Around the NBA: Playoff Edition #2

[chrispatrick]

these playoffs have been trash. I blame the new style of play and the huge disparity of talent between the warriors/cavs and everyone else.

This is what the NBA wants so the casual fans can all see their familiar faces in the NBA finals.

The fix for the NBA is pretty easy, but given the NBA seems to do the best ratings wise with dominant teams, nobody will care. Instead I'll just watch Harden and IT flop around until the Warriors win the championship... yawn.

1.) get rid of max contracts so the league's best talent both gets the money they deserve (as opposed to roughly making the same as Timofey Mozgov) and is forced to play with weaker supporting casts.

2.) randomize the draft lottery so half the teams stop tanking. The league would be a lot more fun if more than half the teams were trying to win.

[Ice Man]

randomize the draft lottery so half the teams stop tanking. The league would be a lot more fun if more than half the teams were trying to win.

I'd go further ... award draft picks in order of finish, so that the best teams get the highest picks. That will make teams scratch and kick and claw to win.

And if you couple that with a hard team salary cap, no individual max, and a 3-year limit on contract length, you'd still have plenty of change. No team will be as dominant over such a period of time as the Warrior now are (and will be), because the modest advantage of getting the top draft pick (for guys who usually aren't *that* helpful before their first 3-year contract runs out) will be outweighed by the disadvantage that GSW could never, ever afford under the new structure to have more than 2 of Durant, Curry, Draymond, and Klay on the roster. And not Durant and Curry on the same team at all, unless one of them took a big pay cut or the team had 90% of its salary in those two guys, and had the rest of its roster as minimum-wage players.

[The Senator]

Am I the only one here who actually prefers regular season basketball when both teams show up to play? That last part's a big caveat, but I feel like the Playoffs turn into a morass of ref gaming, ref fixing('02 Kings, anyone?) superstar protection and sub-optimal matchups. When a playoff series does turn out well, it's certainly wonderful to behold, but I don't see as much of that as I do the things I mentioned before.

I'm not a fan of Harden-ball and the three point foul calls are way out of hand. There need to be some changes in how the refs call that going forward, players like Harden and IT get calls outside the three point line that make no sense from a basketball perspective. I don't even much like it when a player gets too many dubious calls within the three point line, but those three point calls are egregiously awful. The offensive player should not be rewarded for jumping into a defender far away from the basket. At least if they're driving to the rim, it rewards aggression of a type.

[kodo]

Pringles is Coach of the Year.

Just a few years ago, everyone was claiming this guy was the worst coach in the league.

And now he's one of the handful of coaches along with Pops to have won multiple COYs.

[Southpaw]

The Raps are broken mentally. The interviews from both their leaders in Lowry and Derozan must be hard to listen to as a fan.

[MC3]

The Raps are broken mentally. The interviews from both their leaders in Lowry and Derozan must be hard to listen to as a fan.

both of those guys NEVER performed in playoffs or big stage. broken mentally by lebron? I dont think so.

It will be very interesting what Raptors do this summer. If they lock up their current squad they pretty much sentenced themselves into mediocrity for years to come, and losing in playoffs by 2nd round.

[GimmeDat]

[Kevin O'Connor] One NBA executive told me a few years ago that he’s heard of owners lurking on RealGM and Reddit to take the temperature of their fan bases before finalizing trades.

https://theringer.com/2017-nba-playoffs-team-offseason-rebuilding-raptors-clippers-bulls-pacers-f6b9c8062500

Somehow I think this isn't GarPax.

[MC3]

[Kevin O'Connor] One NBA executive told me a few years ago that he’s heard of owners lurking on RealGM and Reddit to take the temperature of their fan bases before finalizing trades.

https://theringer.com/2017-nba-playoffs-team-offseason-rebuilding-raptors-clippers-bulls-pacers-f6b9c8062500

Somehow I think this isn't GarPax.

I always had thought GM's would lurk around boards and monitor possible trade thread transactions by fans. Now we finally have confirmation that actually happens. And yes. It isnt GarPax for sure.

[GimmeDat]

BTW, there's some great Boston '08 reunion stuff happening on Area 21 tonight, Rondo's on there. They told a story about how Rondo threw a bottle at Doc Rivers and how many square ups they've had.

[Proven_Winner]

BTW, there's some great Boston '08 reunion stuff happening on Area 21 tonight, Rondo's on there. They told a story about how Rondo threw a bottle at Doc Rivers and how many square ups they've had.

That was hilarious but that Ray segment was a bit weird. They really make you feel like Allen was the bad guy in that. After reading the celtics board I see why They didn't invite him.

[GimmeDat]

BTW, there's some great Boston '08 reunion stuff happening on Area 21 tonight, Rondo's on there. They told a story about how Rondo threw a bottle at Doc Rivers and how many square ups they've had.

That was hilarious but that Ray segment was a bit weird. They really make you feel like Allen was the bad guy in that. After reading the celtics board I see why They didn't invite him.

I get it, but airing it all publicly like that was.. weird. Certainly doesn't help the relationship.

[veji1]

these playoffs have been trash. I blame the new style of play and the huge disparity of talent between the warriors/cavs and everyone else.

This is what the NBA wants so the casual fans can all see their familiar faces in the NBA finals.

The fix for the NBA is pretty easy, but given the NBA seems to do the best ratings wise with dominant teams, nobody will care. Instead I'll just watch Harden and IT flop around until the Warriors win the championship... yawn.

1.) get rid of max contracts so the league's best talent both gets the money they deserve (as opposed to roughly making the same as Timofey Mozgov) and is forced to play with weaker supporting casts.

2.) randomize the draft lottery so half the teams stop tanking. The league would be a lot more fun if more than half the teams were trying to win.

It sort of sucks, but superteams have always bit a gigantic part of the NBA's business model... the NBA took off during the Celtics/Lakers rivalry of the 80s and then reached its orbit with the Jordan Bulls before falling in a relative morass until Lebron came to the scene and particularly formed that Heat team... For the NBA, the only somewhat suboptimal aspect of the Cavs/Dubs rivalry is that it would be so much better if the Cavs were in NY, Chicago or Boston, but otherwise it's pretty awesome...

[Southpaw]

The Raps are broken mentally. The interviews from both their leaders in Lowry and Derozan must be hard to listen to as a fan.

both of those guys NEVER performed in playoffs or big stage. broken mentally by lebron? I dont think so.

It will be very interesting what Raptors do this summer. If they lock up their current squad they pretty much sentenced themselves into mediocrity for years to come, and losing in playoffs by 2nd round.

I agree with both of them succumbing to the playoff pressure, but have you seen their interviews? That really weak for the team leaders. We know what they said was true, but you still don't wanna hear it from your leaders and best players.

[Ice Man]

If they lock up their current squad they pretty much sentenced themselves into mediocrity for years to come, and losing in playoffs by 2nd round.

That's a tough call to make. Lock into being a Top 5 Eastern team for the next 3 years, with little chance of being the Top 1, or break it apart and be who knows where. I know that come this time of year, when the good but not great teams are getting dismantled in the playoffs that fans tend to think that only 1 or 2 teams in a conference matter, but that's a tough way to go through life. And in the regular season, teams like Toronto give their fans a lot of joy. So it's difficult to let that go ... the Raps have some hard thinking to do.

[Ice Man]

In the past 3 years, the #6, #7, and #8 seeds are a combined 0-18 in their series. In the second round, the winner of the 4/5 matchup is 0-5 against the #1 seed (although the Wiz do have a fighting chance to break that streak against Boston).

Truth is, the playoffs should consist of the #2 and #3 seeds competing to face the #1 seed in the Conference FInal. Six teams overall. Which already is a bit of overkill, because only 3-4 teams are really title contenders, but hey let's open things up a bit. The other 10 teams that are now in the playoffs can go suck eggs. Or play in the NIT, if they wish.

[MC3]

If they lock up their current squad they pretty much sentenced themselves into mediocrity for years to come, and losing in playoffs by 2nd round.

That's a tough call to make. Lock into being a Top 5 Eastern team for the next 3 years, with little chance of being the Top 1, or break it apart and be who knows where. I know that come this time of year, when the good but not great teams are getting dismantled in the playoffs that fans tend to think that only 1 or 2 teams in a conference matter, but that's a tough way to go through life. And in the regular season, teams like Toronto give their fans a lot of joy. So it's difficult to let that go ... the Raps have some hard thinking to do.

Contracts they give this summer will hurt them bad over the years with likely having no cap space to improve in the future at all. They have no chance coming from Eastern Conference in years to come, regardless of Lebron. Cap is raising up and both Lowry and Ibaka are for some 25 per year minimum deals for 4 years minimum contracts. And Ibaka is already declining a bit. And Lowry is 31. Those deals maybe wont hurt them for 2 years next, but those will be garbage contracts by 3rd or 4th years. And at lvl of Noah's contract with Knicks.

I hate Gar and his "flexibility" but he is right when he says we have no big longterm contracts and we are position are selves into situation where we can take advantage of that.

[FriedRise]

Read on Twitter

[Ice Man]

Cap is raising up and both Lowry and Ibaka are for some 25 per year minimum deals for 4 years minimum contracts. And Ibaka is already declining a bit. And Lowry is 31. Those deals maybe wont hurt them for 2 years next, but those will be garbage contracts by 3rd or 4th years.

Sounds about right. If they re-sign these guys the Raps should be good for 2 more years, by Year 3 will be wavering, and by Year 4 will be the Knicks West.

[jc23]

steph curry is a really boing interview.

[kyrv]

[Kevin O'Connor] One NBA executive told me a few years ago that he’s heard of owners lurking on RealGM and Reddit to take the temperature of their fan bases before finalizing trades.

https://theringer.com/2017-nba-playoffs-team-offseason-rebuilding-raptors-clippers-bulls-pacers-f6b9c8062500

Somehow I think this isn't GarPax.

I always had thought GM's would lurk around boards and monitor possible trade thread transactions by fans. Now we finally have confirmation that actually happens. And yes. It isnt GarPax for sure.

How is someone saying someone told him about owners lurking confirmation that GMs lurk??