The NBA Thread

It’s insane to me that that place gets so loud for a team with 2 wins. What a game though. KP was rattled by all that booing. The whole garden chanting “asshole” when he was on the line was amazing. Knicks completed their season sweep of the Mavs already.
Even when the team is bad, there’s nothing like the Garden when it gets going. And it was going from the anthem last night.

When the team finally gets good again, it’s going to be a zoo.
 
A friend and I had a meet n greet with a random Bucks player after the game last night. We spent the whole game excited about who it could be. Ended up being Dragan Bender who has yet to play a single minute for us, and was sent down and up to our G league team this week...we were disappointed as we both would have been cool with just about anybody else on the team. But better than nothing even though he didn't really have much to say.
 
A friend and I had a meet n greet with a random Bucks player after the game last night. We spent the whole game excited about who it could be. Ended up being Dragan Bender who has yet to play a single minute for us, and was sent down and up to our G league team this week...we were disappointed as we both would have been cool with just about anybody else on the team. But better than nothing even though he didn't really have much to say.
A bit of a bummer...forgot Bender was even on the Bucks haha. I guess you technically did meet "random Bucks player" though!
 
A friend and I had a meet n greet with a random Bucks player after the game last night. We spent the whole game excited about who it could be. Ended up being Dragan Bender who has yet to play a single minute for us, and was sent down and up to our G league team this week...we were disappointed as we both would have been cool with just about anybody else on the team. But better than nothing even though he didn't really have much to say.

That's rough - the Bucks have so many good personalities right now, too. They could have given you DJ Wilson or Thanasis at least.

I actually got a similar opportunity when I was a little kid - the Buck I got was Todd Day. He couldn't have possibly cared less about meeting me and my friend (we were probably 8-9 years old).
 
That's rough - the Bucks have so many good personalities right now, too. They could have given you DJ Wilson or Thanasis at least.

I actually got a similar opportunity when I was a little kid - the Buck I got was Todd Day. He couldn't have possibly cared less about meeting me and my friend (we were probably 8-9 years old).
I was really hoping for a Lopez brother cause they're fun. But yeah..pretty much anybody on that team.....I loved Todd Day though.
 
Ugh. We signed 35 year old Carmelo Anthony.

Honestly, I'm not sure what his role will be. On Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith predicted he would be a 3rd scoring option for them, which I disagree with because Rodney Hood has been plenty serviceable in being a 3rd option. So, I suspect he will be relegated to the bench as a 8th man of sorts, as we need to continue to develop Simons (who has been very promising, but still has dribbling concerns) and Little (our 1st rounder from this year).

Our bench has been pretty meh otherwise. Bazemore has been by far the biggest disappointment of them all. For a guy in his prime, he's shooting under 36% FROM THE FIELD. Hezonja comes and goes, although a solid rebounder. Labissiere has been ineffective. Tolliver might be out of the rotation to make way for Carmelo.

I think Melo can still be a 10ppg player, but will easily give up the same on the other end. Our REAL concern has been center depth with our injuries. Not having Nurkic or Collins for most of the year has led to Whiteside carrying the starting C minutes. I do think that if everyone were healthy (and I hate playing the "what if" game), our record would be reversed from 4-8 to 8-4. It's early though, and Portland has had slow starts before, only to get hot after the ASB and make the playoffs in the West. I'm not going to overreact now and say this team is done (like Charles Barkley claimed), but it has not been promising, to say the least.
 
Ugh. We signed 35 year old Carmelo Anthony.

Honestly, I'm not sure what his role will be. On Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith predicted he would be a 3rd scoring option for them, which I disagree with because Rodney Hood has been plenty serviceable in being a 3rd option. So, I suspect he will be relegated to the bench as a 8th man of sorts, as we need to continue to develop Simons (who has been very promising, but still has dribbling concerns) and Little (our 1st rounder from this year).

Our bench has been pretty meh otherwise. Bazemore has been by far the biggest disappointment of them all. For a guy in his prime, he's shooting under 36% FROM THE FIELD. Hezonja comes and goes, although a solid rebounder. Labissiere has been ineffective. Tolliver might be out of the rotation to make way for Carmelo.

I think Melo can still be a 10ppg player, but will easily give up the same on the other end. Our REAL concern has been center depth with our injuries. Not having Nurkic or Collins for most of the year has led to Whiteside carrying the starting C minutes. I do think that if everyone were healthy (and I hate playing the "what if" game), our record would be reversed from 4-8 to 8-4. It's early though, and Portland has had slow starts before, only to get hot after the ASB and make the playoffs in the West. I'm not going to overreact now and say this team is done (like Charles Barkley claimed), but it has not been promising, to say the least.
My dad might be the biggest Carmelo hater in the world and yesterday he texted me "Did you see Portland is going to miss the playoffs this year?"
 
So I've still been keeping up with the Hawks, which have disappointing me lately although their most recent losses had them at least playing pretty well. But I've also started following the Clippers alongside the Hawks. They have some incredible players, but so far that's even been hit and miss. Tonight though, it's Hawks Clippers, and I'm ready for anything that goes down. I don't know whether or not both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are playing tonight or not, but it still feels probable that they'll beat the Hawks.
 
Two solid Melo articles:



Melo revitalized a once relevant franchise that had just spent a decade among the dregs of the league. And yet, his decision to bail on a very good team that was within two failed inbound passes of reaching the Finals in 2008-09 and then looked even better in 2009-10 (started 35-18 before George Karl was diagnosed with cancer in mid-February of that season) wound up nearly killing Denver's interest in basketball.

Melo turning his back on Denver and heading to NY fed the perception that the (Stern era) NBA was rigged against small markets (whether that be the officiating or the player movement). And unlike other small markets (Utah, Portland, OKC), Denver had other lovers they could turn to for comfort. The attitude post-Melo became: why would I watch the NBA when star players don't want to play for our city? I'd rather invest myself in the Avs and the Broncos whose star players appreciate our rapidly growing city and have demonstrated that they can win a title in any given year.

That said, Anthony is a sure-fire HOF. He is responsible for an entire generation of Nuggets fans that might not otherwise exist. People like me whose first basketball memories are Dikembe Mutumbo on the ground crying but then spent the next 8 years of our childhood watching us blow high draft pick after high draft pick and had almost forgotten about our love for the sport before he arrived in town. And the constant letdowns of his playoff appearances can really just be viewed as preparation the realities of adulthood in a post-recession America.

So while the die-hards of the fanbase may prefer to rock their Gallo jersey, there is a definite argument for retiring Melo's. And I think most of us are happy he is getting a last hurrah. As to how it will work on the Blazers... my guess is not well. His strengths are not what they need, and his glaring weaknesses (at this point in his career) are already weaknesses of the team.
 
the Hawks keep breaking my heart. I keep hoping there's a turnaround and they start winning again and playing as a better unit, but nope.
 
the Hawks keep breaking my heart. I keep hoping there's a turnaround and they start winning again and playing as a better unit, but nope.

They are young and their second best player has missed the whole season thus far. What matters is that Hunt proves he was worth the capital you spent to obtain him and that Tre continues to get more consistent. Especially because Reddish has done nothing to change his doubter's minds.
 
Being a Nuggets fan never fails to disappoint in ways you don't even see coming (as opposed to say, shit refereeing or 1st round flame outs)

The season after we finally proclaim #Nugglife dead and Jokic puts up the first MVP caliber season I’ve witnessed from a guy donning a Nuggets jersey in my 3 decade plus lifetime… that same player suddenly stops giving a shit. And not only does he stop giving a shit, it happens during a season where all the pieces around him are better than ever and the NBA is the most wide open its been in a decade plus.
I’ve seen homeless people put more effort into hunting for empty cans than Jokic displayed in the first half of tonight’s game at the Can. 1-3 from the floor, 1 single rebound. I’m not sure I can ever recall such a jarring drop off in play from a player who should be entering his prime. In any sport.

I realize there are human elements at play. It can’t be easy to deal with the situation with his brother. I’ve heard through the grapevine of reliable sources (and am now tipsy enough on Laker hatred to say) that he is also dealing with a rough patch in his relationship with his girl friend. Yet, even should that be true- and even if it is an absolute truth that not everyone deals with grief in the same manner (ala IT), the reality is that he is letting his teammates down right now.

And frankly, if it’s hard to be emotionally invested in the Nuggets as a fan right now specifically because it’s clear our most talented player doesn’t give a shit (see all the people blaming Murray in the game thread now that they can’t blame Barton- even though Murray and Sap were the best Nuggets on the floor)— than image being in the locker room right now. Imagine being a 34 year old Milsap who poured countless hours this summer into improving his 3 point shot and getting healthy because he believed he had a shot at a title. Or somebody like Beasley or MPJ who is sacrificing playing time, development and $$$ in the name of winning— only to watch your most important player show up to camp so out of shape that his shooting splits plummet. And not only that- you then watch 1/4th of the season pass by and, despite winning due to team effort- that same star player is still not emotionally invested….

I can’t help but think the locker room is about to splinter.
 
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