2019 AS Weekend Game Thread

TripleOT

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Lilliard 18 points on 17 shots, all threes. He was a plus 20

Westbrook and Curry 34 points on 43 shots, the rest of the team 130 points on 97 shots.
 

TripleOT

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Yeah, that was sort of kind of if you squint hard real basketball there in the 4th quarter.

These guys are also ridiculous shooters.
I thought the same thing about the shooting, until I looked at the box score. Of those who took more than four threes, only KD and Middleton made more than half their threes. The Freaks shot 35.1% from deep, and the LBJs shot 38.5%.
 

sox311

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That's what she said.
KD and Kyrie horsing around postgame isn't going to set off any hot takes. Nope. Not at all...
You mean when they were grabbing each other's nipples? Those two couldn't keep their hands off of each other. I have never seen Kyrie that happy. I'm glad he finally found someone, I guess... Kyrie calling Kobe first after winning the NBA championship before celebrating with his teammates blew me away. He's an odd dude.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Nice to see Curry make a shot in crunch time.

That final lineup for Giannas' team was garbage. Embiid shouldn't be in the game in crunch time, and certainly shouldn't be trying to defend Lebron
ASG star hot take alert, but Embiid looked like garbage all night. He just doesn't seem to know how to function when he's not the focal point of the offense every time down the floor. Doesn't bode well for Philly, imho. Also, he needs to lose 25-30 lbs.

KD and Klay both kicked ass and somehow I'm pissed. ;-P
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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You mean when they were grabbing each other's nipples? Those two couldn't keep their hands off of each other. I have never seen Kyrie that happy. I'm glad he finally found someone, I guess... Kyrie calling Kobe first after winning the NBA championship before celebrating with his teammates blew me away. He's an odd dude.
He really is and I am not sure any of this means anything but the media makes their hay by stirring these things up. And Irving and Durant gave them some material, perception-based or not.

If Kyrie and KD do team up, I don't expect it to end well. Both of them are fairly sensitive and, the media/social media being what it is, I expect that any adversity will be met with some attempt to stir divisiveness. These two guys seem particularly susceptible to that sort of dynamic.

What I don't see from a Durant-Irving pairing is a championship unless they get a true third star. Zion in his rookie season may well be very good but he isn't likely to be that guy yet.
 

sox311

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That's what she said.
It’s a gold thread itself; What are Kyrie and KD as a big two?

Are they any different than KD and Russ? Many of us are having questions about if a Kyrie les team can make it work with the supporting staff Boston has. Kyrie and KD is f any better than what Boston has now really. Besides that one superstar who can win you the title, but team wise, no better thrown to New York.

If Kyrie and KD team up I still see Steph and the Warriors along with whoever Lebron gets to join him with the Lakers to be the top competition followed by Boston if Brad is back to creating an overachieving team, Milwaukee, Toronto if they can hang on to Kawhi, and maybe Philly.
 

The Social Chair

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ASG star hot take alert, but Embiid looked like garbage all night. He just doesn't seem to know how to function when he's not the focal point of the offense every time down the floor. Doesn't bode well for Philly, imho. Also, he needs to lose 25-30 lbs.
Watching Simmons play fast with Beal, Klay, and Dame was awesome.
 

BigSoxFan

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Much as many of us would love that, Durant CP3'ing his way to Boston would likely only happen if Boston surrendered Tatum.
Why do you say this when Durant could leave for nothing. Say Horford opts in and Celtics offer Jaylen/Horford/pick for KD. Warriors turning that down?

Horford
Draymond
Brown
Thompson
Curry

That’s a pretty damn good team...
 

nighthob

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Much as many of us would love that, Durant CP3'ing his way to Boston would likely only happen if Boston surrendered Tatum.
The only real way to make the salaries work (without gutting the roster) is Hayward for Durant (and honestly that’s probably the deal the Warriors would prefer as well, to maximize Steph’s window). Hence my remark.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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The only real way to make the salaries work (without gutting the roster) is Hayward for Durant (and honestly that’s probably the deal the Warriors would prefer as well, to maximize Steph’s window). Hence my remark.
I would be shocked if the Warriors agreed to a S&T with Boston for Durant without Tatum or for Hayward only. I am assuming it would take both.

And everyone else can see (and some Warriors players allegedly commented on) Hayward's slow progress from his injury. As much as he has improved of late, he is still likely a tough sell to other teams given his production at the size and length of his remaining contract.
 

nighthob

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I would be shocked if the Warriors agreed to a S&T with Boston for Durant without Tatum or for Hayward only. I am assuming it would take both.
Clearly the Warriors are better off replacing Durant with a taxpayer MLE player than Hayward.

EDIT: It only works if Durant picks up his option, as a taxpayer Boston can’t receive Durant in a sign & trade. So it would be the case that Durant would offer to pick up the option conditional on a trade to Boston, and aside from that be leaving the Warriors.
 
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HomeRunBaker

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So Durant and Horford are both going to pick up their options, to make less money, to avoid FA where they control their destination and future financial control, for the purpose of giving their GM/owner the leverage to trade them wherever the GM/owner wishes?

Let’s start this day off fresh.
 

nighthob

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You do understand that this is how Chris Paul became a Rocket, yes? He told Clippers management that he wanted to go to Houston, and that he would pick up his option if LA were trading him there. And if they weren’t going to trade him there then he would opt out of his deal and leave.

In other words, if Golden State were trading Durant prior to June 24th, he would need to exercise his option to make it legal.
 

Van Everyman

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It's hilarious to me that the NBA All Star Game has turned into yet *another* opportunity for everyone to opine on which stars are going to team up with one another. Because I don't get enough of that during the rest of the season.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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So Durant and Horford are both going to pick up their options, to make less money, to avoid FA where they control their destination and future financial control, for the purpose of giving their GM/owner the leverage to trade them wherever the GM/owner wishes?

Let’s start this day off fresh.
Nobody is this thread said that would happen or is even likely. But this sort of scenario is actually how Paul wound up in Houston.

Like it or not, there is chatter around Irving and Durant wanting to pair up. Last night's grab-assing...er, grab-nippling etc was noted by the press and social media so we began discussing it. But no one claims it is going to happen whether its New York or Boston.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Nobody is this thread said that would happen or is even likely. But this sort of scenario is actually how Paul wound up in Houston.

Like it or not, there is chatter around Irving and Durant wanting to pair up. Last night's grab-assing...er, grab-nippling etc was noted by the press and social media so we began discussing it. But no one claims it is going to happen whether its New York or Boston.
Not exactly the same way as Paul openly voiced his desire to play in Houston. Paul had a 15% trade kicker so he added close to $4m to the option year. Durant has also publicly announced that he would not take another discount which is precisely what picking up next years option would result in. I’ve also chronicled several times why opting into next season is a terrible idea for Horford based on his age. On top of these individual obstacles you’d need both players to agree to you’d also need TWO players to agree to the same pay cut when it doesn’t make sense for either.
 

RedOctober3829

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deep inside Guido territory
Not exactly the same way as Paul openly voiced his desire to play in Houston. Paul had a 15% trade kicker so he added close to $4m to the option year. Durant has also publicly announced that he would not take another discount which is precisely what picking up next years option would result in. I’ve also chronicled several times why opting into next season is a terrible idea for Horford based on his age. On top of these individual obstacles you’d need both players to agree to you’d also need TWO players to agree to the same pay cut when it doesn’t make sense for either.
Durant has a 15% trade kicker too.
 

BigSoxFan

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Not exactly the same way as Paul openly voiced his desire to play in Houston. Paul had a 15% trade kicker so he added close to $4m to the option year. Durant has also publicly announced that he would not take another discount which is precisely what picking up next years option would result in. I’ve also chronicled several times why opting into next season is a terrible idea for Horford based on his age. On top of these individual obstacles you’d need both players to agree to you’d also need TWO players to agree to the same pay cut when it doesn’t make sense for either.
You spend a lot of time on topics that you can easily ignore. As DeJesus said, nobody thinks it’s likely.
 

nighthob

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Not exactly the same way as Paul openly voiced his desire to play in Houston. Paul had a 15% trade kicker so he added close to $4m to the option year. Durant has also publicly announced that he would not take another discount which is precisely what picking up next years option would result in. I’ve also chronicled several times why opting into next season is a terrible idea for Horford based on his age. On top of these individual obstacles you’d need both players to agree to you’d also need TWO players to agree to the same pay cut when it doesn’t make sense for either.
Leave out the Horford half, it’s not going to happen, and if Durant and Irving had decided to team up in Boston (as Jackie Mac reported that they were discussing a few weeks ago), Boston would almost certainly want to hold on to Horford because he’s certain to opt of his deal and sign a longer term contract at lower money (thus reducing the overall luxury tax bite). Hence my remark that it would need to be Hayward for Durant.

From Durant’s standpoint a trade to Boston costs him $5 million (the difference between his 2020 salary plus trade kicker minus the 35% max). Not exactly a huge discount for a player that’s made more than $150 million over the course of a career. And no giant loss given that Boston inherits Bird Rights and can sign him to a five year deal the ensuing summer.