Around The NBA: 2019-20 RESTART

[Ice Man]

Even if Riley doesn't really think of Jimmy as a true #1 (he'll never admit it) he sees him as an upgrade for their team and their best chance at winning right now.

It's a mindset that I think a front office should have. Sure you'd like to have one of the top 5 players in the league, but if you don't then it's good to put together the best team you can (to give yourself a chance at winning).

Yes, that's it. Don't tear down your best player by thinking about what he can't do. Realize that no matter how good he is, he will need a lot of help to win, and bring those guys in. Build around him.

The same applies to Zach.

[MrFortune3]

Read on Twitter

It's true. People are the time liked to claim that Jimmy was not a superstar and that he couldn't be a true #1 on a championship contending team.
Pat Riley apparently sees otherwise.

Even if Riley doesn't really think of Jimmy as a true #1 (he'll never admit it) he sees him as an upgrade for their team and their best chance at winning right now.

It's a mindset that I think a front office should have. Sure you'd like to have one of the top 5 players in the league, but if you don't then it's good to put together the best team you can (to give yourself a chance at winning).

Jimmy is probably a top 10-15 player in the NBA. Depending upon how you view his 2 way play and impact on a franchise.

If you have a top 10-15 and you can grab other pieces to surround him with and hopefully one of those is a top 10-20 player then you can go after something, especially in the east.

[MrFortune3]

Even if Riley doesn't really think of Jimmy as a true #1 (he'll never admit it) he sees him as an upgrade for their team and their best chance at winning right now.

It's a mindset that I think a front office should have. Sure you'd like to have one of the top 5 players in the league, but if you don't then it's good to put together the best team you can (to give yourself a chance at winning).

Yes, that's it. Don't tear down your best player by thinking about what he can't do. Realize that no matter how good he is, he will need a lot of help to win, and bring those guys in. Build around him.

The same applies to Zach.

Dude is giving you what amounts to 25 pts, 5 rebs, 4 assists a game with nothing around him. He's also on a bargain contract for a guy putting up those numbers.
Find a way to get him some help and build around him.

[Mech Engineer]

It's true. People are the time liked to claim that Jimmy was not a superstar and that he couldn't be a true #1 on a championship contending team.
Pat Riley apparently sees otherwise.

Even if Riley doesn't really think of Jimmy as a true #1 (he'll never admit it) he sees him as an upgrade for their team and their best chance at winning right now.

It's a mindset that I think a front office should have. Sure you'd like to have one of the top 5 players in the league, but if you don't then it's good to put together the best team you can (to give yourself a chance at winning).

Jimmy is probably a top 10-15 player in the NBA. Depending upon how you view his 2 way play and impact on a franchise.

If you have a top 10-15 and you can grab other pieces to surround him with and hopefully one of those is a top 10-20 player then you can go after something, especially in the east.

Riley built a contender type with Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway(both probably not top 10 players at that time). There is no MJ in the league right now. All teams are susceptible and GS is broken. The next 2/3 years is as open as it can get. And, look at Jimmy's tweet...he is already recruiting Embiid. A Jimmy in Chicago would have recruited somebody by this time... a KD or Kyrie if the Bulls had stupidly not signed Wade/Rondo.

The advantage with Miami is they have a good mixture of front office talent...there is Riley who has won/big name attraction and they supposedly have good analytics with Shane Battier leading the team. He is as smart as you can get along with the intimate knowledge of the NBA.

I wish the Bulls can get a young GM like Battier to run the team..

[PaKii94]

Even if Riley doesn't really think of Jimmy as a true #1 (he'll never admit it) he sees him as an upgrade for their team and their best chance at winning right now.

It's a mindset that I think a front office should have. Sure you'd like to have one of the top 5 players in the league, but if you don't then it's good to put together the best team you can (to give yourself a chance at winning).

Jimmy is probably a top 10-15 player in the NBA. Depending upon how you view his 2 way play and impact on a franchise.

If you have a top 10-15 and you can grab other pieces to surround him with and hopefully one of those is a top 10-20 player then you can go after something, especially in the east.

Riley built a contender type with Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway(both probably not top 10 players. There is no MJ in the league right now. All teams are susceptible and GS is broken. The next 2/3 years is as open as it can get. And, look at Jimmy's tweet...he is already recruiting Embiid. A Jimmy in Chicago would have recruited somebody by this time... a KD or Kyrie if the Bulls had stupidly not signed Wade/Rondo.

The advantage with Miami is they have a good mixture of front office talent...they is Riley who has won/big name attraction and they supposedly have good analytics with Shane Battier leading the team. He is as smart as you can get along with the intimate knowledge of the NBA.

I wish the Bulls can get a young GM like Battier to run the team..

Jimmy was linked with DMC and Kyrie before he was traded. Maybe if we had kept dinwiddie, he and jimmy could have gotten kyrie and KD. Add Bam with our draft pick and we would be looking at Kyrie/Jimmy/KD/X/Bam

[Mech Engineer]

Jimmy is probably a top 10-15 player in the NBA. Depending upon how you view his 2 way play and impact on a franchise.

If you have a top 10-15 and you can grab other pieces to surround him with and hopefully one of those is a top 10-20 player then you can go after something, especially in the east.

Riley built a contender type with Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway(both probably not top 10 players. There is no MJ in the league right now. All teams are susceptible and GS is broken. The next 2/3 years is as open as it can get. And, look at Jimmy's tweet...he is already recruiting Embiid. A Jimmy in Chicago would have recruited somebody by this time... a KD or Kyrie if the Bulls had stupidly not signed Wade/Rondo.

The advantage with Miami is they have a good mixture of front office talent...they is Riley who has won/big name attraction and they supposedly have good analytics with Shane Battier leading the team. He is as smart as you can get along with the intimate knowledge of the NBA.

I wish the Bulls can get a young GM like Battier to run the team..

Jimmy was linked with DMC and Kyrie before he was traded. Maybe if we had kept dinwiddie, he and jimmy could have gotten kyrie and KD. Add Bam with our draft pick and we would be looking at Kyrie/Jimmy/KD/X/Bam

I know this is the problem of having a dinosaur mentality GM who is not creative and is always scared of conflicting opinions.

[Payt10]

Miami is maximizing the most out of their current situation, but I don't see them making it out of the 2nd round—particularly if MIL is their opponent.

Butler is a Robin, not a Batman. It would take some herculean coaching effort by Spoelstra for Miami to win a championship with Jimmy Butler as their best player. I don't see it happening unless they make some splash moves in the off-season.

I will say this though: Miami might be the best in the entire NBA when it comes to player development. Some of these no-name players they have putting up numbers on a nightly basis is incredible.

[Dan Z]

Jimmy is probably a top 10-15 player in the NBA. Depending upon how you view his 2 way play and impact on a franchise.

If you have a top 10-15 and you can grab other pieces to surround him with and hopefully one of those is a top 10-20 player then you can go after something, especially in the east.

Riley built a contender type with Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway(both probably not top 10 players. There is no MJ in the league right now. All teams are susceptible and GS is broken. The next 2/3 years is as open as it can get. And, look at Jimmy's tweet...he is already recruiting Embiid. A Jimmy in Chicago would have recruited somebody by this time... a KD or Kyrie if the Bulls had stupidly not signed Wade/Rondo.

The advantage with Miami is they have a good mixture of front office talent...they is Riley who has won/big name attraction and they supposedly have good analytics with Shane Battier leading the team. He is as smart as you can get along with the intimate knowledge of the NBA.

I wish the Bulls can get a young GM like Battier to run the team..

Jimmy was linked with DMC and Kyrie before he was traded. Maybe if we had kept dinwiddie, he and jimmy could have gotten kyrie and KD. Add Bam with our draft pick and we would be looking at Kyrie/Jimmy/KD/X/Bam

Bam was picked at 14. The Bulls had the 17th pick. But these players were available at that point: John Collins, OG Anunoby, and Jarrett Allen.

[Mech Engineer]

Miami is maximizing the most out of their current situation, but I don't see them making it out of the 2nd round—particularly if MIL is their opponent.

Butler is a Robin, not a Batman. It would take some herculean coaching effort by Spoelstra for Miami to win a championship with Jimmy Butler as their best player. I don't see it happening unless they make some splash moves in the off-season.

Nobody is saying Miami is a favorite to win a championship. And, we have seen this Robin/Batman things are not really true if you don't have a good second star. Kawhi was great in Toronto last year but they were lucky that the Warriors fell apart with big injuries to their major stars. You need a minimum of 2 all-stars with great vet depth or 3 consistent all-stars with decent depth to be a paper favorite. That has been the problem for Houston with a supposedly Batman as per many folks. Giannis couldn't win anything even with a good vet supporting cast.

You can have all these Batman/Robin definitions. Jimmy is a star anyway you cut it. He obviously can't win on his own and his team currently is being supported by a whole bunch of rookie types and they will probably lose early in the playoffs. But, they are slowly adding players. Bam can be a top 3 option and so is Jimmy. All they need to do is add another all-star type wing/guard/PF and they will be formidable.

Do you think Giannis replacing Jimmy in Miami with a similar cast will make Miami win the championship this year? Or, even Kawhi?

[Payt10]

Do you think Giannis replacing Jimmy in Miami with a similar cast will make Miami win the championship this year? Or, even Kawhi?

Absolutely, I do. They're both vastly superior players. Just like I think there is no way in hell Toronto even comes close to sniffing a championship with Jimmy Butler instead of Kawhi Leonard last year.

Jimmy is a great player, but he's clearly a tier below the true elites in the league. It's not impossible to win without one of those guys, but the odds are not in his favor.

[MrFortune3]

Even if Riley doesn't really think of Jimmy as a true #1 (he'll never admit it) he sees him as an upgrade for their team and their best chance at winning right now.

It's a mindset that I think a front office should have. Sure you'd like to have one of the top 5 players in the league, but if you don't then it's good to put together the best team you can (to give yourself a chance at winning).

Jimmy is probably a top 10-15 player in the NBA. Depending upon how you view his 2 way play and impact on a franchise.

If you have a top 10-15 and you can grab other pieces to surround him with and hopefully one of those is a top 10-20 player then you can go after something, especially in the east.

Riley built a contender type with Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway(both probably not top 10 players at that time). There is no MJ in the league right now. All teams are susceptible and GS is broken. The next 2/3 years is as open as it can get. And, look at Jimmy's tweet...he is already recruiting Embiid. A Jimmy in Chicago would have recruited somebody by this time... a KD or Kyrie if the Bulls had stupidly not signed Wade/Rondo.

The advantage with Miami is they have a good mixture of front office talent...there is Riley who has won/big name attraction and they supposedly have good analytics with Shane Battier leading the team. He is as smart as you can get along with the intimate knowledge of the NBA.

I wish the Bulls can get a young GM like Battier to run the team..

That's really underselling Zo. He was a bad bad man before age 30 hit and then he had the illness creep up on him.

But again, that goes with what I talked about before. You need a good FO and a culture to attract guys. The Nets built a winning team around DeAngelo Russell and that caught the eye of Kyrie and KD. 2 horrible seasons, then a winning playoff season all while everyone around the NBA could see Brooklyn was getting better and better each year.

[MrFortune3]

Miami is maximizing the most out of their current situation, but I don't see them making it out of the 2nd round—particularly if MIL is their opponent.

Butler is a Robin, not a Batman. It would take some herculean coaching effort by Spoelstra for Miami to win a championship with Jimmy Butler as their best player. I don't see it happening unless they make some splash moves in the off-season.

I will say this though: Miami might be the best in the entire NBA when it comes to player development. Some of these no-name players they have putting up numbers on a nightly basis is incredible.

They're maximizing their talent but I think it's underselling Jimmy considering the impact he's had on multiple teams he's been on.
Butler is their only bonafide star and on a team that won only 39 games last season while having a bleak looking future.

[dice]

Do you think Giannis replacing Jimmy in Miami with a similar cast will make Miami win the championship this year? Or, even Kawhi?

Absolutely, I do. They're both vastly superior players. Just like I think there is no way in hell Toronto even comes close to sniffing a championship with Jimmy Butler instead of Kawhi Leonard last year.

Jimmy is a great player, but he's clearly a tier below the true elites in the league. It's not impossible to win without one of those guys, but the odds are not in his favor.

toronto is still excellent after losing kawhi. you don't think that team could come close to sniffing a title by adding back in jimmy butler?

i don't think it's clear at all that kawhi is a different class of player. better, but not by a lot

[dumbell78]

Elton Brands 33 yr old 140+ mil signing coming off the bench. Brent Brown trying to make this team structure work. Jimmy is getting a chuckle out of this.

[MrFortune3]

Elton Brands 33 yr old 140+ mil signing coming off the bench. Brent Brown trying to make this team structure work. Jimmy is getting a chuckle out of this.

Their floor spacing is messed up. They had Jimmy and then let him go for Horford who doesn't help floor spacing.

[Payt10]

Do you think Giannis replacing Jimmy in Miami with a similar cast will make Miami win the championship this year? Or, even Kawhi?

Absolutely, I do. They're both vastly superior players. Just like I think there is no way in hell Toronto even comes close to sniffing a championship with Jimmy Butler instead of Kawhi Leonard last year.

Jimmy is a great player, but he's clearly a tier below the true elites in the league. It's not impossible to win without one of those guys, but the odds are not in his favor.

toronto is still excellent after losing kawhi. you don't think that team could come close to sniffing a title by adding back in jimmy butler?

i don't think it's clear at all that kawhi is a different class of player. better, but not by a lot

Kawhi is a 2-time NBA Finals MVP, and averaged 30 a game in the playoffs last year. Regular season, post-season, Kawhi is just better, and I don't think it's particularly close, especially after last year.

[RakimAbdulJabar]

Am I the only one that doesn’t believe in the Clippers?

I’d like to see them win it all, but there’s something about that roster that I just don’t see it.

I don’t trust George to consistently perform come playoff time. I don’t understand the addition of Morris, I get that he’s an upgrade offensively over Harkless but they didn’t address the real issue they’re going to have come playoff time which is a presence in the middle. Zubac & Harrell are nice, but neither gives you the kind of interior defense you’re going to need against a big team like the Lakers, also how small do you go if either gets in foul trouble?

They’ve got a LOT of guys that can score, but I think they should have consolidated some of that into a rebounding, athletic defensive big.

No matter how much the nba is going towards jacking up endless 3’s those guys are still valuable and you see it in the playoffs with the offensive and tap back rebounds. I think the Clippers and Rockets are relying too much on everything going their way if they’re to beat the Lakers 4 out of 7 times, and I don’t care what’s happening in the regular season

I also don’t see the Bucks winning it all, no matter how good their regular season record and point differential

I REALLY hope I’m wrong but unless Lebron or Davis are injured I still think the Lakers are the favourites

[dice]

I don’t trust George to consistently perform come playoff time.

why not?

[Mech Engineer]

Absolutely, I do. They're both vastly superior players. Just like I think there is no way in hell Toronto even comes close to sniffing a championship with Jimmy Butler instead of Kawhi Leonard last year.

Jimmy is a great player, but he's clearly a tier below the true elites in the league. It's not impossible to win without one of those guys, but the odds are not in his favor.

toronto is still excellent after losing kawhi. you don't think that team could come close to sniffing a title by adding back in jimmy butler?

i don't think it's clear at all that kawhi is a different class of player. better, but not by a lot

Kawhi is a 2-time NBA Finals MVP, and averaged 30 a game in the playoffs last year. Regular season, post-season, Kawhi is just better, and I don't think it's particularly close, especially after last year.

That Kawhi was a lucky bounce away from losing to Jimmy's team last year. And, Kawhi had 2 healthy all-star types(Siakam, Lowry) while Jimmy had 2 promising stars but flawed and the other semi-injured(didn't Embiid miss a game?)

In overall perception, Kawhi is better than Jimmy. But, that's because Kawhi has been on good/great teams for most of his career. Jimmy was on a good team for the first time in Philadelphia in his career and maybe the 2015-16 dysfunctional/injured Bulls. He did well in both circumstances.

I think people underestimate Jimmy because he didn't get to be a top option immediately and was not a lottery pick and he strikes a different nerve with Bulls fans.

And, because Miami has so many rookie types, Jimmy will still be looked down upon next year.

[Southpaw]

The Sixers choosing Horford and Harris over Jimmy was a terrible call from Elton Brand. It was clear that Jimmy was the engine that made the team work last year but they let him go.

I love Jimmy but we never would have built a team around him that could compete for a title if he stayed. GarPax would've made sure of that. The Heat is a savvy organization run by Pat Riley while we have Bert and Ernie running the show here.