NBA season 2018/19
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The young Lakers and Lance Stephenson struggling to hold off the Houston Rockets late in the 4th quarter. I've heard a lot about it but having watched the entire second half it is not unfair to say that Harden is a cheating bastard who gets calls that everyone else doesn't get. He initiates contact more times than most, gets away with MJ on Bryon Russell style push offs. I can't possibly support them at any time, even against the dubs
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Came to talk about Harden, and then read @canefan 's post.
So, it's pretty obvious Harden is an unreal scorer. He makes putting up huge numbers look almost mundane. He scores from step back 3s like it ain't nothing.
He's on a points scoring streak of the likes that hasn't been seen since Wilt. It seems like something that should be celebrated. And yet...
There is constant chatter, on TV and online, about how he's actually a bit shit to watch. Fans straight up hate the fouls he gets (canefan's post is almost word for word what you can read on any forum). You watch the Rockets play, and it's effectively 4 guys on court watching one dude dribble the ball and then try something. I heard that none of his points v the Knicks were assisted? Obviously he's having to do it all while CP is out, but this is ridiculous. His teammates are so scared of touching the ball they gave up a basket on an inbound because the dude didn't want to catch the ball.
He's jacking up massive numbers, but they are still only 5-5 in their last 10, and sit 5th. Their game style also doesn't look sustainable, especially in the playoffs (and yet this is the team that did everything but knock off the Warriors just last season).
So the question is, is James Harden's current run something that should be celebrated more than it is?
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@mariner4life said in NBA season 2018/19:
Came to talk about Harden, and then read @canefan 's post.
So, it's pretty obvious Harden is an unreal scorer. He makes putting up huge numbers look almost mundane. He scores from step back 3s like it ain't nothing.
He's on a points scoring streak of the likes that hasn't been seen since Wilt. It seems like something that should be celebrated. And yet...
There is constant chatter, on TV and online, about how he's actually a bit shit to watch. Fans straight up hate the fouls he gets (canefan's post is almost word for word what you can read on any forum). You watch the Rockets play, and it's effectively 4 guys on court watching one dude dribble the ball and then try something. I heard that none of his points v the Knicks were assisted? Obviously he's having to do it all while CP is out, but this is ridiculous. His teammates are so scared of touching the ball they gave up a basket on an inbound because the dude didn't want to catch the ball.
He's jacking up massive numbers, but they are still only 5-5 in their last 10, and sit 5th. Their game style also doesn't look sustainable, especially in the playoffs (and yet this is the team that did everything but knock off the Warriors just last season).
So the question is, is James Harden's current run something that should be celebrated more than it is?
If people celebrated Russ for his MVP feats then I believe the answer probably is yes. The guy is defending better than he has previously and is getting assists too
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Fucking Wizards. I was 4 Ariza rebounds away from a decent multi.
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Boom goes the dynamite
Bye-bye Brow? Davis tells Pelicans he wants out
All-NBA forward Anthony Davis does not intend to re-sign with the Pelicans and would like to be traded.
The Celtics and Lakers will fight this one out. The Cs have more to give, LBJ and Davis share management
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On holiday back in NZ at the moment went to book store they didnt have Kobe's book so grabbed Adam's one.
Not a bad read. Shows why he is so level headed and also that its unlikely he will be the next NBA broke story.
Has brought one house in OKC, two guitars, got a free loan truck from the dealership and has worn the same camo top to games/training/around town for two years. Doesn't wear shoes around the place because he didn't have any growing up. Loves OKC club due to the family feel.
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Is the NBA regular season more a drama than a sporting competition?
Just when i was starting to think the season is too damn long, with too many games, and far too few that actually mean anything, along comes Anthony Davis to rescue everything.
He, well, his agent, says he wants a trade. It's basically assumed that means "i want to go to LA and play with LBJ". A shit storm follows. LBJ and his agency are blatantly tampering!! The small market teams are fucked!! The media only care about a few teams! Change the bargaining agreement!
Then, on top of that, a couple of random, unrelated comments by Kyrie Irving a week or so back becomes "Kyrie won't sign with the Celtics" which becomes "LBJ is trying to get both AD and KI to the Lakers".
And suddenly everyone has something to talk about, and something to have an opinion about. Which helps to disguise the fat that the Warriors have won 11 straight, and Cousins looks really fucking good post-injury. The Bucks continue to push for the best record in the league, but are being chased hard by Toronto. The Nuggets are still hanging around 2nd in the West. Paul George is in great form for the Thunder. There are some handy teams floating around.
But the fucking Warriors man. They went to a pretty good Pacers outfit, and fucking flogged them. Flogged them. 11 straight wins.
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This whole small market team thing is BS. People seem to forget that CLE were perennial finalists for a few years, SAS were great for years, and OKC have rebuilt nicely since KD left (including getting PG13 and Russ to sign and stay). In that time CHI, NY, Brooklyn, WSH and the Lakers have all been pus to name a few. All big market teams. Players just want to play for a well run organization that gives them a chance to win
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@canefan said in NBA season 2018/19:
This whole small market team thing is BS. People seem to forget that CLE were perennial finalists for a few years, SAS were great for years, and OKC have rebuilt nicely since KD left (including getting PG13 and Russ to sign and stay). In that time CHI, NY, Brooklyn, WSH and the Lakers have all been pus to name a few. All big market teams. Players just want to play for a well run organization that gives them a chance to win
yep, that's pretty much it. New Orleans would actually be a pretty good place to live, but the Pelicans have been unable to build a team around Davis that makes him want to stay.
The Warriors are warping people's perceptions around what is needed to win.
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@canefan said in NBA season 2018/19:
This whole small market team thing is BS. People seem to forget that CLE were perennial finalists for a few years, SAS were great for years, and OKC have rebuilt nicely since KD left (including getting PG13 and Russ to sign and stay). In that time CHI, NY, Brooklyn, WSH and the Lakers have all been pus to name a few. All big market teams. Players just want to play for a well run organization that gives them a chance to win
That's a bit of an oversimplification IMO.
Small market teams do have it harder, as talent doesn't just fall into their lap like the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls etc.
Without flags hanging in the rafters or major media markets, they have to rely on the draft. All the examples you state happened because of the draft - the Spurs dynasty was based around Tim Duncan, OKC drafted three insanely talented players, and obviously the Cavs had Lebron.
Who was the last major free agent to move to a small market team of his own accord?
The small market teams that succeed are outliers, and their success is often fleeting (not always, in the case of the Spurs). Whereas the Lakers, Celtics, Heat and others have certainly had periods in the wilderness, but can always rely on being a top destination for free agent talent due to their location and history.
I don't doubt that these teams are often mismanaged, draft poorly, etc. The Pelicans have certainly been guilty of both. But I don't think you can say it's a level playing field.
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Pelicans made some bad decisions after last season and whilst I don’t mind their current roster (eg Holiday is having a career year), but they are one star and a good vet from being a consistent team.
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@barbarian said in NBA season 2018/19:
I don't doubt that these teams are often mismanaged, draft poorly, etc. The Pelicans have certainly been guilty of both. But I don't think you can say it's a level playing field.
There are cities that attract people but I think players just want to play and get paid and will go where that is. Unless you are in the elite top few that can effectively pick and choose, the rest just go where the above is.
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@ACT-Crusader said in NBA season 2018/19:
@barbarian said in NBA season 2018/19:
I don't doubt that these teams are often mismanaged, draft poorly, etc. The Pelicans have certainly been guilty of both. But I don't think you can say it's a level playing field.
There are cities that attract people but I think players just want to play and get paid and will go where that is. Unless you are in the elite top few that can effectively pick and choose, the rest just go where the above is.
In terms of media exposure, these days you can be a player in a small market team and still have national (or international) commercial exposure. Speaking of LBJ, he went to MIA to win championships and play for the Godfather Pat Riley after years of CLE trying to build a winning team around him and failing miserably. They only won because LBJ went back with what he'd learned and built the team in his own image.
In the Jimmy Buss years, the Lakers were such a dumpster fire that high profile FAs wouldn't even take meetings. And when they did they never got close to signing
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@KiwiMurph said in NBA season 2018/19:
Porzingis has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Holy shit. If the unicorn comes back from injury properly the mavs are set up for the next decade
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It's an interesting development. Now the Luka/Kristaps Mavs are another real force in the West, and you can see them in the top 2-3 teams for the next decade.
The Knicks sold criminally low on a genuine star. Now they have two max slots available in the summer, but who wants to go there? KD and Kyrie is a best case scenario, but given how bad the organisation is I can't see that happening.
Porzingis was a pull factor for the Knicks, and now they've sold him for cents on the dollar. Other than the New York market, why the hell would you sign for them now?
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@barbarian said in NBA season 2018/19:
It's an interesting development. Now the Luka/Kristaps Mavs are another real force in the West, and you can see them in the top 2-3 teams for the next decade.
The Knicks sold criminally low on a genuine star. Now they have two max slots available in the summer, but who wants to go there? KD and Kyrie is a best case scenario, but given how bad the organisation is I can't see that happening.
Porzingis was a pull factor for the Knicks, and now they've sold him for cents on the dollar. Other than the New York market, why the hell would you sign for them now?
The Knicks have been a dumpster fire for decades, it seems KP didn't want to waste his best years slaving away for a lost cause and wanted out. The fact that they couldn't get a better deal screams mismanagement, much like the ill-advised deal the Cavs did for Irving. So in the final year of the Dirk Mark Cuban has pulled of a stunning trade
