Around the NBA part 2 - Save Melo from Brodie

[K_ick_God]

The Sixers could win the title if they can figure out how to trade Simmons for some kind of wing, cause Maxey looks like he has it. I'd be trying to get Ingram or Brown if I were them.

It sounds like they are trying to get Brown.

Makes sense to split up those two but makes less sense for Boston to see Tatum and Simmons as working really well. Maybe a little better dunno.

[dakomish23]

I wanted no parts of him because of his back… it’s just really hard to get past that. Denver might be screwed with that contract

Read on Twitter

I've been saying for a while now

Passing on Porter wasn't the mistake. The mistake was taking Knox

We probably still get RJ even if we draft Shai, too, cause he wasn't good enough to win us many games his rookie year, I don't think.

It’s worse when you consider we passed up Miles Bridges and Bam as well. Knox was the worst pick you can make

Mikal seemed like the obvious pick. Or the Villanova posters here did the Jedi mind tricks to make me think it was

[dakomish23]

The Sixers could win the title if they can figure out how to trade Simmons for some kind of wing, cause Maxey looks like he has it. I'd be trying to get Ingram or Brown if I were them.

It sounds like they are trying to get Brown.

Makes sense to split up those two but makes less sense for Boston to see Tatum and Simmons as working really well. Maybe a little better dunno.

Tatum and Simmons might be great together. Simmons might be absolutely great next to a high scoring wing. Idk I’m just rooting for him more now since he’s the scapegoat

[robillionaire]

hawks about to fall to 4-8

[YouthMovement]

Can we talk about the fact that the Hawks ain't even good.

5 straight losses for the "next east powerhouse"

[K_ick_God]

It sounds like they are trying to get Brown.

Makes sense to split up those two but makes less sense for Boston to see Tatum and Simmons as working really well. Maybe a little better dunno.

Tatum and Simmons might be great together. Simmons might be absolutely great next to a high scoring wing. Idk I’m just rooting for him more now since he’s the scapegoat

Yeah I'm with you on that. I'd love to grab him myself, pause. You never know what might work. Simmons not taking Tatum's shots but running crazy seems like it could work big as I think about it.

Seems unlikely Simmons is going to a top 3 scorer but doesn't mean he couldn't be a huge role player.

[KnicksGadfly]

Can we talk about the fact that the Hawks ain't even good.

5 straight losses for the next east powerhouse

2-2

...

That's how many free throws that flopper Trae got and made lol...I love this rule change

[SelbyCobra]

Anyone know what Stein said in his piece?

Read on Twitter

[WargamesX]

The Sixers could win the title if they can figure out how to trade Simmons for some kind of wing, cause Maxey looks like he has it. I'd be trying to get Ingram or Brown if I were them.

It sounds like they are trying to get Brown.

Makes sense to split up those two but makes less sense for Boston to see Tatum and Simmons as working really well. Maybe a little better dunno.

I still think Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield is a great return for Simmons… they might have been able to get that and a first rounder before all this drama, but right now Barnes & Hield would be a great come up

Embiid
Harris
Barnes
Hield
Maxey

Kormaz, Thybulle, Seth. Drummond And Danny Grewn on the bench. That is a strong playoff team, and who knows if Embiid stays healthy it’s a contender.

[WargamesX]

Can we talk about the fact that the Hawks ain't even good.

5 straight losses for the next east powerhouse

This would be a great time to call and see what the price for Huerter, Cam, and even Hunter would be…. Just due diligence

[robillionaire]

Anyone know what Stein said in his piece?

Read on Twitter

Spoiler:

For starters, Brooklyn's James Harden huddled with Detroit assistant coach Rex Kalamian at midcourt shortly before the teams lined up for the national anthem in a reunion of two old friends from their Oklahoma City days together. It was apparent, even from afar, that an animated Harden was showing Kalamian examples of the sort of contact that — much to Harden's and the Nets' dismay — isn't drawing whistles from referees this season.

Then, just as the game was getting underway and unbeknownst to any of the Nets on the floor, tweets began to circulate about an interview given by New York mayor-elect Eric Adams to CNN. Adams revealed that the city will not be relaxing its vaccine requirements when the calendar flips to 2022, meaning that Kyrie Irving will remain unable to play in Nets home games until he gets vaccinated.

The Nets, of course, sent Irving away last month after finally admitting to themselves on Oct. 12 how preposterous it would be to allow him to play only in road games. The larger problem they have right now is that they don't have the real Harden, either, unless — and this is the truly scary scenario for them — what we've been seeing lately is the new Harden.

Judgments made on any one-night basis in the NBA are generally dumb, but it was difficult not to be alarmed by Harden's performance against the Pistons. He displayed no lift, no explosion and none of the guile around the rim or the touch on lobs he is known for. He committed nine turnovers. The whispers that used to circulate in his Rockets days, raising concerns about how Harden's game would age given his apparent disinterest in taking better care of himself off the floor, certainly came to mind.

In this October piece, I wrote that the Nets would remain championship favorites without Irving because they had Harden to fill the void. I was jumping to the conclusion that the Nets would have the Harden who played so well last season before his hamstring issues and will end up looking foolish unless he gets back to that level. The most worrisome aspect about hearing, over and over, that Harden is still playing his way into shape is that he has produced at a much higher level in the past even when his conditioning was suspect.

Who can forget Harden, in the first game he played last season and nowhere near peak condition after staging a brief holdout in Houston, rumbling for 44 points and 17 assists in an overtime loss to Portland? The Nets haven't seen that Harden yet this season. He's averaging 18.3 points on 39.9% shooting and ranks third in the league in turnovers at 4.5 per game.

Whether it's a slow adjustment to the increased physicality referees are allowing or evidence that Harden's game might actually be starting to decline, what's clear is that the Nets cannot be what I (and every Las Vegas oddsmaker) thought they would be if Kevin Durant doesn't have more help.

As breathtaking as Durant has been at the start of the season, ranking as the first player in league history who has people wondering if he has legitimately somehow improved after sustaining the presumed catastrophe of a torn Achilles, Brooklyn is playing at a considerable size and speed deficit with its veteran-laden roster, no Irving and this Harden.

“We spent almost two weeks with a different team and then we lost Kyrie and that’s a totally different situation,” Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said. “We’re trying to build a new team and try to work with this group. That’s a big hole and everyone has to step up a level and a notch, in minutes and responsibility, to find out the best way to play this group.

"It’s a process and I’m really proud of the guys in the way they’ve engaged in what we’re asking them to do and in the improvements we’ve made, but it’s a totally different situation and we have to work our way through it.”

We’re trying to build a new team. That’s the sentence you inevitably heard the loudest.

[Richard4444]

It sounds like they are trying to get Brown.

Makes sense to split up those two but makes less sense for Boston to see Tatum and Simmons as working really well. Maybe a little better dunno.

I still think Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield is a great return for Simmons… they might have been able to get that and a first rounder before all this drama, but right now Barnes & Hield would be a great come up

Embiid
Harris
Barnes
Hield
Maxey

Kormaz, Thybulle, Seth. Drummond And Danny Grewn on the bench. That is a strong playoff team, and who knows if Embiid stays healthy it’s a contender.

It would be very bad for the Kings.

They can do a team full of weak shooters:

Fox, Davion Mitchell, Simmons, Bagley and Holmes.

[Iron Mantis]

hawks about to fall to 4-8

And the Nuggets are going to wax 'em on Friday in Denver.

Jokic will be back from suspension too.

[robillionaire]

hawks about to fall to 4-8

And the Nuggets are going to wax 'em on Friday in Denver.

Jokic will be back from suspension too.

Hopefully Middleton back from covid protocols for their game after that. I want 4-10

[Capn'O]

Anyone know what Stein said in his piece?

Read on Twitter

Spoiler:

For starters, Brooklyn's James Harden huddled with Detroit assistant coach Rex Kalamian at midcourt shortly before the teams lined up for the national anthem in a reunion of two old friends from their Oklahoma City days together. It was apparent, even from afar, that an animated Harden was showing Kalamian examples of the sort of contact that — much to Harden's and the Nets' dismay — isn't drawing whistles from referees this season.

Then, just as the game was getting underway and unbeknownst to any of the Nets on the floor, tweets began to circulate about an interview given by New York mayor-elect Eric Adams to CNN. Adams revealed that the city will not be relaxing its vaccine requirements when the calendar flips to 2022, meaning that Kyrie Irving will remain unable to play in Nets home games until he gets vaccinated.

The Nets, of course, sent Irving away last month after finally admitting to themselves on Oct. 12 how preposterous it would be to allow him to play only in road games. The larger problem they have right now is that they don't have the real Harden, either, unless — and this is the truly scary scenario for them — what we've been seeing lately is the new Harden.

Judgments made on any one-night basis in the NBA are generally dumb, but it was difficult not to be alarmed by Harden's performance against the Pistons. He displayed no lift, no explosion and none of the guile around the rim or the touch on lobs he is known for. He committed nine turnovers. The whispers that used to circulate in his Rockets days, raising concerns about how Harden's game would age given his apparent disinterest in taking better care of himself off the floor, certainly came to mind.

In this October piece, I wrote that the Nets would remain championship favorites without Irving because they had Harden to fill the void. I was jumping to the conclusion that the Nets would have the Harden who played so well last season before his hamstring issues and will end up looking foolish unless he gets back to that level. The most worrisome aspect about hearing, over and over, that Harden is still playing his way into shape is that he has produced at a much higher level in the past even when his conditioning was suspect.

Who can forget Harden, in the first game he played last season and nowhere near peak condition after staging a brief holdout in Houston, rumbling for 44 points and 17 assists in an overtime loss to Portland? The Nets haven't seen that Harden yet this season. He's averaging 18.3 points on 39.9% shooting and ranks third in the league in turnovers at 4.5 per game.

Whether it's a slow adjustment to the increased physicality referees are allowing or evidence that Harden's game might actually be starting to decline, what's clear is that the Nets cannot be what I (and every Las Vegas oddsmaker) thought they would be if Kevin Durant doesn't have more help.

As breathtaking as Durant has been at the start of the season, ranking as the first player in league history who has people wondering if he has legitimately somehow improved after sustaining the presumed catastrophe of a torn Achilles, Brooklyn is playing at a considerable size and speed deficit with its veteran-laden roster, no Irving and this Harden.

“We spent almost two weeks with a different team and then we lost Kyrie and that’s a totally different situation,” Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said. “We’re trying to build a new team and try to work with this group. That’s a big hole and everyone has to step up a level and a notch, in minutes and responsibility, to find out the best way to play this group.

"It’s a process and I’m really proud of the guys in the way they’ve engaged in what we’re asking them to do and in the improvements we’ve made, but it’s a totally different situation and we have to work our way through it.”

We’re trying to build a new team. That’s the sentence you inevitably heard the loudest.

On the one hand, you love to see it because you knew this concoction was going to result in nothing good for the Nets if they didn't win that first year they were all together. On the other, it kills me because if the Knicks had gotten _just_ Durant (or Durant and Kemba) as was rumored they may have been bad enough to get a guy like Ball and then the core is just wild. The Knicks had the pieces to build a great team around just him very quickly.

Ah well. We keep our heads down and keep doing it the hard way.

[spree2kawhi]

Can we talk about the fact that the Hawks ain't even good.

5 straight losses for the next east powerhouse

Huerter casually steps into their starting 5 and gets 28. The guy is legit.

[aq_ua]

The Sixers could win the title if they can figure out how to trade Simmons for some kind of wing, cause Maxey looks like he has it. I'd be trying to get Ingram or Brown if I were them.

It sounds like they are trying to get Brown.

Makes sense to split up those two but makes less sense for Boston to see Tatum and Simmons as working really well. Maybe a little better dunno.

I'm actually thinking Brown and Simmons works better than Tatum and Simmons. Tatum is ultimately at his best as an iso scorer and Simmons needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Brown on the wing, Simmons at the 4, Robert Williams at the 5, Smart and Langford at the guard position makes for a more compelling lineup IMO.

[HarthorneWingo]

I've been saying for a while now

Passing on Porter wasn't the mistake. The mistake was taking Knox

We probably still get RJ even if we draft Shai, too, cause he wasn't good enough to win us many games his rookie year, I don't think.

It’s worse when you consider we passed up Miles Bridges and Bam as well. Knox was the worst pick you can make

Mikal seemed like the obvious pick. Or the Villanova posters here did the Jedi mind tricks to make me think it was

GONYK and I were on the Mikal bandwagon. #Jesuits4Mikal

[HarthorneWingo]

hawks about to fall to 4-8

It can’t be just the new foul rules, is it?

[thebuzzardman]

Anyone know what Stein said in his piece?

Read on Twitter

Spoiler:

For starters, Brooklyn's James Harden huddled with Detroit assistant coach Rex Kalamian at midcourt shortly before the teams lined up for the national anthem in a reunion of two old friends from their Oklahoma City days together. It was apparent, even from afar, that an animated Harden was showing Kalamian examples of the sort of contact that — much to Harden's and the Nets' dismay — isn't drawing whistles from referees this season.

Then, just as the game was getting underway and unbeknownst to any of the Nets on the floor, tweets began to circulate about an interview given by New York mayor-elect Eric Adams to CNN. Adams revealed that the city will not be relaxing its vaccine requirements when the calendar flips to 2022, meaning that Kyrie Irving will remain unable to play in Nets home games until he gets vaccinated.

The Nets, of course, sent Irving away last month after finally admitting to themselves on Oct. 12 how preposterous it would be to allow him to play only in road games. The larger problem they have right now is that they don't have the real Harden, either, unless — and this is the truly scary scenario for them — what we've been seeing lately is the new Harden.

Judgments made on any one-night basis in the NBA are generally dumb, but it was difficult not to be alarmed by Harden's performance against the Pistons. He displayed no lift, no explosion and none of the guile around the rim or the touch on lobs he is known for. He committed nine turnovers. The whispers that used to circulate in his Rockets days, raising concerns about how Harden's game would age given his apparent disinterest in taking better care of himself off the floor, certainly came to mind.

In this October piece, I wrote that the Nets would remain championship favorites without Irving because they had Harden to fill the void. I was jumping to the conclusion that the Nets would have the Harden who played so well last season before his hamstring issues and will end up looking foolish unless he gets back to that level. The most worrisome aspect about hearing, over and over, that Harden is still playing his way into shape is that he has produced at a much higher level in the past even when his conditioning was suspect.

Who can forget Harden, in the first game he played last season and nowhere near peak condition after staging a brief holdout in Houston, rumbling for 44 points and 17 assists in an overtime loss to Portland? The Nets haven't seen that Harden yet this season. He's averaging 18.3 points on 39.9% shooting and ranks third in the league in turnovers at 4.5 per game.

Whether it's a slow adjustment to the increased physicality referees are allowing or evidence that Harden's game might actually be starting to decline, what's clear is that the Nets cannot be what I (and every Las Vegas oddsmaker) thought they would be if Kevin Durant doesn't have more help.

As breathtaking as Durant has been at the start of the season, ranking as the first player in league history who has people wondering if he has legitimately somehow improved after sustaining the presumed catastrophe of a torn Achilles, Brooklyn is playing at a considerable size and speed deficit with its veteran-laden roster, no Irving and this Harden.

“We spent almost two weeks with a different team and then we lost Kyrie and that’s a totally different situation,” Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said. “We’re trying to build a new team and try to work with this group. That’s a big hole and everyone has to step up a level and a notch, in minutes and responsibility, to find out the best way to play this group.

"It’s a process and I’m really proud of the guys in the way they’ve engaged in what we’re asking them to do and in the improvements we’ve made, but it’s a totally different situation and we have to work our way through it.”

We’re trying to build a new team. That’s the sentence you inevitably heard the loudest.

On the one hand, you love to see it because you knew this concoction was going to result in nothing good for the Nets if they didn't win that first year they were all together. On the other, it kills me because if the Knicks had gotten _just_ Durant (or Durant and Kemba) as was rumored they may have been bad enough to get a guy like Ball and then the core is just wild. The Knicks had the pieces to build a great team around just him very quickly.

Ah well. We keep our heads down and keep doing it the hard way.

But the Knicks didn't so I'm going with 100% love to see it for the Nets and hope it gets worse somehow.