People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree...

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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#81 » by TheRealKaboom » Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:51 am

JN61 wrote:Clippers have 2 players who struggled with injuries last year, so don't be as sure with them just yet.
Only last year? Kawhi's leg has a degenerative condition. That means it's progressive and irreversible. He was limping through the playoffs at the end.

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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#82 » by freethedevil » Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:57 am

mdonnelly1989 wrote:I still feel like the Clippers should be a heavy favorite versus the field to win it all....


.

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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#83 » by LKN » Wed Sep 11, 2019 3:12 am

lakerz12 wrote:
The_Hater wrote:
lakerz12 wrote:
They won 48 games without KL and PG? What are you talking about?

I can see how if you believe that that you would think the supporting cast is good.

Go back and look at their roster last year.

They had Tobias Harris for 55 games. He was their best player in that span. They were 30-25 with him.

They also had Gallo scoring 20 ppg. And SGA. And Bradley.

Lol. Yeah if they still had all of those guys I would agree with you.

As it is, if you remove KL/PG13 from THIS roster, they are a lottery team. They'd probably be the worst team in the West.


You’re just helping prove my point. They went 8-6 without Gallo and 18-9 without Harris last season. Doesn’t that just prove how good their depth is? That’s the way it looks to me.

And yes, if you remove the Clipper 2 best players that is a lottery team. As are the Lakers without their 2 best players, and the Rockets and the Warriors, and the Blazers and the Nuggets and the Jazz. I’m not exactly sure what point you think this makes but the Clippers still have excellent depth regardless. They’re one of the 3-4 deepest teams in the league.


No, that doesn't prove anything. 18-9 without Harris? Didn't they still have Gallo, SGA, and Bradley playing a ton of minutes? Those guys aren't on this team anymore. You're proving my point.

This roster is totally different to last year's, so any comparisons are meaningless.

You haven't explained how their depth is quality. If I look at the statistics of the supporting cast it is mediocre at best.

It's 2 All NBA players and a bunch of average NBA players. Harrell is the only one who's actually above average.


The Clippers miinus PG/KL are far better than the Lakers inus Lebron/AD.

That being said I do agree that they aren't some crazy favorite
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#84 » by KqWIN » Wed Sep 11, 2019 3:15 am

I'm not even sure if the Clippers are a better team than the Raptors last year.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#85 » by HBK_Kliq_33 » Wed Sep 11, 2019 3:22 am

Leonard and George would take it to Lebron's old ass

Leonard and George would crush Curry\Klay who have choked or got injured without Durant 2\3 last playoffs.

Leonard and George can rotate on guarding Harden and let Westbrook shoot Rockets out of the game.

The east doesn't have anybody who has a chance besides maybe the Nets if they put it all together and KD comes back normal.

Nobody stands a chance against Kawhi\George this season or probably the next 3 years.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#86 » by Bruteque » Wed Sep 11, 2019 4:36 am

Honest, virtually everything is up in the air right now. If there is one thing somebody can say for sure about the LAC this year, it's that Kawhi is really really going to miss Lowry.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#87 » by ShotCreator » Wed Sep 11, 2019 4:44 am

The_Hater wrote:
ShotCreator wrote:Kawhi is impossibly overrated. On both ends.

....

They are not better than Philly or MIL to me.


Wasn’t Kawhi the best player in both the Sixers series and the Bucks series last year?

This entire take just seems mistimed.

I thought that at the time but it is clear now, Embiids defense was worth a **** load. And clearly had a bigger impact than anything Kawhi was doing out there.

Philly will be hell to beat 4 times in a series. And I dont think anyone does it.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#88 » by The_Hater » Wed Sep 11, 2019 5:06 am

ShotCreator wrote:
The_Hater wrote:
ShotCreator wrote:Kawhi is impossibly overrated. On both ends.

....

They are not better than Philly or MIL to me.


Wasn’t Kawhi the best player in both the Sixers series and the Bucks series last year?

This entire take just seems mistimed.

I thought that at the time but it is clear now, Embiids defense was worth a **** load. And clearly had a bigger impact than anything Kawhi was doing out there.
.


Embiid was strong defensively, he also averaged 17/9/3 on a TS% of 52.9%. Gasol bottled him up completely.

Meanwhile Kawhi averaged 35/10/4 on a TS% of 63.4% and hit the series winning shot OVER Embiid in game 7. And let’s remember that he’s a pretty good defender too.

But you think Embiid was the best player in that series? Wild guess, but you just might just be in the minority here....
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#89 » by Pattycakes » Wed Sep 11, 2019 6:06 am

Clips may be favorites based on an effectively blind guess - and very well could deserve so, but they still have very visible flaws so it’s not quite super team level. Might be a wierd way to look at it but I think LAC and LALs situations are actually bad for each other. I think it’ll make for an entertaining rivalry for fans outside the city, but that’s a lot of passive aggressive ego for one town.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#90 » by ShotCreator » Wed Sep 11, 2019 6:34 am

The_Hater wrote:
ShotCreator wrote:
The_Hater wrote:
Wasn’t Kawhi the best player in both the Sixers series and the Bucks series last year?

This entire take just seems mistimed.

I thought that at the time but it is clear now, Embiids defense was worth a **** load. And clearly had a bigger impact than anything Kawhi was doing out there.
.


Embiid was strong defensively, he also averaged 17/9/3 on a TS% of 52.9%. Gasol bottled him up completely.

Meanwhile Kawhi averaged 35/10/4 on a TS% of 63.4% and hit the series winning shot OVER Embiid in game 7. And let’s remember that he’s a pretty good defender too.

But you think Embiid was the best player in that series? Wild guess, but you just might just be in the minority here....

Philly destroyed them when Embiid was on the court. Kawhi played way worse when Embiid was out there. Torono won the against Phillys non-Embiid lineups and its not close. Philly even smashed them with Embiid in the game 7.

This is why Kawhi is overrated. Like almost every volume scorer with good athleticism.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#91 » by Dr Spaceman » Wed Sep 11, 2019 6:44 am

ShotCreator wrote:
The_Hater wrote:
ShotCreator wrote:I thought that at the time but it is clear now, Embiids defense was worth a **** load. And clearly had a bigger impact than anything Kawhi was doing out there.
.


Embiid was strong defensively, he also averaged 17/9/3 on a TS% of 52.9%. Gasol bottled him up completely.

Meanwhile Kawhi averaged 35/10/4 on a TS% of 63.4% and hit the series winning shot OVER Embiid in game 7. And let’s remember that he’s a pretty good defender too.

But you think Embiid was the best player in that series? Wild guess, but you just might just be in the minority here....

Philly destroyed them when Embiid was on the court. Kawhi played way worse when Embiid was out there. Torono won the against Phillys non-Embiid lineups and its not close. Philly even smashed them with Embiid in the game 7.

This is why Kawhi is overrated. Like almost every volume scorer with good athleticism.


This is true. Embiid’s on/off was +41.6 net, which has to be some kind of record. Can’t think of a guy in a series who’s even close to that.

I’d still say Kawhi was better overall because Embiid was out of shape which prevented him from matching minutes but when both were on the floor Embiid severely outplayed him (and everyone in basketball). Philly 100% lost the series in the 100 non-Embiid minutes.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#92 » by The_Hater » Wed Sep 11, 2019 10:30 am

ShotCreator wrote:
The_Hater wrote:
ShotCreator wrote:I thought that at the time but it is clear now, Embiids defense was worth a **** load. And clearly had a bigger impact than anything Kawhi was doing out there.
.


Embiid was strong defensively, he also averaged 17/9/3 on a TS% of 52.9%. Gasol bottled him up completely.

Meanwhile Kawhi averaged 35/10/4 on a TS% of 63.4% and hit the series winning shot OVER Embiid in game 7. And let’s remember that he’s a pretty good defender too.

But you think Embiid was the best player in that series? Wild guess, but you just might just be in the minority here....

Philly destroyed them when Embiid was on the court. Kawhi played way worse when Embiid was out there. Torono won the against Phillys non-Embiid lineups and its not close. Philly even smashed them with Embiid in the game 7.

This is why Kawhi is overrated. Like almost every volume scorer with good athleticism.


On/off splits are important but shouldn’t be used as the only part of an argument. And in this case, it’s the only checkmark Embiid has in this debate and he lost the series.

Let me give you some context for this stat you’re using. Embiid went +71 in 2 big Philly wins in games 3 and 6. He was +14 for the other 5 games of which Toronto won 4. Leonard was +55 in those dame 5 games. 7 game series, need to win 4 so having an inflated +/- over just 2 games isn’t as helpful to your team as you seem to think

And the fact you’re actually using this one Embidd stat stat as some sort of proof that Kawhi is overrated is somewhat comical.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#93 » by GrandTheftRondo » Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:05 pm

Oh please. The Clippers dont compare at all to the Warriors.

The Warriors were damn near unbeatable.

They had four all stars (two of them MVP level players) all in their prime who fitted damn well.

Clippers ain’t close and until they prove otherwise it’s wide open as far as I’m concerned.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#94 » by Greed » Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:05 am

You said AD is extremely limited in today's league...

Have you actually watched AD play?

To be honest I think the Lakers are pretty loaded with high quality role players and a very strong trio in LeBron, AD, Kuzma that complements each other excellently. With a laser focused Howard that team can flat out dominate
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#95 » by 50CalClips » Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:52 am

Mighty Quinn wrote:I wouldn't be so sure about that. Doesn't look like LAC has anybody to do the simple things, like passing the ball and running the offense.


Assists Per Game (Clippers 2018-19):
23.0 -- for the first two-thirds of the season, BEFORE the Trades (would-be ranked #25 in the NBA)
26.2 -- for the final third of the season, AFTER the Trades (would-be ranked #7 in the NBA)
--------------
24.0 -- overall season (was ranked #18 in the NBA)

Assist-Percentage ("Advanced Stats")
Lou Will = 33.0 Ast%
Pat Bev = 18.4 Ast%
Shai Gills = 17.8 Ast% <----- main subtraction from 2019
Gallinari = 13.2 Ast% <----- main subtraction from 2019
Montrezl = 12.5 Ast%

2019-20 main additions:
George = 17.7 Ast% with OKC
Kawhi = 16.4 Ast% with TOR
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#96 » by CS707 » Thu Sep 12, 2019 3:04 am

If we’re assuming health come playoff time then I’m taking LeBron. If not then the Clippers are as vulnerable to to injury as anyone.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#97 » by NashtyNas » Thu Sep 12, 2019 3:22 am

How many games have the Clippers played together?
How about the Lakers?

Everyone said this about the Heat in 2010 & everyone said this about the Cleveland Browns this year.

Thing is, being good on paper doesn't mean it'll translate to on the court.

I agree that theoretically the Clippers are hands down the best team in the NBA - but let's not act like they're the W's that added KD and we knew they'd win. They've yet to play a game together. Give it some time.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#98 » by nbafan38 » Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:36 pm

Comparing the clippers team that has never even played a game together to the warriors team that has won 3 titles and been to 5 straight finals......
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#99 » by Danny1616 » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:01 pm

mdonnelly1989 wrote:I will say a few other things.

#1.) If Giannis develops more than a respectable jump shot, but even then, I still like the Clippers because Kawhi and PG can take him on the perimeter.

#2.) If Anthony Davis and Lebron James absolutely dominate they can give Clippers a run, but Kawhi has been known to be a Lebron stopper, and AD will need to go Shaq mode for their to be a legit chance if he's limited.

#3.) 76ers if Ben Simmons can go to the next level with a jump shot and Embiid can improve they IMO have the best shot. But that remains to be seen.


What about Golden State when Klay comes back?

Utah, while lacking a superstar, has no weakness and will be one of the top 3 defensive teams in the league.

Houston still has two superstar level players and a decent supporting cast.

Portland isn't an easy team to beat in the playoffs either.

Denver had the 2nd best record in the West last year with one of the youngest cores in the league.

The West will come down to the team that is playing well and healthy at the right time.

Yeah Clippers are the favorites...but players like Kawhi and George have been injury prone. Another question to ask is how will guys like Kawhi, George and Lou Will co-exist as ball-dominant scorers who are not great passers? Kawhi had the benefit of playing on a Raptors team that had Lowry, one of the best facilitators and floor generals in the NBA; Gasol, one of the best passers for a big man in the NBA; Siakim, who was a fantastic complementary piece who was not a high usage player; and Danny Green, the consummate 3 + D player.

We've seen chemistry issues when a team has two ball dominant players who are not great passers: George and Westbrook, Durant and Westbrook etc.

So you are wrong, there is more parity in the league this year.
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Re: People who say the NBA is more wide open this year than previous years, I disagree... 

Post#100 » by jjscap » Thu Sep 12, 2019 10:15 pm

Utah Jazz may have trouble defending Kawhi and PG13, they'll probably have to rely on Royce Oneale. And overall their defense and rebounding should be worse this year. But man did you watch Gobert s France? It's not like France has superb wing defenders either but they still defended well. In fact France outscored USA by 20 points when Gobert was on the floor.

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