Around the NBA

[SuperSunsFan]

would trade cam johnson for ben semens.

[Hitachi77]

Kawhi is not only a big threat offensively, but he's the one guy who has the ability to disrupt our offense. If he's out, we really have no excuses to not be 2-2 or better after 4 games, CP3 or not.

Crazy crazy year. The finals might be our reserves vs the Hawks reserves at this point.

[spanishninja]

Kawhi is not only a big threat offensively, but he's the one guy who has the ability to disrupt our offense. If he's out, we really have no excuses to not be 2-2 or better after 4 games, CP3 or not.

Crazy crazy year. The finals might be our reserves vs the Hawks reserves at this point.

I am concerned Kawhi is not done for the playoffs.

[spanishninja]

Watching these playoffs, I just have to say that I'm GLAD we have the players we have. Seeing Simmons shoot 4 of 14 from the line, Gobert not being able to guard out in the perimeter...these guys are just so exploitable in the playoffs. Even Booker these days isn't bad on defense and with a solid defensive anchor behind him, can play solid D. Ayton is comfortable on switch defenses, likewise with Bridges and EVERYONE can shoot FT's.

I've said this before but I still prefer Booker over Mitchell any day. He doesn't rely on athleticism even though he has it at his disposal, he is a much wider repertoire as a scorer, and he plays with discipline. As long as he stays focused, I don't expect Booker to fold to the defense offered by the Clippers.

[suns12345]

Kawhi is not only a big threat offensively, but he's the one guy who has the ability to disrupt our offense. If he's out, we really have no excuses to not be 2-2 or better after 4 games, CP3 or not.

Crazy crazy year. The finals might be our reserves vs the Hawks reserves at this point.

I am concerned Kawhi is not done for the playoffs.

Man, feels like you'd have to be crazy to play with a partially torn ACL. I don't even know that its possible to strap that sort of injury.

[spanishninja]

Kawhi is not only a big threat offensively, but he's the one guy who has the ability to disrupt our offense. If he's out, we really have no excuses to not be 2-2 or better after 4 games, CP3 or not.

Crazy crazy year. The finals might be our reserves vs the Hawks reserves at this point.

I am concerned Kawhi is not done for the playoffs.

Man, feels like you'd have to be crazy to play with a partially torn ACL. I don't even know that its possible to strap that sort of injury.

I dunno man. If Clips can't close out in Game 6 I can't see that they have a choice.

[lilfishi22]

Watching these playoffs, I just have to say that I'm GLAD we have the players we have. Seeing Simmons shoot 4 of 14 from the line, Gobert not being able to guard out in the perimeter...these guys are just so exploitable in the playoffs. Even Booker these days isn't bad on defense and with a solid defensive anchor behind him, can play solid D. Ayton is comfortable on switch defenses, likewise with Bridges and EVERYONE can shoot FT's.

I've said this before but I still prefer Booker over Mitchell any day. He doesn't rely on athleticism even though he has it at his disposal, he is a much wider repertoire as a scorer, and he plays with discipline. As long as he stays focused, I don't expect Booker to fold to the defense offered by the Clippers.

For me, Booker's height is the biggest advantage over Mitchell. Booker's game should age nicely whereas Mitchell's won't but that's not to say that Mitchell can't evolve his game. He's athletic but he's also pretty shifty and he is very skilled, it's just that right now he he plays a game that is more suited to his athleticism. I think he's good enough to be able to change his game so it's more focused on finesse and to only use athleticism sparingly in the same way Wade was able to.

Booker will always be able to get efficient shots off because he has the height to use the post up like late career Kobe/MJ. I've been impressed with Booker's defense this season and in particular during the playoffs. There were a bunch of times when Aaron Gordon would post him up and even though he's giving up height and a good chunk of weight, he never gave up. Early career Book would give negligible effort. I expect Booker would step up to the challenge if he gets switched up onto PG.

[lilfishi22]

I am concerned Kawhi is not done for the playoffs.

Man, feels like you'd have to be crazy to play with a partially torn ACL. I don't even know that its possible to strap that sort of injury.

I dunno man. If Clips can't close out in Game 6 I can't see that they have a choice.

If he does have a partially torn ACL then he's not going to play. Even if they close out G6, where does he go from there? That ACL isn't going to be untorn by the WCF or even Finals (should they get past us). Kawhi and the Clippers organisation isn't going to risk his career for one game. A torn ACL is a torn ACL.....

[spanishninja]

Watching these playoffs, I just have to say that I'm GLAD we have the players we have. Seeing Simmons shoot 4 of 14 from the line, Gobert not being able to guard out in the perimeter...these guys are just so exploitable in the playoffs. Even Booker these days isn't bad on defense and with a solid defensive anchor behind him, can play solid D. Ayton is comfortable on switch defenses, likewise with Bridges and EVERYONE can shoot FT's.

I've said this before but I still prefer Booker over Mitchell any day. He doesn't rely on athleticism even though he has it at his disposal, he is a much wider repertoire as a scorer, and he plays with discipline. As long as he stays focused, I don't expect Booker to fold to the defense offered by the Clippers.

For me, Booker's height is the biggest advantage over Mitchell. Booker's game should age nicely whereas Mitchell's won't but that's not to say that Mitchell can't evolve his game. He's athletic but he's also pretty shifty and he is very skilled, it's just that right now he he plays a game that is more suited to his athleticism. I think he's good enough to be able to change his game so it's more focused on finesse and to only use athleticism sparingly in the same way Wade was able to.

Booker will always be able to get efficient shots off because he has the height to use the post up like late career Kobe/MJ. I've been impressed with Booker's defense this season and in particular during the playoffs. There were a bunch of times when Aaron Gordon would post him up and even though he's giving up height and a good chunk of weight, he never gave up. Early career Book would give negligible effort. I expect Booker would step up to the challenge if he gets switched up onto PG.

yeah. you can't teach size, and Booker was blessed with pretty much an ideal SG body.

[darmani]

Damn Kangaroo Carter-Williams choked hard!

[Saberestar]

Damn Kangaroo Carter-Williams choked hard!

Ben Simmons is a great role player, but he does not deserve to be an All Star or getting a MAX contract.

He reminds me of Draymond Green...but a bit worse than Green was at his peak.

Simmons is way better in transition and more dynamic, but he is worse than D. Green was at shooting, interior defense and toughness.

At the end of the day he is a 6'10 freak athlete who would be more useful playing point C nowadays, but with Embiid on the same team he will not be able to do that on the Sixers.

I expect him to be traded this summer if they finally lose to the Hawks.

[lilfishi22]

Damn Kangaroo Carter-Williams choked hard!

Ben Simmons is a great role player, but he does not deserve to be an All Star or getting a MAX contract.

He reminds me of Draymond Green...but a bit worse than Green was at his peak.

Simmons is way better in transition and more dynamic, but he is worse than D. Green was at shooting, interior defense and toughness.

At the end of the day he is a 6'10 freak athlete who would be more useful playing point C nowadays, but with Embiid on the same team he will not be able to do that on the Sixers.

I expect him to be traded this summer if they finally lose to the Hawks.

Had the exact debate in the boys group chat today. One Laker fan (casual AF) was adamant Simmons would be a beast as point center.

I brought up the Draymond argument and how Simmons is a poor man's Dray because he's not the same level defender/defensive anchor and isn't a threat from the 3 or FT line. Also the Draymond only worked as point forward only worked because he had 2-3 HOF shooters/scorers around him.

[Bogyo]

Damn Kangaroo Carter-Williams choked hard!

Ben Simmons is a great role player, but he does not deserve to be an All Star or getting a MAX contract.

He reminds me of Draymond Green...but a bit worse than Green was at his peak.

Simmons is way better in transition and more dynamic, but he is worse than D. Green was at shooting, interior defense and toughness.

At the end of the day he is a 6'10 freak athlete who would be more useful playing point C nowadays, but with Embiid on the same team he will not be able to do that on the Sixers.

I expect him to be traded this summer if they finally lose to the Hawks.

Problem is - if the Sixers want to contend they'd have to get Dame not CJ, and I'm not sure if the Blazers accept that. Maybe with Curry and picks?

[WeekapaugGroove]

I've been in the pro Ben Simmons camp and still want to see him have a roster built around him because he's a hell of a defensive talent and a load going to the hole. But man the FT issues are troubling. It's one thing if he can't hit 3s, not ideal but manageable. But if he's broken from the line that's way worse because now teams can just hammer him when he goes to the rim. Plus if guys struggle from the line long enough it can get in their head and they start to actively avoid getting fouled and that can change their game.

For his sake I hope he does get traded this summer. A fresh start on a team without a low post C like Embiid could be what he needs.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

[King4Day]

What about a deal centered around Simmons and Gordon Hayward?
It'll kill Charlotte's offense in terms of shooting but they can pair:

Rozier
Simmons
Ball
Sign a lethal shooter
Stretch 4/5 who can shoot well

[spanishninja]

What about a deal centered around Simmons and Gordon Hayward?
It'll kill Charlotte's offense in terms of shooting but they can pair:

Rozier
Simmons
Ball
Sign a lethal shooter
Stretch 4/5 who can shoot well

eh. wherever he goes he will always be the guy who can't shoot.

[King4Day]

Remember when just last year everyone said Ben was more valuable then booker?

Well duh Booker is empty stats remember?


Btw… we rooting for Clippers now if Kawhi is out? Home court advantage will be nice.

When either team wins, they'll look scary going it. Utah not missing any shots in the first half. But then LAC beats them up in the 2nd and now Utah looks like the team we want to face.
But in the end, LAC missing Kawhi is a really big deal. I believe either way we're in good shape now. LAC either wins and we go against them without Leonard, or it goes game 7 and when that next series starts, there's a chance Paul is back.

[darealjuice]

Really entertaining games last night. Still can't believe that Sixers implosion. Embiid missing 2 free throws when they were down 3 was crazy. Simmons getting exposed was brutal.

Trae Young deserves a lot of respect. I was extremely high on him going into the draft, but I definitely did not expect him to be leading his team this deep into the playoffs at this point in his career. They've built a pretty solid group of young talent in Atlanta.

I'm also a bit surprised by the Jazz performance at home. They shot the lights out in the first half, but never were able to slow down and break away from the Kawhi-less Clippers. Paul George was ridiculous, Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson really stepped up, and Mitchell obviously didn't look right. Clippers have a great opportunity to close this out at home.

[bwgood77]

Damn Kangaroo Carter-Williams choked hard!

Ben Simmons is a great role player, but he does not deserve to be an All Star or getting a MAX contract.

He reminds me of Draymond Green...but a bit worse than Green was at his peak.

Simmons is way better in transition and more dynamic, but he is worse than D. Green was at shooting, interior defense and toughness.

At the end of the day he is a 6'10 freak athlete who would be more useful playing point C nowadays, but with Embiid on the same team he will not be able to do that on the Sixers.

I expect him to be traded this summer if they finally lose to the Hawks.

They are both better than you give them credit for but I think Green was better. Simmons is great at what he does but as long as he can't shoot he will be exploited and you will have to put specific people around them to be successful.

Philly was a lucky bounce Kawhi 3 away from beating the team hat became the champions that year.

[bwgood77]

Remember when just last year everyone said Ben was more valuable then booker?

Well duh Booker is empty stats remember?


Btw… we rooting for Clippers now if Kawhi is out? Home court advantage will be nice.

When either team wins, they'll look scary going it. Utah not missing any shots in the first half. But then LAC beats them up in the 2nd and now Utah looks like the team we want to face.
But in the end, LAC missing Kawhi is a really big deal. I believe either way we're in good shape now. LAC either wins and we go against them without Leonard, or it goes game 7 and when that next series starts, there's a chance Paul is back.

If Utah wins and Conley is back, that will be tough because they rolled over everyone big time when healthy. And of course missing CP3 is a bigger deal than missing Conley.

Of course if he was back for one or more of the first few games that is huge, but without him winning will be a tall order against either team but especially against Utah with Conley.