2016 Playoffs Round 1: OKC Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks

[Cuban_Linx]

I'm starting to get a good feel for what it was like to be a Rockets fan back when Lin played there. Good thing the Turkish people don't care about basketball that much and the Turkish Germans already have Dirk.

[Andre Roberstan]

I'm starting to get a good feel for what it was like to be a Rockets fan back when Lin played there. Good thing the Turkish people don't care about basketball that much and the Turkish Germans already have Dirk.

That's like getting hit with a Super Soaker and saying you know what it feels like to stand under Niagara Falls.

[actively]

If Kanter continues to play well in the playoffs, I think he will, OKC will never trade a 23 years old guy, who is offensively gifted , like Kanter, especially to rivals like Portland or Dallas. Kanter needs to play another couple year under a defensive minded coach to reach an allstar level. I hope he stays another year with leaders like KD and Russ, so he has a lot to learn from them, too.

All things being equal, I'd rather keep him. But we have a hole on the wing, our frontcourt is very strong, and with the amount of money he makes we can't upgrade any other position without moving him. I'd bet you anything that barring KD leaving, he's traded within the next 2 offseasons.

If KD stays, I hope Donovan let Kanter play with Russ and Kd. They would be a killer trio. But I do not think he will do. I just do not trust his judgement. Most likely he will be traded after one year, if Kd stays, but possibly OKC will regret it later. Another Harden case???

[Andre Roberstan]

If Kanter continues to play well in the playoffs, I think he will, OKC will never trade a 23 years old guy, who is offensively gifted , like Kanter, especially to rivals like Portland or Dallas. Kanter needs to play another couple year under a defensive minded coach to reach an allstar level. I hope he stays another year with leaders like KD and Russ, so he has a lot to learn from them, too.

All things being equal, I'd rather keep him. But we have a hole on the wing, our frontcourt is very strong, and with the amount of money he makes we can't upgrade any other position without moving him. I'd bet you anything that barring KD leaving, he's traded within the next 2 offseasons.

If KD stays, I hope Donovan let Kanter play with Russ and Kd. They would be a killer trio. But I do not think he will do. I just do not trust his judgement. Most likely he will be traded after one year, if Kd stays, but possibly OKC will regret it later. Another Harden case???

It's a case of diminishing returns. You want the ball in KD and Russ's hands the majority of the time so they can score. Adding a third scorer to that means that that 3rd scorer takes a lesser role. That's how big 3s work.

Bosh, Love, Ibaka, all guys who could score more in different roles but don't get the usage on offense. Ibaka couldn't be a primary scorer, but the other two could.

Kanter could be a primary scorer, but if you're tanking your defense to add more scoring to a unit that doesn't need it...I really don't see the point.

I don't think it'll be something they regret unless they trade him for Corey Brewer or something. Again, Kanter is a good player, but fit-wise it's not right. He'd be a tremendous fit on a team with a weak frontcourt and strong defensive backcourt (Boston?) who could use a primary or secondary scorer. But making him a full-time starting 3rd scorer in OKC is a waste of his talents and a problem on the other end of the floor, even if he has made strides on defense. And in order to upgrade the rest of the roster and even keep the guys we have, he has to go. Adams and Ibaka and McGary should stay before him. Kanter's the only one that's expendable.

[actively]

I'm starting to get a good feel for what it was like to be a Rockets fan back when Lin played there. Good thing the Turkish people don't care about basketball that much and the Turkish Germans already have Dirk.

Playoffs
Omer Asik was there with Lin, a defensive big, but I never thought he would succeed because offensively he was challenged, similarly there were to much hype going with Gobert last year in Utah, what happened this year, he regressed, because he hasnt improved his offense, I am saying offensively talented bigs are hard to come by.

I am a secular guy, maybe a hard nose ateist, but I like Gulen movement, and he is a part of that, and I am sure he works too hard to succeed, but Donovan held him back this year for many reasons, fortunately he has no choice but let him play more in the playoffs.

[Cuban_Linx]

I'm starting to get a good feel for what it was like to be a Rockets fan back when Lin played there. Good thing the Turkish people don't care about basketball that much and the Turkish Germans already have Dirk.

That's like getting hit with a Super Soaker and saying you know what it feels like to stand under Niagara Falls.

Fair enough

[Cuban_Linx]

If Kanter continues to play well in the playoffs, I think he will, OKC will never trade a 23 years old guy, who is offensively gifted , like Kanter, especially to rivals like Portland or Dallas. Kanter needs to play another couple year under a defensive minded coach to reach an allstar level. I hope he stays another year with leaders like KD and Russ, so he has a lot to learn from them, too.

All things being equal, I'd rather keep him. But we have a hole on the wing, our frontcourt is very strong, and with the amount of money he makes we can't upgrade any other position without moving him. I'd bet you anything that barring KD leaving, he's traded within the next 2 offseasons.

If KD stays, I hope Donovan let Kanter play with Russ and Kd. They would be a killer trio. But I do not think he will do. I just do not trust his judgement. Most likely he will be traded after one year, if Kd stays, but possibly OKC will regret it later. Another Harden case???

I don't see why tho. We already have the 2nd best offense in the league. If anything we should get rid of Kanter and invest that 17 million of his in some players who can D up.

[actively]

All things being equal, I'd rather keep him. But we have a hole on the wing, our frontcourt is very strong, and with the amount of money he makes we can't upgrade any other position without moving him. I'd bet you anything that barring KD leaving, he's traded within the next 2 offseasons.

If KD stays, I hope Donovan let Kanter play with Russ and Kd. They would be a killer trio. But I do not think he will do. I just do not trust his judgement. Most likely he will be traded after one year, if Kd stays, but possibly OKC will regret it later. Another Harden case???

It's a case of diminishing returns. You want the ball in KD and Russ's hands the majority of the time so they can score. Adding a third scorer to that means that that 3rd scorer takes a lesser role. That's how big 3s work.

Bosh, Love, Ibaka, all guys who could score more in different roles but don't get the usage on offense. Ibaka couldn't be a primary scorer, but the other two could.

Kanter could be a primary scorer, but if you're tanking your defense to add more scoring to a unit that doesn't need it...I really don't see the point.

I don't think it'll be something they regret unless they trade him for Corey Brewer or something. Again, Kanter is a good player, but fit-wise it's not right. He'd be a tremendous fit on a team with a weak frontcourt and strong defensive backcourt (Boston?) who could use a primary or secondary scorer. But making him a full-time starting 3rd scorer in OKC is a waste of his talents and a problem on the other end of the floor, even if he has made strides on defense. And in order to upgrade the rest of the roster and even keep the guys we have, he has to go. Adams and Ibaka and McGary should stay before him. Kanter's the only one that's expendable.

Well, I understand that, but on the other side you pay 17 million to a guy who plays with a second unit?? I wish they tried to play him 30 minutes at least to see what he is capable of. Donovan used many line-ups but never tried this once. Let him play another 10 minutes with Kd and Russ both together.

[bondom34]

We've seen what he's capable of in 30 minutes, he's a fantastic scorer who when played against higher caliber big men gets beat defensively a lot.

[bondom34]

I'm starting to get a good feel for what it was like to be a Rockets fan back when Lin played there. Good thing the Turkish people don't care about basketball that much and the Turkish Germans already have Dirk.

Check the Lin thread on Charlotte's board.

I never want Lin in OKC only because of that.

[actively]

I'm starting to get a good feel for what it was like to be a Rockets fan back when Lin played there. Good thing the Turkish people don't care about basketball that much and the Turkish Germans already have Dirk.

Here are already too many Kiwis around, clearly you have no regrets with them, just because most writers in this forum are Adams fan.

I do not think most turks will support Kanter because of political reasons, but I do support him politically too.

[actively]

We've seen what he's capable of in 30 minutes, he's a fantastic scorer who when played against higher caliber big men gets beat defensively a lot.

He played well against Portland, and Spurs as far as I remember, just check back and watch them. As an Adams fan, you probably fast forward when Kanter plays, but I urge you to watch both games also when Kanter played.

[bondom34]

I don't think there is a single Kiwi who's a regular here. Marcus but he's rarely around.

[actively]

I don't think there is a single Kiwi who's a regular here. Marcus but he's rarely around.

Its hard to know but Adams has many sympathizers in this forum, it is just pain to read through.

[bondom34]

I don't think there is a single Kiwi who's a regular here. Marcus but he's rarely around.

Its hard to know but Adams has many sympathizers in this forum, it is just pain to read through.

Saying he's a better player isn't sympathizing.

I guess we're all Durant sympathizers too. And Westbrook.

Must be awful to read.

[Cuban_Linx]

I'm starting to get a good feel for what it was like to be a Rockets fan back when Lin played there. Good thing the Turkish people don't care about basketball that much and the Turkish Germans already have Dirk.

Check the Lin thread on Charlotte's board.

I never want Lin in OKC only because of that.

Jesus I completely forgot that type of stuff was still going on. I like Lin, but I'm with you on not wanting his fans to flood the team board.

I'm starting to get a good feel for what it was like to be a Rockets fan back when Lin played there. Good thing the Turkish people don't care about basketball that much and the Turkish Germans already have Dirk.

Here are already too many Kiwis around, clearly you have no regrets with them, just because most writers in this forum are Adams fan.

I do not think most turks will support Kanter because of political reasons, but I do support him politically too.

But what's really there to hate about Adams anyway? He's your prototypical defensive C and he's pretty good on offense too. Kanter is great on offense no doubt, but everything points to that not being enough to offset his bad D and especially not on a team that's already great on offense. It'd be nice if Kanter fans could just understand that his skillset just doesn't fit with a team that's trying to contend.

[Andre Roberstan]

If KD stays, I hope Donovan let Kanter play with Russ and Kd. They would be a killer trio. But I do not think he will do. I just do not trust his judgement. Most likely he will be traded after one year, if Kd stays, but possibly OKC will regret it later. Another Harden case???

It's a case of diminishing returns. You want the ball in KD and Russ's hands the majority of the time so they can score. Adding a third scorer to that means that that 3rd scorer takes a lesser role. That's how big 3s work.

Bosh, Love, Ibaka, all guys who could score more in different roles but don't get the usage on offense. Ibaka couldn't be a primary scorer, but the other two could.

Kanter could be a primary scorer, but if you're tanking your defense to add more scoring to a unit that doesn't need it...I really don't see the point.

I don't think it'll be something they regret unless they trade him for Corey Brewer or something. Again, Kanter is a good player, but fit-wise it's not right. He'd be a tremendous fit on a team with a weak frontcourt and strong defensive backcourt (Boston?) who could use a primary or secondary scorer. But making him a full-time starting 3rd scorer in OKC is a waste of his talents and a problem on the other end of the floor, even if he has made strides on defense. And in order to upgrade the rest of the roster and even keep the guys we have, he has to go. Adams and Ibaka and McGary should stay before him. Kanter's the only one that's expendable.

Well, I understand that, but on the other side you pay 17 million to a guy who plays with a second unit?? I wish they tried to play him 30 minutes at least to see what he is capable of. Donovan used many line-ups but never tried this once. Let him play another 10 minutes with Kd and Russ both together.

You're probably going to see at least a couple of second-unit guys get that kind of money this offseason due to the salary cap jump.

And Donovan has absolutely tried KD/Russ/Kanter together on the floor. Just not starting. In the regular season, lineups that had those 3 guys on the floor together had a net rating of +8.6 in about 6 minutes of game time over 66 games. They had an ORtg of 118 and a DRtg of 110.

That's not bad!

But there are 16 3-man lineups that are better. I constrained by over 42 games played and over 4 minutes per game and checked out the lineups that ensued. The top 15 don't have Kanter. Most of the top lineups are various combinations of the starting lineup, though a few have Morrow or Waiters.

In a sample size that significant, I don't know that you need to play that group together more to get a sense of their capabilities.

[actively]

I don't think there is a single Kiwi who's a regular here. Marcus but he's rarely around.

Its hard to know but Adams has many sympathizers in this forum, it is just pain to read through.

Saying he's a better player isn't sympathizing.

I guess we're all Durant sympathizers too. And Westbrook.

Must be awful to read.

Actually I like KD and Russ, even Foye and Dion (he often doesnt pass the ball to Kanter, and poor decision maker). I have no problem with Adams, either he is nice guy, hope he succeeds, but his supporters highly biased, and fanatic, most probably age related.

[Andre Roberstan]

Its hard to know but Adams has many sympathizers in this forum, it is just pain to read through.

Saying he's a better player isn't sympathizing.

I guess we're all Durant sympathizers too. And Westbrook.

Must be awful to read.

Actually I like KD and Russ, even Foye and Dion (he often doesnt pass the ball to Kanter, and poor decision maker). I have no problem with Adams, either he is nice guy, hope he succeeds, but his supporters highly biased, and fanatic, most probably age related.

Every high-minute lineup with Adams in it is better by the numbers than the equivalent with Kanter. Every advanced stat has Adams higher than Kanter. Kanter's better at scoring points and rebounding, but Adams is a better all-around player at this point in his career. By the time he's 27 or so, Kanter might have made up enough ground on defense to be a net positive. But at this point Adams is better for the team.

That's all based on easily-available statistics, which we have several years worth of data for. You want to argue Kanter may be better overall at some point, sure. But at the moment Adams is better for the team.

[actively]

Saying he's a better player isn't sympathizing.

I guess we're all Durant sympathizers too. And Westbrook.

Must be awful to read.

Actually I like KD and Russ, even Foye and Dion (he often doesnt pass the ball to Kanter, and poor decision maker). I have no problem with Adams, either he is nice guy, hope he succeeds, but his supporters highly biased, and fanatic, most probably age related.

Every high-minute lineup with Adams in it is better by the numbers than the equivalent with Kanter. Every advanced stat has Adams higher than Kanter. Kanter's better at scoring points and rebounding, but Adams is a better all-around player at this point in his career. By the time he's 27 or so, Kanter might have made up enough ground on defense to be a net positive. But at this point Adams is better for the team.

That's all based on easily-available statistics, which we have several years worth of data for. You want to argue Kanter may be better overall at some point, sure. But at the moment Adams is better for the team.

Advanced statistics based on pluses and minuses???? Defense has too much weight in these statistics, espn never enclose how he calculates them, any data based on pluses and minuses are worthless statistically speaking, no randomization. I already said that I do not believe them.
These statistics says that Kanter had a negative net impact in the fourth last game, How can you believe them.