2023-2024 General NBA Season Thread

kfoss99

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More streaming?
The NBA needs to figure a way to maximize ad revenue from their full-game highlights on YouTube. Some get over a million views.

I've been listening to the Celtics on the radio, all year, including the playoffs. Over breakfast, I'll watch the Celtics highlights and choose another game or two of highlights to watch.
 

Ed Hillel

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Is there really any difference between wing scoring and Booker? He's not small at 6'6" and while listed as shooting guard he does similar stuff on the offensive end to Tatum and Brown or any other good offensive "wing".
Damn, NBA players are huge, it never ceases to amaze me. I thought Booker was 3-4 inches smaller.
 

benhogan

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I'm more curious about the Nets' angle: doesn't going hard after Booker while offering the Suns their draft back make tons of sense for both parties? They'd then have Bridges, Johnson, Claxton...there's stuff to work with, along with a very appealing market.
And we all know which contract Brooklyn would send to the Suns :redwine:

right now PHX is stuck in purgatory

I'm seeing that the Knicks are the favorites with the Heat lurking (MIA lead the KD sweepstakes)

https://hoopshype.com/2024/05/01/knicks-would-would-be-willing-to-offer-almost-anything-for-devin-booker/
 

jmcc5400

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This is the peak of sports production. The zoom out from Times Square is killer.

View: https://youtu.be/XKOkNZ4Yzto?si=XR8ooufHfP1v0vGy
That was the Charles Smith game, right? I think this 76er-Knicks series fits in with those Bulls-Knicks wars in the '90s, albeit without the star power of MJ. Kind of funny that we also could be looking at a revival of the '90s Knicks-Pacers rivalry if both teams close out their respective series.
 

bosockboy

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That was the Charles Smith game, right? I think this 76er-Knicks series fits in with those Bulls-Knicks wars in the '90s, albeit without the star power of MJ. Kind of funny that we also could be looking at a revival of the '90s Knicks-Pacers rivalry if both teams close out their respective series.
Gotta think TNT puts Reggie on that series.
 

InstaFace

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It's pretty funny that Draymond has zero understanding of how the cap works. I guess having KD fall into your lap makes you think it's all easy.
If you know anything about cap, wise guy, you'd know that cap holds aren't a thing, there definitely aren't complicated rules about how to figure the cap holds for different kinds of free agents, there's no renouncing of free agents, and there's no Gilbert Arenas provision. Duh.

Draymond seems to have no idea that the rules were written by lawyers who could run totally amok making an absolutely Byzantine system, because the stakeholders they answered to, like the commissioner, were themselves lawyers. This shit been lawyered up to its eyeballs to the tune of 500+ pages, Dray. The last time you even saw 500 pages of something might've been while you sat in the hoosegow in East Lansing after getting arrested for assault.
 

lovegtm

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I've been critical of him at times, but I'd be all over Bud if he's ready to get back into coaching.
 

TomRicardo

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I've been critical of him at times, but I'd be all over Bud if he's ready to get back into coaching.
Ty would be ideal candidate. Bud would not be the guy for LA.

Funny thing is I think teams are going to fight over trying to get Ham.
 

Cellar-Door

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Lakers have like a million baked in advantages.... but can't take advantage because they have a bad owner and that owner picked a bad GM.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Reddick coaching LAL would be pretty interesting. He obviously has a great relationship with LBJ as basically contemporaries but would he be able to coach him?
 

astrozombie

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Real question for the more knowledgeable NBA fans on here: is Lue actually a good coach? My assumption has always been that his success was predicated on having a prime LeBron and letting LeBron run the team while Lue did the coach admin stuff (set line ups, talk to the media, run practices, etc.). The Clippers have been underwhelming since he's been there, but some of that is due to injuries and weird personnel. I don't know if he is a good coach, or his friendship with LeBron was the source of most of his success.
 

cheech13

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Just my opinion but I think Lue is a top five coach when it comes to schemes and managing personalities. That Clippers situation could have been a mess in the wrong hands.
 

ElUno20

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Real question for the more knowledgeable NBA fans on here: is Lue actually a good coach? My assumption has always been that his success was predicated on having a prime LeBron and letting LeBron run the team while Lue did the coach admin stuff (set line ups, talk to the media, run practices, etc.). The Clippers have been underwhelming since he's been there, but some of that is due to injuries and weird personnel. I don't know if he is a good coach, or his friendship with LeBron was the source of most of his success.
Not on you but it sucks that so many people in lebron's orbit have that stigma attached to them.

He's had a job long past the point of being affiliated with lebron in one of the most cut throat professions. If he were just "lebron's friend", he wouldnt be in the league anymore. See fizdale, david.

Unfortunately for Lue, his biggest weakness (imo) is also the same as the two frau..i mean stars he's been aligned with. He's not good at the "fire" part of coaching. Getting guys up for huge spots and ready to kill someone in a big spot. It's been a consistent theme his whole tenure. Lue rather grind away and film room endlessly when at times it just comes to grit and getting in someone's ass.

That aside, he's a tremendous coach. He wont be unemployed/off for long. He'll pick his next spot (lakers) and be successful there. Just bad luck drawing two frauds as your stars to lead a team.
 

astrozombie

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Not on you but it sucks that so many people in lebron's orbit have that stigma attached to them.

He's had a job long past the point of being affiliated with lebron in one of the most cut throat professions. If he were just "lebron's friend", he wouldnt be in the league anymore. See fizdale, david.

Unfortunately for Lue, his biggest weakness (imo) is also the same as the two frau..i mean stars he's been aligned with. He's not good at the "fire" part of coaching. Getting guys up for huge spots and ready to kill someone in a big spot. It's been a consistent theme his whole tenure. Lue rather grind away and film room endlessly when at times it just comes to grit and getting in someone's ass.

That aside, he's a tremendous coach. He wont be unemployed/off for long. He'll pick his next spot (lakers) and be successful there. Just bad luck drawing two frauds as your stars to lead a team.
Fair points, thanks.
Also, based on what I have seen with Lue, it does seems like he's just coaching the wrong team. Kawhi, Harden and PG just seem to be waaayyy too laidback about things. Not that they dont care, but they have more of that quiet leadership style. Lue is more of the same. Russ I think could get up and get vocal, but he's pretty clearly a fourth option.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Just my opinion but I think Lue is a top five coach when it comes to schemes and managing personalities. That Clippers situation could have been a mess in the wrong hands.
Sorry but you are going to have to make room for me on your landmass. Lue would be my first choice for the Cs if he were available and they needed a coach.
 

tims4wins

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Not even sure what this is supposed to mean. The Lakers made it into the playoffs both years in Ham's tenure. They won two series even. And they finished in 7th and 8th the past 2 years so would have been in the playoffs under previous rules too
To me it feels like ESPN is trying to insinuate that he shouldn't have been fired because he "made the playoffs" both years. When in reality the Lakers have underachieved.
 

Cellar-Door

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To me it feels like ESPN is trying to insinuate that he shouldn't have been fired because he "made the playoffs" both years. When in reality the Lakers have underachieved.
Have they?

They have a pretty top heavy and old roster, they made the WCF last year and then this year got drilled by the frankly better defending champs in a series that was tighter than expected.

This follows the same pattern as Vogel......
Deep run based on some luck and having LeBron (even an aging one).... then the GM does nothing with the roster or makes it worse to save money.... regression.... fire coach, restart.
 

Cellar-Door

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I dunno, they have 2 of the top... 15? 20? Players in the league and could not finish in the top 6 either year.
Well I don't think they have 2 top 20 players, AD's rep far outpaces how good he is, but even with that...
2022-23.... those guys missed 50+ games combined and these guys Schroeder, Troy Brown, Lonnie Walker, Pat Bev, Wenyan Gabriel were all in the top 9 in minutes (with Lebron, AD, Reeves and Russ) 4 of their top 6 shot under 33% from 3...... that was a trash fire.
2023-24... won 47 games, top 2 guys were healthier their 3-9 was... Reaves, Russ, Taurean Prince, Rui Hachimura, Cam Reddish, Max Christie, Jaxson Hayes..... these are all guys who have no business in a playoff rotation (except Reaves and maybe Russ).

And the teams above them... most have 2 top players with a 3rd who is way better than Reaves.... Jokic/Murray, Durant/Booker, Ant/Kat, Kawhi/Harden/George, etc.

That Lakers roster is pure trash, and you're asking one of the oldest stars in the league to drag it up hill, paired with a talented by inconsistent #2 and nothing else.
 

Smokey Joe

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I dunno, they have 2 of the top... 15? 20? Players in the league and could not finish in the top 6 either year.
Sometimes they have 2 of the top 15-20 players in the league. Oftentimes they have one or just the dumpster fire that Pelinka surrounds them with. With their current coaching history, I would avoid this job like the plague.

Edit: yeah, what Cellar-Door said.
 

cheech13

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To me it feels like ESPN is trying to insinuate that he shouldn't have been fired because he "made the playoffs" both years. When in reality the Lakers have underachieved.
They made the Western Conference Finals last year and lost to the eventual champion, and then got matched up against the same team in the first round this year. I think they got lucky on the draw last year and unlucky this year, and are the same top 5-10 team in the league either way.
 

tims4wins

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Interesting parallels between the Lakers and Heat when you think about it. Annual play in team. Bam/Butler and AD/LeBron. Both made conference finals runs last year. Both eliminated in 5 this year. Ham fired. Spo to HOF.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I've been critical of him at times, but I'd be all over Bud if he's ready to get back into coaching.
Interesting question: if you're Bud, and it's your third gig (so possibly last if it goes poorly) you love having AD and Lebron (assuming back). But, the rest of the roster is bad, the GM is a moron sycophant, and the owner is a meddling fool. Kurt Rambis - of uncertain basketball acumen - is also considered a meaningful stakeholder. And you need Lebron to agree with any coaching decision you make.

Is the luggage rack full of baggage worth the upside of Lebron and AD? It might be, but it's not a no-brainer if you're Bud I don't think....he comes out of this year's Buck's season looking better IMO.
 

SemperFidelisSox

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The Clippers want to sign Lue to an extension, and the idea of losing him to the Lakers might make Ballmer offer a ridiculous amount. The Lakers job is obviously better for a number of reasons, but Lue may get an offer from Ballker that is too good to turn down.
 

DavidTai

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This follows the same pattern as Vogel......
Deep run based on some luck and having LeBron (even an aging one).... then the GM does nothing with the roster or makes it worse to save money.... regression.... fire coach, restart.
I suspect some of this might be related to Pelinka being a proxy for LeBron, who is probably sensitive to the "Lebron's gonna trade you!" comments after Westbrook/Davis. Must be hard to be LeGM with teammates wondering if you're gonna trade them.
 

Cellar-Door

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I suspect some of this might be related to Pelinka being a proxy for LeBron, who is probably sensitive to the "Lebron's gonna trade you!" comments after Westbrook/Davis. Must be hard to be LeGM with teammates wondering if you're gonna trade them.
I don't think so, I think LeBron's involvement in overblown, he clearly wanted moves this year that did not happen. Pelinka has less concern about LeBron being unhappy than most GMs because his job security is insane and doesn't come from success or reputation but because of his very close long-time relationship with the owner, who has consistently prioritized personal relationships over performance.
 

lovegtm

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Interesting question: if you're Bud, and it's your third gig (so possibly last if it goes poorly) you love having AD and Lebron (assuming back). But, the rest of the roster is bad, the GM is a moron sycophant, and the owner is a meddling fool. Kurt Rambis - of uncertain basketball acumen - is also considered a meaningful stakeholder. And you need Lebron to agree with any coaching decision you make.

Is the luggage rack full of baggage worth the upside of Lebron and AD? It might be, but it's not a no-brainer if you're Bud I don't think....he comes out of this year's Buck's season looking better IMO.
Yeah, I agree that it's not a no-brainer for Bud, at all. I already thought he got an unfair shake in Milwaukee, where Giannis basically ran him out of town after a) his brother died b) Giannis was the one who was hurt and putting Milwaukee in a tough spot.

I thought that before this season, and, as you said, the 2023-24 Bucks have made Bud look even better.

He probably would do well do find the right next spot for him, as opposed to getting Vogel'd (LA or Phoenix version).
 

benhogan

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I am kind of shocked that SoSH is defending the Lakers / Ham.
I'm not a Ham fan. He played Prince & Cam Reddish way too much to start this year. A bunch of other questionable in-game decisions.

Palinka had a pretty terrible year signing Vincent, Wood, Hayes, Reddish.
Bringing in Dinwiddie at the trade deadline was a nothingburger.

Not drafting local kid (UCLA & HS) Jaime Jaquez Jr was mind-numbingly stupid (also passed on Podz & Whitmore). I don't want to hear an ounce of JJJ ceiling crap, the kid is legit and will get better.
 

lexrageorge

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I remember being told that the Lakers would (a) have no problem finding a 3rd star to pair with AD and LeBron; and (b) the quality of the rest of their roster wouldn't matter, and (c) they would get the best ring chasers to flock to them anyway, so their rotation players would still be decent.

This Lakers team was not a Top 5 team in the league this season by any metric. Yeah, they could win some games against the best teams, but they are definitely a tier or two below the Nuggets or Celtics.