New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season
- Thread starter Ron Party
- Start date
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I do love Stephen A and also despise Mike D'Antoni. I think this video echoes my sentiments that D'Antoni is finished as a head coach
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STEPHEN A.: D'ANTONI IS RIGHT WHERE HE BELONGS AS AN ASSISTANT
Stephen A. Smith likes the Nets' hire of Mike D'Antoni as an assistant and hopes his head-coaching days are over
Stephen A.: D'Antoni is right where he belongs as an assistant - ESPN Video
Stephen A. Smith likes the Nets' hire of Mike D'Antoni as an assistant and hopes his head-coaching days are over.
www.espn.com
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Not that anyone was trying to give them one, but Frank Vogel says no asterisk for Lakers
Kurt HelinSat, October 31, 2020,
I tend to agree with this......
Not that anyone was trying to give them one, but Frank Vogel says no asterisk for Lakers
The Lakers were mentally tough, that was the difference in the West.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Lakers’ Jared Dudley: 50-game NBA season ‘hard no for the players’
Dan Feldman
Dan Feldman
Mon, November 2, 2020, 7:59 AM PST
The NBA said next season would begin Christmas at the earliest, more likely in 2021. February appeared most likely. March drew mention, too.
Now, the league wants to begin Dec. 22.
Players, according National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts, largely oppose the plan. A faction of players, including stars, prefer to wait until Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 18).
But the NBA has reportedly indicated it could play just 50 games if starting starting that late. It’d be 72 games with a Dec. 22 start.
A 50-game season is undesirable for everyone. Owners and players split revenue about 50-50. In simplest terms: more games, more revenue.
But players – not owners – just spent lengthy stints in the bubble. Players – not owners – would have to face the physical and mental toll of resuming so quickly.
Owners can sit back and count the money.
So, it’s understandable players oppose such a quick turnaround. For many, starting a 72-game season Dec. 22 would be exhausting. (For another group of players, the layoff has already been too long.)
Unfortunately for players whose teams just made deep playoff runs, a prompt start isthe way to maximize revenue.
For too long, the NBA aimed to get fans in arenas next season. The coronavirus pandemic makes that incredibly difficult. As that reality set in, the league shifted its priority to television. That means playing a separate opening night, playing on Christmas and finishing before the Olympics.
This should have been the plan all along – or at least communicated as a potential option to players. It is jarring to expect a later start then suddenly get told to report to work sooner.
But, again, that is the way to make the most money.
It’s also a way to get the following season back on track – which will both maximize the money of that season and get players their summers off again.
As much as the league deserves criticism for setting one expectation then defying it, players might have a tough time rejecting the Dec. 22 72-game plan.
Dan Feldman
Dan Feldman
Mon, November 2, 2020, 7:59 AM PST
The NBA said next season would begin Christmas at the earliest, more likely in 2021. February appeared most likely. March drew mention, too.
Now, the league wants to begin Dec. 22.
Players, according National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts, largely oppose the plan. A faction of players, including stars, prefer to wait until Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 18).
But the NBA has reportedly indicated it could play just 50 games if starting starting that late. It’d be 72 games with a Dec. 22 start.
A 50-game season is undesirable for everyone. Owners and players split revenue about 50-50. In simplest terms: more games, more revenue.
But players – not owners – just spent lengthy stints in the bubble. Players – not owners – would have to face the physical and mental toll of resuming so quickly.
Owners can sit back and count the money.
So, it’s understandable players oppose such a quick turnaround. For many, starting a 72-game season Dec. 22 would be exhausting. (For another group of players, the layoff has already been too long.)
Unfortunately for players whose teams just made deep playoff runs, a prompt start isthe way to maximize revenue.
For too long, the NBA aimed to get fans in arenas next season. The coronavirus pandemic makes that incredibly difficult. As that reality set in, the league shifted its priority to television. That means playing a separate opening night, playing on Christmas and finishing before the Olympics.
This should have been the plan all along – or at least communicated as a potential option to players. It is jarring to expect a later start then suddenly get told to report to work sooner.
But, again, that is the way to make the most money.
It’s also a way to get the following season back on track – which will both maximize the money of that season and get players their summers off again.
As much as the league deserves criticism for setting one expectation then defying it, players might have a tough time rejecting the Dec. 22 72-game plan.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
This one surprised me. I think it might be a good thing for the Celts......
Darren Hartwell
Wed, November 4, 2020, 8:41 AM PST
Report: Hayward wants out of Celtics contract for upcoming season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Gordon Hayward's future with the Boston Celtics is getting murkier by the day.
Hayward can earn $34.1 million next season by opting into the final year of his Celtics contract, and many assumed he'd take that option in light of the injuries and inconsistencies that have prevented him from reaching his full potential.
It sounds like the veteran forward is leaning the other way, though. On Tuesday's episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," The Ringer's Ryen Russillo reported Hayward "does want out" of the final year of his deal.
Forsberg: Why would Hayward opt out of his Celtics contract?
ESPN's Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks recently hinted at some "buzz" that Hayward may opt out and seek a long-term deal with a new team, much like Al Horford did when he spurned the Celtics to sign a four-year, $109 pact with the Philadelphia 76ers.
It appears that "buzz" is growing louder.
There are logical reasons why Hayward would turn down $34.1 million from the Celtics, one of which is financial: It may benefit the 30-year-old to sign a long-term deal now rather than wait until next offseason, when NBA teams may have less cash to spend after a shortened 2020-21 season. (The 2021 free agent class is set to be historically loaded, as well.)
It's also possible Hayward just wants a change in scenery after suffering a rash of injuries that have relegated him to the Celtics' fourth option (at best) behind Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker.
As Russillo pointed out, though, Hayward would want some assurance of a long-term deal before jumping ship.
"He's not opting out of that huge number unless he knows he's getting the deal," Russillo added.
Hayward also is the subject of trade rumors, and with no deadline set for player options, everything is still on the table -- including him taking a page from Horford's book this winter.
NBA Rumors: Gordon Hayward wants out of Celtics contract for 2020-21 season
Darren Hartwell
Wed, November 4, 2020, 8:41 AM PST
Report: Hayward wants out of Celtics contract for upcoming season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Gordon Hayward's future with the Boston Celtics is getting murkier by the day.
Hayward can earn $34.1 million next season by opting into the final year of his Celtics contract, and many assumed he'd take that option in light of the injuries and inconsistencies that have prevented him from reaching his full potential.
It sounds like the veteran forward is leaning the other way, though. On Tuesday's episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," The Ringer's Ryen Russillo reported Hayward "does want out" of the final year of his deal.
Forsberg: Why would Hayward opt out of his Celtics contract?
ESPN's Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks recently hinted at some "buzz" that Hayward may opt out and seek a long-term deal with a new team, much like Al Horford did when he spurned the Celtics to sign a four-year, $109 pact with the Philadelphia 76ers.
It appears that "buzz" is growing louder.
There are logical reasons why Hayward would turn down $34.1 million from the Celtics, one of which is financial: It may benefit the 30-year-old to sign a long-term deal now rather than wait until next offseason, when NBA teams may have less cash to spend after a shortened 2020-21 season. (The 2021 free agent class is set to be historically loaded, as well.)
It's also possible Hayward just wants a change in scenery after suffering a rash of injuries that have relegated him to the Celtics' fourth option (at best) behind Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker.
As Russillo pointed out, though, Hayward would want some assurance of a long-term deal before jumping ship.
"He's not opting out of that huge number unless he knows he's getting the deal," Russillo added.
Hayward also is the subject of trade rumors, and with no deadline set for player options, everything is still on the table -- including him taking a page from Horford's book this winter.
Am suprised too, Steve.
I guess I just have to chalk it into the 'didn't work out' column. I had so much high hopes when he came to Boston.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
NBPA reps approve plan to start season Dec. 22
The tentative plan includes a reduced 72-game schedule and additional details remain to be negotiated.
Tim Reynolds | Associated PressThe NBA’s player representatives voted Thursday to support the notion of starting this coming season on Dec. 22, the date that the league has been targeting in its talks about how and when to get teams back on the floor for a planned 72-game season.
The vote, conducted by player reps within the National Basketball Players Association, is just one part of the process. Among the primary matters to be determined: how much more escrow will be taken from players because of the shorter-than-usual season, and how the league and the players will navigate testing and other health and safety issues amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
All that has to be worked out before the plans for next season truly become official.
“Additional details remain to be negotiated and the NBPA is confident that the parties will reach agreement on these remaining issues relevant to the upcoming season,” the union said in a statement.
Talks between the NBA and NBPA on those and other topics are continuing, though there is obvious urgency to finalize things. The NBA draft is scheduled for Nov. 18 and the plan presented to players — and now approved by NBPA team reps — calls for training camps to begin on Dec. 1.
Free agency would almost certainly have to be wedged between the draft and the start of those camps, the league year would have to open, trades would have to become permissible again and some players need to be presented with deadlines by which they will have to either accept or decline options for this coming season.
The NBA wanted the Dec. 22 start date over a mid-January notion for many reasons, revenue being foremost among them. A 72-game season, by league estimates, would allow for $500 million more in revenue than a season of no more than 60 games — the mid-January option — would have provided.
The Dec. 22 start also means that the NBA’s traditional Christmas schedule of games will be possible, something the league and its broadcast partners wanted.
https://www.nba.com/news/bubble-wrap-can-la-lakers-return-finals-2021
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I love Stephen A.
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Stephen A. makes a bold prediction about the Warriors and Lakers
Stephen A. makes a bold prediction about the Warriors and Lakers - ESPN Video
Stephen A. Smith declares LeBron James and Anthony Davis are no match for the lethal Warriors backcourt that includes Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, which will result in the Lakers being dethroned by the Warriors.
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Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I thought this was interesting if it comes about.......
Kurt Helin
Sun, November 8, 2020, 4:59 PM PST
The Lakers will be handing out rings and hoisting a banner at Staples Center on Dec. 22, but don’t expect them just to run it back and expect to win again. They have their own free agents to deal with — Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis (although he will re-sign and stay in LA) — and they want to make some additions as well.
Serge Ibaka might be one of those, reports Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
“From a personnel standpoint, he is exactly the kind of combo big guy that team (the Lakers) needs,” one NBA general manager told Heavy.com. “They have had interest in him before and they will again. When he is healthy he is an excellent spot starter at the 5 (center) and the 4 (power forward). He is as good a bench big guy as there is in the league. He was a really credible 3-point threat last year. If he is willing to accept what the Lakers can afford to give him, I know they would want him.”
That last part — the money — is the key. The Lakers will only have their mid-level exception of $9.3 million to spend on a player of this caliber, and that’s what several teams are expected to offer Ibaka. The Lakers, ideally, want to split their mid-level between a couple of veterans to add more depth that can help them win now. Would Ibaka take $5.5 million or $6 million to come to the Lakers and chase another ring (he has one from Toronto) instead of a few million more to play somewhere else?
The fit with Los Angeles is unquestioned. Ibaka averaged 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds a game for the Raptors last season, shot 38.5% from three, is a fierce shot blocker and rim protector, and is a veteran who knows how to fit with stars. He has played as a starter and off the bench, and it’s easy to see him backing up or playing next to Davis.
Most likely Toronto will retain Ibaka. However, this is exactly the kind of veteran to expect the Lakers to chase in free agency — and the twin draws of LeBron James and Los Angeles are going to land some quality players.
Rumor: Lakers to target Serge Ibaka in free agency
Kurt Helin
Sun, November 8, 2020, 4:59 PM PST
The Lakers will be handing out rings and hoisting a banner at Staples Center on Dec. 22, but don’t expect them just to run it back and expect to win again. They have their own free agents to deal with — Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis (although he will re-sign and stay in LA) — and they want to make some additions as well.
Serge Ibaka might be one of those, reports Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
“From a personnel standpoint, he is exactly the kind of combo big guy that team (the Lakers) needs,” one NBA general manager told Heavy.com. “They have had interest in him before and they will again. When he is healthy he is an excellent spot starter at the 5 (center) and the 4 (power forward). He is as good a bench big guy as there is in the league. He was a really credible 3-point threat last year. If he is willing to accept what the Lakers can afford to give him, I know they would want him.”
That last part — the money — is the key. The Lakers will only have their mid-level exception of $9.3 million to spend on a player of this caliber, and that’s what several teams are expected to offer Ibaka. The Lakers, ideally, want to split their mid-level between a couple of veterans to add more depth that can help them win now. Would Ibaka take $5.5 million or $6 million to come to the Lakers and chase another ring (he has one from Toronto) instead of a few million more to play somewhere else?
The fit with Los Angeles is unquestioned. Ibaka averaged 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds a game for the Raptors last season, shot 38.5% from three, is a fierce shot blocker and rim protector, and is a veteran who knows how to fit with stars. He has played as a starter and off the bench, and it’s easy to see him backing up or playing next to Davis.
Most likely Toronto will retain Ibaka. However, this is exactly the kind of veteran to expect the Lakers to chase in free agency — and the twin draws of LeBron James and Los Angeles are going to land some quality players.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
The Suns had an epic finishing season under the bubble and now this......
www.espn.com
Suns in talks with Thunder to acquire CP3
Suns in talks with Thunder to acquire CP3 - ESPN Video
Brian Windhorst explains why Chris Paul would be a good fit with the Suns if he ends up getting traded.
www.espn.com
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
sad to read this. One of the very best
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Tommy Heinsohn dies at age 86
Tommy Heinsohn dies at age 86 - ESPN Video
Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser remember Celtics legendary player, coach and broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn, who died Tuesday at the age of 86.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Paul Pierce, Jaylen Brown, Brad Stevens and the NBA world pay tribute to Tommy Heinsohn
Paul Pierce, Jaylen Brown, Brad Stevens and the NBA world pay tribute to Tommy Heinsohn
Teams and players across the league paid tribute to the Boston legend, who died Tuesday at the age of 86.
The Suns are a very young team that could use some veteran leadership. However, their star, Devin Booker, is a ball dominant shooting guard so could be some friction there. The Suns were quite impressive in The Bubble.The Suns had an epic finishing season under the bubble and now this......
Suns in talks with Thunder to acquire CP3
Suns in talks with Thunder to acquire CP3 - ESPN Video
Brian Windhorst explains why Chris Paul would be a good fit with the Suns if he ends up getting traded.
Yeah, sad to see Tommy gone. I would have believed he was still doing the colors for the Celtics network last season pre pandemic.sad to read this. One of the very best
Tommy Heinsohn dies at age 86
Tommy Heinsohn dies at age 86 - ESPN Video
Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser remember Celtics legendary player, coach and broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn, who died Tuesday at the age of 86.
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Stephen A.: Westbrook and Harden don't want to play together anymore
why am I not surprised??
Stephen A.: Westbrook and Harden don't want to play together anymore - ESPN Video
Stephen A. Smith speculates that the Rockets might have to trade both James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
www.espn.com
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
WHY STEPHEN A. DOESN'T LIKE WESTBROOK ON THE CLIPPERS
Why Stephen A. doesn't like Westbrook on the Clippers - ESPN Video
Stephen A. Smith explains why he doesn't think Russell Westbrook would be a good fit on the Clippers' roster.
www.espn.com
Westbrook is a great player but what a whiner
Trading these two will not be easy.Stephen A.: Westbrook and Harden don't want to play together anymore
why am I not surprised??
Stephen A.: Westbrook and Harden don't want to play together anymore - ESPN Video
Stephen A. Smith speculates that the Rockets might have to trade both James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
When you are Mr. Big it is difficult to take the secondary spot - CP3 and Westbrook both suffered playing with Harden.
Please, no Westbrook to the Clippers - not a good fit in my opinion.
Ooops...didn't watch the video but I agree with Stephen A.....this time
Please, no Westbrook to the Clippers - not a good fit in my opinion.
Ooops...didn't watch the video but I agree with Stephen A.....this time
IMHO that was only a matter of timeStephen A.: Westbrook and Harden don't want to play together anymore
why am I not surprised??
Stephen A.: Westbrook and Harden don't want to play together anymore - ESPN Video
Stephen A. Smith speculates that the Rockets might have to trade both James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
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