NBA Thread 2018/2019: That’s a Rap

[DarthSkywalker]

Sources: Rockets offer 4 first-rounders for Butler

 

[P Supreme]

So the Thunder are 0-4, and Westbrook was a disaster tonight. They can't fall too far back, not in this West.

While talented he is too much of a "me" guy you cant play like that in this NBA and he the front office are his to puppet since KD left so they won't do anything to change the way he likes to play 6th - 8th seed again and 1rd exit

 

[P Supreme]

I figured that out in the 2006 Finals. It was quite interesting that Cuban shut his mouth during the entire 2011 season.


Lol word! and now it can't be good for them that scandal that they were just involved in covering up misconduct in the front office and I find it odd too that they can't attract no big name FA

 

[P Supreme]

Sources: Rockets offer 4 first-rounders for Butler

Wow if the wolves don't do it then they crazy
and they still won't beat the warriors they are a machine at this point cliché yes but only team that can beat them its themselves

 

[Doc Samson]

Welp...Looks like it's about that time of the year to bring some intellect and knowledge to this place once again. Brevity was never a strong point, so...

Let's start here, then a few observations:

While talented he is too much of a "me" guy you cant play like that in this NBA and he the front office are his to puppet since KD left so they won't do anything to change the way he likes to play 6th - 8th seed again and 1rd exit

No shots at you P, but for the life of me, I can't understand how a person's style of play can label them a "me guy" while another's can absolve them of any guilt, even if they are, in fact, selfish too.

Paul George just came out and said the main reason he re-signed with the team was because of Westbrook. He also said what I've said for the past 10 years or so, that while LeBron is the best in the league (and that's teetering) he's also hard to play with too. You think a Kevin Love or Chris Bosh enjoyed going to stand in the corner?

Look, Westbrook isn't any more selfish then any other superstar player, they all are to a certain degree if we're attributing getting numbers to selfishness. He's looking to attack constantly, if that makes him a horrible teammate, I would say his teammates aren't that great in their own right.

I don't care how many times you guys try to diminish him, you simply can't average 10 assists without passing the ball, it's literally impossible. And unless he's telepathic, there's no way to know your teammates are going to reward the pass with an assist, so there's countless passes that go by the wayside as well. He's far from selfish, he's aggressive, nothing more or less.

- Now, onto my weird twilight zone season of being a Lakers fan while (I guess around these parts) being considered a LeBron "hater" or something along those lines. I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, but I believe Father Time has crept just a bit closer. LeBron doesn't seem to have the same stamina he's known for, it's not an overly concerning revelation yet, but if you've watched any of these games, you can see what I mean. That being said, Lonzo has surprised me and McGee has been shocking. As it goes, somehow we'll attribute all that improvement to LeBron while simultaneously pointing out the abysmal Cavs and use it as further prove of his other worldliness. Let's just remember those Cavaliers were built around one man, just like every other team he's ever been on, not a system. Taking that man from said system should yield a logical result.

- Couldn't be happier CP3 finally got punched in the face, and by Rondo no less, someone I've championed around here and will continue to do for his talent that's routinely undersold. Paul is as dirty as they come, and while Rondo didn't appear to spit on purpose (look at Khabib-McGregor for someone spitting with intention) I enjoyed the fracas. It also won't cloud my memory of him shoving and pushing the majority of that game.

- If Morey is seriously considering Butler for that many picks, then he's officially the insane man I thought he was, and hopefully it costs him his job when it implodes. I don't know if Kareem was even worth that.

- The team that should be going all out for Butler is Philly. The Fultz experiment was just that, a weird experiment that's not working. Philly is the type of city to embrace how Butler plays, the young guys on that team would benefit from his presence way more than KAT or Wiggins ever did, and they need something to close the gap with Boston.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The Rockets are 1-4. The Thunder 0-4. The Rockets D looks nonexistent, and the Thunder can't score. The Warriors look like they aren't even trying, and still look pretty great already, without Boogie. The Raptors look great, while the Celtics need time to get Hayward and Kyrie back up to speed. The Pelicans and Bucks are potentially legit, and the Lakers don't look awful. This season is going to be fun.

On Butler. Yeah, i don't think he helps the Rockets beat the Warriors and he is going to want to be a free agent next season. It also seems the Rockets owner might be gun shy on going over the luxury tax too much. Would he want to pay for the cost of Harden, Paul and Butler?

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Paul George just came out and said the main reason he re-signed with the team was because of Westbrook. He also said what I've said for the past 10 years or so, that while LeBron is the best in the league (and that's teetering) he's also hard to play with too. You think a Kevin Love or Chris Bosh enjoyed going to stand in the corner?

Look, Westbrook isn't any more selfish then any other superstar player, they all are to a certain degree if we're attributing getting numbers to selfishness. He's looking to attack constantly, if that makes him a horrible teammate, I would say his teammates aren't that great in their own right.

I don't care how many times you guys try to diminish him, you simply can't average 10 assists without passing the ball, it's literally impossible. And unless he's telepathic, there's no way to know your teammates are going to reward the pass with an assist, so there's countless passes that go by the wayside as well. He's far from selfish, he's aggressive, nothing more or less.

Welcome back Doc!

Interesting.

So last season assist numbers:

Westbrook-10.3 assists. You rightly point out this means he isn't selfish and therefore is not hard to play with.

Lebron-9.1 assists. But he's hard to play with and everyone just stands in the corner with him. He doesn't get the "aggressive" thing or the "not great teammates" for his amazing numbers either.

Boy that 1.2 assists is quite a dividing line when it's Lebron, eh?

Larry Bird and MJ were "hard to play with" too.

- Now, onto my weird twilight zone season of being a Lakers fan while (I guess around these parts) being considered a LeBron "hater" or something along those lines. I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, but I believe Father Time has crept just a bit closer. LeBron doesn't seem to have the same stamina he's known for, it's not an overly concerning revelation yet, but if you've watched any of these games, you can see what I mean.

Gotta agree. It might be happening this season. Bad luck for the Lakers. One play in particular I noticed the other night was Lebron being outrebounded on the wing on a very routine rebound he normally snags with ease.....from behind. It was like he couldn't get off the floor.

That being said, Lonzo has surprised me and McGee has been shocking. As it goes, somehow we'll attribute all that improvement to LeBron while simultaneously pointing out the abysmal Cavs and use it as further prove of his other worldliness. Let's just remember those Cavaliers were built around one man, just like every other team he's ever been on, not a system. Taking that man from said system should yield a logical result.

Every team is built around the star. Not sure why so many only notice that when it's Lebron. You think the Warriors started playing that way by accident? Curry had everything to do with that. And that's a team with multiple stars.

Not sure how you are going to keep the "Lebron is hard to play with and makes everyone worse" ® narrative going while also bragging on how well all the other Lakers are playing. That should be a challenge. Maybe you can try to claim they were going to get better anyway and probably would be even better if Lebron wasn't there to hold them back?

You do know this "star gets all the attention and credit" thing goes back to at least the 80s, right? Or did you not know about the "This Sunday! Magic vs Bird on CBS!" stuff? Or how about "MJ won 6 rings"? (Naturally the Bulls lost in the 80s though)

The main thing the Cavs will prove is that they are a badly run franchise. It was one of the worst teams Lebron could have gone to. They had him for 11 seasons and got 1 ring. The Heat, by contrast had him for 4 seasons and got 2 rings.

Too bad he didn't go to the Lakers in 2011 in his prime. There would have been a lot more rings on his fingers and banners in the rafters in LA.

- If Morey is seriously considering Butler for that many picks, then he's officially the insane man I thought he was, and hopefully it costs him his job when it implodes. I don't know if Kareem was even worth that.

Agreed but I sorta get it. They've got a small window. CP3 and Harden are on the wrong side of their careers. Those draft picks figure to be late 1st round anyway. They look like a 1 and done team so far this year so he must be thinking his job is on the line either way. May as well go out swinging, right? Maybe he is harboring a small hope that KD will leave the Warriors next season.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

First Steph, then Durant, now Klay. 92 points at half. They are monsters.

 

[P Supreme]

when u got guys that can score 50 in 3 qtrs. and do it without breaking a sweat I mean what can u do if your the opposing team ?and they got those guys in the draft so all this crap they got for Durant wanting to go there is just that crap they drafted well and team went through playoff loses before they hit there prime LIKE THEY USED TO DO IT

it sucks for M, Jackson thought I bet

 

[Spider-Fan]

Welcome back Doc!

Interesting.

So last season assist numbers:

Westbrook-10.3 assists. You rightly point out this means he isn't selfish and therefore is not hard to play with.

Lebron-9.1 assists. But he's hard to play with and everyone just stands in the corner with him. He doesn't get the "aggressive" thing or the "not great teammates" for his amazing numbers either.

Boy that 1.2 assists is quite a dividing line when it's Lebron, eh?

Larry Bird and MJ were "hard to play with" too.



Gotta agree. It might be happening this season. Bad luck for the Lakers. One play in particular I noticed the other night was Lebron being outrebounded on the wing on a very routine rebound he normally snags with ease.....from behind. It was like he couldn't get off the floor.



Every team is built around the star. Not sure why so many only notice that when it's Lebron. You think the Warriors started playing that way by accident? Curry had everything to do with that. And that's a team with multiple stars.

Not sure how you are going to keep the "Lebron is hard to play with and makes everyone worse" ® narrative going while also bragging on how well all the other Lakers are playing. That should be a challenge. Maybe you can try to claim they were going to get better anyway and probably would be even better if Lebron wasn't there to hold them back?

You do know this "star gets all the attention and credit" thing goes back to at least the 80s, right? Or did you not know about the "This Sunday! Magic vs Bird on CBS!" stuff? Or how about "MJ won 6 rings"? (Naturally the Bulls lost in the 80s though)

The main thing the Cavs will prove is that they are a badly run franchise. It was one of the worst teams Lebron could have gone to. They had him for 11 seasons and got 1 ring. The Heat, by contrast had him for 4 seasons and got 2 rings.

Too bad he didn't go to the Lakers in 2011 in his prime. There would have been a lot more rings on his fingers and banners in the rafters in LA.



Agreed but I sorta get it. They've got a small window. CP3 and Harden are on the wrong side of their careers. Those draft picks figure to be late 1st round anyway. They look like a 1 and done team so far this year so he must be thinking his job is on the line either way. May as well go out swinging, right? Maybe he is harboring a small hope that KD will leave the Warriors next season.

I'm not going to disagree on the Cavs being a poorly run franchise. But to be fair to them, if not for the Warriors the Cavs likely would have gotten 2 rings. That last Finals trip they had no chance, but in the other 2 series they lost to the Warriors, they had teams that could have won it all and were capable, but they ran into a better team. In his Heat years, there was not a juggernaut like that outside of the Heat really until the Spurs emerged as their equal/better in the later part of that run.

 

[Doc Samson]

Welcome back Doc!

Interesting.

So last season assist numbers:

Westbrook-10.3 assists. You rightly point out this means he isn't selfish and therefore is not hard to play with.

Lebron-9.1 assists. But he's hard to play with and everyone just stands in the corner with him. He doesn't get the "aggressive" thing or the "not great teammates" for his amazing numbers either.

Boy that 1.2 assists is quite a dividing line when it's Lebron, eh?

Larry Bird and MJ were "hard to play with" too.

Every great player is hard to play with, that was essentially my point.

Because LeBron is a willing passer he's viewed as a great teammate and easy to get along with. I think some of the comments from his fellow peers recently says enough.

Gotta agree. It might be happening this season. Bad luck for the Lakers. One play in particular I noticed the other night was Lebron being outrebounded on the wing on a very routine rebound he normally snags with ease.....from behind. It was like he couldn't get off the floor.

He's definitely picking his spots more, in terms of finding pockets of rest while still being on the floor. But it looks to me like it's a little harder for him to sustain his energy for decent stretches.

Not sure how you are going to keep the "Lebron is hard to play with and makes everyone worse" ® narrative going while also bragging on how well all the other Lakers are playing. That should be a challenge. Maybe you can try to claim they were going to get better anyway and probably would be even better if Lebron wasn't there to hold them back?

It's not too hard actually, I'm just mindful that professional players are usually going to try and get better during their careers.

Too bad he didn't go to the Lakers in 2011 in his prime. There would have been a lot more rings on his fingers and banners in the rafters in LA.

That would've been interesting, to say the least.

Agreed but I sorta get it. They've got a small window. CP3 and Harden are on the wrong side of their careers. Those draft picks figure to be late 1st round anyway. They look like a 1 and done team so far this year so he must be thinking his job is on the line either way. May as well go out swinging, right? Maybe he is harboring a small hope that KD will leave the Warriors next season.

I understand swinging for the fences, but he didn't have to if he just kept the team together from a year ago. Even with the disdain I have for CP3 as a player, it's hard to imagine he doesn't settle them down and find a way to win that Game 7. Morey let go of two crucial pieces that he must now realize was a mistake, so he's about to overreact and wager the teams future for something that won't net him a title in the kindest of scenarios...

 

[Venom'sDad]

We may be witnessing the greatest collapse in the history of greatest collaspes. If the Rockets can't get their "human waste" together...whose gonna challenge the Dubs in the West.

It's almost a foregone conclusion in the West; and, it ain't even November yet. They got players shooting a 100pts in the 1st period; then taking the rest of the day off.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Russell Westbrook and James Harden as MVPs.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

D-Rose dropped his career high 50 tonight. Amazing.

 

[Venom'sDad]

...and so it begins....

Magic, reportedly, admonished Luke Walton coaching.

You know that got bron's hands all over it. Just a matter of time before another puppet is put in place. Wouldn't be surprise if former Laker Ty Lue hired.

Bron ruin another team....

 

[_Superman_]

It's time to start making some changes to my Wizards.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The Rockets suck.

 

[terry78]

Jimmy Buckets is going to Philly.

Jimmy Butler trade rumors: 76ers acquire disgruntled Wolves star in multiplayer deal including Saric, Covington

 

[DarthSkywalker]

So the Rockets can't get him now... they might really be ****ed.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

They are 11 games in. 11 games...

Carmelo, Rockets in talks over role, sources say

 

[Doc Samson]

- The team that should be going all out for Butler is Philly. The Fultz experiment was just that, a weird experiment that's not working. Philly is the type of city to embrace how Butler plays, the young guys on that team would benefit from his presence way more than KAT or Wiggins ever did, and they need something to close the gap with Boston.

That boy's pretty good. But glad Philly did it, I thought Jimmy would work best there, and I believe it puts them right in line with Boston and Toronto, if not a small notch below.

In other news, LeBron needs to figure this freethrow $&^# out pronto! He almost cost the game (again) and at this point, there's no need to be fooling around with the Atlanta Hawks for god's sake.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Remember when someone here didn't think Carmelo was washed and the Rockets were still relevant? Good times.

 

[Doc Samson]

Remember when someone here didn't think Carmelo was washed and the Rockets were still relevant? Good times.

Hmmm, no...no I don't.

 

[Mister J]

 

[Webfoot Hero]

I don't think anyone thought that the Anthony-Rockets relationship would last long but I doubt they had it only being around 10 games.