NBA thread 2018-2019 v. Raptors are Champs

[Samsara]

Phoenix did everything wrong yesterday, so they might give you guys a hand with Teague. They can't be worse off than they are right now

Personally, I thought other than Ja Morant, the draft was thin at PG. I mean, the Bulls were thrilled with White, and that's fine. But I felt, and still feel, like both Culver and Garland are better players, and there is a drop in ability level, significantly, from Garland to White, at the point guard spot. Perhaps they thought so too.

Teague would be a good fit for the Suns next year. If he's healthy, he'll be really good, but he dribbles too much. He's hesitant to shoot, but with Booker on the squad, Teague doesn't need to. It makes a TON of sense for PHX if they have 19 million in room to take Teague for one year. Then they can explore a more permanent, long-term PG solution in the next draft. But we'll see.

If I were the Wolves, and the Suns showed interest in Teague, and as the Wolves, I knew Russell was an absolute through back channels (aka Karl-Anthony Towns), I'd pretty much offer whatever sweetner that the Suns wanted to make the trade. Russell takes the Wolves to another level now, with Towns entering his prime, Covington healthy and ready, and Wiggins (if they keep him) primed for a breakout season (I'm holding out hope for one more season). Again, fingers crossed the Wolves find a way with Russell. It puts us in good position to get back to the playoffs next year, and continuing to add young great talent to make a run in the next few years.

[Lonk]

Glad Giannis won MVP, more deserving than harden.

[Nekov]

Am I the only one who really didn't care about those? Having this ceremony after the playoffs are finished and we have a champion is complete nonsense. Doing this right after the season ends would be great, but now I'm just interested in free agency. The season has been over for too long

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Am I the only one who really didn't care about those? Having this ceremony after the playoffs are finished and we have a champion is complete nonsense. Doing this right after the season ends would be great, but now I'm just interested in free agency. The season has been over for too long

I agree! Regular season awards feel a bit "meh" after the playoffs. I think they should go back to handing them out right when the postseason begins.

[T-ski]

I  Giannis.

[Lonk]

Am I the only one who really didn't care about those? Having this ceremony after the playoffs are finished and we have a champion is complete nonsense. Doing this right after the season ends would be great, but now I'm just interested in free agency. The season has been over for too long

I see it 2 ways.

1) It is less distracting to the players. Waiting for an award in the middle of the playoffs (winning or losing) could be distracting and affect your performance on a game that could affect the outcome of the series.

2) It is very annoying to have to wait so long, specially since these are regular season awards. They could have these awards handed out before the playoffs start. If you want to have a ceremony, just end regular season a week earlier, or start the playoff some days later to give players time to receive the award and get ready for the playoffs.

But, this officially marks the end of the 18-19 season. I am hyped for free agency and to see what happens.

[Samsara]

Am I the only one who really didn't care about those? Having this ceremony after the playoffs are finished and we have a champion is complete nonsense. Doing this right after the season ends would be great, but now I'm just interested in free agency. The season has been over for too long

I see it 2 ways.

1) It is less distracting to the players. Waiting for an award in the middle of the playoffs (winning or losing) could be distracting and affect your performance on a game that could affect the outcome of the series.

2) It is very annoying to have to wait so long, specially since these are regular season awards. They could have these awards handed out before the playoffs start. If you want to have a ceremony, just end regular season a week earlier, or start the playoff some days later to give players time to receive the award and get ready for the playoffs.

But, this officially marks the end of the 18-19 season. I am hyped for free agency and to see what happens.

Agreed with all this. The solution is to give the players a week off before the playoffs start, and do it that week.

Can't wait for the drama to unfold. Going to be crazy. Hope you all get what you want for your teams. Except for Denver. The Nuggets can suck it.

[Samsara]

Any predictions for free agency? Here are a couple I'm going with:

Kemba Walker to the Celtics.

Kyrie Irving to the Nets.

Kawhi Leonard stays with the Raptors.

Klay Thompson re-signs with Golden State.

Kevin Durant re-signs with Golden State.

Jimmy Butler signs with the Nets.

Khris Middleton re-signs with the Bucks.

Brook Lopez re-signs with the Bucks.

Malcolm Brogdon re-signs with the Bucks.

Tobias Harris signs with the Knicks.

D'Angelo Russell signs with the Wolves (I am reaching here, based on being a Wolves fan boy and knowing how close he is to Karl-Anthony Towns, and the Wolves have the ability to pull off a couple of moves to gain cap space, but my gut tells me he doesn't want to be in Phoenix or Indiana). IF LAL doesn't sign Cousins, I could see Russell going back to the Lakers.

Al Horford signs with ATL. (Just a feeling on this one.)

Demarcus Cousins signs with the Lakers.

Biggest free agency loser - Los Angeles Clippers
Biggest free agency winner - Bucks/GS for making sure they bring back their players.

[KevShmev]

Between them releasing a long list of supposed missed calls in last year's conference finals and then whining on Twitter the other night when Harden did not win the MVP instead of gracefully conceding, the Houston Rockets have become a very unlikable franchise.

[King Postwhore]

Kevin Durant re-signs with Golden State.


I don't see this happening.  He seems upset with the way they handled his injury.

[Samsara]

Kevin Durant re-signs with Golden State.


I don't see this happening.  He seems upset with the way they handled his injury.

I felt that way at first. But that's a LOT of money he'd be leaving on the table. And endorsement-wise, the difference in being in NY, LA or San Fran is negligible. But thought is always look at where the money is, because the majority of the time, that's what's going to be the deciding factor, all other issues being equal.

If the Warriors were NOT moving and opening a new building in downtown SF next year, I would have said he'd walk or they'd let him walk. But they want the stars signed. And the biggest three on the Ws are Durant, Curry, and Thompson in that order. If that means trading Green mid-way through next season (since he'll be on an expiring), you do it. I've come around to a degree on Green's value. But I think he's still fourth best on that team, and NOT worth a max deal that he certainly wants. Let him be someone else's headache.

[Lonk]

I sure hope the knicks get a lot more than Tobias Harris. But I know that's wishful thinking.

[Samsara]

I sure hope the knicks get a lot more than Tobias Harris. But I know that's wishful thinking.

The Knicks were my second favorite team to the Wolves. I got into hoops in 1988/1989, and living in NY, I didn't get to see the Wolves on TV except for the two times they played the Knicks, and two times they played the Nets each year (I remember seeing a game or so against the Hawks back in the day on TBS), at least back then, before TNT opened things up in the early 1990s. So, I've always rooted for the Knicks too. But I just can't see why any marquee (top-5) player would come to the Knicks unless they are desperate for cash.

I hate saying that, but its true. Dolan is trash as an owner, and that plays a huge part. More than people think, particularly if your owner acts like Dolan does. HUGE turn-off. Add to that, that the Knicks have sucked for the better part of 20 years. The last time they were in the NBA finals was 20 years ago. They have, maybe, three guys worth keeping on the roster (RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Knox). You can make a case for Dennis Smith Jr., but honestly, I think he's average. And finally, while NYC is NYC, any marketing opportunity in this day and age can be equally as good in any major city. LA, Chicago, San Francisco, hell, even Miami. You don't NEED to be in NY, and face that kind of media scrutiny.

What the Knicks need to do, IMO, is sign Tobias Harris (who grew up 20 minutes from me in West Islip, Long Island), who is young at 27, but a vet of seven or eight years already, and focus big time on youth development. Make the change from within, with a couple of really good team pieces/leaders like Harris that you import, who you know can handle the spotlight. Hell, even a pairing of Kemba Walker/Tobias Harris is a better fit to me, than Durant/Irving. Because Walker/Harris are team guys, whereas Irving and Durant are divas and need to be the spotlight guy.

A BIG win for the Knicks would be the Walker/Harris combo. Forget all this Durant crap. Sign Walker and Harris, develop your pieces, and keep adding.

The Nets, IMO, are making a HUGE, HUGE mistake by letting D.Lo go for Irving. The Nets have a great TEAM. They need to add to it, not exchange point guards for an older model who arguably caused the Celtics to underachieve.

The Knicks need to be the smarter team, and add the right KINDS of personalities to the roster who can perform. Harris and Walker are hometown guys, AND they are team-oriented. That should be the focus. But most Knicks fans would think of that as a loss. To me, those would be BRILLIANT additions.

[T-ski]

Any predictions for free agency? Here are a couple I'm going with:


Khris Middleton re-signs with the Bucks.

Brook Lopez re-signs with the Bucks.

Malcolm Brogdon re-signs with the Bucks.

Middleton's contract is going to kill the Bucks if they don't win the championship in the next 2 years.  Bucks fans do not feel he is worth a max/near max deal and that is what he is going to get.  Middleton is a second tier player and signing him to a first tier contract is stupid.

Brogdon is a true wild card.  Being restricted there is a very good possibility someone offers him a deal the Bucks simply won't be able to match.  I'd rather overpay for Brogdon than Middleton at this point.

[Samsara]

The Lakers just opened up space for a full max, trading the last of the roster to the Wizards.

So they now have:

Lebron
Kuzma
Anthony Davis (as of July 6)

And 32 million in space to either add a full max player, or split it up to bring in two people. Jesus Christ. So many options. My gut tells me that guys will take the minimum to flock to Lebron and AD. Imagine if they land Leonard or Thompson (I don't find either likely, but you never know)? Or if Kyrie spurns the Nets and goes with Lebron again? Damn Lakers. This is crazy.

My gut tells me they will max someone. A move I think makes a lot of sense is to offer D'Angelo Russell a max deal at 21.5 (he can sign a max of 4/86), assuming the Nets renounce his rights, making him unrestricted per season, leaving 10.5 for shooter. Then fill in the rest of the gaps with vet minimum guys like Carmelo Anthony. Crazy shit right here.

[jingle.boy]

Leonard will not be going to the Lakers.  Make bank on that.  One thing he said on more than one occasion was that during his rehab last summer, he was not content to come back as a #2 or #3 option.  His only goal was to get healthy to the point he was the #1 option on his team.  No way he's gonna play 2nd or 3rd fiddle to LBJ or AD.

It's a toss up between Clippers and Raptors.

And I think Clay has too much loyalty to the Warriors.  He'll re-sign there.

[Azyiu]

The Lakers just opened up space for a full max, trading the last of the roster to the Wizards.

So they now have:

Lebron
Kuzma
Anthony Davis (as of July 6)

And 32 million in space to either add a full max player, or split it up to bring in two people. Jesus Christ. So many options. My gut tells me that guys will take the minimum to flock to Lebron and AD. Imagine if they land Leonard or Thompson (I don't find either likely, but you never know)? Or if Kyrie spurns the Nets and goes with Lebron again? Damn Lakers. This is crazy.

My gut tells me they will max someone. A move I think makes a lot of sense is to offer D'Angelo Russell a max deal at 21.5 (he can sign a max of 4/86), assuming the Nets renounce his rights, making him unrestricted per season, leaving 10.5 for shooter. Then fill in the rest of the gaps with vet minimum guys like Carmelo Anthony. Crazy shit right here.

Even as a Lakers fan, I think I am with jingle.boy and I doubt Kawhi would come to the Lakers. That being said, I really do not mind having D-Lo again, but we need more shooters; Melo just isn't the answer even at vet minimum. Let's see what happen.

[dparrott]

Not soon after I buy a Kemba shirt he's taking off.  Dammit.  At least he's a Hornets legend.

[Samsara]

Re: Leonard. I'm not so sure. The door is open a little, because he's giving them a meeting. If Kobe, Magic, Shaq, and some others all show up, he may be persuaded, if they can show how Kawhi, not Lebron, would be the focal point. I agree that Kawhi isn't going to a team where he has to defer. The man has two rings himself, and unlike Lebron, Kawhi won one of them with (no offense, Raptors fans) role players. If I'm Kawhi, I stay in Toronto. But...but...why give the Lakers and Clippers meetings if he's not going there. The Lakers don't always get what they want, but if Kawhi wasn't at least interested, he wouldn't have agreed to a meeting.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

In my opinion, the Lakers should have two plans:

A) Sign Kawhi

B) If that doesn't work out, sign two or three good role players, even if Butler, Kemba, or Kyrie want to sign. Those players are good, but their value will diminish next to AD and LeBron... Or worse, they will take away from AD and LeBron.

[jingle.boy]

Any FA should grant as meetings to as many serious teams as possible - at the very least for leverage.

[Samsara]

Any FA should grant as meetings to as many serious teams as possible - at the very least for leverage.

No leverage is necessary when you're not going to make anything less than a max deal. That max deal is set in stone, regardless of where he goes.

[TAC]

Not soon after I buy a Kemba shirt he's taking off.  Dammit.  At least he's a Hornets legend.

My kids each have Thomas and Irving tshirts.

I have a Crowder one!

[T-ski]

my schedule got changed for work and now I'll miss the first hour of the free agency period.

still dreading Middleton getting maxed.

[Samsara]

T-ski, I've always liked Middleton. I don't believe he's a max guy either, but the Bucks can't afford to lose him.

[jingle.boy]

Well, the East just got more interesting with Durant/Irving/Jordan heading to Brooklyn. 

[King Postwhore]

Not for another year though.

[jingle.boy]

Irving and Jordan are now.

[jingle.boy]

Brogdan to Indiana.

[Azyiu]

KD, Kyrie and D.Jordan are all joining the Nets... Thought KD would stay...

[King Postwhore]

Irving and Jordan are now.

Yeah, not scary. 

[TAC]

The Nets are paying a shit ton of money to Durant, which to me, feels like a huge gamble. They're paying his salary for rehabbing next year, and then who knows what he'll be like after that.

Honestly, it feels like they were too worried about pissing off Kyrie right off the bat, had they passed on KD.

[King Postwhore]

I think when KD is back and it will take time with feeling 100% then the Nets are scary AF.

[T-ski]

Brogdan to Indiana.

thats a big contract for Brogdon, at least the Bucks got some picks out of the deal which is good because they've traded a lot of them over the past couple of years. also created a big trade exception which could help facilitate another big move later.

don't like the Middleton contract, probably an overpay to keep Lopez and Hill too, but it is what it is.

[TAC]

I think when KD is back and it will take time with feeling 100% then the Nets are scary AF.

A two year run?