2023-2024 General NBA Season Thread
- Thread starter BigSoxFan
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From the postgame interview it seemed like Hardy was very worried that Clarkson would get injured in garbage time and didn't want to take that risk, but realized that the crowd (and Clarkson) was pretty psyched about getting that triple double so couldn't take him out yet. Hardy is great, I hope he never leaves.
Hardy seems like a great coach and I have no clue what their relationship is like. I am just going by how Clarkson has been handled in the past. Seems like teams love his ability to create but he also feels like the sort of player who gets hot and goes off script. Maybe that's not accurate though.
Yes the crowd was so into it during the entire 4Q. Sometimes we forget that this is still an entertainment business especially for teams not in contention. Hardy was 100% correct to leave him out there at home under those circumstances although I'm not really buying his fear of injury thing as much as his fear of showing up another coach.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWNpcfwDpUM
start at the 19-minute mark to listen to Timpf's take on the BUCKs defense.
start at the 19-minute mark to listen to Timpf's take on the BUCKs defense.
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/274144/Mavs-Looking-To-Upgrade-At-Power-Forward-Interest-In-Pascal-Siakam-Overstated
The Grant Williams love affair was short
The Grant Williams love affair was short
And Chet is as far from a fraud as they come. If someone came from the future and said he had been All-NBA or DPOY next year, I wouldn't fall out of my chair or anything. Dude is so good.
Well, one could quibble about Ben Simmons being a fraud but your overall point is well-taken and it's quite a list.
I was super impressed by Chet last night, who looks worlds ahead of Wemby in terms of floor awareness, when to leave his feet (essentially never), and how to relocate for threes and take them in the flow of the offense. He had a couple of absolute daggers. And his frame looks like it should fill out. He's going to be a problem for a while if he stays healthy. Loved his sky hook over KP.
His offense isn't even the best part of his game. He is an eraser like Wemby but as you note Chet seems to have a much better feel for the floor than Victor. Some of his blocks feel impossible yet he can get them on the regular.
I suppose this is as good a place as any to post that I was 1,000,000 % wrong about Chet, who I thought would be blown away by the physicality of the league. He's a joy to watch.
Same here. I wasn't impressed at all with how he handled the college game and had his upside as a rotation guy. Wrong!! His offense is night and day from college and he's going to be fine handling size. He competed so well w a vet like KP last night. Kid is super impressive.
I've been a Chet believer, but even at that he's been a good bit better than I expected. The question it raises for me is when does Presti push in his (many) chips. I think the assumption was OKC was another year of player development away, would maybe hope to get some playoff experience this season, and then make a push next year. That still might be a decent plan. On the flip, the team is so good that I can imagine Presti looking around and not being so impressed by the competition. The Nuggets are 3rd in the West but I think clearly the best team. And, yet, they're thin enough that just one injury could have an outsized impact...obviously the case with Jokic and has been seen already with the mini spin they had when Murray was out. But I think even losing someone like Gordon could hurt them. The TWolves are #1 in the West and I remember last year with injuries and Goebert suspension in the playoffs they looked like a team that would thrive when whole. They've shown that this season but, at the same time, I'm not sure they throw the fear of god into anyone. I'm still not a Clippers believer. I may have had a lucky instinct on Chet, but Clippers have shown what a basketball idiot I am and no doubt a healthy Harden, PG13, Kawhi is scary af. But the Clippers being healthy isn't a great bet and, even healthy, I still think the defense will falter in the playoffs. There are some other teams that are being written off now -- the Warriors, Lakers, and Kings, specifically -- who I could see getting their stuff together and making a late season run. Again, though, it's not like any of those teams should scare off OKC from thinking this might be a year to think deep run rather than just more development and experience. If the right match comes along -- Markkanen? -- the Thunder could be very dangerous.
Presti has the war chest and, more importantly, a team that demands he make a deal now. I understand the old chestnut about how teams have to get to the precipice and fail before getting over the hump but that isn't always the case (e.g. Warriors first title).
Time decay plus the fact that the Thunder are having good health luck thus far argues to strike now and I would bet they do. If only because they have to spend some of their draft capital.
Time decay plus the fact that the Thunder are having good health luck thus far argues to strike now and I would bet they do. If only because they have to spend some of their draft capital.
The Warriors made the playoffs twice (and won a playoff series) before winning their first title, which is miles ahead of what the current Thunder team has done (hasn't made the playoffs in 4 years and hasn't won a playoff series since Durant left). I still think they should make a move now, if it's available.
It would be a great storyline if Durant ended his career in OKC and helped lead the kids to a championship.
Yes and even after all that conventional wisdom in this very forum was that they had to get close to the Finals and then fail before they would get their shot. I do believe that experience is huge in the playoffs but talent can beat seasoning as we all know.
Also, going back to the Warriors, they made it as the WC each time the first three playoff years: got bounced in round two by the Spurs after that Nuggets upset (aka the end of George Karl), dispatched in round one by the Clips in the Sterling series the following year and then went on to win it all. So they definitely had way more early round playoff experience than this OKC squad but its not like they went deep into the dance and then came back stronger. They simply marauded right over everyone when it was their time. Not saying they will but OKC can do it too.
I didn’t watch Chet enough in college to have a lot of confidence either way, but I kept asking why his frame was disqualifying and Wemby’s was not. Turns out neither should be….
I thought Wemby was much more agile and athletic while Chet was too mechanical which was not the case. Probably just the college game limiting his skillset.
The 2015 Warriors were also terrific, arguably better than any non-warriors team in the last 25 years: 67 wins (tied for 5th most all-time) and a net rating of +10.2 (10th best all-time). Plus they caught a break late in the playoffs, basically facing 1 man teams in the WCF (Harden and his merry band of Rockets) and finals (Lebron with no Kyrie and no Love). The SGA Thunder don't have any real chance of being THAT good this year, but they could certainly catch similar breaks.
Agree on Markkanen, he would be on my wish list if I were an OKC fan. Picks + Giddey + filler would be a nice haul for Danny.
Then use some middling 1sts to grab Caruso. They need his bulk to guard WINGs with Dort
Still think they are a year or two away. BUT expect they will be the Celtic's WC nemesis for the next 5 seasons.
Benny Mathurin just crap talked Dame at the line when Lillard was shooting FTs, then got the ball on the way up the court and sank a buzzer beating three to end the third. He then proceeded to crap talk Dame again. Wonder if this fuels Dame time in this one or if the Pacers can continue to hammer the Bucks.
Knicks still don’t have enough scoring, I don’t think. Randle doesn’t get the ball deep enough to post and can’t seem to bully his way in. Donte/Grimes/McBride seem meh. Hart’s a great two-way player, but isn’t a half-court guy, similar to OG. They need Brunson to go off every night. Caruso’s currently shutting him down.
You're spot on.
OKC is the 2nd youngest NBA team at 24 years old. The Warrior's average age was 26.
Rusillo discussed this very topic today. Go to the 14-minute mark.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YcMiL4pxWI
OKC down double digits late, to *checks notes* the Atlanta Hawks. Guess we really took it out of 'em last night.
So you're saying OKC staged a great comeback late in the 4th quarter, had a 3-pointer to tie, and it clanged out?
Man, I feel SO BAD for them. That must feel AWFUL.
Randle is still pretty damn good in transition, though. And I think the Knicks just got five offensive rebounds in one possession.
Remember when people here were saying Malik Monk was garbage a couple years ago when he was leaving Charlotte as a FA? He's now one of the 6th man of the year favorites and lighting it up again tonight.
OKC loses shooting 50% from 3P.
From all accounts, getting Jalen Johnson back will be really good for ATL.
NYK ends up winning. OG ended up +35 to lead NYK in +/- (again), although it's just one game so it doesn't mean anything. Also IQ had highest +/- of any TOR starter (again) but same caveat applies.
He still goes through long stretches where he's completely invisible, but I'm just happy he isn't doing this in LA.
It really is wonderful, and can't blame this one on AD (29/18/6 with 5 blocks and 2 steals, monster game). They're just a terrible shooting team, 4-30 from 3 tonight. They need both AD and Lebron (terrible game for him) to play great to beat even average teams at home, which is pathetic.
Miami is 14-9 with healthy Jimmy and 5-5 otherwise. It'd be nice if they would collapse without him, but it's not happening. Jacquez is great, Robinson is back as a positive rotation player, Love and Lowry have rebounded from rough seasons and remain useful at 35 and 37, and Bam/Herro have been playing like all-stars. They aren't going away.
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He's much more than just a 3pt shooter, very athletic.
for fun where does he rank amongst NBA UK Wildcats?
1st team: AD, SGA, Booker, Fox, KAT
2nd team: Bam, Randle, Maxey, Jamal Murray, Herro
3rd Team: Quickly, Monk, Vandy, Keldon Johnson, PJ Washington
Honorable Mention: Sharpe, Lyles, Cason Wallace, Nick Richards, Isiah Jackson
Monk is on the deep bench for the Alumni team