Sounds eerily like...Jaylen?Brandon Ingram kinda sucks. Just doesn’t take that much to shut him down.
I don’t feel bad. Screw them all. They can be fun and exciting in 2019-2020.This Sacramento team is fun to watch. I almost feel bad rooting for them to lose.
I agree with the sentiment but it does no good. Rooting against them isn't going to help and frankly, they are a the fun AF stage of development. I also think they will sag as the season goes along because they are all really young and haven't yet learned how to pace themselves.I don’t feel bad. Screw them all. They can be fun and exciting in 2019-2020.
Are you suggesting that a random message boarder’s negativity can’t impact games?I agree with the sentiment but it does no good. Rooting against them isn't going to help and frankly, they are a the fun AF stage of development. I also think they will sag as the season goes along because they are all really young and haven't yet learned how to pace themselves.
My sense is that those who watch Ingram regularly fall in love with his potential and the tantalizing skills he flashes occasionally.Walton really uses Ingram as point forward. This is amazing. He’s so bad.
I'm loving my late night hoops this year more than ever watching my double binkies WCS and Bagley. De'Aaron is fun as sh*t with the pace they play at too.Bagley looks good. He had a great spin move down low to lay the ball in and he wasn't pulling it against some other youngsters. The Clips are largely filled with good, veteran NBA talent.
The questions I had was if Hield could create enough separation from NBA length defenders while remaining in his shooting rhythm. He's really benefitting from being in the Kings style of play but he did shoot 45% from 3 as a college senior after being a very ordinary player the 3 years prior so he has figured out how to slow the game down in the past. I'm not gonna lie I'm a little surprised at how well he's playing this year even though I attribute much of it to the Kings pace.I’m not that concerned about Young’s shooting percentage 25 games into his career. Buddy Hield shot horribly for more of his rookie season but nobody doubted he could really shoot.
Yeah, it’s the length that will flash for a play or two. But he’s not strong, isn’t a good shooter, doesn’t handle the ball particularly well, doesn’t move the ball well, can’t hit free throws, and really just hasn’t improved all that much.My sense is that those who watch Ingram regularly fall in love with his potential and the tantalizing skills he flashes occasionally.
I also think Walton has been told by Magic and Pelinka that Ingram needs as much run as possible in the hopes that he makes the leap. He can then either be part of LeBron's Laker resurgence or be used as a chip to get Davis or some other star player.
LeBron goes 38-9-7 in a “hold my beer” performance. I feel like he’s getting Mike Trout’ed this year, playing like his normal, historically amazing self but on the west coast, stuck in the pacific time zone, with a mediocre supporting cast so it’s easier to ignore him.I love LeBron more than most but this game, right now, features the two best players in the NBA today.
Fair enough - last night aside, LeBron is putting up better numbers than the other two guys in a lot of categories including defense.LeBron goes 38-9-7 in a “hold my beer” performance. I feel like he’s getting Mike Trout’ed this year, playing like his normal, historically amazing self but on the west coast, stuck in the pacific time zone, with a mediocre supporting cast so it’s easier to ignore him.
Lonzo with 2 points tonight on 1-6 shooting. Think the Lakers regret passing on Fox (to say nothing of Tatum) because they fell for they LaVar hype machine?
If you start looking at the advanced stats like VORP, RPM, Win Shares etc. there's no clear cut leader, but it's definitely not Leonard. James, GA, and Durant all fare pretty well. Marc Gasol is your early RPM leader.Fair enough - last night aside, LeBron is putting up better numbers than the other two guys in a lot of categories including defense.
That said, I still may choose either Durant or Leonard if I had to pick a guy to build around for the next two or three years.
You are still right to point out that my hot take doesn't stand up when you look at the data.
I'm not well versed in the defensive components of the advanced stats as I should be, so perhaps I'm overly skeptical, but if the game were called offenseball instead of basketball then I'm willing to consider Durant in the conversation. He's not bad on the defensive end for certain, but the value that a healthy Leonard, GA and James (can) bring on the there as well as their offensive skills mean they really separate for me.If you start looking at the advanced stats like VORP, RPM, Win Shares etc. there's no clear cut leader, but it's definitely not Leonard. James, GA, and Durant all fare pretty well. Marc Gasol is your early RPM leader.
What is difficult to understand about wanting to play in LA? Does a player have to sign with a superteam like GS in order to care about winning?That said, I’ve done a 180 this season on him and while I don’t have any problem with him personally, the Lakers maneuver means he put winning second which I just can’t understand. Doesn’t change the fact he is the best on the court, still.
By DRPM Durant has been pretty similar to James and Leonard the last couple of years, FWIW. GA is a bit better. That's a season average though, and you may be right that James and Leonard are better at turning it up when it counts.I'm not well versed in the defensive components of the advanced stats as I should be, so perhaps I'm overly skeptical, but if the game were called offenseball instead of basketball then I'm willing to consider Durant in the conversation. He's not bad on the defensive end for certain, but the value that a healthy Leonard, GA and James (can) bring on the there as well as their offensive skills mean they really separate for me.
It isn't easy to evaluate Lonzo this year. How would Fox look if he was screening for LeBron then flaring out to the wing to be a weak side spot up shooter? I'm guessing pretty bad.LeBron goes 38-9-7 in a “hold my beer” performance. I feel like he’s getting Mike Trout’ed this year, playing like his normal, historically amazing self but on the west coast, stuck in the pacific time zone, with a mediocre supporting cast so it’s easier to ignore him.
Lonzo with 2 points tonight on 1-6 shooting. Think the Lakers regret passing on Fox (to say nothing of Tatum) because they fell for they LaVar hype machine?
This has always been viewed as a bridge year for LeBron and the Lakers while he debuts his 3 new TV shows. If he signed off on this being a youth movement over the next several seasons then I will concede this however I don't see any indications that this is the case. If Ball and/or Ingram are still here to start next season I'll begin to maybe consider this position...….but I fully expect an overhauled Laker roster filled with veterans no later than the start of next fall.That said, I’ve done a 180 this season on him and while I don’t have any problem with him personally, the Lakers maneuver means he put winning second which I just can’t understand. Doesn’t change the fact he is the best on the court, still.
Agree that it’s hard for to evaluate Lonzo this year, but Fox is shooting 38.5% on 3s for the year so far as the focus of the offense, albeit on a relatively low 3.1 attempts per game, but I can’t imagine having LeBron draw the defense would hurt.It isn't easy to evaluate Lonzo this year. How would Fox look if he was screening for LeBron then flaring out to the wing to be a weak side spot up shooter? I'm guessing pretty bad.
Oh, I'm all in on Fox no doubt. I was only referring to the difficult situation that Ball finds himself in until he's traded.Agree that it’s hard for to evaluate Lonzo this year, but Fox is shooting 38.5% on 3s for the year so far as the focus of the offense, albeit on a relatively low 3.1 attempts per game, but I can’t imagine having LeBron draw the defense would hurt.
The Warriors win in 5-7, most likely. Or whatever the expected result is for a +11.3 team (SRS) with a ~98% chance of being down 0-1 against a a +7.1 team.Imagine if ZaZa didn't intentionally injure him 2 years ago with the Spurs up 25 in Game 1.
LeBron picks his spots to get his rest defensively as he's always tactfully, and smartly, done throughout his career. He's definitely in the upper tier of defenders at the end of games or in the playoffs......or are you using regular season optics/metrics to formulate an opinion on his ability in different settings?(Edit: wait, what? There are still people who think age 34 LeBron is a good defender?)
How is this anyway related to your insinuation that LeBron is not a good defender?LeBron v. Durant current tally, as long as we're on it:
Durant 30.1 pts on .624 true shooting / .930 ft shooting / 7.9 rebounds / 6.1 assists / 3.3 turnovers (in 35.7 mpg)
LeBron 28.1 pts on .609 true shooting / .715 ft shooting / 8.0 rebounds / 6.7 assists / 3.5 turnovers (in 35.0 mpg)
Net on/off: LeBron +2.4, Durant +12.1
Firmly agree with this, though I'd extend it to both ends of the floor. And what's amazing about when LeBron rests on offense is that his form of resting is actually just to be a ++ point guard. He spent much of the 2nd Q last night, for example, just using his natural gravity to find open teammates all over the floor from the top of the key. They missed most of the looks but he was still putting on a clinic in his own way, while saving up his energy to pretty much single-handedly win the game for LA in the last 3-4 minutes.LeBron picks his spots to get his rest defensively as he's always tactfully, and smartly, done throughout his career. He's definitely in the upper tier of defenders at the end of games or in the playoffs......or are you using regular season optics/metrics to formulate an opinion on his ability in different settings?
Sounds like Durant, or pretty much every other great player, no?LeBron picks his spots to get his rest defensively as he's always tactfully, and smartly, done throughout his career.
Regular season metrics and playoff metrics (e.g. Cavs playoff opponents scored 112.6 points per 100 last year when he was on the floor compared to 105.7 when he sat). Plus — since defensive metrics are always kinda dodgy — just the general eye-test that he's no longer quite quick enough to chase guards and wings around the perimeter; doesn't really defend the interior like a big man; and even in the heat of playoff battle tends to chill out (easily accepting switches, e.g.) more than a two-way superstar should when going head-to-head against a guy like KD.He's definitely in the upper tier of defenders at the end of games or in the playoffs......or are you using regular season optics/metrics to formulate an opinion on his ability in different settings?
It wasn't — I started posting that before I saw your post, lol. But I think I would argue (with some obvious bias) that KD is a comparable or marginally better defender than current-day LeBron (something that may be evident in the degree to which LeBron's plus-minus numbers have plummeted the last couple seasons, despite excellent traditional numbers).How is this anyway related to your insinuation that LeBron is not a good defender?
I agree. When you are asked to carry such a huge offensive load it is important to have guys like Draymond, Smart, future Ntilikina (lol, see what I did there), and those types to take the pressure off you. The funny thing about LeBron is that he rarely, if ever, had that guy in Cleveland or even Miami unless I'm forgetting someone. He was the guy on both ends.Sounds like Durant, or pretty much every other great player, no?
Those numbers don't tell the story behind them though as these are TEAM numbers so tagging one individual along with his teammates to generate an "individual" number misses a ton of meat along the way. One perfect example is the other day when I was discussing eh.....this particular PG in Chicago's offensive improvement and defensive impact, London Sox used these same On/Off Defensive numbers to claim that this player doesn't impact the game on that end despite being paired with Zach LaVine who carries an enormous negative metric in this same category. The similar Def On/Off numbers he used appeared to the naked eye as an "individual" number showing no impact......while not factoring how an average defensive player (one with truly no impact) would be driven well into the negative due to the LaVine pairing.Regular season metrics and playoff metrics (e.g. Cavs playoff opponents scored 112.6 points per 100 last year when he was on the floor compared to +105.7 when he sat). Plus — since defensive metrics are always kinda dodgy — just the general eye-test that he's no longer quite quick enough to chase guards and wings around the perimeter; doesn't really defend the interior like a big man; and even in the heat of playoff battle tends to chill out (easily accepting switches, e.g.) more than a two-way superstar should when going head-to-head against a guy like KD.
82games used to do some cool stuff with this but as I referenced above so much of individual defensive is still best evaluated by traditional scouting methods to paint the entire picture.Where's the evidence that he's (still) "definitely in the upper tier of defenders at the end of games or in the playoffs"? I'm definitely open to it if there is some.
Lol, sounds about right. Yes, I'd say todays Durant is similar to todays LeBron. No argument here as they are both have unique defensive skillsets.It wasn't — I started posting that before I saw your post, lol. But I think I would argue (with some obvious bias) that KD is a comparable or marginally better defender than current-day LeBron (something that may be evident in the degree to which LeBron's plus-minus numbers have plummeted the last couple seasons, despite excellent traditional numbers).
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25410888/nba-james-harden-foul-drawing-mastery-unstoppableIf anyone knows how to sell a foul, it's Marcus Smart. And while the Boston Celtics' guard does most of his Oscar-worthy work on defense, Harden's offensive tactics just might give him a run for his money.
"He flops on offense just like I flop on defense," Smart says. "He's been in the league a long time, and he's built that reputation. It's hard to guard him knowing that, at any given moment, you can get called for a foul.
"He does a really good job of using his body and using the rules to his advantage."
Hollis-Jefferson made a boneheaded foul on JJJ's 3 for a 4-point play then JJJ followed this up with another for the tie after the Nets failed to execute an in-bounds play. The Nets had no timeouts left and nobody really sure what to do so Dinwiddie ran an iso and actually expected to get a call against some contact near the rim which would have been a complete bailout call at the buzzer. He was irate but the officials made the correct no-call imo.Nets blow a 7 point lead against Grizzlies in final 33 seconds. I have no idea how nor do I feel like looking it up. Awful.
What they need is some good young talent from the top of the draft, they should have a couple players at least from the last few years they can rely on, right?Ugh. Thanks, Nets. When will they ever help us out?
I was gonna say that they need some veterans who aren't shell shocked down the stretch of games. The Nets have blown a ton of late leads this year due to not having any leadership on the floor.What they need is some good young talent from the top of the draft, they should have a couple players at least from the last few years they can rely on, right?
We may only be able to say this for another month or two about Conley but as of today he's probably bypassed Rod Strickland for the top spot on my list.Mike Conley scored 19 of Memphis' 20 points in the two overtimes. He has got to be one of the best players to never make an All-Star team.
Amazing. The other noteworthy thing from this game was JJJ. Yet another young player who looks like he will make an impact. 36 points on 13-22 shooting and 8 boards. He was +13 for the Grizzlies too. Luka is the clearcut leader for ROY at this early stage but if Jackson can continue to progress on the offensive end in addition to his good defense, watch out.Mike Conley scored 19 of Memphis' 20 points in the two overtimes. He has got to be one of the best players to never make an All-Star team.