The 2018-2019 Around the NBA thread

[Russ Smith]

I hesitate to say it and jinx them but it appears the Warriors may finally be rounding into form. 5 in a row, absolutely hammered Denver last night. NBA record 51 points in the first quarter, NBA record tying 10 3's in the First quarter. Denver actually put up 60 on 49% in the first half, and were down by 19 points. Best I've seen the Warriors play all year, I only watched the first half.

Should add, Curry has been amazing this year, if he wasn't hurt earlier he'd have a legit shot to break his own record of 402 made 3's. He's on a career best pace with 5.3 makes per game, and shooting .456 which is a career best, if he hadn't missed 11 games he'd be on pace to break the record but he needs to average about 5.7 makes the rest of the year to get there, seems unlikely.

FWIW Harden has a chance to get there too, he has 194 through 40 games, missed 3, so he has 41 games left to make 208. He's averaging 4.9 makes needs about 5.1 the rest of the way to get it. I figure neither one gets there, Harden's taking so many 3's he has a chance but you have to assume he'll eventually slow down, and Curry having to share the ball with Durant and Klay he'll have to shoot nearly 50% from 3 to get there.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I hesitate to say it and jinx them but it appears the Warriors may finally be rounding into form. 5 in a row, absolutely hammered Denver last night. NBA record 51 points in the first quarter, NBA record tying 10 3's in the First quarter. Denver actually put up 60 on 49% in the first half, and were down by 19 points. Best I've seen the Warriors play all year, I only watched the first half.

Should add, Curry has been amazing this year, if he wasn't hurt earlier he'd have a legit shot to break his own record of 402 made 3's. He's on a career best pace with 5.3 makes per game, and shooting .456 which is a career best, if he hadn't missed 11 games he'd be on pace to break the record but he needs to average about 5.7 makes the rest of the year to get there, seems unlikely.

FWIW Harden has a chance to get there too, he has 194 through 40 games, missed 3, so he has 41 games left to make 208. He's averaging 4.9 makes needs about 5.1 the rest of the way to get it. I figure neither one gets there, Harden's taking so many 3's he has a chance but you have to assume he'll eventually slow down, and Curry having to share the ball with Durant and Klay he'll have to shoot nearly 50% from 3 to get there.

Jinx away. Why worry about that?

 

[Russ Smith]

I hesitate to say it and jinx them but it appears the Warriors may finally be rounding into form. 5 in a row, absolutely hammered Denver last night. NBA record 51 points in the first quarter, NBA record tying 10 3's in the First quarter. Denver actually put up 60 on 49% in the first half, and were down by 19 points. Best I've seen the Warriors play all year, I only watched the first half.

Should add, Curry has been amazing this year, if he wasn't hurt earlier he'd have a legit shot to break his own record of 402 made 3's. He's on a career best pace with 5.3 makes per game, and shooting .456 which is a career best, if he hadn't missed 11 games he'd be on pace to break the record but he needs to average about 5.7 makes the rest of the year to get there, seems unlikely.

FWIW Harden has a chance to get there too, he has 194 through 40 games, missed 3, so he has 41 games left to make 208. He's averaging 4.9 makes needs about 5.1 the rest of the way to get it. I figure neither one gets there, Harden's taking so many 3's he has a chance but you have to assume he'll eventually slow down, and Curry having to share the ball with Durant and Klay he'll have to shoot nearly 50% from 3 to get there.

whoops bad math, Harden has 39 games not 41.

 

[sunsfan88]

James Harden is averaging 40 pts over his last 20 games. Absolutely ridiculous.

Not sure what's worse, having Nash/Amare/Marion/Johnson on the same team not winning a title or having Durant/Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka all on the same team and not winning one.

Of course injuries and suspensions played a role on both squads but still...damn.

 

[AzStevenCal]

James Harden is averaging 40 pts over his last 20 games. Absolutely ridiculous.
Not sure what's worse, having Nash/Amare/Marion/Johnson on the same team not winning a title or having Durant/Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka all on the same team and not winning one.

Of course injuries and suspensions played a role on both squads but still...damn.

They probably would have won some if they'd been together in their peak years. Harden is a far better player today than he was then. So where's ASUCHRIS, as I recall he was a big proponent of trading whatever it took to get James. I was convinced it would be a failure because we'd have had to mortgage our future to get him. In hindsight, we might have been better off mortgaging our future for him.

 

[sunsfan88]

They probably would have won some if they'd been together in their peak years. Harden is a far better player today than he was then. So where's ASUCHRIS, as I recall he was a big proponent of trading whatever it took to get James. I was convinced it would be a failure because we'd have had to mortgage our future to get him. In hindsight, we might have been better off mortgaging our future for him.

Oh yeah, the future at that time was pretty bleak and none of the draft choices made that year and few following years ended up any better.

I assume OKC would've wanted Dragic for sure and perhaps Sarver may have been to emotionally attached to him to let him go.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Oh yeah, the future at that time was pretty bleak and none of the draft choices made that year and few following years ended up any better.

I assume OKC would've wanted Dragic for sure and perhaps Sarver may have been to emotionally attached to him to let him go.

Yeah I don't know what it would have taken but let's face it, Houston didn't give them much.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Rockets fall to the Nets 145-142 in overtime in Houston even though Harden scores 58 points.

 

[BC867]

James Harden is averaging 40 pts over his last 20 games. Absolutely ridiculous.

Not sure what's worse, having Nash/Amare/Marion/Johnson on the same team not winning a title or having Durant/Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka all on the same team and not winning one.

Of course injuries and suspensions played a role on both squads but still...damn.

So, let's see, who is the common denominator on the Nash Suns and Harden Rockets? Y'know, the one who burned out his players (which causes injuries) with his 7.5 man rotations?

 

[sunsfan88]

So, let's see, who is the common denominator on the Nash Suns and Harden Rockets? Y'know, the one who burned out his players (which causes injuries) with his 7.5 man rotations?

I didn’t make the comparison to Harden Rockets, it was to Harden’s Thunder which had 3 future MVPs on it and an All Star caliber big in Ibaka.

The Thunder team was coached by Scott Brooks who is the most overpaid HC in American sports.

The common denominator would be a dumb owner in Robert Seaver and Clay Bennett. Similar to Sarver selling 1st rd picks to save $$ on the luxury tax, Bennett didn’t want to pay Harsen to save $$ on the luxury tax. Makes it look worse considering iirc they wouldn’t even have had to worry about the tax had they just got rid of Kendrick Perkins instead.

 

[GatorAZ]

58 points and he missed 14 three’s. He could’ve easily had 70+. Also none of his buckets were assisted.

 

[Hoop Head]

I didn’t make the comparison to Harden Rockets, it was to Harden’s Thunder which had 3 future MVPs on it and an All Star caliber big in Ibaka.

The Thunder team was coached by Scott Brooks who is the most overpaid HC in American sports.

The common denominator would be a dumb owner in Robert Seaver and Clay Bennett. Similar to Sarver selling 1st rd picks to save $$ on the luxury tax, Bennett didn’t want to pay Harsen to save $$ on the luxury tax. Makes it look worse considering iirc they wouldn’t even have had to worry about the tax had they just got rid of Kendrick Perkins instead.

I was reading about that trade the other day. There was a $5 million dollar difference in what Harden was asking and OKC was willing to pay. They had the amnesty clause available to them but declined to use it at that time to waive Perkins and go all in one final year with those 4. It's a shame because they probably would have beaten the Heat after they had that playoff experience. They all took enough pressure off of each other that none of them had to shoulder too much either so it was really Westbrook, Harden, and Durant playing team ball for the most part. Sometimes one of them would takeover but it was when they were on fire and it made sense, not like in the later Westbrook/Durant years where one of them would just jack up awful shot after awful shot.

The money they declined to pay Harden would have cost them $15 million in luxury tax because they would be paying repeater tax at that point. It's still a no brainer for a team that just made the finals though. The only thing that kept that trade from being the worst in modern NBA times was the Nets giving up a boatload of picks for an aging Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry plus OKC hit on the pick they got and grabbed Steven Adams. Adams has been a really good Center for their system, even with all of the changes over the years. He doesn't put up good numbers but part of that is what he does for Westbrook. He was paid handsomely by OKC though so stats don't matter much to him at this point. He got a $100 million for 4 years, which is more than anyone else would have paid him. It seems like their owner has gone out of his way to spend money to avoid the cheap label that was given to him after the Harden trade. That sounds familiar for some reason.

 

[sunsfan88]

I was reading about that trade the other day. There was a $5 million dollar difference in what Harden was asking and OKC was willing to pay. They had the amnesty clause available to them but declined to use it at that time to waive Perkins and go all in one final year with those 4. It's a shame because they probably would have beaten the Heat after they had that playoff experience. They all took enough pressure off of each other that none of them had to shoulder too much either so it was really Westbrook, Harden, and Durant playing team ball for the most part. Sometimes one of them would takeover but it was when they were on fire and it made sense, not like in the later Westbrook/Durant years where one of them would just jack up awful shot after awful shot.

The money they declined to pay Harden would have cost them $15 million in luxury tax because they would be paying repeater tax at that point. It's still a no brainer for a team that just made the finals though. The only thing that kept that trade from being the worst in modern NBA times was the Nets giving up a boatload of picks for an aging Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry plus OKC hit on the pick they got and grabbed Steven Adams. Adams has been a really good Center for their system, even with all of the changes over the years. He doesn't put up good numbers but part of that is what he does for Westbrook. He was paid handsomely by OKC though so stats don't matter much to him at this point. He got a $100 million for 4 years, which is more than anyone else would have paid him. It seems like their owner has gone out of his way to spend money to avoid the cheap label that was given to him after the Harden trade. That sounds familiar for some reason.

I’m not sure the Harden trade isn’t worse than that one because who exactly did Boston select with the picks they got from Brooklyn? None of them have really worked out except for Jayson Tatum who I don’t think has anywhere near the ceiling of Harden. Sure OKC got Steven Adams in return too but that’s literally it.

Harden actually became a superstar and a first ballot HOFer after the trade to Houston while none of the draft choices that the Celtics got from Brooklyn have even turned into even above average starting caliber players. The only pick left iirc is the Kings 1st rounder this year which is gonna be a late lottery pick because of how good Sacramento is.

The media always points to the Nets trade as the worst ever of the decade but if you ask me, it’s the Harden one.

I agree with you on the rest though.

 

[Phrazbit]

Right? Ayton’s name wasn’t even in cheese’s post. What the hell is wrong with people?!? Doncic and Ayton aren’t symbiotically attached. You can discuss one without even thinking about the other. It’s possible!

Eh... this conversation only exists because SF88 has, as per usual, been trying to get people into arguments, while taking no stance of his own... and sadly, it's working. He links crap designed for no other purpose than to trigger people. Same reason he constantly posts stuff from opposing fan sites that he "stumbles" across. He's a troll. He's got people arguing, not even about the players, but arguing over the merit of an argument.

The only reason he isn't my 2nd person to ignore is because he's pretty lousy at his craft and it's often humorous to see his efforts blow up in his face. On the rare occasion he says something definitive as his own opinion it is almost instantly proven wildly inaccurate, which is followed by "I stand corrected" or, if he has a grudge against the correctee, with a personal attack.

 

[Hoop Head]

I’m not sure the Harden trade isn’t worse than that one because who exactly did Boston select with the picks they got from Brooklyn? None of them have really worked out except for Jayson Tatum who I don’t think has anywhere near the ceiling of Harden. Sure OKC got Steven Adams in return too but that’s literally it.

Harden actually became a superstar and a first ballot HOFer after the trade to Houston while none of the draft choices that the Celtics got from Brooklyn have even turned into even above average starting caliber players. The only pick left iirc is the Kings 1st rounder this year which is gonna be a late lottery pick because of how good Sacramento is.

The media always points to the Nets trade as the worst ever of the decade but if you ask me, it’s the Harden one.

I agree with you on the rest though.

One of those picks also brought them Kyrie, so it's a little more than just who they picked as far as what did Boston do with those picks. They got Jaylen Brown with another. The Tatum pick ended up coming about because they got the #1 overall pick from that trade and if you get the #1 overall pick from a trade made 4 or 5 years earlier then that is a win. They turned that into 2 picks, Tatum and that future Sacramento pick. So they're still profiting from that trade. Meanwhile the Harden trade has been over for a while, OKC got what they got and the players and picks involved are on new contracts at this point.

 

[sunsfan88]

One of those picks also brought them Kyrie, so it's a little more than just who they picked as far as what did Boston do with those picks. They got Jaylen Brown with another. The Tatum pick ended up coming about because they got the #1 overall pick from that trade and if you get the #1 overall pick from a trade made 4 or 5 years earlier then that is a win. They turned that into 2 picks, Tatum and that future Sacramento pick. So they're still profiting from that trade. Meanwhile the Harden trade has been over for a while, OKC got what they got and the players and picks involved are on new contracts at this point.

Yeah it's still early to completely judge the Celtics trade but I'll still take Harden over all those guys barring some kind of unforeseen development of Jayson Tatum. Brown was decent last season but has regressed some and was demoted to the bench.

I forgot about the Kyrie trade altogether but yeah that's a pretty big coup on it's own.

 

[sunsfan88]

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I actually saw this on SportsCenter earlier but never realized it was Shaq Harrison who did it. His best contribution to the Suns could actually be pissing off these Lakers fans

 

[Russ Smith]

58 points and he missed 14 three’s. He could’ve easily had 70+. Also none of his buckets were assisted.

115 points in his last 2 games, not a single one of which was assisted.

he is absolutely unguardable right now

 

[Russ Smith]

Now it gets interesting for Steve Kerr, not only does Boogie play his first game Friday, Kerr says he'll start. They need size but it will be VERY interesting to see if Kerr can get Boogie to buy in and play defense, and it will be very interesting to see how close to 100% he is after that injury.

 

[sunsfan88]

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[Krangodnzr]

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Gordon Hayward???

 

[Phrazbit]

Gordon Hayward???

There are worse names with more votes. The All-Star game voting has almost turned into a form of trolling.

 

[Phrazbit]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...beasley-tries-enter-game-wearing-wrong-shorts

Is he embracing his status as a clown or is he actually this daft? I hope he sticks around for a while, it's kind of adorable to have guys like him and McGee around playing the role of court jester... just so long as they are not on my team, and especially if they're polluting our rivals.

Also, Zubac on the Lakers is concerning. More so... the Lakers recent ability to find effective players deep in the draft is VERY concerning. I suspect their scouting budget blows ours out of the water.

 

[AzStevenCal]

There are worse names with more votes. The All-Star game voting has almost turned into a form of trolling.

I have always been against fan voting for All-Star selections regardless of sport. I'd much rather see players selected by a committee.

 

[Phrazbit]

I have always been against fan voting for All-Star selections regardless of sport. I'd much rather see players selected by a committee.

Agreed. I'm curious if Rose will make it. I believe the fan voting is only a part of the process, the players and media also send in votes. I gotta think Harden will be the highest vote getter among those ballots.

I get why they include the fans; participation, blah blah blah, but I think it would be far more interesting if the selection was entirely among the players. Seeing a much loathed guy like Butler left out of the game by the players he trashes in the press would be high comedy, especially as the chip on his shoulder swells like the Grinch's heart.