severance). Give it time. We just learned two weeks ago playing at a poker table with Chauncey Billups might not be on the up and up.

[RogerMurdock]

Kidd and Nico (severance).

If Nico is severed, he doesn't remember anything about work now that he's not in the office.

[emunney]

I'm afraid to say we can't hate TJ McConnell

Read on Twitter

Sorry, the man in this video appears to have bathed. Obvious body double.

[paulpressey25]

It may no longer in NBA circles be called the Dame trade but rather the Grayson Allen trade.

[Plossum]

I’m not sure about what the conspiracy is but you’ll never convince me there isn’t more to the Luka deal.

Nico had the job security of a perennial MVP candidate in Luka and was coming off a finals runs where he was widely lauded for the job he did building around Luka. It’ll never make sense he blew that up for Anthony Davis.

[ShootingtheJ]

I was told the Suns issues last year weren't Budenholzer's fault.

A much less talented Suns team is now 8-5.

[raferfenix]

Tim MacMahon: One thing I will tell you: Cuban didn’t help himself when he sold the majority share of the franchise, cashed a multi-billion-dollar check, and then told everybody who would listen: “Hey, I’m still in charge of basketball operations. These people? It’s just a real estate play for them. They don’t know what they’re doing with basketball—I do. I’m still in charge. Don’t worry.” That was not part of the deal. I don’t know if he was trying to speak it into existence or what. I don’t know how well you know Mark Cuban, but I don’t think he’d do very well on polygraph tests on a regular basis. He tends to be a little bit full of—you know—excrement.

Watch on YouTube

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I was told the Suns issues last year weren't Budenholzer's fault.

A much less talented Suns team is now 8-5.

Totally an A-B controlled comparison. It's not like 50% of the top 12 (both minutes and # of guys) are totally different this year including 2 guys with questionable attitudes no longer in the locker room.......

Devin Booker 2795
Kevin Durant 2265
Tyus Jones 2174
Royce O'Neale 1837
Bradley Beal 1702
Grayson Allen 1544
Ryan Dunn 1410
Mason Plumlee 1300
Oso Ighodaro 1045
Nick Richards 816
Jusuf Nurkić 592
Monte Morris 417


Not saying Bud didnt play a part but there is extremely limited crossover between the two teams and it is still extremely early.

[ShootingtheJ]

I was told the Suns issues last year weren't Budenholzer's fault.

A much less talented Suns team is now 8-5.

Totally an A-B controlled comparison. It's not like 50% of the top 12 (both minutes and # of guys) are totally different this year including 2 guys with questionable attitudes no longer in the locker room.......

Devin Booker 2795
Kevin Durant 2265
Tyus Jones 2174
Royce O'Neale 1837
Bradley Beal 1702
Grayson Allen 1544
Ryan Dunn 1410
Mason Plumlee 1300
Oso Ighodaro 1045
Nick Richards 816
Jusuf Nurkić 592
Monte Morris 417


Not saying Bud didnt play a part but there is extremely limited crossover between the two teams and it is still extremely early.

Are you saying there Suns upgraded their talent by trading KD for Dillon Brooks? Jalen Green had barely played because of injury.

I do agree that it's early, and I doubt they continue to win at this pace.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I was told the Suns issues last year weren't Budenholzer's fault.

A much less talented Suns team is now 8-5.

Totally an A-B controlled comparison. It's not like 50% of the top 12 (both minutes and # of guys) are totally different this year including 2 guys with questionable attitudes no longer in the locker room.......

Devin Booker 2795
Kevin Durant 2265
Tyus Jones 2174
Royce O'Neale 1837
Bradley Beal 1702
Grayson Allen 1544
Ryan Dunn 1410
Mason Plumlee 1300
Oso Ighodaro 1045
Nick Richards 816
Jusuf Nurkić 592
Monte Morris 417


Not saying Bud didnt play a part but there is extremely limited crossover between the two teams and it is still extremely early.

Are you saying there Suns upgraded their talent by trading KD for Dillon Brooks? Jalen Green had barely played because of injury.

I do agree that it's early, and I doubt they continue to win at this pace.

I'm saying don't underestimate a lockerrom cancer like Bradley Beal

[Siefer]

The thing about conspiracy theories is you often you need to stack speculations (in lieu of verifiable information) on top of each other until you hammer reality into the pre-determined shape. It's gotta look one way for the theory to work, so you have to keep hunting for (or making whole-cloth) the constituent components. And we never have every piece of information, verified and wrapped in a bow, so we'll always have to advance and follow theories at some level. It's tricky business!

But there's a difference in process. It's not that it's impossible to throw darts blindly and hit a real thing. Hell, you can do it a half-dozen times in a row. It can happen. But it's way easier when you can see what you're aiming at. There's a kind of, "corner of the eye" similarity between these speculative chains, and a plausible theory of the case derived from good process, which is part of what gives conspiracy theories power. But once you've abandoned good process, it becomes all too easy to just keep stacking blocks until you get exactly what you want.

[ShootingtheJ]

I really don't get why so many are trying to make excuses for this guy.

Nico has obviously buried his NBA career and that's on him.

The reason some of us focus on ownership is all the smoke around Miriam and Patrick. From everything you see, read and watch (see a couple of Dumont's press conferences) those two really are focused on casinos and maybe even getting the league to approve a deal to move to Vegas.

Then you get more hints from those two that they think NBA athletes are overpaid and coddled. So you can envision a scenario where the coach and GM are bitching to them last year about Luka's conditioning and Miriam and Patrick say to themselves "No way are then going to give this guy a $350 million dollar contract extension. Look for trades for the bum!" I truly believe it was ownership that ordered the trade discussions.

And yes, I'll put on the tinfoil hat that there was some non-zero chance it was mentioned that a deal to the Lakers might endear us with our new friend Adam Silver for favors we may want in the future if we can't get our Texas casino.

If this was the case (Adelsons ordered the hit on Luka), there's just no way "a source familiar with the situation" doesn't leak it to the press. Instead all we have is this kind of distal speculation.

Yes, and that's before we figure out why the Lakers were the only team allowed in the bidding?

[emunney]

Nico has obviously buried his NBA career and that's on him.

The reason some of us focus on ownership is all the smoke around Miriam and Patrick. From everything you see, read and watch (see a couple of Dumont's press conferences) those two really are focused on casinos and maybe even getting the league to approve a deal to move to Vegas.

Then you get more hints from those two that they think NBA athletes are overpaid and coddled. So you can envision a scenario where the coach and GM are bitching to them last year about Luka's conditioning and Miriam and Patrick say to themselves "No way are then going to give this guy a $350 million dollar contract extension. Look for trades for the bum!" I truly believe it was ownership that ordered the trade discussions.

And yes, I'll put on the tinfoil hat that there was some non-zero chance it was mentioned that a deal to the Lakers might endear us with our new friend Adam Silver for favors we may want in the future if we can't get our Texas casino.

If this was the case (Adelsons ordered the hit on Luka), there's just no way "a source familiar with the situation" doesn't leak it to the press. Instead all we have is this kind of distal speculation.

Yes, and that's before we figure out why the Lakers were the only team allowed in the bidding?

It's because he was the aggressor. Doncic was just the asset he was dangling to land one of the guys on his list that he personally preferred to Luka. We turned him down.

The common thread in all of this is Nico wildly underestimating Luka's value. If he had understood it properly, he wouldn't have wanted to trade him at all.