NBA 2017-2018 Season

[Twist]

1 hour ago, VerBlood Drive said:

He's exactly what the Pistons need, and seems like the type of guy Pistons fans like. Hard worker, great defender, not afraid to do some dirt work. As cliche as it had become in Detroit, we really need more lunch pail guys like we had with our championship teams. 

He could be the start of that, but have to hope he doesn't take off in free agency.

Avery seems custom made for Detroit. I hope it works out there for him.

[En Dub]

The season hasn't even started yet and I already miss Avery Bradley. 

[JPanare89]

I actually think the Pistons are a playoff team in the East this year.  I like the team...well-rounded.

[Monkey D. Lars]

Always going to follow my Thunder!

[Pooker]

1 hour ago, Lars Kuyt said:

Always going to follow my Thunder!

Despite being in the same division as the Jazz, I always liked the Thunder. Until we traded Kanter there, now I can't stand the thought of rooting for them.

[gunnar hendershow]

East should go Celtics, Cavs, Bucks, Wizards for the top 4 teams. Bucks-Celtics is gonna be the East's major rivalry after LeBron bolts at the end of the season.

West outside of the foregone conclusion of the number 1 seed should be a lot of fun this year. Wolves should ascend to a playoff team, Westbrook is still Westbrook and now has George with him, Harden and Paul together is madness, Kawhi is still on the Spurs. I think the Warriors probably win just as many games this year but Houston and OKC should both be hot on their heels for much of the season. Spurs will be there too as you'd expect with Pop and Kawhi but this is probably the worst Spurs team since the "lean years" at the end of the 00s.

So many exciting rookies this year too. The Sixers core could be something truly special and it'll be fun to see them develop. Dennis Smith is gonna be an offensive star for Dallas and I can't believe he fell to 9th. Lonzo Ball looked great in summer league and, well, that's gonna be a media circus there anyway.

Shams is finally free of being Woj's underling and is able to finally shine as the guy with all the breaking NBA news.

[JPanare89]

As if Trump withdrawing his invitation to the Warriors wasn't funny enough due to Curry being "hesitant"...Lebron comes from the clouds today and responds something to the effect of "U bum.  You can't withdraw an invitation when he wasn't going"  Hilarious.

 

Now with Cleveland most likely being bombed in the near future I wonder where the Cavs will be playing their home games this coming season?

[Monkey D. Lars]

Did we just get Anthony? Just saw a Ronnie2K tweet.

We did. McBuckets, Kanter and a draft pick.

[Maxx]

Wow, that’s the best they could get for Melo?  Jesus, OKC turned a bunch of role players and a few picks into Melo and George.

[Pooker]

Man...OKC's GM must have a magic touch. 

[punky]

That trade is embarrassingly bad, even for a guy with a no trade clause. The Knicks continue to be a dumpster fire.

I doubt that Melo/George/Westbrook can all co-exist enough to dethrone the Warriors but that should be a scary squad during the season.

[JPanare89]

I wonder why someone like Melo would rather go out and play in a crowded West where teams like GSW, SAS, Minnesota, Houston already have loaded squads (not to mention tough teams like potentially New Orleans, Denver, LAC) as opposed to asking to be traded to a team that is seemingly 1 Carmelo Anthony away such as Milwaukee, Toronto, or Washington...thus giving you a much easier run to the ring?

[gunnar hendershow]

I think it was a matter of him just wanting out, the Knicks wanting him gone, and only OKC getting on the phone to pony up anything. Washington wouldn't work as they already have Wall, Beal, and Porter locked up. There's no spot for Melo unless the Wizards want to play very small. Also what would they have had to give up? Presti has blown a lot of decisions but he's done a good job acquiring role players and flipping them for two guys who demanded to be traded is brilliant. I am sure there were at times better deals for both Indiana and New York but they had to take the crap they wound up getting after holding out for so long.

[Pooker]

2 hours ago, damshow said:

I think it was a matter of him just wanting out, the Knicks wanting him gone, and only OKC getting on the phone to pony up anything. Washington wouldn't work as they already have Wall, Beal, and Porter locked up. There's no spot for Melo unless the Wizards want to play very small. Also what would they have had to give up? Presti has blown a lot of decisions but he's done a good job acquiring role players and flipping them for two guys who demanded to be traded is brilliant. I am sure there were at times better deals for both Indiana and New York but they had to take the crap they wound up getting after holding out for so long.

100% true. Once a player announces that he wants to leave and names the only teams he'll go to, the team basically loses all of it's bargaining power. I'm actually excited to see what Hornacek can do coaching the Knicks without Melo demanding the ball and Jackson forcing the triangle on him.

[JasonM]

I mean, Knicks got robbed blind right there. But at the same time I don't think this will help the Thunder on paper. Neither Melo or George are natural 4's, and they'll get bullied by any capable big if they even get close to the paint (on either side of the court).

And whilst Enes Kanter (christ did he get done dirty, having tweeted his love for OKC 4 days ago!) isn't gonna score like Melo does, he did add more presence down low that could go outside (rather than an outside threat that can go inside).

It's a bold strategy, and it's an extremely intriguing one for sure. But having three offensive stars that need a ball in their hand is a risky proposition, one that might backfire as they start cutting into each other's game more often than not.

Of course, I could be completely wrong and they blitz into a top 4 spot in the West... But with the Rockets, Warriors, and even Spurs/Pels in there, it can get really tough.

If the Pels got into the playoffs, and they were to line up against the Thunder, they'll have a very bad day against BC-AD and a motivated Rondo doing what he does best.

[Meacon Keaton]

I'm not even mad. I'm glad Melo is gone. We need a fresh start. He seriously did absolutely nothing for us, and we saw several times over the last few seasons that we actually played better with him off the court. So fuck it. He's gone. It's done. We can move on.

[thatshortguy]

New York's got Kristaps and Hornicek.  It's going to be a bumpy ride this year, but next year and onward could be very interesting in the Big Apple.

If OKC manages to figure out how to balance Westbrook/Anthony/George's shots, they're #2 in the West with a bullet.  Really looking forwards to OKC/GSW in the West and Cavs/Celts in the East.

This is the beauty of the off-season:  both conferences look good!

[Meacon Keaton]

Gotta love Pop calling Trump out. As much as I hated seeing his Spurs dominate for years, I never lost respect for the guy and he continues to earn it.

[DMN in the House]

On 9/23/2017 at 12:09, JPanare89 said:

I wonder why someone like Melo would rather go out and play in a crowded West where teams like GSW, SAS, Minnesota, Houston already have loaded squads (not to mention tough teams like potentially New Orleans, Denver, LAC) as opposed to asking to be traded to a team that is seemingly 1 Carmelo Anthony away such as Milwaukee, Toronto, or Washington...thus giving you a much easier run to the ring?

Because it's essentially the same. Just getting to the Finals doesn't mean shit, you need to win it, and none of those teams you mentioned is one Carmelo Anthony away from beating the Warriors. I'm not sure OKC is, either, but it's a better team than any other he could go to.

[gunnar hendershow]

16 hours ago, Meacon said:

Gotta love Pop calling Trump out. As much as I hated seeing his Spurs dominate for years, I never lost respect for the guy and he continues to earn it.

Pop and Kerr both have been very outspoken voices in a profession usually famed for guys keeping their mouths shut when they shouldn't.