Around the NBA 11

[Braggins]

I would be totally fine with the front office deciding that there is no point in investing anything in a player like Mclemore this season because all these injuries have effectively removed any chance of this team winning a playoff series this year.

The Hornets have absolutely zero chance of beating any of the top 3 teams in the East, so the only way they have a chance at winning a series is if they finish top 5 in the standings and signing Mclemore and Dedmon isn't going to keep this team in contention for a top 5 seed. If they worked out really well that could maybe mean finishing 8th/9th instead of 10th, but that still means they are in the play-in tournament fighting for a 7th/8th seed and destined to lose in the first round and they should be getting everyone back for the play-in tournament anyways, so anyone they could sign from the scrap heap at this point is likely going to end up being a complete non-factor.

Just let the guys who might be here long term use this as a chance to step up and prove themselves in bigger roles and if the team bottoms out and falls out of the play-in tournament then that just means they have a shot in the draft lottery, which is probably the best possible outcome for this season besides actually winning a playoff series.

[Chapelchilla]

Unfortunately most modern players would rather wave towels and ring chase than actually get a chance to prove themselves on the court.

That is part of it perhaps but also getting several rounds of playoff bonus money could be a factor for the iffy guys with no long term contract.

[predators]

John Henson gets a 10-day contract with the Knicks...he's clearly an upgrade over Biz...

Justin Jackson waived by the Thunder. He doesn't excite me much but he'd be a decent stopgap/depth piece and is definitely better than the Martins...?

Marcus Paige, Joel Berry, and Luke Maye are also available! Maybe try to package PJ Washington/Monk/Miles for Harry Giles/Marvin Bagley or Jalil Okafor

[Chapelchilla]

John Henson gets a 10-day contract with the Knicks...he's clearly an upgrade over Biz...

Justin Jackson waived by the Thunder. He doesn't excite me much but he'd be a decent stopgap/depth piece and is definitely better than the Martins...?

Marcus Paige, Joel Berry, and Luke Maye are also available! Maybe try to package PJ Washington/Monk/Miles for Harry Giles/Marvin Bagley or Jalil Okafor

Seems a bit lopsided there Bro!
Henson and Jackson were free agents to fill areas of need

[CuseMayne]

John Henson gets a 10-day contract with the Knicks...he's clearly an upgrade over Biz...

Justin Jackson waived by the Thunder. He doesn't excite me much but he'd be a decent stopgap/depth piece and is definitely better than the Martins...?

Marcus Paige, Joel Berry, and Luke Maye are also available! Maybe try to package PJ Washington/Monk/Miles for Harry Giles/Marvin Bagley or Jalil Okafor

Seems a bit lopsided there Bro!
Henson and Jackson were free agents to fill areas of need

I wasn't even considering what college they came out of. There are clear upgrades from Caleb Martin or Bismack Biyombo in the buyout market. We're 4th in the East right now with half of our offensive output injured. Hell even bring Troy Daniels back. I guess you'd rather just see us trot out Wanamaker/Martin/Martin/Miles/Biz and see how many points we score

[euphorbus]

Hate to see LaMarcus Aldridge go out like that. But better to quit while you are ahead than press on needlessly after a sterling career!

[yosemiteben]

Read on Twitter

Would have been an all time iconic shot if that went down.

[Liver_Pooty]

Read on Twitter

Would have been an all time iconic shot if that went down.

The amount of strength to throw that one handed off balance is impressive enough

[euphorbus]

It's not just the Hornets. Ankles are giving way all over the league. The human body was not built to withstand so much leaping and bouncing in a five-month period, not even elite athletes in peak condition. If you pardon the comparison, it is like asking a thoroughbred to race every week, instead of every month.

[euphorbus]

A really bad one with the Magic yesterday:

https://sports.yahoo.com/orlando-magic-devin-cannady-stretchered-off-court-lower-leg-injury-indiana-pacers-005845717.html

The league should do some serious research to find out what is happening, besides fatigue.

[CuseMayne]

Perfect night for the playoff race:

Bulls beat the HEAT
Suns beat the KNICKS (ending their 9-game winning streak)
Pistons beat the HAWKS
Spurs beat the WIZARDS (ending their 8-game winning streak)

Sure, the Raptors won but I'm gonna call the results for tonight a big W.

Can we find a way to beat the Bucks tomorrow? Feels like it'll be tough. ONE TIME!

[Rays Pompadour]

Perfect night for the playoff race:

Bulls beat the HEAT
Suns beat the KNICKS (ending their 9-game winning streak)
Pistons beat the HAWKS
Spurs beat the WIZARDS (ending their 8-game winning streak)

Sure, the Raptors won but I'm gonna call the results for tonight a big W.

Can we find a way to beat the Bucks tomorrow? Feels like it'll be tough. ONE TIME!

Need to post this in the "Playoff Watch" thread. But, yeah, a good night.

[Snidely FC]

Anybody check out the WAS-SA game last night
289 pts and only 6 made 3s
Midrange after midrange this is what basketball looked like a long time ago

[euphorbus]

Giannis Antetokounmpo left at the start of the Bucks' game with an ankle sprain.

[euphorbus]

It's not just the Hornets. Most teams have trouble with fundamentals like boxing out, according to Steve Kerr:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31363197/golden-state-warriors-coach-steve-kerr-laments-failure-box-pay-attention-detail-modern-nba

[Benjamin Linus]

Russ with 14 points, 21 boards, 24 assists last night. Which is coming off a 42 point game

Remember back when we were interested in Russ? I wonder how this team would have been doing had LaMelo gone earlier in the draft. Obviously I prefer to have LaMelo, but that would have been an interesting alternate timeline team

Russ-Terry-Miles-PJ-Wiseman

[yosemiteben]

The situation in Indy is nuts.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2942713-inside-the-turbulent-tenure-of-indiana-pacers-coach-nate-bjorkgren

Spoiler:

But while the Pacers conducted a lengthy search, Bjorkgren seems to have emerged as the team's ultimate hire based primarily on his relationships with people in the front office, including Buchanon, the general manager.

Bjorkgren and Buchanon are considered to be close friends dating back to their college days. Both men, like Nurse, hail from Iowa originally; both played for Division III teams in Iowa—Bjorkgren at Buena Vista and Buchanon at Simpson, where Bjorkgren's uncle is now the head coach.

Nurse was heavily consulted throughout the interview process, sources said, but Indiana brass never contacted Phoenix executives for insight on Bjorkgren's time as a Suns assistant from 2015-17.

Nor did they consult with last year's Orlando bubble breakout player T.J. Warren—who played under Bjorkgren in Phoenix—according to sources. When news of Bjorkgren's hire became public, Warren requested a trade from the Pacers, according to sources.

It's believed that Warren even opted for an elective season-ending surgery in March, both to better serve his recovery from a stress fracture in his left foot and also to avoid playing for Bjorkgren for the remainder of this season.

[Braggins]

Yikes. Indy almost always makes sound decisions. Its basically the only way a franchise in their situation can have any success in the league. If they start making bone headed decisions like this they are screwed.

[wilson115]

Hawks-Knicks looking interesting.

Read on Twitter

[CuseMayne]

Hawks-Knicks looking interesting.

Read on Twitter

Yeah this game's been very entertaining. Plus my sister's there and is sending me a few videos. The garden is absolutely rocking.