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SMiLE Brian
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« on: September 29, 2016, 02:13:32 PM »

Lets talk about this year's league with my bulls with alpha male Rondo and Wade leading the way to disaster! Undecided
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And production aside, I’d so much rather hear a 14 year old David Marks shred some guitar on Chug-a-lug than hear a 51 year old Mike Love sing about bangin some chick in a swimming pool.-rab2591
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« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2016, 02:21:49 PM »

Written and admittedly posted elsewhere a day or two ago.

West

1. Golden State (73-9) 68-14
Better at the top of the roster, I think both lack of depth and a cautious approach with aging veterans (over going for a record-breaking season) will lead to a slightly down year … if 68 wins can be considered down. I think they’ll start somewhat traditionally, presumably with Pachulia at center and Green at PF, but when they shift down Durant and Green to 4 and 5 and insert either Iguodala or Livingston, this team is going to be crazy. Chemistry might take some work, but I totally believe they can do it: this team is a bunch of mostly good guys, even if Draymond had his incidents in the past year or so. This is the title favorite again and the best team in the league again.

2. Los Angeles Clippers (53-29) 57-25
Assuming they finally get lucky with injuries, this could be the season the Clips finally make some real noise. Somehow Doc managed to bring in some steady vets who are lower risk and who, unless I’m mistaken, mostly didn’t even play for the Celtics 10 years ago. Amazing! The small forward position is still weakest, and so they really lack skilled athleticism on the wings. Wesley Johnson looks to start, and if he doesn’t, Alan Anderson will (unless they go 3-guard, which they should consider). Not ideal. But Paul has both Austin Rivers and Ray Felton backing him up, which is the best insurance they’ve had in a while. They have legitimate scoring behind DeAndre Jordan in Mo Speights, and rookie Diamond Stone could eventually be a nice little Al Jefferson kind of guy. I like Brandon Bass and rookie Brice Johnson available as backup PFs. Jamal Crawford will be himself. Blake Griffin, if healthy and not punching coworkers, could be in the MVP race. Big if, but if healthy, they challenge for the 60-win mark. (I’d rather see them implode and start over.)

3. San Antonio (67-15) 56-26
Every year they lose guys and it works out fine, but at some point you have to wonder… Especially down low, this team might be starting to struggle. They’ve lost Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter, Boban Marjanovic, Boris Diaw, and Aron Baynes in the past two years, and now feature LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol … and Dwayne Dedmon, David Lee, Ryan Richards, and Joel Anthony. This is not an improvement, especially defensively. The starting lineup is great and there is wing depth with Kyle Anderson, Manu Ginobili, Jonathan Simmons, and maybe even rookies Livio Jean-Charles and Davis Bertans. I look to see some 3- and 4-wing lineups, total Flyin Illini 1989 style. I worry that PG could be an issue, with Parker aging, slowing, and often hurt; I love Dejounte Murray as a pick, but he’s a rookie. Patty Mills isn’t a PG. So it might be some point forward with Ginobili or Anderson at times. But oh yeah, they have a top-10 player in Kawhi Leonard and probably the best coach in basketball, so even if they fall, they’ll only fall so far.

4. Portland (44-38) 50-32
This team has a lot of ways to do things! Coupling the versatility and depth with a great player development staff, I imagine the Blazers improve yet again. They may also find themselves having to deal away some unhappy players seeking minutes. I think the idea must be to let Evan Turner initiate offense and get both guards easy points. Whether they try to keep their best players on the court and thus run with Al Farouq Aminu as a slightly small 4 or go bigger with Meyers Leonard, Ed Davis, or Noah Vonleh at that spot remains to be seen. They also have center depth, with Mason Plumlee (quietly a pretty solid player), Festus Ezeli, and even Chris Kaman, along with Leonard and Davis available as well. I’d call backup PG a weakness, but McCollum and Turner can both fill the role, and probably will over Shabazz Napier.

5. Oklahoma City (55-27) 48-34
The team some people say will struggle to make the playoffs I think will stick around in the middle of the pack. It’ll be interesting to see whether they try to surround Westbrook—a sure MVP candidate—with shooting, or with scrappy players a la Iverson-era 76ers. The starting five could be him, Oladipo, Roberson, Ilyasova, and Adams, or it could be Oladipo, Morrow/Singler, Ilyasova, and Kanter (in theory). You can go either way. The biggest issue is lack of proven wing talent. Roberson, Morrow, Singler, Alex Abrines, Daniel Hamilton, Josh Huestis…we need to see improvement, or we need to see a trade. It’ll also be very interesting to see whether Adams and Kanter improve or stagnate after such positive attention has been heaped on them the past six months.

6. Utah (40-42) 47-35
Keeping them below 50 wins was actually a hard decision, but I felt like even a 7-game jump is a lot. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. But Utah is so loaded right now. Point guards: George Hill, Dante Exum, Shelvin Mack, Raul Neto. Shooting guards: Rodney Hood, Alex Burks. Small forwards: Gordon Hayward, Joe Johnson, Joe Ingles. Power forwards: Derrick Favors, Trey Lyles, Boris Diaw, Joel Bolomboy. Centers: Rudy Goubert, Jeff Withey (and Diaw, Favors). They are a playoff team almost for sure. This team could really be dynamite.

7. Houston (41-41) 45-37
The new talent and fresh voice should help, but last year a lot of people pegged this as the second-best team in the West and we saw what happened. Horrible. My biggest question is, who starts at point guard? I actually suspect the answer might be James Harden, because Patrick Beverly isn’t a good enough spot-up shooter and while a good defender, hasn’t played so well while battling constant injuries. Plus D’Antoni is famous for his short bench, and if he wants to keep his best players on the floor, that might necessitate Harden as PG (to get Eric Gordon or KJ McDaniel on the court, as well as Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer). Ryan Anderson should really help a lot, and he complements presumptive starting center Clint Capela. I wonder if Sam Dekker can fight his way into the lineup, as theoretically he could do both what Ariza and Brewer do.

8. Minnesota (29-53) 43-39
The eighth spot was tough for me: Minnesota or Denver? Or pull a shenanigan and remove Houston just from spite? I decided I had to go Wolves, homerism or not. I just love most of this roster. I want more shooting, sure. But I think we might have three or even four future All-Stars on this team. KAT might be an all-league player this year. It’s going to be good stuff.

9. Denver (33-49) 43-39
I’ve mentioned shortages of wings on some teams—the Clippers, for example. That is NOT the issue here. Wow. Counting guys from combo guards to combo forwards (i.e., guys who can play on the wing), they have, in roughly descending order of likely capabilities this year: Danilo Gallinari, Gary Harris, Wilson Chandler, Will Barton, Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley, JaKarr Sampson, Axel Toupane. EIGHT GUYS! I didn’t even include Mike Miller or Robbie Hummel, much less DJ Kennedy. Then, oh yeah, they do have two very competent centers (Jokic and Nursic) and three solid PFs (Faried, Darrell Arthur, talented rookie Juan Hernangomez). The issue is just at the point, and they talent is there in Mudiay. It will all come down to: can he stay healthy, can he improve as a point guard, can he improve as a shooter? Jameer Nelson is not a legitimate solution as backup, you have to wonder if they plan to use Jamal Murray there.

10. Dallas (42-40) 41-41
There is a lot riding on Harrison Barnes’ shoulders, and to a lesser extent, Wes Matthews’ recovery. Barnes is expected (and paid) to go from being an 11, 5, and 2 guy in 30 mpg to probably 18-22, 7, and 4 in 32 mpg. There should be more shots for him, obviously, but with them will come a lot more defensive attention. Last time he had that pressure was as a freshman at UNC, where he was…average. Matthews was surprisingly good coming off a torn ACL, but he has to be more the Portland guy (15 ppg, 45 FG%, 39 3pt%) than he was last year (12 ppg, 39 FG%, 36 3pt%). He also has to be a stopper. It’s a lot to ask someone about to turn 30. Beyond that, still a lot of patches that may suffice, or may be torn right off. Can Deron Williams stay reasonably healthy, in shape, and confident so that he is a legit starter again? Can Andrew Bogut stay healthy? Can youngsters Justin Anderson and Dwight Powell get better fast? Can Dirk hang in there? There are a lot of ifs. My prediction is based more on the franchise’s history of making it work than objective review.

11. Phoenix (23-59) 38-42
Every couple of years, Phoenix looks like an up-and-coming team with a whole new batch of talent. The story here is the backcourt, because the talented young bigs aren’t likely to produce yet. I’m envisioning Eric Bledsoe paired with Devin Booker, backed up by Tyler Ulis and Brandon Knight. That’s four good guards. (All from Kentucky. Are you kidding me?) The Tyson Chandler/Alex Len competition figures to get interesting, because sooner or later Len is going to supplant the vet. The forwards may well be the two chemistry guys, PJ Tucker and Jared Dudley, because Dudley can step out to shoot the ball (while both are gritty and will defend without demanding the ball), but TJ Warren will fight for minutes on the wing. I love Dragan Bender and Marquis Chriss is a great athlete, but those young 4/5s both seem unlikely to do much this season. Still, with the tumors extracted from the team, the ship should be righted and they ought to reach mid to high 30s for wins.

12. Los Angeles Lakers (17-65) 31-51
Maybe the most improved team in the league? As bad as they were last year, there was already talent on the team: it was just badly coached and stuck watching Kobe punish the game of basketball one brick at a time. But a core of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Brandon Ingram, and Julius Randle (with Anthony Brown, Larry Nance Jr, Thomas Robinson, and Ivica Zubac around as well)? That’s one of the top 3-5 young groups in the league. This season it’ll be a blend, with Luol Deng starting out the year at SF (though he’ll be overtaken) and probably Timofey Mozgov in the middle slowing things down. You still have to wonder why Nick Young is on the roster, and Lou Williams might be little more than a fading sixth man stealing time from better prospects. But on coaching and Kobelessness alone, this team improves a lot.

13. Memphis (42-40) 30-52
Color me pessimistic. If everything goes perfectly, the Grizzlies’ current iteration may have one last gasp at a top-four seed. But it won’t. Marc Gasol, a 31-year-old (very) big man, is coming off a serious injury and a season that wasn’t very good prior to it. Zach Randolph is 34 and it also seemed like mercy when he was shut down. Mike Conley, the highest paid player in NBA history, has always been an underrated point guard…but never a real star. And he’s also coming off a serious injury as he nears age 30. The wings? Tony Allen is 34 and never could score; Vince Carter could, but is 39! Oh, and Jordan Adams, out for the his second straight year with injury. The “youth movement” focuses on Chandler Parsons and his oft-injured knees. Then it’s role players like Brandan Wright and James Ennis, or rookie prospects like Deyonta Davis and Wade Baldwin. Sure, the stars could align. Sure they could.

14. Sacramento (33-49) 23-59
The anti-Spurs. Terrible organization. Incomprehensible moves. Built around a petulant brat, and it shows, yet they draft two more centers (Willie Cauley-Stein and Georgios Papagiannis) in consecutive lotteries (and sign another serviceable vet in Kosta Koufos besides). Their starting point guard—who is backup quality—is Darren Collison, likely to miss time for suspension related to domestic assault. The team will likely turn to Ty Lawson, coming off his own league disciplinary issues and an awful season. Their shooting guards haven’t, not in years. Aron Afflalo seems to have joined Matt Barnes in just taking a paycheck to stay in California, but neither is all that valuable, especially for a terrible team where their chemistry benefits are for naught. They add rookies (Papagiannis, wing Malachi Richardson, and frail face-up big Skal Labissiere, who looked so terrified in college that he apparently decided to try his luck against NBA players?) into a terrible place for rookies. Lastly, Rudy Gay is the perfect King (a stats guy whose ex-teams inevitably improve upon his departure), and he loudly and desperately wants out. So maybe there’s hope.

15. New Orleans (30-52) 22-60
Last year’s preseason darling may be one of this year’s train wrecks. Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans will miss the beginning of the season. Lance Stephenson is the cavalry, which will do nothing to help the team’s ball-movement problems. (Alvin Gentry or not, this team is not running that Phoenix-Golden State offense of his.) You have to wonder what more Anthony Davis can do, because he isn’t getting much more help. Buddy Hield might supplant Lance and Alonzo Gee earlier than later, but he’s not enough. And that center spot? Aging and broken Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca are big, slow, and pretty bad. While Davis may not like it, the team might be smart to move him into the middle and start Terence Jones at PF.

 
East

1. Cleveland (57-25) 54-28
Yes, the defending champs are a #1 seed, but I see a worse season even than last year’s tumultuous run. The returning core is enough to stay at or near the top of the conference, but I don’t think any of the issues are actually resolved. They’re still not going to have a way to use Kevin Love to near his capabilities while also keeping some rim protection and offensive rebounding. They are even older on the wings, with returning Richard Jefferson and James Jones joined by Mike Dunleavy. Kyrie Irving still doesn’t defend or pass. Plus you have to assume LeBron will sit, Love will miss games with injuries, the old guys (Jefferson, Jones, Dunleavy, Chris Andersen, Mo Williams) will sit or get hurt… JR Smith is still absent, and I don’t know whether that helps or hurts. I see a dramatic year from the champs that may end more or less well, but the talent in the East is improving. This is a very tentative grip on #1.

2. Boston (48-34) 53-29
The Celtics will jump from scrappy middling playoff contenders to serious challengers for conference supremacy. They lose no one of consequence (depending on your view of Sullinger) but add Al Horford, Gerald Green, and Jaylen Brown. Normally I’d say a Horford-Thomas led team just isn’t good enough at the top of the roster to win big, but Stevens has been such a good coach and they have so many above-average guys all over the roster, I think it will be. I assume they’ll roll with Thomas / Bradley / Crowder / A. Johnson / Horford, with significant roles for Smart, Green, Brown, and Olynyk. We’ll see whether Young, Hunter, Jerebko, Rozier, Mickey, or anyone else can wedge their ways in.

3. Detroit (44-38) 49-33
Things look good for another jump, but actually I am a little suspicious of things: lots of bigs, not a lot of competent PGs or wings. Reggie Jackson, but then you’re dropping to Ish Smith, Ray McCallum, or Lorenzo Brown. Yikes. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Stanley Johnson on the wings, sure. Even Reggie Bullock, to a lesser extent. But then Michael Gbinije, Trey Freeman. That’s it. Up front, it’s absurd how good and deep they are. The starters are probably Marcus Morris or Tobias Harris (unless they put him as a big 3) and Andre Drummond, but behind them you’ve got Morris or Harris, Jon Leuer, Henry Ellenson, Aron Baynes, Boban Marjanovic. That’s seven legit PFs or Cs of different types, but without a lot of guys to get the ball down the court or into the post. You wonder if a trade could be coming to straighten that out.

4. Toronto (56-26) 48-34
I can’t fully explain my selection, other than to say I am not convinced by this team and enough other teams are improved and thus some of those easy wins last year won’t be there this year. That said, I acknowledge that they had to play without DeMarre Carroll, for example, which means last season wasn’t even as good as they theoretically could have been. But there it is. But obviously, with only Jakon Poeltl and Jared Sullinger (both lesser-but-duplicative versions of guys they already have in Valanciunas and Patterson), they think staying the course is a good idea. Not a lot of dependable 3-pt shooting, not the best passing team (and they lost James Johnson, who is a really good passer), not the best rebounding team (and they lost Bismack Biyombo, who was a really good rebounder). We’ll see…

5. Indiana (45-37) 46-36
Strange situation. I think the talent is slightly better (and Paul George is a year into being healthy, which means this is his REAL bounce-back year). But the change in coaching from Vogel to McMillian is worth thinking twice about, too. We’ll just have to see how it goes. I wish Monta Ellis were a 6th man, but am not sure who could start at SG if that were the case (unless you wanted to go nuts and move P George back there). But defensively, Ellis is not a great way to start a game, especially if he slows as he ages. You have to expect a nice year from Myles Turner, and Al Jefferson could be a dominant scorer off the bench against second-teamers. Lot of pretty good guys, with the questions being player development (Joe Young, Glenn Robinson III, Georges Niang, Alex Poythress, Myles Turner) and coaching.

6. Washington (41-41) 45-37
This year the Wizards seem finally ready to go smaller, which they threatened the past year and a half at least. The true bigs (meaning C, PF, or C/PF combo, but not guys who are combo forwards) on the roster are Marcin Gortat, Ian Mahinmi, JJ Hickson, Jason Smith, Andrew Nicholson. Markieff Morris is kind of on that border of combo forward. But regardless, the days of a Gortat-Nene front line are gone. It could be interesting to see how they try to roll with not only Wall-Beal-Porter, but Oubre, Satoransky, Trey Burke, and Marcus Thornton. It’s easy to imagine Markieff Morris shifting to center and Porter sliding down to 4 to get three true guards/wings on the floor. If everyone stays healthy—a big if for a team with Wall and Beal—they should be looking promising again this year.

7. Charlotte (48-34) 40-42
I like Steve Clifford, several of these players, and their recent history, but I can’t see this team living up to last year after their backcourt losses. This is a really unbalanced roster. Worse, you bring back a hopefully healthy Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but unless his shot is much, much better, he just hurts a roster that already has a shooting shortage. The Roy Hibbert signing, even for a coach who loves defense and bigs, makes no sense for anyone on earth unless he rediscovers a game that disappeared two years or more ago. The backup PG is either Ramon Sessions or, if you let me coach, Nic Batum. There isn’t a backup SF unless it’s also Batum, meaning Bellineli is playing a lot at SG. There is a lot of duplication in Cody Zeller, Marvin Williams, Frank Kaminsky, and Spencer Hawes. I trust in Clifford’s schemes and I do like Walker, Batum, Bellineli, Zeller, and MKG. I just can’t see this being a high seed.

8. Atlanta (48-34) 39-43
Not a fan of what’s going on right now. The Howard signing, hometown boy or not, makes no sense, especially for an organization that has prided itself on skill over athleticism, and first and foremost on shooting. Speaking of which, you draft two first-round wings—smart!!—but neither one can shoot? I like DeAndre Bembry especially, but to take both him and Taurean Prince, wow. Your PG situation is resolved (with the only competition at backup, with Jarrett Jack and Malcolm Delaney in that fight), but Kyle Korver might really be slowing down and Tim Hardaway Jr hasn’t proved much. I assume they’ll push pace more with Schroder and some of these guys (Bazemore, Bembry, Sefolosha, etc.) as opposed to going bigger. But it feels like a down year as they rethink things.

9. Chicago (42-40) 38-44
Centers? We don’t need no stinking centers. Robin Lopez, you’re it. After that, we’re presumably going smaller-ball, with a bazillion options for “bigs”: Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic, and Cristiano Felicio are all considered gems by the team. I think we’ll see a lot of lineups with two PFs and no C. We’ll also be going 3-guard in the starting lineup, because it’s going to be Rondo, Wade, and Butler.  Doug McDermott probably isn’t thrilled but such is life. Ditto Jerian Grant, though at least he’ll get to learn to shoot badly from one of the all-time greats in Rondo. It’ll be interesting to see whether Denzel Valentine can sneak into the rotation, ahead of Snell or Grant. Even with aging Wade and declining Rondo, this team should be too talented to be awful, but too bad to be great.

10. New York (32-50) 36-46
This is such a strange team! The presumed starting five—Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Joakim Noah—is on paper almost as good as there is in the league. Certainly top 5-7, theoretically. But let’s talk about those guys getting onto the court… Last year they missed a combined 92 games, or 22.4% of games possible. 53 for Noah, 16 for Rose, 10 apiece for Anthony and Zinger, and 3 for Lee. And of course getting chemistry between a ball-dominant point guard who can’t shoot and a ball-dominant wing scorer who can (and really wants to) is going to be interesting (to put it mildly). The next best proven player? Brandon Jennings, who is both a stylistic and injury-history concern. And after that? One of the most unusual, maybe awful, totally unproven teams in a while. JP Tokoto, Cleanthony Early, Lance Thomas, Willy Hernangomez, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Marshall Plumlee, Sasha Vujacic…I mean, this is really, really, really a bad bench. I’d put them down for 45 wins anyway if the starters were a sure thing to all be healthy all year. But, well, come on…

11. Orlando (35-47) 35-47
It’s only because of my respect for Frank Vogel and my CroatLove for Mario Hezonja that I let Orlando stand pat. They did some weird things, man. Weird things. They added talent (after having traded away talent), but what they added is more duplicative or just weird than what they had to begin with. So great, now you have spent huge money on role playing Bismack Biyombo, but none of your PFs (or even Vucevic) is really a 3-pt threat, so your spacing is rough on offense. You traded quite a bit to rent Serge Ibaka, who seems to be stagnating. You’ve still got your wing logjam with Fournier, Hezonja, and Aaron Gordon, and you address it by signing Jeff Green? For money!? And Elfrid Payton, whom I love, needs to learn to shoot the ball or DJ Augustin is going to get a lot of minutes…which is fine if Ibaka and Biyombo are on the back line to compensate defensively, but if it’s Vucevic you’re in trouble.

12. Milwaukee (33-49) 27-55
We’re about to learn an awful lot about Rashad Vaughn, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or Malcolm Brogdon, because with OJ Mayo banned and Khris Middleton hurt for (most of) the year, somebody has to play SG. I was ready to consider this a rising team. Now, not. Because if it isn’t one of those guys, it’s presumably Jason Terry seeing heavy minutes. And that means nobody wins. The Bucks did address outside shooting, but unfortunately they did so exclusively at the PF position, with Mirza Teletovic and Steve Novak, neither of whom will play much because Jabari Parker is their PF (unless we play musical chairs to get Giannis at SG, moving Parker to SF). And Greg Monroe is still a terrible fit for a wannabe uptempo team who uses bigs as screeners or rebounders, not as post players. I expect John Henson to get more time, even Miles Plumlee might be favored, unless they just showcase Monroe to move him.

13. Philadelphia (10-72) 25-57
It’ll be fun, anyway. If Jerryd Bayless can defend PGs, we’re going to see a lot of Ben Simmons running the point, Bayless and Gerald Henderson probably on the wings as dual SGs, one of the centers, and … somebody else. A second true big? A second versatile guy, like Saric? Another shooter, like Stauskas once sort of was or Timothy Luwawu wants to be? Regardless, I think this infusion of talent is serious and will help in the wins column. When in a single season have we seen a team add the rookie TALENT of Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Timothy Luwawu, and Ben Simmons? We don’t know how it will play out, but it’s amazing as a curiosity.

14. Miami (48-34) 23-59
Miami worse than Philadelphia? I’m thinking so. You lose Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, and Joe Johnson, but you add … Derrick Williams, Dion Waiters, Wayne Ellington, James Johnson, and Luke Babbitt. One of your primary options is now Hassan Whiteside. You’re depending on him and Goran Dragic to produce HUGE while hoping that Justise Winslow, Tyler Johnson, and Josh Richardson develop quickly to even approach your dreams for them. This might be a full-on tanking season, if Riley can stomach it. They’ve got a ton of cap room for next year anyway, and the draft class is supposed to be great. I think we may say goodbye to Goran Dragic and see some mysterious injuries to these guys. Wouldn’t surprise me to see this team with 15 wins in their first 41 games and then just shut down.

15. Brooklyn (21-61) 15-67
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the worst team in the league! (cheers and applause) This roster makes last year’s look OK. Anything is possible, but it seems like we’re looking at a starting five of Jeremy Lin, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, A Statue of Luis Scola, and Brook Lopez. Other key rotation guys? I am guessing Greivous Vasquez, Randy Foye, Caris LeVert, Trevor Booker, and Chris McCullough. A few years ago people worried the Nets would buy their way to a title-winning super-team. Ahahahaha. This rules. Wow. This bench v Knicks bench would be so fun to watch! I will say they have some interesting athletes (RHJ, LeVert, McCullough, Isaiah Washington). But not a whole lot in the “basketball” department...
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« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2016, 02:23:05 PM »

I have a sports but not basketball question, but it's not worthy of its own thread and I thought it best to ask the question in a thread where sports-followers will be.
I'm NOT trying to discuss anything political or socio-political or anything. Just trying to get flat information.
I just saw a video posted elsewhere of a commercial for headphones or something that was made last year, before this year's hubbub, featuring Colin Kaepernick. It showed him riding a bus, then walking, through an angry crowd yelling things at him.

So, my question is: Was he a controversial figure previous to the anthem business?

Again, I am NOT seeking to discuss the anthem thing. Just, the commercial seems to portray him as controversial and it was made before the anthem thing, and I'd never heard of him before the anthem thing.
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« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2016, 02:25:00 PM »

And (the) captain: what do the two pairs of numbers above each team represent? I'm guessing one is a win-loss from last season - the other I have no guess.
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« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2016, 02:36:32 PM »

And (the) captain: what do the two pairs of numbers above each team represent? I'm guessing one is a win-loss from last season - the other I have no guess.

Oh sorry, I should have explained that. The numbers in parentheses are last year's record, the ones after them are my predictions for this year's record. But I should note, I don't put much stock in predictions, mine or otherwise. There are too many variables to pretend anyone has any real idea. It's more just for fun, to give general impressions, to generate conversation.
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« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2016, 02:39:00 PM »

I have a sports but not basketball question, but it's not worthy of its own thread and I thought it best to ask the question in a thread where sports-followers will be.
I'm NOT trying to discuss anything political or socio-political or anything. Just trying to get flat information.
I just saw a video posted elsewhere of a commercial for headphones or something that was made last year, before this year's hubbub, featuring Colin Kaepernick. It showed him riding a bus, then walking, through an angry crowd yelling things at him.

So, my question is: Was he a controversial figure previous to the anthem business?

Again, I am NOT seeking to discuss the anthem thing. Just, the commercial seems to portray him as controversial and it was made before the anthem thing, and I'd never heard of him before the anthem thing.

I don't think he was particularly controversial. He had ups and downs as a player, and being a quarterback, that always generates a certain amount of controversy. (For most franchises, nobody is more beloved than the backup quarterback, and nobody is more hated than a struggling starting quarterback.) But as far as I know, it was just basic, boring "controversy" along those lines: after previous success, then struggles, should he play or not, etc. Someone who follows the NFL more closely may be able to say more about it. But my guess was they were just playing on the omnipresent athletes' meme of "proving wrong all the haters and doubters."
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« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2016, 02:46:44 PM »

I was mad at Kaepernick (from a traditional Americanana guy)
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And production aside, I’d so much rather hear a 14 year old David Marks shred some guitar on Chug-a-lug than hear a 51 year old Mike Love sing about bangin some chick in a swimming pool.-rab2591
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« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2016, 02:57:01 PM »

Thanks for answering both of my questions. During my very brief period of following basketball, about 25 years ago, I was a Celtics fan (local team big deal = I paid attention), so I'm pleased you think they'll do well this season, because I still have irrational remnants of fondness for them.
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« Reply #8 on: September 29, 2016, 03:01:57 PM »

Sports fandom is nothing if not a collection of irrational remnants of fondness (or dislike).
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« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2016, 03:12:38 PM »

Agreed Captain (waving Cubs flag from 1945) Cool Guy
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And production aside, I’d so much rather hear a 14 year old David Marks shred some guitar on Chug-a-lug than hear a 51 year old Mike Love sing about bangin some chick in a swimming pool.-rab2591
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« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2016, 03:34:53 PM »

Cavs fan since we had a bloated shawn kemp LOL. Should be back to back champs but hey hopefully they do it again
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« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2016, 03:47:40 PM »

Wow you've had a rough time as a fan! You came in after the nice Mark Price / Brad Daugherty teams and started with the Fat Kemp? Ooof. That franchise was atrocious, then obviously more interesting during LeBron's first go-round, then atrocious again, then LeBron of course returns. But wow. Better than being a Wolves guy, I guess...but still.

I'd bet you the Cavs don't repeat though. Though they do look to win the East again. Other teams are improving, but none to what seems like contender level.

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« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2016, 03:54:10 PM »

Wolves are improving Captain! Grin
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And production aside, I’d so much rather hear a 14 year old David Marks shred some guitar on Chug-a-lug than hear a 51 year old Mike Love sing about bangin some chick in a swimming pool.-rab2591
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« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2016, 04:04:24 PM »

Oh I have no doubt of that. If anything I worry this year's team will face too many expectations because KAT is a true candidate for All-NBA this season--I really believe that. And both Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine could legitimately be All-Stars in the future, if not perennial ones, certainly occasional ones. That's without even bringing in other prospects (Kris Dunn) and legitimate rotation guys (Ricky Rubio, Gorgui Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad, Nemanja Bjelica, Jordan Hill, Cole Aldrich). I do think we'll be sniffing the 8 seed, but that's probably as much as can be asked of this team.

I remember--20 years ago now!--the first go-round in the playoffs. It was the same thing, with a core of Garnett, Marbury, and Gugliotta lifting the team to be an 8 seed only to be walloped by a fantastic Rockets team.
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« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2016, 04:10:01 PM »

Yes its been a wild ride, i didnt jumpship like the bandwagon fans here you know lenron groupies Roll Eyes
  btw i have an andrew wiggins cavs jersey Cry sad what they did to him but he's gonna be great, wolves are gonna get their time just wait

Im not ruling out a repeat as long as Lebron is leading they'll be tough, but hey us Clevelanders are used to losses so just the 1 ring meant ALOT to the city and diehard fans but i can wait 50 yrs for another NBA title
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« Reply #15 on: September 29, 2016, 04:54:08 PM »

Oh, I won't rule OUT a repeat. I just don't think it's the most likely scenario this year. Between a shockingly old roster (outside the real core), injury-prone Irving and Love, still pretty bad wing players other than LeBron, and chemistry issues I am not convinced have been cured, I just foresee issues. Again. The question is whether they can overcome them again and hold it together against good teams. They should make the E.C. Finals almost by default, maybe not even struggling much to come out of them and into the Finals. But we'll see. It's not impossible that Boston, Toronto, or even Detroit or (doubtfully) Washington gives them a handful.
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« Reply #16 on: September 29, 2016, 05:14:50 PM »

Im curious to see how GSW are gonna be, how Durants gonna fit in.
I get leaving OKC but man even Lebron went to a 5th seed team who got beat by Boston, the same team that ended lebrons first run in Cleveland in the next round(game 5 was one for the ages)
 Hope it works out for them to say the least
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« Reply #17 on: September 29, 2016, 05:32:16 PM »

It's going to be interesting, for sure, to see how they handle their top-end talent. I mean, a foursome of Curry, Thompson, Durant, and Green is unmatched in the recent history of the NBA anyway. Durant and Curry are almost indisputably top 5 players, Green is probably in the 10-15 range, and Thompson is probably in the 15-20 range. That's insane. The cupboard isn't bare after that, but it's not so impressive. Aging Iguodala and Pachulia, Livingston...not a lot proven after that besides some end-of-bench corpses like Anderson Varejao and David West, or youngish guys who haven't done much yet. But still, that top four. Or even seven. Yikes.

I don't begrudge KD going there just because that's life. We all choose the best employer of those options available to us. Plus--you heard it here first, folks--let's keep in mind Curry is in his contract year. I wouldn't be shocked to see him move on, including to play for his hometown Hornets and M. Jordan. How's that for something to think about? But point being this might be a one-year experiment with a wholly different team in 2017-18, conceivably lacking BOTH Durant and Curry. (Though I'd assume if Curry left, Durant would stay, barring something going horribly awry.)
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« Reply #18 on: September 29, 2016, 06:01:21 PM »

You're right i just looked it up only thompson and green are signed for a couple more seasons thats it so its championship or bust, if they dont gel by All star break then it'll be tough for them

I dont care he left(same as Lebron) I just didnt think he would, he loved it there. the OKC/GSW games should be great this season hes definately a top 5 right now and the GSW fans on bleacherreport are down to earth and not cocky unlike those miami bandwagonners
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« Reply #19 on: September 29, 2016, 07:28:14 PM »

Lets go my Sixers!!! I've got a need for Embiid  Evil Evil Evil
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« Reply #20 on: September 29, 2016, 07:41:16 PM »

Also who are you guy's picks for ROTY?
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« Reply #21 on: September 30, 2016, 07:07:54 AM »

Lets go my Sixers!!! I've got a need for Embiid  Evil Evil Evil

If he plays 41 games, I'd be shocked. They're going to (wisely) be really cautious. It's going to be sad if he's another Greg Oden kind of situation. Or even an Andrew Bynum or Sam Bowie situation, where he manages to get some sort of valuable career but still far short of what potential would suggest. He is so talented, I was amazed how much better he got during his one college season. But now he hasn't played in a couple years (and so presumably hasn't developed a lot, skill-wise) and of course injuries seem more problematic for the bigger guys. I hope for the best for him, but history isn't on his side. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is the only guy I can think of around that size who had early injury concerns (Z had serious foot problems and surgery before he was drafted) that mostly evaporated over time. Most everybody else goes the other way: more and more injuries.
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« Reply #22 on: September 30, 2016, 07:19:35 AM »

Also who are you guy's picks for ROTY?

Hmm. Usually you can count on ROY being a stats-based thing more than really playing well--and scoring being disproportionate in the calculations--so a lot will come down to opportunity to get baskets. Here are thoughts on a few candidates. I'll list the top five picks, and a few other guys who seem like possible choices.

Ben Simmons - he's going to stuff the stat sheet but probably not score a lot or shoot a high percentage. My guess is his line ends up along the lines of 11 ppg, 8 rpg, 6 apg, but that if he hits 40% FG, I'd be surprised because he not only shoots badly from outside (or even midrange) but doesn't finish very well. His scoring in college was mostly based on size and power, which he doesn't really have compared to NBA bigs. He's pretty average in that respect in this league. I mean, he's big and strong, but so are all the other posts.

Brandon Ingram - he's not going to start--Luol Deng is, at least at first--and he's so skinny and weak, he's going to have a hard time doing much beyond hitting jumpshots. With bigger, quicker defenders on him, that will also be a struggle to adjust. He's going to be very good, but not likely ROY.

Jaylen Brown - no chance at ROY. Can't shoot. He's a little like Justice Winslow last year in terms of his game and likely impact. He'll be a good player, but he's on a good team and won't be a stat guy regardless.

Dragan Bender - I love his talent, but he's really young, pretty skinny, and competing with another lottery pick (Marquis Chriss) who plays the same position, to say nothing of established vets Alex Len, Tyson Chandler, etc.  No shot.

Kris Dunn - he's a popular pick, but I think people are forgetting the Wolves have a pretty darn good player ahead of him in Ricky Rubio. Yes, if Rubio is dealt, there will be a chance as Dunn leads a talented team that will be getting a lot of press because of other players. But even if they do move Rubio ... when will that be? It won't be soon, as they'll want to be sure Dunn is ready to step in. My guess is that if it happens, it will be near the deadline in February. That means 2.3 of the season, Dunn will be playing backup minutes. Hard to get ROY numbers like that.

Buddy Hield - sleeper pick, because Eric Gordon is gone, Tyreke Evans is hurt, and Lance Stephenson may well earn his ticket out of town because he has a history of wearing out his welcome. Somebody has to take perimeter shots, and Hield is at least as good a choice as Quincy Pondexter or Solomon Hill.

Dario Saric - an older rookie who stayed overseas a few years. Really talented, really tough ... but a lesser version of Simmons, frankly. Better shooter, but not a great shooter. Grittier game for sure. But really, it seems hard to imagine them both playing together, and Simmons is going to play 30+ mpg. So...

SLEEPERS: Malachi Richardson in Sacramento because that team is trash on the wings, and Caris LeVert at Brooklyn because that team is trash, period. Both very long shots, but they could get opportunities and can both score points.

My pick? Kind of boring: Ben Simmons.
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« Reply #23 on: September 30, 2016, 07:37:42 AM »

I have a sports but not basketball question, but it's not worthy of its own thread and I thought it best to ask the question in a thread where sports-followers will be.
I'm NOT trying to discuss anything political or socio-political or anything. Just trying to get flat information.
I just saw a video posted elsewhere of a commercial for headphones or something that was made last year, before this year's hubbub, featuring Colin Kaepernick. It showed him riding a bus, then walking, through an angry crowd yelling things at him.

So, my question is: Was he a controversial figure previous to the anthem business?

Again, I am NOT seeking to discuss the anthem thing. Just, the commercial seems to portray him as controversial and it was made before the anthem thing, and I'd never heard of him before the anthem thing.

He was controversial in the fact that he signed a long term contract with the 49ers in 2014 that was designed by the team to screw him over.  It was much talked about at the time.  He also is controversial because he was benched and removed from the starting quarterback role in 2015 because of "declining performance".  This was after he led the team to two conference championship games.  Pretty much everything about him has been controversial.  He is the poster boy for how poorly the players are treated by the league.   
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« Reply #24 on: September 30, 2016, 04:49:36 PM »

And now Ben just went down  Cry Cry Cry Excuse me but FUUUUUCK
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