New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[jadis]

Tough loss for Celtics.

Celtics are a rising force in the east.

Will Stan Van Gundy's prediction come true.

Steve,

What did Stan predict? That they will upset Cleveland? I'm all for it.

Celtics missed a lot of open 3s down the stretch, and lost Avery Bradley due to hamstring, which means he might miss a few games. But the good news I read the other night is that the C's have 8 picks in this June's draft - 3 in the 1st and 5 in the second round. If they can just get 1 Draymond Green sort of guy in round 2, that will do them good in the short run.

And I read the Kupchak is open to trading his lottery pick this June for a superstar. All eyes on KD, will he go LA or Boston?

 

[Steve Williams]

But won't KD be in the final year of his contract and if traded no guaranty that he will re- sign with that team the following year

 

[jadis]

But won't KD be in the final year of his contract and if traded no guaranty that he will re- sign with that team the following year

That should be the same situation as was Kevin Love's trade to Cleveland a years ago. He then signed a log term contract after the end of his first season.

 

[jadis]

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/03/30/ke...y-rumors-thunder-lakers-celtics-heat-warriors

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

IMO the Dubs are calmly considering how to fine tune their team and it will likely be in the area of a big man but not a ball-hugging-want-to-score big man, rather a versatile and fierce rebounder/defender in the mold of Dennis Rodman without the drama. A low-key player who would know his role and simply feed the ball to the rabbits/snipers. Block the middle of the lane so that you don't pound in the low post and tire Draymond Green or their current center. A good rebounding team can challenge the Dubs as they're currently configured. Just make sure that no big man however good doesn't slow the pace of their game. Teams such as the Spurs have shown they can do that to the Warriors. You don't mess up your chemistry with too many super-stars. Leave the nucleus of the team alone and acquire that kind of player (s) and they will be fine for a decade ...

As for the Lakers, I am sure they are finding ways to cope with the DeAngelo Russel, fiasco. They've been there with immature players with super-star potential, although Russell went as low as one can do without cutting the throat of your teammates. I cannot find any shred of sympathy for his stunt and personally would have boot him out of my team. I may never like this player again, that is just me. I have never found ways to like Lebron since his decision and even less for his current behavior .. but KD could fit there, a mature super-star hungry for recognition in a big market wanting to re-establish its winning ways and place in history? To me a no-brainer...
And there are the Celtics.. I don't follow them enough to know what are their strength and weaknesses (Sorry Phil ) but they are the CELTICS and they know a thing or two about winning and it seems they have a solid nucleus without the current Lakers Russel' soap opera. They tend to accomodate big men-stars in a big way and make these guys their own and have these guys think they have been Celtics their entire career. Two names come to mind: Bill Walton who became a Celtics very late in his career when he was no longer a star and Kevin Garnet who won them a Championship and brought them to the Finals at least twice and could have been more weren't it for the superlative play of the rebooted Lebron James in one of the best play-off games in NBA history. Both are fondly remembered as Celtics first and could well see themselves as such.

And there are the Heat with Darth Vader aka Pat Riley at the helm. He asks Dwayne "Dade County" Wade to defer to KD and lengthen his own career and it would be even more interesting but since I live part time in Miami and HATE the Heat.... this has to be the least likely scenario

So if I were KD I would go to the Lakers where I would be The Star knowing they will protect my waning years, remember Kareem and how Magic and the organization took care of his late years... or the Celtics who would do the same.. but I am a Lakers fan... So KD just go to the Lakers and don't pull a Dwight Howard on us .

 

[jadis]

I've just read that KD's contract for 5 years ends with the 2015-2016 season and by the end of this season, he becomes an Unrestriced Free Agent. OKC may end up getting nothing if KD doesn't opt to stay there but OKC seems to be good shape as far as offering the most money, though KD can do a David West and sign with a strong team and title contender for less money.

http://www.spotrac.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/kevin-durant/

 

[jadis]

Hi

IMO the Dubs are calmly considering how to fine tune their team and it will likely be in the area of a big man but not a ball-hugging-want-to-score big man, rather a versatile and fierce rebounder/defender in the mold of Dennis Rodman without the drama. A low-key player who would know his role and simply feed the ball to the rabbits/snipers. Block the middle of the lane so that you don't pound in the low post and tire Draymond Green or their current center. A good rebounding team can challenge the Dubs as they're currently configured. Just make sure that no big man however good doesn't slow the pace of their game. Teams such as the Spurs have shown they can do that to the Warriors. You don't mess up your chemistry with too many super-stars. Leave the nucleus of the team alone and acquire that kind of player (s) and they will be fine for a decade ...

As for the Lakers, I am sure they are finding ways to cope with the DeAngelo Russel, fiasco. They've been there with immature players with super-star potential, although Russell went as low as one can do without cutting the throat of your teammates. I cannot find any shred of sympathy for his stunt and personally would have boot him out of my team. I may never like this player again, that is just me. I have never found ways to like Lebron since his decision and even less for his current behavior .. but KD could fit there, a mature super-star hungry for recognition in a big market wanting to re-establish its winning ways and place in history? To me a no-brainer...
And there are the Celtics.. I don't follow them enough to know what are their strength and weaknesses (Sorry Phil ) but they are the CELTICS and they know a thing or two about winning and it seems they have a solid nucleus without the current Lakers Russel' soap opera. They tend to accomodate big men-stars in a big way and make these guys their own and have these guys think they have been Celtics their entire career. Two names come to mind: Bill Walton who became a Celtics very late in his career when he was no longer a star and Kevin Garnet who won them a Championship and brought them to the Finals at least twice and could have been more weren't it for the superlative play of the rebooted Lebron James in one of the best play-off games in NBA history. Both are fondly remembered as Celtics first and could well see themselves as such.

And there are the Heat with Darth Vader aka Pat Riley at the helm. He asks Dwayne "Dade County" Wade to defer to KD and lengthen his own career and it would be even more interesting but since I live part time in Miami and HATE the Heat.... this has to be the least likely scenario

So if I were KD I would go to the Lakers where I would be The Star knowing they will protect my waning years, remember Kareem and how Magic and the organization took care of his late years... or the Celtics who would do the same.. but I am a Lakers fan... So KD just go to the Lakers and don't pull a Dwight Howard on us .

Nice analysis, Frantz, and agreed on all points. If it ever comes down to choosing just between the Lakers and the Celtics for KD, it would be a tough choice. Both have winning traditions but with the Lakers, he has to wait a few more years for a title than if he were to choose the Celtics, as we have rebuilt to a satisfactory position and have a ton of draft picks to trade for more midstar veterans. Surely I understand your lack of familiarity with the C's team and I do read up sometimes about D'Angelo's ill-advised camera tricks.

 

[Steve Williams]

That should be the same situation as was Kevin Love's trade to Cleveland a years ago. He then signed a log term contract after the end of his first season.

Think of Dwight Howard

 

[jadis]

Pretty exciting game, Dallas upending OKC by 1. KD had some missed shots down the line but hit a big 3 to cut the lead of Dallas to 1. Felton missed 2 shots but OKC missed 2 more before big man Adam's put back went in but ruled out of time. Dallas was depleted but played one Mejri whom I saw only for the first time ever but scored 12 points. 7-2 behemoth from Tunisia. Undrafted even.

 

[WLVCA]

Clippers win 102 - 81 to go up 2 - 0 in their series with the Blazers.

 

[jadis]

So far lots of 2-0 leads and the interesting series is Dallas vs OKC, though Dallas is shorthanded the bench responded well. There might be a Cleveland - Miami Eastern Finals, and I'd like to see James chatting or even waltzing with Wade at halftime on national TV.

 

[Steve Williams]

REPORT: BROOKS ADMINISTRATION BEGINS IN WASHINGTON

So will he lure KD to Washington

By Shawn Powell

The Wizards succeeded in their goal to entice an important basketball figure from Oklahoma City to sign up, and now it’ll be a matter of months to see if they can double their pleasure.
It’s not that the hiring of former Thunder coach Scott Brooks to a reported five-year deal (Yahoo! Sports is first to report the deal) is precursor to signing free-agent-bound Kevin Durant, but the Wizards can dream, can’t they? In a perfect world, Durant will return home — he’s from the Maryland suburbs — and re-join a coach that he respected, and the stench of the just-completed Wizards’ season will be replaced instantly by a sweet aroma.

Washington really had nothing to lose here. The Wizards have plotted a way to get Durant for years. Last summer they refused to offer an extension to Bradley Beal in order to keep space under the salary cap. And they also chose against adding additional salary as well. Finally, they fired coach Randy Wittman, who didn’t have the pulse of the locker room anymore, at least according to reports.

Even if Durant stays in Oklahoma City or signs elsewhere, the Wizards evidently feel Brooks will be an upgrade over Wittman or at least a change of pace. While Wittman was fiery and emotional, Brooks is more laid-back and is particularly accommodating of stars, which is good news for John Wall. Besides, the most attractive candidate on the market, Tom Thibodeau, signed with Minnesota and the Wizards found themselves in competition for Brooks with two or three others with coaching vacancies, with the Rockets (Brooks once played for Houston) leading the pack.

You could make the case that Brooks didn’t deserve to lose his job in OKC. He coached the Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals, and for the next three years the Thunder dealt with untimely injuries to the meat of their rotation: Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, all missing significant time at some point over the next three playoffs. Plus, Brooks had the endorsement of those three players, the only three who truly mattered.

Instead, OKC went with Billy Donovan, hoping his offense would be more imaginative (the jury’s out on that) and would quickly curry favor with Durant and give the former MVP one more reason to stay with OKC beyond this season.

The competition for Durant will be Golden State; the defending champions would be his best choice from an instant gratification standpoint; and OKC, where he could sign a one-year deal and then do this dance all over again next summer, when he’d be in line for even more money under the rising cap.

Or he can return home and play in the East, where the path to the NBA Finals isn’t littered with broken glass.
The Wizards reached the second round of the playoffs last year but greatly underachieved this year and fell into the lottery. They haven’t won a championship since the Fat Lady sang in 1977-78 when they were the Bullets and 10 years before Durant was born.

 

[Steve Williams]

Timberwolves hire Thibodeau as coach, president

Not surprised. Was hoping Lakers would grab him

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have hired former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau as coach and president of basketball operations, the team announced Wednesday night.
Thibodeau was the most coveted coach on the market, and he's bringing his unparalleled intensity and hard-driving approach to a franchise that has not made the playoffs since 2004. He won nearly 65 percent of his games in five seasons with the Bulls, but was fired after last season amid speculation of a rift with general manager Gar Forman.

Landing such a big-name coach was a startling development for a Wolves franchise that has the longest-running playoff drought in the NBA and has routinely had to settle for second, third or fourth choices when jobs opened up. But team owner Glen Taylor, armed with one of the most promising young rosters in the league, turned 75 on Wednesday and doesn't want to wait around any longer for the team to become a winner.

"We are extremely excited to welcome Tom Thibodeau back to the Timberwolves," Taylor said in a statement issued by the team. "Through this process we quickly identified Tom as the best leader to shape our talented team and help them realize their full potential."

San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden will accompany Thibodeau to Minnesota and serve as the Wolves' general manager and Thibodeau's right-hand man in the front office.

It's a homecoming of sorts for Thibodeau, who got his start in the NBA as an assistant for the expansion Timberwolves under Bill Musselman in 1989. He spent two years coaching the Timberwolves and often recalled those days fondly on return trips with the Bulls over the years.

The man they call Thibs is not the reflective kind. He's the ultimate grinder, a defensive mastermind that demands as much from his players as any coach in the league. He likely would have garnered interest from many of the teams looking for new coaches, including the Houston Rockets, but has decided to take over a team brimming with young talent.

"The future of the Minnesota Timberwolves has never been brighter and we are very pleased to have Tom as our basketball operations leader moving forward," Taylor said.
He will replace Flip Saunders, who was both president and coach before his death just days before the season started. Sam Mitchell coached the season with an interim label and won 29 games, 13 more than they had the previous season.

The reasons for taking the job are more than just emotional for Thibodeau. Thanks in large part to the work of Saunders and GM Milt Newton, the Timberwolves boast one of the most promising young rosters in the league.

The foundation includes second-year forward Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick in 2014 who won the Rookie of the Year award last season after being acquired from Cleveland in a trade for Kevin Love two summers ago. Karl-Anthony Towns, the No. 1 overall pick last summer, is a shoo-in for this year's Rookie of the Year award and is considered by many in the league to be a top-20 player already.
The Wolves also have two-time slam dunk champion Zach LaVine, who emerged as a dynamic shooting guard capable of starting, veteran point guard Ricky Rubio, versatile big man Gorgui Dieng, scoring specialist Shabazz Muhammad and former Euroleague player of the year Nemanja Bjelica.

Add to that a shiny new practice facility that opened this season and renovations that are set to begin on the outdated Target Center this summer, and the Wolves job has suddenly and mind-blowingly become one of the most coveted in the league.

Saunders died from complications of Hodgkin's lymphoma just days before the season started. Taylor elevated Mitchell to the head job and gave Newton final decision-making authority on the roster.
Thibodeau was given both roles and will make the decision on whether to keep Newton in a supporting position.

Layden was the GM in New York when Thibodeau was an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy. Layden also served as GM in Utah during the Stockton-Malone days and will help the lifelong coach Thibodeau with the nuances and intricacies of the executive branch of the franchise.

Giving coaches final authority on the roster has become a bit of a trend in the NBA in recent seasons. Saunders had it and Stan Van Gundy demanded it from the Pistons in order to make the move from Florida to the Midwest. The Los Angeles Clippers gave Doc Rivers dual roles, as did the Atlanta Hawks with Mike Budenholzer after GM Danny Ferry was fired.

"He's a really good guy and a really good coach," Stan Van Gundy said. "And I'm really glad he's in the Western Conference."

 

[WLVCA]

I was surprised when I heard Washington hired Scott Brooks. I didn't think about the Durant connection. My bad.

Great hire by the Timberwolves. Surprised Thibs went there but they do have some great young talent. They also gave him a lot of authority and a big bunch of money. Hope he does well.

 

[Steve Williams]

Is Luke going to the Knicks or to the Lakers or will he stay out with GSW

 

[FrantzM]

Is Luke going to the Knicks or to the Lakers or will he stay out with GSW

Perhaps one more year to get more experience under his belt. It is one thing to coach an already well-honed war machine and another to take a bunch of average players and to make of them a winning team. I hope he stays for one more year. The kid seems to have great basketball knowledge and instincts.

 

[jadis]

Perhaps one more year to get more experience under his belt. It is one thing to coach an already well-honed war machine and another to take a bunch of average players and to make of them a winning team.

Agreed. And very good point.

 

[Steve Williams]

Tough loss for the GSW last night but should they have won??

http://www.nba.com/2016/news/04/22/...on-winning-shot.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpts

 

[jadis]

Tough loss for the GSW last night but should they have won??

http://www.nba.com/2016/news/04/22/...on-winning-shot.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpts

Yes, there was a push away by Harden before the shot, and I wonder why the NBA would pronounce it loud and clear the next day but let the aggrieved team still suffer from it. Why not a last 2 minutes review-able foul, even just 1 'challenge' per game. It's that important when the game is on the line.

 

[Steve Williams]

Totally agree Phil