[NBA] Comments that don't warrant a thread (APR)
- Thread starter Warhawk
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Great shot. Also, I've watched this play like ten times and still have absolutely no idea what the Grizzles were trying to do on defense. I mean, they had Ja on Zaps for some reason and Grayson Allen trying to defend the paint despite him being like 6'4". Seems like the Mavs could have scored the easy two for the tie (not that the Luka three wasn't awesome or anything).
Seriously if you are the Suns/Jazz I would be praying Dallas gets beat in the play-in (assuming Portland does not drop) Mavs if healthy got enough defense (DFS/Richardson/Maxi Taxi/KP)/shooting and Luka Magic to beat both those teams easy. Dallas can beat every team in the West except the two LA teams.
The Jazz and Suns don't have anyone to match up with Luka (e.g like Ben Simmons who locks him down and Leonard/Lebron (for stretches) who have the size/smarts/strength to stay with him. Crowder/O'Neale/Bridges are just there to be eaten alive by Luka.
The Jazz and Suns don't have anyone to match up with Luka (e.g like Ben Simmons who locks him down and Leonard/Lebron (for stretches) who have the size/smarts/strength to stay with him. Crowder/O'Neale/Bridges are just there to be eaten alive by Luka.
It seems like NBA bigs always have the highest bust potential when picked high and now that the league has moved away from a Shaq = automatic championship contender they are getting harder to justify with a top 5 pick. I guess we'll check back in in another 10 years if 3 point shooters improve another 5-10%. Apologies to Slim.
Embiid was the only one picked in the lotto and part of "the process" that has netted a whopping two playoff series wins.
Not a knock on him, but I think proof that drafting bigs in the top 5 is no longer what it used to be. They also blew a high pick on Okafor and traded for Noel who was a 3rd overall pick. KAT has 5 playoff games under his belt and Anthony Davis had to finagle his way to LA to win something after years of purgatory in NO. Cousins too, had he come along 10 years earlier probably would have been a fixture in the playoffs.
Not a knock on him, but I think proof that drafting bigs in the top 5 is no longer what it used to be. They also blew a high pick on Okafor and traded for Noel who was a 3rd overall pick. KAT has 5 playoff games under his belt and Anthony Davis had to finagle his way to LA to win something after years of purgatory in NO. Cousins too, had he come along 10 years earlier probably would have been a fixture in the playoffs.
OKC is now 1-12 since they made the heroic decision to rest their leading scorer until his vague and untreatable foot condition heals on its own and I think it's time to appreciate how far they've come! Truly an inspiration to us all. Oh and while we're at it, we should also send up a prayer for Al Horford whose only crime was helping his team win games. May his basketball soul rest in peace.
I don't think looking at these players individually and say go get me a title is fair to them. Multiple All-stars usually gives a team the best chance to win. Every couple of seasons you have a team like the Heat last season that had some luck on their side and many other things go their way but as a GM, I would never scoff at drafting a top big man prospect just because they aren't winning Playoff series.
Well it's not fair, but the game has changed enough that it seems to me it's like trying to build an NFL team around your running game. The dominant big was the key to success for decades, now it is a nice to have. Teams with dominant play makers and shooters with competent/complementary bigs seem to be the way to go and unless something drastically changes I only see it moving further in that direction as players approach higher 3pt %s.
In Dallas' loss to New York today, Luka Doncic's teammates made 33 shots on 75 attempts and 19 of them were assisted by Luka. That means the Mavericks shot only 25% (14 for 56) on shots that weren't directly created by their PG which is a credit to the Knicks defense as much as it is to the passing prowess of Kingsfans.com's favorite basketball prodigy.
While we're handing out awards, how about the Minnesota Timberwolves who somehow have a 15-42 record despite having two first overall picks on their roster and a second overall pick (who they traded another former first overall pick for). Considering that the track record of first overall picks in the NBA is actually pretty solid, it takes a special level of talent to be that bad with that much draft capitol at your disposal. And even worse, they have to give this year's pick to Golden State unless it's in the top 3 so all this losing might not even help them.
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