The NEW 2014/2015 NBA Thread: Warriors Win the War - Part 2

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This is a continuation thread, the old thread is [split]498217[/split]

 

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This is a continuation thread, the old thread is [split]488319[/split]

 

[SolarTiger]

Sounds like Kobe turned LaMarcus Aldridge off during his Lakers pitch.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Regarding The Heat vs The Cavs, surely fans in here don't have short memories, do they? I mean, didn't Miami sweep Cleveland at home? Like it or not, LeBron is mentally weak against us and we're only going to improve. The Heat are indeed a legitimate threat to The Cavaliers.

 

[SolarTiger]

Brooklyn swept Miami in 2013 and Miami still wiped the floor with them in the playoffs. Playoffs are a different beast. A healthy Miami is up there with Chicago and Washington, but the Cavs are on another level.

 

[DOBSON10]

Regarding The Heat vs The Cavs, surely fans in here don't have short memories, do they? I mean, didn't Miami sweep Cleveland at home? Like it or not, LeBron is mentally weak against us and we're only going to improve. The Heat are indeed a legitimate threat to The Cavaliers.

If anything has been proven in NBA history, it's that regular season matchups mean nothing the majority of the time once the Playoffs start. Miami also missed the Playoffs completely, now they're going to knock off a team that walked to the Finals, basically without Love/Irving/Varejao? Very unlikely at best IMO.

 

[MrMaooz]

I liked the signing of Amir Johnson and the re-signing of Jonas Jerebko, but I still really want Tobias Harris. That's why I was hoping Millsap would go to the Magic so there'd be less of a chance of Harris getting matched. Now he's for sure getting matched. Would be surprised if he wasn't.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

I hope LMA signs with the Suns.

 

[KBX]

Of the options and what LMA is looking for, he will be stupid not to sign with the Spurs

 

[MrMaooz]

Yeah, I'm thinking LMA signs with the Spurs. That team would be scary as hell.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Brooklyn swept Miami in 2013 and Miami still wiped the floor with them in the playoffs. Playoffs are a different beast. A healthy Miami is up there with Chicago and Washington, but the Cavs are on another level.

Miami can move the ball through Cleveland's defense like a hot knife through butter. With the addition of Dragic, that only creates more opportunities.

There's a difference between cruise control and match up problems.

If anything has been proven in NBA history, it's that regular season matchups mean nothing the majority of the time once the Playoffs start. Miami also missed the Playoffs completely, now they're going to knock off a team that walked to the Finals, basically without Love/Irving/Varejao? Very unlikely at best IMO.

Miami was missing several key players down that stretch too. They barely missed the playoffs due to injuries. I wouldn't discount them whatsoever. If you think just because Shumpert, Smith, Thompson, Delly, etc contributed in The Finals that they'll be a juggernaut team this year... ha! They were New York rejects for a reason.


C: Bosh/Whiteside
PF: McRoberts/Ennis
SF: Deng/Winslow
SG: Wade/Johnson
PG: Dragic/Napier


Yep, the gap is substantial.

 

[killface]

76ers need to get haywood. They'll get much needed veteran leadership for their young guys, especially for all their bigs

 

[DOBSON10]

Miami was missing several key players down that stretch too. They barely missed the playoffs due to injuries. I wouldn't discount them whatsoever. If you think just because Shumpert, Smith, Thompson, Delly, etc contributed in The Finals that they'll be a juggernaut team this year... ha! They were New York rejects for a reason.


C: Bosh/Whiteside
PF: McRoberts/Ennis
SF: Deng/Winslow
SG: Wade/Johnson
PG: Dragic/Napier


Yep, the gap is substantial.

No worries man, you're a homer and I'm a realist. Believe me, I'd love to be arguing against the Cavs in this discussion, I'd love to see Miami sweep them both in the regular season and in the Playoffs. But the fact is, Cleveland was a much better team last year and they will be again this year. I might lean more to your side of the argument if Miami had made some major acquisitions to improve their roster but at this point all they've added to close the gap is a Rookie who might not even have a huge impact in his Rookie season (and that's coming from someone that thought Winslow was the 5th best player in the Draft).

Mozgov/Varejao
Love/Thompson
LeBron/Miller
Shumpert/Smith
Irving/Dellavedova

You could argue that both LeBron and Kyrie are better players than Wade at this point. Bosh/Love is basically a wash. Cleveland's frontline will be nasty with Love/Varejao coming back. Those Knicks scrubs you dissed played pretty well once they got out of that mess and joined a legitimate team. Shumpert's always been a talented player, the Knicks just have no clue. Thompson is a good player that should continue to improve, yeah, he's overpaid now but that doesn't mean he's not a very good rotational big that could start for most teams in the League. Smith is possibly the streakiest player of All-Time but he gets TONS of wide open looks being on a team with LeBron and that won't change with Love/Irving coming back. Varejao is a very good rotational big that missed the whole season basically. Mozgov played very well for the Cavs from the minute he showed up in Cleveland.

They just went to the Finals without their 2nd and 3rd best players while Miami missed the Playoffs, getting beat out by a Celtics team that might be the worst team to ever make the Playoffs in NBA history and the Cavs still have Brendan Haywood's contract to dump that could land them another solid rotation player. You can't possibly believe that getting Love/Irving/Varejao back isn't going to improve that team, while the supporting players gained experience and confidence by going deep in the Playoffs.

Sorry, as much as I'd like to see the Cavs go down in flames, I don't see a team in the East that can truly compete with them. I hate to say it, but the Cavs are going to own the East for the next couple years.

 

[Doc Samson]

Sounds like Kobe turned LaMarcus Aldridge off during his Lakers pitch.

How so?

 

[SolarTiger]

How so?

"LaMarcus Aldridge will not be joining the Lakers, The Times has learned. They were a 50-50 choice but he disliked bball part of presentation"

"Aldridge was floored in a good way by Houston's analytics, on-court projections in their presentation. Not so with the Lakers."

"More LMA: He and Kobe didn't quite gel. It's a little vague, but Aldridge apparently didn't quite get answers from Kobe he was seeking."

From the beat writer for the LA Times.

 

[Doc Samson]

Really? Well, from what I read Kobe had zero to do with his feelings towards the team. Probably why it's a "little vague."

 

[Webfoot Hero]

From a couple sources, Kobe spoke like Aldridge was going to fit into a Gasol-like role with Kobe still the lead role and that supposedly didn't fit what he wanted to hear (considering Kobe has barely played 40 games the past couple seasons and is nearing retirement.) Plus, the Lakers presentation seemed to have spent more on stuff outside of basketball than on-court strategy and plans, which was a turnoff for Aldridge.

 

[killface]

From a couple sources, Kobe spoke like Aldridge was going to fit into a Gasol-like role with Kobe still the lead role and that supposedly didn't fit what he wanted to hear (considering Kobe has barely played 40 games the past couple seasons and is nearing retirement.) Plus, the Lakers presentation seemed to have spent more on stuff outside of basketball than on-court strategy and plans, which was a turnoff for Aldridge.

If this is true..

The lakers recruit as if they were the mean girls. Kobe playing the regina george role to a t.

 

[Assassin32]

Kings traded a bunch of dead weight to the Sixers. They're poised to make some moves. Here's hoping the free agents they have in mind bite.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Greg Monroe is going to Milwaukee over offers from NY, LAL, and Portland. They'll actually have a semi-decent team in the East.

As for the Blazers, they now have $30+ million to spend with absolutely no one worth spending it on that'll move the needle in helping them rebuild. It's going to be a long 3-4 years of tanking and rebuilding before they're any good. Feel sorry for Lillard in being stuck on a team that'll now be one of the worst in the league.

 

[batdude]

From a couple sources, Kobe spoke like Aldridge was going to fit into a Gasol-like role with Kobe still the lead role and that supposedly didn't fit what he wanted to hear (considering Kobe has barely played 40 games the past couple seasons and is nearing retirement.) Plus, the Lakers presentation seemed to have spent more on stuff outside of basketball than on-court strategy and plans, which was a turnoff for Aldridge.

Oh lord. If Kobe was healthy, that's one thing. If he only plays half the games, then we are going to be stuck with Swaggy P leading again, he's more Robin than Batman.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Blazers are signing Ed Davis for 3 years, $20 million. They seemingly are just grabbing as many PF/C-types as possible and hope some can replace Aldridge's production. Still haven't addressed the lack of any scoring from the SG and SF spots.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Seems as if the Lakers are getting another chance with Aldridge on today. Plus, the Heat are now in it for him and will have Pat Riley meet with Aldridge tonight.

http://www.blazersedge.com/2015/7/2/8887175/nba-free-agent-news-los-angeles-lakers-lamarcus-aldridge

 

[SolarTiger]

The Heat have no capspace. Are they hoping for a sign and trade? Plus I thought Whiteside was their C of the future. Bosh/LMA are literally carbon copies of each other, at least on the offensive end.

And sounds like the Lakers are not bringing Kobe along this time for their second meeting. Which is probably a good idea, he's not the greatest recruiter for today's players. Kobe is an admitted loner.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Damian Lillard is flying directly from his Adidas promotional event in Paris to LA to meet with Aldridge tonight. There have been numerous reports of them lacking any real relationship off-court but this shows even Lillard knows Aldridge is key to Lillard and Portland's success.

http://www.blazersedge.com/2015/7/2/8888099/nba-free-agency-damian-lillard-lamarcus-aldridge