NBA Games Discussion Thread - Part 4

[FAH1223]

Kawhi in the 1st round

31.2/6/3.8 & 2 steals per game on 55/48/97% shooting

The real MVP

Hey you still think the Wizards gonna lose the series with ATL?

Kawhi had good stats at San Diego State. (Major props, BTW , to Leonard's retiring SDS head coach, Steve Fisher!)

However, I am mystified at how GREAT Leonard's game is now in the NBA. His three point shooting, go to pro moves, and his absolutely suffocating defense are each par excellence. Better than what I thought he would be. Just from his college stats, particularly his rebounds, I knew he was worth a lottery pick...

But no way dude looked like the next LeBron!

He took it to another level after his Pop's unfortunate murder. (At a car wash IIRC).

Lastly, IIRC, there was similarity between Kawhi's college stats and Andre Roberson's. Wish Kevin Broom was lurking...So I could ask WizardsKev what am I missing? Roberson's not a great pro. Leonard is top two IMHO.

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Chip England is the best shooting coach in basketball, period.

I remember his rookie year and all he did was defend and shoot corner 3s.

Now he's handling the rock, making plays off the pick and roll... its amazing

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

My huge ego says I could be a good/great shooting coach. Right up there with "Chip".


FAH, WHEN DOCLINKIN WAS MAKING FUN OF MY SENSE OF SELF IMPORTANCE...(my thinking I had the ear of Wizards management; calling me "bipolar bear"...

(My way of trolling back)

I remember posting about wanting to work with Vesely on shooting; particularly with free throw shooting. In my mind I could do wonders for him like (thanks for sharing, FAH) England​ did for Leonard.

(Doc, John Wall respects CCJKen1. )


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[FAH1223]

Go Jazz!

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[tontoz]

For the record the Jazz have the lowest payroll in the league.

[nate33]

It's pretty amazing when you think about all of the late round gems that have been found in the draft in recent years. The All NBA teams are loaded with non-lotto picks:

2011
Kawhi Leonard (#15)
Jimmy Butler (#30)
Isaiah Thomas (#60)

2012
Draymond Green (#35)

2013
Giannis Antetokounmpo (#15)
Rudy Gobert (#27)

2014
Nikola Jokic (#41)


Compare that to the number of All-NBA caliber players drafted in the lottery during those same 4 seasons:

2011
None

2012
Anthony Davis (#1)
Damian Lillard (#6)

2013
None

2014
Joel Embiid (#3)

[payitforward]

It's pretty amazing when you think about all of the late round gems that have been found in the draft in recent years. The All NBA teams are loaded with non-lotto picks:

2011
Kawhi Leonard (#15)
Jimmy Butler (#30)
Isaiah Thomas (#60)

2012
Draymond Green (#35)

2013
Giannis Antetokounmpo (#15)
Rudy Gobert (#27)

2014
Nikola Jokic (#41)


Compare that to the number of All-NBA caliber players drafted in the lottery during those same 4 seasons:

2011
None

2012
Anthony Davis (#1)
Damian Lillard (#6)

2013
None

2014
Joel Embiid (#3)

True -- & you are leaving quite a few out!

Drafted in R2 in 2011 -- Shelvin Mack, Chandler Parsons, Jon Leuer, Davis Bertans, Lavoy Allen & E'Twaun Moore are all having long, successful NBA careers.

In 2012, it was Jae Crowder, Khris Middleton, Will Barton & Kyle O'Quinn.

2013 wasn't as good -- but still, there are 8 2013 R2 picks you didn't mention who are playing in the league, a few of them pretty well.

From 2014 that number is 10.

In 2015 R2 was quite strong w/ Harrell, Mickey, Holmes, Hernangomez, Richardson, & Powell all looking like guys who will have long & productive NBA careers. Maybe Connaughton too?

2016 R2 is looking good too.

[tontoz]

Nate was talking about All-NBA caliber players.

Anyway there are 14 lottery picks and 46 non-lottery picks so that accounts for some of it. Plus we already know that a lot of GMs in the league are pretty bad.

[Silvie Lysandra]

that moment when Kawhi was the PROJECTED Wiz pick at #5 but we took Vesely......................................

[nate33]

Nate was talking about All-NBA caliber players.

Anyway there are 14 lottery picks and 46 non-lottery picks so that accounts for some of it. Plus we already know that a lot of GMs in the league are pretty bad.

In years past, it seems that the league was pretty good in identifying top talent with the top picks. Yes, a few gems always slipped through the cracks, but by and large, the superstars were lotto picks.

Consider the 2011 All NBA teams:
1st Team:
Howard (#1)
Durant (#2)
James (#1)
Kobe (#13)
Rose (#1)

2nd Team:
Stoudemire (#9)
Dirk (#9)
P.Gasol (#3)
Westbrook (#4)
Wade (#5)

3rd Team:
Horford (#3)
Randolph (#19)
Aldridge (#2)
Ginobili (#57)
C.Paul (#3)

10 out of the 15 players were picked with a top 5 pick, and only 3 were picked outside of the lottery. (And the only reason Kobe went so low was because he came out as a high school player at a time when that was really rare. He surely would have been a top 5 pick if he had played a year of college.)

I wonder why the league has suddenly gotten worse at projecting talent? Is it a fluke? Or perhaps the modern NBA game is much more different than the high school/college game than it used to be.

[Mojo Amok]

The rockets-spurs series is looking to be a good one.

Nene pulled a Keyser Söze style 'I'm not who you think I am' operation on us; nothing like burnt out husk-Nene of recent vintage.

[FAH1223]

Pop is going to have to play Dedmon and Simmons to guard the Rockets.

Aldridge is 31 years old and can't even post up a PG anymore. What the hell has happened to him?

Rockets were insanely hot and managed to stay ahead with good defense. Pretty shocking. Spurs look finished.

[Mojo Amok]

Aldridge is 31 years old and can't even post up a PG anymore. What the hell has happened to him?

Looks like he's been enjoying Texas BBQ and craft beers - overly large and out of shape by the standards of NBA power forwards in 2017.

[queridiculo]

The rockets-spurs series is looking to be a good one.

Nene pulled a Keyser Söze style 'I'm not who you think I am' operation on us; nothing like burnt out husk-Nene of recent vintage.

Makes you wonder, would Nene have accepted a curtailed role as a backup center on the 16/17 Wizards squad?

Any chance he got he would complain about how much he hated playing the position and that he was a natural power forward. A bit irritating to see him accept that same role with the Rockets at the vet minimum.

[Kanyewest]

The rockets-spurs series is looking to be a good one.

Nene pulled a Keyser Söze style 'I'm not who you think I am' operation on us; nothing like burnt out husk-Nene of recent vintage.

Makes you wonder, would Nene have accepted a curtailed role as a backup center on the 16/17 Wizards squad?

Any chance he got he would complain about how much he hated playing the position and that he was a natural power forward. A bit irritating to see him accept that same role with the Rockets at the vet minimum.

Nene was a backup center for Washington during his last season. Knowing Washington's luck, he would have remained injury prone here as well.

[Kanyewest]

Pop is going to have to play Dedmon and Simmons to guard the Rockets.

Aldridge is 31 years old and can't even post up a PG anymore. What the hell has happened to him?

Rockets were insanely hot and managed to stay ahead with good defense. Pretty shocking. Spurs look finished.

He suffered an irregular heartbeat earlier this season and was sidelined for a bit. Never was a super efficient scorer but surprised that he's less efficient (56 TS% in 15-16 vs 53% for this season). To put that in perspective, Markieff Morris had a 54 TS% this year.

[FAH1223]

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Damn shame for Tony Parker. Kawhi is going to have more pressure to playmaker for others in the starting unit with Patty Mills being more of a scorer.

[Mojo Amok]

Raptors looking like they're going to get properly blow'ed up this offseason - might not bring back any of their free agents at all with this debacle unfolding.

I seem to recall reading that Masai said "our window might be three years or three months" at a post-trade-deadline sports conference. He knows the score - I doubt they commit to this team unless the bean counters intervene in the interests of financials (which hardly looks like a great idea considering what Lowry and Ibaka are about to get paid and how lost the team looks collectively).

[FAH1223]

ATHREEZA is heating up for Houston

[nate33]

Raptors looking like they're going to get properly blow'ed up this offseason - might not bring back any of their free agents at all with this debacle unfolding.

I seem to recall reading that Masai said "our window might be three years or three months" at a post-trade-deadline sports conference. He knows the score - I doubt they commit to this team unless the bean counters intervene in the interests of financials (which hardly looks like a great idea considering what Lowry and Ibaka are about to get paid and how lost the team looks collectively).

Yup. They seem to have a bunch of guys who are at that Bradley Beal/Otto Porter echelon of talent. They'll get offered max contracts or near-max contracts, but they're really not legit superstars capable of leading a team to a title. I'd put all three of Lowry, DeRozan and Ibaka in that category.

We're a bit more fortunate because Wall appears to be a tier higher than those guys. Wall may not be quite on the Lebron/Kawhi/Harden/Curry/Durant tier, but he's just below them and among the top 10 in the league. And given his age, Beal might one day get into the top 10-15 as well.

[FAH1223]

James Harden's defense awareness is still subpar.

He tried to trap Kawhi which left Danny Green wide open for 3.

Then out of a timeout he loses Green running to the other baseline for another open 3.

Between these miscues and his flopping, his 43 points hasn't been impressive