The NBA Thread

DownIsTheNewUp said:
I understand your take in regards to 3 and would have been 1000% fine with SGA winning it but...

Every single player?

I'd have him above KD / Dirk and on par with Shaq. I didn't watch Moses. Obviously, his career is not done and I do think he is going to wear down quicker than people think due to the burden of being an heliocentric hub at 300 lbs. He's already started dealing with back problems this year.

That said, this four year peak is up there with almost any other player I've watched post-Jordon. And every other single player on your list played with multiple all-stars. Jokic hasn't even played with an all-defensive player much less another all-star.

I personally believe Jamal was becoming somewhere between a Mitchell and Booker level player but he tore his ACL, in large part, because of the shortened offseason after the bubble. We were also trashing the rest of the West that season after making the AG trade and looked really, really dangeous.

Jamal has been healthy exactly 2 post-seasons out of the past 5. And those 2 years we made the WCF and won a chip. It falls apart without him because the entire system is built around the two man game and there is a derth of shot creation outside of them.

If Mal can't stay healthy next year, I honestly hope Jokic asks out- something I never thought I'd say- because I can already see this is going to be the common take once he's retired. A different, worse flavor of the Nash convo.

Also, Embid has played with Butler, Harden and Maxey. Plus, Ben when he was racking up all-stars and DPOY chatter. That's four all-stars, two HoF and one of the best playoff risers in NBA history.... and still hasn't made it out of the 2nd round.

He does not belong in the same historical breath as Jokic and Giannis anymore than Ewing does Hakeem.
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I think that last point is spot on, I think in all reality that Hakeem/Robinson/Ewing is a good comparison point for Jokic/Giannis/Embiid in terms of relative positioning on all time rankings and how we may remember this era.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Sorry, yes. I got my years mixed up. If Giannis had two, Embiid had two and Jokić had two it would paint a better picture of the era, in my opinion. I don’t feel like any at this point should have 3.
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My bad, my reading comprehension skills suck after the long work day/beers. Totally agree on this but the lack of playoff success for Embiid, who is a great talent, affects his place among the era’s greats. But all three are pretty extraordinary
 
wmeugene said:
By any and all accounts, Jamal Murray is an all-star/3rd team NBA caliber player who just never has been either due to injury and/or not taking the regular season as importantly as he should. The idea that players 2-6 on the 22-23 Nuggets were worse than any other modern champion is just something I don’t buy.
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Most of the world disagrees with you about Jamal. I don't except that he is always dealing with injuries which, as already discussed, has now tanked all 3 MVP seasons and 3/5 season since Jamal hit his prime.

I'd have to go by team by team but I would say 2-6 was clearly worse than all Warriors, the Cavs title, most of the Spurs titles (though that 14' team is the closest comp), all Lakers titles. + Boston.

The Heat are an interesting comp because its a perfectly calibrated 6 versus 3 top 10 players. Considering how many ring chasers there were on those teams tho... I'd give it to the Heat.

That leaves Toronto, the Bucks, Detroit and Dallas this century.

And yet, I'd also take last years Nuggets over the Kobe, Gasol Lakers and think they would have been in a brawl with many of those San Antonio teams (with the coaching edge going to SA).
 
Never thought the Mavs would be in this position earlier in the season when there was talk of firing Jason Kidd. That trade was so huge. Boston will be tough but Luka and Kyrie are on a different level now so it should be fun.
 
mdmost said:
Never thought the Mavs would be in this position earlier in the season when there was talk of firing Jason Kidd. That trade was so huge. Boston will be tough but Luka and Kyrie are on a different level now so it should be fun.
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First The Rangers, and now The Star and Mavs. (UT made a run for the National Championship too).

If only The Cowboys could get out of their own way. This would be a solid run for chips for Dallas.
 
mdmost said:
The Cowboys will never win anything as long as Jerry owns the team. The last best chance was last season. And honestly it’s great to watch them fail while other teams in the area excel.
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Yeah, I have alway been a bona fide Cowboys hater so I enjoy when they fail but I have had a soft spot for the Mavs. As a kid growing up in IL I had a Jamal Mashburn jersey and a Mavs pullover Starter jacket.
 
I have to be honest, it’s hard to get as into this team as the Dirk years. Luka is a great player but his personality just grates on me. Weirdly I like Kyrie a lot as he once was that player but has really just mellowed. I’d much prefer the Stars to win the Stanley Cup if they can get past Edmonton.
 
mdmost said:
I have to be honest, it’s hard to get as into this team as the Dirk years. Luka is a great player but his personality just grates on me. Weirdly I like Kyrie a lot as he once was that player but has really just mellowed. I’d much prefer the Stars to win the Stanley Cup if they can get past Edmonton.
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I'm with you on Luka. I used to love him but man he makes it hard to.
 
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