NBA 2014/15 Season Thread

[Maxx]

From the T'Wolves perspective you might as well. Rubio is good but you can duplicate his production. If you can trade him and add two of the Top 5 players in the draft to go along with Wiggins, its an easy decision.

From a Quom perspective, its unconscionable.

[Quom]

From the T'Wolves perspective you might as well. Rubio is good but you can duplicate his production. If you can trade him and add two of the Top 5 players in the draft to go along with Wiggins, its an easy decision.

From a Quom perspective, its unconscionable.

You really can't though people just think you can. I can't be bothered digging through the stats again but despite what Jalen Rose says Rubio is one of the best defenders in the league. He had the lowest iso FG% amongst all guards and was top 5 amongst guards in loads of defensive stats last season.

Beyond which from the eye test guys play like 50% harder when he's running the offence. Guys don't jog, they start running because they know if they get separation Rubio will get them the ball.

Having said that, it might be why Rubio wants to move. Everyone else just looks at his stats, whereas if he's in a big market people are actually going to see him play and what he actually contributes.

[HC]

It's pretty ironic if Rubio wants to stay in Minny over NYC now, since he was a douche about playing in a small market in the 2009 Draft (Saying he wouldn't play for Memphis, deciding not to play for Minny immediately, etc.). I even remember him saying in an interview during the draft that he and his agent really liked New York right before Minny snatched him up.

Edited June 8, 2015 by HeadChuck McGill

[Quom]

I think a lot of that changed when he turned up in the middle of the night and the airport was filled with fans. Which from what I can gather isn't super rare. It seems like he isn't hounded by anyone in Minnesota (so can go shopping and stuff) but whenever anything bad happens he's inundated with well wishes and fans being lovely.

[gunnar hendershow]

I generally don't get why guys want to play in bigger markets, especially in something like the NBA. Guys can walk around Salt Lake City, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Portland, or Sacramento and just enjoy themselves. They're the markets that have these lasting relationships with their players and not just their superstars. LeBron won 2 titles for Miami and they hate him down there now, but meanwhile Malone lost 2 Finals and he's revered in Utah. Fans in smaller markets are more willing to thank you for just being there than fans in bigger markets who expect championships or they'll just focus on another team in town and forget you exist.

[Meacon Keaton]

Bigger markets means more eyes on you means more marketability. I doubt the majority of players care about the fans loving them more than making that much more bank off the courts.

And to go back to the stupid scheduling: why give them two days off between Game One and Game Two, but only one day off to travel across the country? Game One and Two should have had one day off in between and they should have been given that second off day to rest up from their travels. Dumb.

[Quom]

For international players it could have a lot to do with stereotypes, amenities and climate. I mean as a non-American there certainly seems to be places where I wouldn't visit just because the people there are often times presented as being racist/homophobic/bible thumping/a bit backwards. Likewise some areas just sound pretty boring, especially if you're coming from a major city. Add in that you might lose anonymity or be targeted by people because you're famous and stick out like dog's balls and it doesn't sound super fun. Finally if you're used to warm weather moving somewhere where it snows or is always raining might not sound super fun.

[gunnar hendershow]

I don't think it the era of 24-hour sports the size of a market matters much more sponsors. LeBron was an icon in Cleveland, KD is known everywhere and he plays in OKC, Carmelo is an afterthought and he plays in New York. It maybe matters in baseball where a good Yankee is known nationally but the best Diamondback is only known in Phoenix. But it doesn't matter in football or basketball with the more level competitive balance, the eyes are always on the best players.

[LL!]

LeBron won 2 titles for Miami and they hate him down there now,

This is not entirely true. Living here and seeing what everyone is saying I'd say most fans here reacted respectfully to his departure and wished him good health. In fact some fans down here are rooting for the Cavs to win cause of him.

[Pizza]

I think it's more fun to live in New York City or Miami than it is to live in Minnesota or Utah. It's not about how many people are paying attention to you or how many people like you or marketability.

[livid]

It's a mix of both. No doubt the fact that those places have things to do is a factor but most of the big names in basketball make most of their money off the court so positioning themselves to be the top guy in a top market will increase exposure and provide them more opportunities to make money than they would be able to get in Utah.

If it was just about being in a big city with things to do, Minnesota wouldn't actually have an issue because the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro is the 15th biggest in the US.

Edited June 9, 2015 by livid

[Red Devil-Taker316]

From a pure basketball standpoint, the #4 for Rubio seems steep. I think Rubio is my favorite player in the league right now. It doesn't change that he's an extremely talented player with a flaw that kills his value (not unlike Rajon Rondo, at the moment). If Rubio can fix his shot, he suddenly becomes an elite PG.

I don't see the fit for the triangle perspective though. Playmaking PGs suffer in the triangle (see Jason Kidd during the first 22 games of the 96-97 season).

It's an interesting idea for a deal, I guess.

[HC]

It's crazy how quick Golden State closes the gap. Even in a horrible performance, they'll make you sweat until the last minute.

[Benjamin]

This has been such an odd series. It's like horrible play from both teams for the first 3 quarters, then it'll get major interesting in the fourth. I have a feeling this goes into OT as well.

Also am I the only one that forgot David Lee even existed before this game?

[Tyrone]

C'mon, they cut it down to 3

[gunnar hendershow]

Cleveland's injuries have forced them to turn into a defensive juggernaut. The real problem with this whole thing, and we saw it in the 4th quarter of the last 2 games, is that there's only so many guys they can throw out there and Golden State has a lot more room to move guys around to find out what's working. I just am conditioned form the Memphis series to think Golden State will figure it out again.

[Mofoticon]

Delly wasn't on Curry after he dove into the stands and conveniently Curry started to get hot. Hope Delly's OK for game 4 to guard Curry again.

But wow, LeBron is on his way to a best ever series if the Cavs can win this. He's already scored the most points through 3 games in finals history. Who knows what else he has left in him but the Cavs only need to win 2 of the next 4 to be NBA champions. It's surreal (and at the same time, I'm not getting ahead of myself here as this is far from over).

[Meacon Keaton]

Nah, it's over.

[HC]

Cleveland's injuries have forced them to turn into a defensive juggernaut. The real problem with this whole thing, and we saw it in the 4th quarter of the last 2 games, is that there's only so many guys they can throw out there and Golden State has a lot more room to move guys around to find out what's working. I just am conditioned form the Memphis series to think Golden State will figure it out again.

I've read this a lot, and I agree the series is far from over, but it's a bad comparison simply because Memphis didn't have a man named LeBron James playing for them.

[Benjamin]

LeBron is just playing exceptional basketball. I honestly think it's the best he's ever played, because even the '07 Cavs weren't as bad as this current one with the injuries, and he's single-handedly pulling them to a championship.

Also, Kerr needs to find out another way to the get Splash Bros hot when they're firing blanks from 3. It's so painful seeing them miss so many times because they just don't have the scoring rhythm at the time.