New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[FrantzM]

Van Gundy: 2018 is a wrap, Warriors will win forever

https://sports.yahoo.com/van-gundy-2018-wrap-warriors-022017078.html

"Unless the Cleveland Cavaliers trade the first-round pick they acquired for Kyrie Irving for Paul George, they have no chance to dethrone NBA champions the Golden State Warriors, according to Jeff Van Gundy."

The scary part of this is that Curry still hasn't played a Curry-esque championship series ... Nor has Klay Thompswon. KD did and is likely to continue to do so ...
The forgotten elements in the scenario for NBA supremacy are the Celtics and San Antonio. They are not standing around.

In the East
Cleveland is too dependant on LBJ wants and whims. Sports has become too complicated for a player/manager. Decisions for the Cavaliers go through LBJ whims, whines and wants... This will break and soon. Boston has a good management , a good coach and stockpile of unknown but good players.. on top of that they have the money, the mystique to attract good to great players, even this year... and they have one of the five best players in the NBA ...

In the West

San Antonio remains ... SA as long as Pops is there. They have talent and the best coach in Sports this side of Bill "Darth Vader" Belichick. They have a front office with the knack to find unheralded and forgotten players who gets there, fits his system and play at a level higher than expected ... I don't think Houston will make a difference, they seem to lack that fire and they have a hole in defense that is hard to plug and it happens to be the best player on the team .. The Lakers are , perhaps a dark horse ... if Ball becomes what some proclaim him already to be, I don't see the players to help him win anything and the Lakers are losing their touch , their mystique.. People don't get too excited to play for the Lakers anymore or so it seems to me .. thanks to the Jeanie, micro-Buss soap-opera ... I will wait but am not sure yet , not just yet .... Keeping my fingers crossed as a long suffering fans who's afraid to endure this for years to come

So Van Gundy has a point...

 

[jadis]

And the thing the impresses me most about the Warriors is their ability to rely on the outside shots (3s) to kill the opponent. Klay was slumping a bit int he playoffs but when he got into the groove, he really nailed the Cavs in those games. How does one team defend against such great outside shooters that they have? That is the biggest puzzle for coaches now.

 

[rblnr]

See my earlier post on the subject...
, I have rarely seen someone who's more difficult to guard. If he learns to pass the ball a la CP3 he could be a player for the ages. No one can guard him one on one and he can shoot on top of that. Russel Westbrooks is more athletic but a good defender such as Klay Thompson can give Russel fits...Not so with Kyrie. His weakness is passing. And it is not that he doesn't have court awareness it is a mind thing: he prefers to keep the ball to himself ... need a coach and an environment he respects. He is getting this with the Celtics.. Good coach, Years of tradition, Knowledgeable Front Office and especially our of the shadow of a great but overbearing player. The trade is not fair Jadis. The Celtics got an incredible player .. Similar to New Orleans having to give Kobe to the Lakers .. Watch a few months from now and you'll see...

Agreed,I think Kyrie will be less of a ball stopper with the Celts if for no other reason than Stevens will demand it. And while I wouldn't put Kyrie in the CP3 court awareness echelon, he's certainly a capable playmaker when he wants to be. Am w/you -- Celts got an incredible player, one of the few worth trading one of the Nets picks for. And I think they can all jell in half a season.

Hard to argue w/Van Gundy from this preseason perch. You have to find a way not to play 3 ball with GS cause you'll lose every time. Probably starts with perimeter defense (commitment) and rebounding -- the latter is a Celtic weakness probably made worse with the loss of Crowder. Maybe Jaylen Brown steps up there.

 

[Gregadd]

Will IT play for Cavs ever?

 

[jadis]

Celts got an incredible player, one of the few worth trading one of the Nets picks for. And I think they canuded all jell in half a season.

That pick was the real equalizer in the deal, as per many reports. The Nets' probable lottery pick in the package that included IT - the number 2 overall scoring leader last season and a young contract-friendly Crowder plus plus plus. And as I look back at the 4 Nets pick that Ainge got for KG and Pierce, the biggest star may be Jayson Tatum. First was one James Young, picked low because the Nets went into the playoffs in the first year of KG and Pierce, then Jalen Brown, and now Jayson Tatum. The 4th produced Kyrie Irving and made Ainge a genius at his job.

 

[jadis]

Will IT play for Cavs ever?

I think the Cavs are playing it with extreme caution, no pun intended.

In the press con yesterday introducing IT and the others, Altman cut in a question for IT re his hip injury and said no questions about the hip will be answered. The creates more mystery. Acc to IT himself, many doctors told him not to have surgery and proceed with rehab (therapy or something) and no one can really tell when IT will be ready to play his first game with the Cavs. My guess is he will starting next year. If IT cannot still play by the time, then the Cavs may trade their Nets pick for a star who can help them immediately. And they all say that this pick is so important to the Cavs that if transformed into star power and a title, James might just stay in Cleveland.

 

[Gregadd]

I think the Cavs are playing it with extreme caution, no pun intended.

In the press con yesterday introducing IT and the others, Altman cut in a question for IT re his hip injury and said no questions about the hip will be answered. The creates more mystery. Acc to IT himself, many doctors told him not to have surgery and proceed with rehab (therapy or something) and no one can really tell when IT will be ready to play his first game with the Cavs. My guess is he will starting next year. If IT cannot still play by the time, then the Cavs may trade their Nets pick for a star who can help them immediately. And they all say that this pick is so important to the Cavs that if transformed into star power and a title, James might just stay in Cleveland.

Actually I hope you are correct.We are going
going through the same thing with (Washington Nationals) Bryce Harper. No timetable or definitive plan for his return.
Allow me to make a few points.
1. Where was LBJ at todays press Co ference?
2. What is the true value of this pick?
3. It appears LBJ wants no part of this deal.

 

[jadis]

1. Where was LBJ at todays press Co ference?
2. What is the true value of this pick?
3. It appears LBJ wants no part of this deal.

On 1 and 3, I'm not really surprised that LeBron wasn't there. Actually, he hasn't said much starting from the time KI wanted out of Cleveland and even at time the trade was finalized, James was relatively quiet. Imo, he really should have no part in this deal, as the GM, the real GM Altman is taking charge. James is a win NOW person. He seems bent on collecting titles more than any other thing. So he MOVES to teams that he thinks will win him championships. Unlike Jordan who waited for the team to build more support around him and he does what he needed to do to make them win. That can be said about a lot of champions as well, but not James. I really wonder WHY he would even move to the West when his best chance in the here and now to get to the Finals is in the East, even without KI, the Cavs are a very strong team and most writers feels the C's will not dislodge them this coming season for the Eastern crown. If James moves to the West (Lakers for example) it is unlikely that in his first 2 years with LA he will get to the finals since the Warriors will be the heavy favorites to win not just the West but the title itself, not to mention his team will have to duke it out in the playoffs with the Spurs, Rockets, OKC, etc. James' 6 or 7 consecutive trips to the Finals will be stopped, not to mention, by losing to the Warriors in those next 2 or 3 years, he won't even get a shot a the Finals.

As for the value of the pick, one can only think of its best value if James leave Cleveland. Then they will possibly have a new young star as part of their rebuilding. And Cavs have to hope that the Nets do not suddenly win 50 games with D'Angelo Russell and shockingly drop out of the lottery.

 

[Gregadd]

The Cavs won't be anything without lbj. Witness the horrific trade with the Celtics. There is no long term rebuilding in the NBA or sports in general.
It's all win now. As far as lbj going anywhere to win. Please stop. If that's true what the hell is he doing in Cleveland?
Sorry I just don't see GSW as invincible. Besides as you stated only a championships matters. What difference does it make if he.loses to GSW in the finals or western conference finals?

 

[jadis]

The Cavs won't be anything without lbj. Witness the horrific trade with the Celtics. There is no long term rebuilding in the NBA or sports in general.
It's all win now. As far as lbj going anywhere to win. Please stop. If that's true what the hell is he doing in Cleveland?
Sorry I just don't see GSW as invincible. Besides as you stated only a championships matters. What difference does it make if he.loses to GSW in the finals or western conference finals?

I thought Boston just about completed a rebuild from 4 years ago. Cleveland has been a Finals team for the last 3 years. The talks of rebuild in the sports shows are only speculative, if and when James leaves after next season. But I was thinking, despite what the rumors have been circulating, that James will stay in Cleveland after next season. I can't imagine him nor his team not being in the Finals where he gets the billing and shot at the title. As much I wish, I would like to see him eliminated in the first or second round but that has not happened in the last 6 or 7 years and I believe those years James had really wisely chosen where to take his talents. As for the 'horrific' trade with the Celtics, the terrible thing that happened to the Cavs was that Irving asked Gilbert for a trade, and apparently only Boston's package offer was the only thing acceptable and doable for Altman and Gilbert for them to actually finalize it, that, after yanking out another future pick after the deal was announced.

 

[jadis]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...racing-challenge-starring-role-boston-celtics

"For as much as the Celtics sacrificed in order to get Irving, he gave up a bit to facilitate the deal as well. Irving waived his 15 percent trade kicker, essentially sacrificing $5.8 million to aid the completion of the deal.

Said a smiling Irving: "When Boston came a-knockin', I was answering."

 

[Gregadd]

After billing IT as everything but the second coming he was unceremoniously to the only team stupid enough to take him. After all is said and done the Celtics remain the Eastern conference runner up as long as lbs is in Cleveland.
LBJ does not owe Cleveland anything. He fulfilled his promise.
Irwin. Lbj really done him wrong. 3 NBA finals and a ring. Not going to come close to that in Boston. Let's see how good he is when he.draws the double team.
Cleveland did not have to trade him
He was under contract. Suck it up and do your job.
Irwin jumped at the Celtics deal because it was all he got.

 

[rblnr]

The Cavs won't be anything without lbj. Witness the horrific trade with the Celtics. There is no long term rebuilding in the NBA or sports in general.
It's all win now. As far as lbj going anywhere to win. Please stop. If that's true what the hell is he doing in Cleveland?
Sorry I just don't see GSW as invincible. Besides as you stated only a championships matters. What difference does it make if he.loses to GSW in the finals or western conference finals?

I disagree on the long term rebuilding — I think that’s exactly what the Celts have done and what the Knicks, as an example, haven’t. Gut rehabs work better than surface remodels. Celts cleaned house and were lucky enough ( not taking credit from Ainge here but a win now owner like Prokofiev was a gift) to find a team to fleece.

Happy that the Bulls ditched the remodel and traded Butler — keeping him was long term mediocrity. Only wish another Prokofiev was around so as to get more value for him.

 

[jadis]

How bad is one, and how good is one.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/09/car...gher-instagram-twitter-response-im-my-own-fan

"ESPN released some of their NBA rankings on Tuesday, and many noticed one particularly strange detail: Carmelo Anthony was ranked at No. 64, one place below Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball.

Anthony was ranked below a 19-year-old who has yet to play in a regular season game, and as ESPN’s Chris Herring noted, “That represents a steep fall for a player who was ranked in the top 10 as recently as 2013 (in the April edition) and in the top 30 two seasons ago.”

 

[jadis]

Lakers plan to retire both Kobe's number 8 and 24 jerseys.

https://sports.yahoo.com/lakers-sol...e-bryants-number-dont-know-one-170502882.html

 

[FrantzM]

Lakers plan to retire both Kobe's number 8 and 24 jerseys.

https://sports.yahoo.com/lakers-sol...e-bryants-number-dont-know-one-170502882.html

Deserved IMHO

as for Melo .. Playing for a bad team would do that to you. The Knocks seem to be mired in that swamp-like state. They are simply bad year after year.

The Lakers are not faring any better. I want to see Ball being all that.. the buzz on him is loud.. But with his father seemingly orchestrating all that noise ... I remain skeptical.

 

[jadis]

I'm not a reader of Lakers trivia in the past, and I wonder what's the story of the change from 8 to 24 was all about. And why 24 instead of 23?

 

[WLVCA]

Kobe changed his number after the Colorado hotel sexual assault incident.

 

[jadis]

Kobe changed his number after the Colorado hotel sexual assault incident.

I see. I didn't know that.

 

[jadis]

Bad news for the Celtics. The guy whom they traded for Avery Bradley, Marcus Morris, could land in jail if proven guilty.

https://sports.yahoo.com/phoenix-trial-begins-nba-players-accused-assault-073902261--nba.html