NBA Games Discussion Thread - Part 5

Kanyewest · Post #901 » by **Kanyewest** » Mon May 16, 2022 6:03 pm

Phoenix's collapse in game 7 has somehow made the Jazz look more competent.

Illuminaire · Post #902 » by **Illuminaire** » Mon May 16, 2022 6:33 pm

Man, that game was catastrophic. It could change the course of a franchise.

This would be hyperbole for most stable team situations, but the Suns have a long history of punting on the luxury tax. Sarver is not a guy who pays for elite teams to stay together. There is a very real chance he sells on some of the players coming up on big new contracts to stay under the tax.

This has to be a gut punch for a fan base with championship aspirations. Oof.

FAH1223 · Post #903 » by **FAH1223** » Mon May 16, 2022 6:45 pm

Watch on YouTube

Pat Bev all over ESPN today

Post #904 » by **Rafael122** » Mon May 16, 2022 6:52 pm

Illuminaire wrote:Man, that game was catastrophic. It could change the course of a franchise.

This would be hyperbole for most stable team situations, but the Suns have a long history of punting on the luxury tax. Sarver is not a guy who pays for elite teams to stay together. There is a very real chance he sells on some of the players coming up on big new contracts to stay under the tax.

This has to be a gut punch for a fan base with championship aspirations. Oof.

It's crazy how 1 or 2 moves look awful in hindsight:

Drafting Jalen Smith over Haliburton looks horrendous now.

If they wanted to give Ayton the max, it would have been done by now. I think the Ayton contract isn't the issue, it's carrying $32 million in salary between Shamet/Saric/Crowder plus paying Ayton $30 million. I think if they found a way to jump off 2 of those contracts, they would be OK. But it really goes to show you that you pretty much have to nail 95% of your team build in order to have a championship contending window longer than a year or two.

I_Like_Dirt · Post #905 » by **I_Like_Dirt** » Wed May 18, 2022 2:23 am

Rafael122 wrote:
Illuminaire wrote:Man, that game was catastrophic. It could change the course of a franchise.

This would be hyperbole for most stable team situations, but the Suns have a long history of punting on the luxury tax. Sarver is not a guy who pays for elite teams to stay together. There is a very real chance he sells on some of the players coming up on big new contracts to stay under the tax.

This has to be a gut punch for a fan base with championship aspirations. Oof.

It's crazy how 1 or 2 moves look awful in hindsight:

Drafting Jalen Smith over Haliburton looks horrendous now.

If they wanted to give Ayton the max, it would have been done by now. I think the Ayton contract isn't the issue, it's carrying $32 million in salary between Shamet/Saric/Crowder plus paying Ayton $30 million. I think if they found a way to jump off 2 of those contracts, they would be OK. But it really goes to show you that you pretty much have to nail 95% of your team build in order to have a championship contending window longer than a year or two.

Even nailing everything you still need to be willing to step into the tax. You might be able to get away with a single season out of it but you basically need to pay the tax to push your window so unless you win in the first year or two of your window, you're toast no matter what you do.

Take the Thunder, for example. SGA is really good. I think Giddey is pretty good in his own right and let's say he turns into a star too. They just won the 3rd pick and let's say they get a star there. Pretend it takes 2 seasons for the guy they draft this year and Giddey to bloom into starring roles (which is also incredibly optimistic). Now they have 1 year before they max Giddey and 2 before they max their pick and they already have SGA under max. They're suddenly paying 3 maxes and pushing the tax even without a supporting cast of any kind. If they got the new Durant, Westbrook and Harden they're a contender but right back to where they were, probably ripping them apart for tax reasons.

The league is brutal and you need to be both lucky and smart to pull above that 35 to 45 win range for more than a few seasons at a time and even then you'll need to pay for it.

9 and 20 · Post #906 » by **9 and 20** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:25 pm

Jimmy Butler is an angry old man and I'm here for it. Love this dude. Community college, last pick in the first round (we took Vesely at 6) - this guy never gets enough respect and he's taking it out on poor Jaylen Brown, lol.

FAH1223 · Post #907 » by **FAH1223** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:37 pm

9 and 20 wrote:

Jimmy Butler is an angry old man and I'm here for it. Love this dude. Community college, last pick in the first round (we took Vesely at 6) - this guy never gets enough respect and he's taking it out on poor Jaylen Brown, lol.

Fake quote by Ballsack Sports

But Jimmy would say something like this. :lol:

I_Like_Dirt · Post #908 » by **I_Like_Dirt** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:54 pm

9 and 20 wrote:

Jimmy Butler is an angry old man and I'm here for it. Love this dude. Community college, last pick in the first round (we took Vesely at 6) - this guy never gets enough respect and he's taking it out on poor Jaylen Brown, lol.

Fake quote but Vesely and Singleton in one of the deepest drafts ever was an... achievement?

dobrojim · Post #909 » by **dobrojim** » Thu May 19, 2022 2:26 pm

An achievement of epic proportions

MIA's success with a roster loaded with afterthoughts and cast asides is also an achievement of epic proportions.

Post #910 » by **nate33** » Thu May 19, 2022 2:41 pm

Spoelstra is the best coach in the league bar none. Year after year, he does more with less, while also developing and utilizing undrafted walk-ons and castoffs to fill a specific role.

dobrojim · Post #911 » by **dobrojim** » Mon May 23, 2022 12:30 pm

I never gave him (Spoelstra) enough credit back in the LBJ-trio days. He is truly top shelf.

Game 3 of MIA-BOS was such a battle with both Smart and Tatum looking seriously hurt
(Smart's ankle tweak was really ugly, I thought he coulda broke his leg)
but they come back and almost bring BOS back to win. MIA gets by with no jimmy Buckets.
Bam was unbelievable.

FAH1223 · Post #912 » by **FAH1223** » Tue May 24, 2022 4:28 pm

If Bam is gonna play this timid when Robert Williams is in, and if Miami is gonna get out rebounded like this, they might as well start Dedmond at the 5 and move Bam to the 4 and just do a revised version of what Milwaukee did. Just go big, and let Dedmond battle it out with TimeLord who basically has one leg.

Dedmond just needs to goon it up and be 7ft. Dedmond at the 5 makes everyone bigger because everyone goes down a notch to their natural positions. Bam goes to the 4, Tucker to the 3, Jimmy to the 2 and Lowry always at 1.

Post #913 » by **Rafael122** » Thu May 26, 2022 4:58 pm

Miami looks old and they are on the hook for another $146 million in Butler. Lowry looks washed and Bam doesn't look like an alpha. Now, maybe that's Boston's defense doing a number on them but Miami just looks...old.

FAH1223 · Post #914 » by **FAH1223** » Thu May 26, 2022 9:37 pm

Rafael122 wrote:Miami looks old and they are on the hook for another $146 million in Butler. Lowry looks washed and Bam doesn't look like an alpha. Now, maybe that's Boston's defense doing a number on them but Miami just looks...old.

And their young guys who were undrafted are looking like.. undrafted guys!

FAH1223 · Post #915 » by **FAH1223** » Sat May 28, 2022 4:03 am

Read on Twitter

FAH1223 · Post #916 » by **FAH1223** » Mon May 30, 2022 4:57 pm

Watch on YouTube

FAH1223 · Post #917 » by **FAH1223** » Fri Jun 3, 2022 4:03 am

Boston is winning the championship.

AFM · Post #918 » by **AFM** » Fri Jun 3, 2022 4:15 am

Watching this Finals game and I'm just struck by how close we are to competing.

closg00 · Post #919 » by **closg00** » Fri Jun 3, 2022 12:40 pm

I am reminded again what a superior FO & coaches can get accomplished in a few years while the Wizards are perpetually on the outside looking in.

FAH1223 · Post #920 » by **FAH1223** » Fri Jun 3, 2022 2:12 pm

AFM wrote:Watching this Finals game and I'm just struck by how close we are to competing.

closg00 wrote:I am reminded again what a superior FO & coaches can get accomplished in a few years while the Wizards are perpetually on the outside looking in.

Read on Twitter

Look at Steph reacting to Poole's defense :lol: