Around the League 2020 Playoffs

[Prokorov]

Jesus, the Clippers don't have their own pick again until 2027. Every year from here out is unprotected, either by straight owed, or pick swap options. And both Kawhi and PG are FA's in the '22 off-season. Billy King level scary **** right there.

Yep. Houston and LAC sold their souls and it backfired. OKC will build a powerhouse with all those picks

Cautionary tale, and it's why I like the Spurs sustained model. Sometimes, it's better to keep getting jabs in then try to throw that one big haymaker.

Now in the Clippers defense, if they retain Leonard & George they should still have at least 3 years of prime basketball left in them.

I think the exceptioin is when you can get an in-prime top 3 player. the assumption is Kwhi doesnt come without the George trade. Kawhi is top 3 in-prime. you have to do it. maybe they are scrwed for 5 years. but they may not get a better shot at a title for 20 years

[vincecarter4pres]

Jesus, the Clippers don't have their own pick again until 2027. Every year from here out is unprotected, either by straight owed, or pick swap options. And both Kawhi and PG are FA's in the '22 off-season. Billy King level scary **** right there.

Yep. Houston and LAC sold their souls and it backfired. OKC will build a powerhouse with all those picks

Houston at least isn't as bad. There are some top 10 protections in there, top 4 on the swap options, the picks and swaps don't carry over, the debt extinguishes if not conveyed or becomes 2nd's. And after the '21 swap option they don't have to give up a pick til '24, which is top 4 protected and turns into 2 seconds if not conveyed.


I mean, there's only so much lipstick you can put on this pig, Houston made a bad trade too, possibly worse because Westbrick is the least desirable player to re-flip, signed to the longer, worse contract. But, at least they can circumnavigate some of these pitfalls to an extent. Tweak it for one last run next season, maybe trading Westbrook for something, Blake Griffin, or Love, maybe spare parts and the 8th pick from the Knicks, send him to Milwaukee for Bledsoe, Lopez and the 24th if they can't deal for CP3. Blow it up with a Harden trade after that and have their own pick for 2 full seasons/drafts before swaps and the such come into play and then there are at least some protections.

But LAC, oh lawdy. Hell, Kawhi and George can opt out after next season!
And then it's 6 straight drafts of either having no pick or unprotected swap options! And this might be on a post-Billy Nets-like barren roster that looks like the surface of Mars in the original Total Recall!

I feel bad for the fans of LAC. This is similar to where we were coming from NJ. Had about a 6 year run of what we viewed as the best times of the franchise. Tanked for awhile once that inevitably came to an end. But new ownership comes in and goes wild for big names, have 2 or 3 years of, "contention" and then placed in the literal worst place possible in the NBA, none of your own picks for half a decade, all going to an in conference rival.

I get why they did it, I mean Kawhi is a generational talent, even with his inexcusable meltdown this last series and to get him, you had to get another star. But I honestly never paid enough attention to see they only had these 2 guys locked up for 2 years. They needed them for at least 3 plus the option to go that far out with unprotected picks.

[vincecarter4pres]

Jesus, the Clippers don't have their own pick again until 2027. Every year from here out is unprotected, either by straight owed, or pick swap options. And both Kawhi and PG are FA's in the '22 off-season. Billy King level scary **** right there.

All of this, AND the pair can opt out next off-season. Not 2022, they have player options for 2021. I expect them both to stay at least that 3rd season, but the worst case scenarios here are frightening.

I don't even envision an outcome one way, or the other right now. Like this is currently walk on eggshells stuff. It really is going to depend on what they look like next year. I don't necessarily see Paul George turning down $38 million entering his age 33 season, but Kawhi will probably leave for somewhere if they don't at least get to the WCF next season and put up a legit battle.

This could be like Cleveland. Kawhi leaves and LAC desperately and inexplicably extends George out 2 or 3 seasons from his option at max. LAC still sucks without their own picks, George is pissed, cause even though he was gifted a huge payday, he's a much bigger competitor then Love. Now you have a guy in a big decline, with a poor attitude, paid 60%+ more then he should be and you're mainly stuck with him and no way to improve.

I mean we'll see. Things change on the fly in the NBA, but I would not want to be in their shoes next year. And they have little way to improve, or get bums like Beverly off their roster either and will have to deal with a healthy and improved GSW, BK, whoever gets Giannis, maybe Harden is dealt to a superteam, Boston and Denver further internally improving and if Beal is dealt to a contender?

[vincecarter4pres]

There's not one Bum azz coach left for good reasons. I suggest we chill with our expectations unless some believe KD or Kyrie on LBJ level.

Que?

Do you believe in rookie coach?

If he comes back mainly healthy, KD has always been on LBJ's level.

I do believe in Nash and Vaughn as of now. The truth is, as people like Dinwiddie have said, coaching is like 80% psychologist and managing egos. Nash can do that. Vaughn can do that to an extent. And Vaughn has good in game adjustments and X's and O's, I feel like Nash will have excellent of the latter. Nash is also good at player development, even already superstar development.

Coaching is most certainly important, but overrated. Talent wins. A number of great coaches without star power are already out.

One just solid coach with the best talent is still in.

[vincecarter4pres]

Looks like the nerds may finally get the most unnecessary trade the nets may pull smh

Read on Twitter

Don't you worry sweat heart, we'll be here for all your, "I told you so's!", if we do trade for him and it fails.

[TheNetsFan]

Yep. Houston and LAC sold their souls and it backfired. OKC will build a powerhouse with all those picks

Cautionary tale, and it's why I like the Spurs sustained model. Sometimes, it's better to keep getting jabs in then try to throw that one big haymaker.

Now in the Clippers defense, if they retain Leonard & George they should still have at least 3 years of prime basketball left in them.

I think the exceptioin is when you can get an in-prime top 3 player. the assumption is Kwhi doesnt come without the George trade. Kawhi is top 3 in-prime. you have to do it. maybe they are scrwed for 5 years. but they may not get a better shot at a title for 20 years

I agree. Because the Clippers didn't have either, and they weren't title contenders yet, the circumstances are a little different. I'm looking at it more from our side. We're contenders as is, and even after KD moves on or starts to decline due to age in a couple of years, Kyrie, LeVert, Diwiddie, Allen, etc. should still be at their peaks. It's dangerous to liquidate youth & picks for another 30+ year old that has only a 2-3 year time frame.

[MrDollarBills]

Jesus, the Clippers don't have their own pick again until 2027. Every year from here out is unprotected, either by straight owed, or pick swap options. And both Kawhi and PG are FA's in the '22 off-season. Billy King level scary **** right there.

Yep. Houston and LAC sold their souls and it backfired. OKC will build a powerhouse with all those picks

Cautionary tale, and it's why I like the Spurs sustained model. Sometimes, it's better to keep getting jabs in then try to throw that one big haymaker.

Now in the Clippers defense, if they retain Leonard & George they should still have at least 3 years of prime basketball left in them.

If Paul george performs like he did in the bubble in next year's playoffs, Leonard will leave.

[Hello Brooklyn]

With the Clippers collapse, I think we are going to be the best team in the league next year.

The Lakers still don't have a great supporting cast around AD and LeBron. They're almost winning by default.

None of the other contending teams truly scare me.

[MrDollarBills]

Jesus, the Clippers don't have their own pick again until 2027. Every year from here out is unprotected, either by straight owed, or pick swap options. And both Kawhi and PG are FA's in the '22 off-season. Billy King level scary **** right there.

Yep. Houston and LAC sold their souls and it backfired. OKC will build a powerhouse with all those picks

Houston at least isn't as bad. There are some top 10 protections in there, top 4 on the swap options, the picks and swaps don't carry over, the debt extinguishes if not conveyed or becomes 2nd's. And after the '21 swap option they don't have to give up a pick til '24, which is top 4 protected and turns into 2 seconds if not conveyed.


I mean, there's only so much lipstick you can put on this pig, Houston made a bad trade too, possibly worse because Westbrick is the least desirable player to re-flip, signed to the longer, worse contract. But, at least they can circumnavigate some of these pitfalls to an extent. Tweak it for one last run next season, maybe trading Westbrook for something, Blake Griffin, or Love, maybe spare parts and the 8th pick from the Knicks, send him to Milwaukee for Bledsoe, Lopez and the 24th if they can't deal for CP3. Blow it up with a Harden trade after that and have their own pick for 2 full seasons/drafts before swaps and the such come into play and then there are at least some protections.

But LAC, oh lawdy. Hell, Kawhi and George can opt out after next season!
And then it's 6 straight drafts of either having no pick or unprotected swap options! And this might be on a post-Billy Nets-like barren roster that looks like the surface of Mars in the original Total Recall!

I feel bad for the fans of LAC. This is similar to where we were coming from NJ. Had about a 6 year run of what we viewed as the best times of the franchise. Tanked for awhile once that inevitably came to an end. But new ownership comes in and goes wild for big names, have 2 or 3 years of, "contention" and then placed in the literal worst place possible in the NBA, none of your own picks for half a decade, all going to an in conference rival.

I get why they did it, I mean Kawhi is a generational talent, even with his inexcusable meltdown this last series and to get him, you had to get another star. But I honestly never paid enough attention to see they only had these 2 guys locked up for 2 years. They needed them for at least 3 plus the option to go that far out with unprotected picks.

If they don't win next season, they are screwed.

[MrDollarBills]

Looks like the nerds may finally get the most unnecessary trade the nets may pull smh

Read on Twitter

Don't you worry sweat heart, we'll be here for all your, "I told you so's!", if we do trade for him and it fails.

I don't see why the Pelicans make the deal. They have Hayes and Ball. Musa really doesn't look like an NBA player at this point.

[Papi_swav]

Yep. Houston and LAC sold their souls and it backfired. OKC will build a powerhouse with all those picks

Cautionary tale, and it's why I like the Spurs sustained model. Sometimes, it's better to keep getting jabs in then try to throw that one big haymaker.

Now in the Clippers defense, if they retain Leonard & George they should still have at least 3 years of prime basketball left in them.

If Paul george performs like he did in the bubble in next year's playoffs, Leonard will leave.

He can come on down to us I'll gladly take him

[kamaze]

AND DOWN GO THE CLIPPERS.

Now let's break down what beat them. #1 Elite offensive guard play by Jamal Murray. #2 wings and forwards that can defend and switch. Look at the putrid shooting stats from the Clippers' superstar wings. Leonard and George both shot sub 30% from the field.

And then obviously, the Joker is a supreme talent, racking up 22 rebs, 13 assists, and 16 points.

the Nets need to take notes.

Denver has a fairly young team that was better condition wise than the Clippers too. LA didn't want to continue playing after the incident in Wisconsin. Joker was a 2nd round pick!

They were 3-1 up and made one the biggest choke jobs ever. Now KD has some argument vs Kawhi too.
It's all about coaching. Clippers never changed or adjusted, plain and simple. Tim broke it down few times on ESPN, also few Youtube guys showed how it was done.

KD can't talk trash he should be worrying about his health.

[kamaze]

Looks like the nerds may finally get the most unnecessary trade the nets may pull smh

Read on Twitter

That would be a dumb trade all that for a
30 year old player.

[ecuhus1981]

I would gladly take that deal for Jrue. We get to keep Caris, and add a premier perimeter defender who can take over a game offensively on or off the ball.

[vincecarter4pres]

Cautionary tale, and it's why I like the Spurs sustained model. Sometimes, it's better to keep getting jabs in then try to throw that one big haymaker.

Now in the Clippers defense, if they retain Leonard & George they should still have at least 3 years of prime basketball left in them.

I think the exceptioin is when you can get an in-prime top 3 player. the assumption is Kwhi doesnt come without the George trade. Kawhi is top 3 in-prime. you have to do it. maybe they are scrwed for 5 years. but they may not get a better shot at a title for 20 years

I agree. Because the Clippers didn't have either, and they weren't title contenders yet, the circumstances are a little different. I'm looking at it more from our side. We're contenders as is, and even after KD moves on or starts to decline due to age in a couple of years, Kyrie, LeVert, Diwiddie, Allen, etc. should still be at their peaks. It's dangerous to liquidate youth & picks for another 30+ year old that has only a 2-3 year time frame.

It's dangerous when your youth is SGA and it's all your picks with no protections, just... gone... poof... lol.

It doesn't seem dangerous when it's a guy you're likely to lose to free agency anyway, a very nice, but admittedly somewhat replaceable young prospect/player and a protected pick.

[vincecarter4pres]

Looks like the nerds may finally get the most unnecessary trade the nets may pull smh

Read on Twitter

Don't you worry sweat heart, we'll be here for all your, "I told you so's!", if we do trade for him and it fails.

I don't see why the Pelicans make the deal. They have Hayes and Ball. Musa really doesn't look like an NBA player at this point.

I'm skeptical of the rumor, but it's still the obvious. And true, he even said, it's Brooklyn's offer, it doesn't mean the Pels like it.

That said, if this deal were to go down, I've said all along that Allen and maybe Dinwiddie will both be dealt to other teams and draft capitol or young players will come to the Pels, or they will add their pick and a guy like Ball, to picks we acquire in this multi-team deal and a 4th or 5th team will send a younger established player to New Orleans, maybe LaVine, or something like that.

[GTR11]

Que?

Do you believe in rookie coach?

If he comes back mainly healthy, KD has always been on LBJ's level.

I do believe in Nash and Vaughn as of now. The truth is, as people like Dinwiddie have said, coaching is like 80% psychologist and managing egos. Nash can do that. Vaughn can do that to an extent. And Vaughn has good in game adjustments and X's and O's, I feel like Nash will have excellent of the latter. Nash is also good at player development, even already superstar development.

Coaching is most certainly important, but overrated. Talent wins. A number of great coaches without star power are already out.

One just solid coach with the best talent is still in.

No matter how many times you say some just love to run around with their narrative no matter what. Answer to me for this question, why same coaches win over and over again?
Using Din's opinion as a fact is laughable. Kobe thought so too, how many rings he won without Zen?

[GTR11]

Denver has a fairly young team that was better condition wise than the Clippers too. LA didn't want to continue playing after the incident in Wisconsin. Joker was a 2nd round pick!

They were 3-1 up and made one the biggest choke jobs ever. Now KD has some argument vs Kawhi too.
It's all about coaching. Clippers never changed or adjusted, plain and simple. Tim broke it down few times on ESPN, also few Youtube guys showed how it was done.

KD can't talk trash he should be worrying about his health.

Oh yes he can. No one taking away his previous achievements.

[GTR11]

Yep. Houston and LAC sold their souls and it backfired. OKC will build a powerhouse with all those picks

Cautionary tale, and it's why I like the Spurs sustained model. Sometimes, it's better to keep getting jabs in then try to throw that one big haymaker.

Now in the Clippers defense, if they retain Leonard & George they should still have at least 3 years of prime basketball left in them.

If Paul george performs like he did in the bubble in next year's playoffs, Leonard will leave.

Some bold statement here MDB. Some most likely say laughable for good reason. Kawhi created it.

[MrDollarBills]

Cautionary tale, and it's why I like the Spurs sustained model. Sometimes, it's better to keep getting jabs in then try to throw that one big haymaker.

Now in the Clippers defense, if they retain Leonard & George they should still have at least 3 years of prime basketball left in them.

If Paul george performs like he did in the bubble in next year's playoffs, Leonard will leave.

Some bold statement here MDB. Some most likely say laughable for good reason. Kawhi created it.

Both of them can opt out though, I'm not sure why it's laughable? Leonard is not married to the Clippers or George, if George puts up the putrid numbers that he did next season in the playoffs, it's a legit possibility.