OFFICIAL AROUND THE NBA THREAD - August 2021

[Pinwheel1]

What offseason move would you elevate above the Lowry acquisition?

As an aside--am I the only one shocked to realize that Kyle Lowry is a 6-time all-star?? Like--does he really feel like a hall-of-fame player? Because his resume suggests that he is, but he seems like the absolute epitome of "hall-of-very-good".

Not really impressed with any of them. But I guess we will know next year if Lowry stays healthy and helps them in the playoffs. Precious Achiuwa has huge potential. The Heat could very well regret including him in the trade. I just think Kyle is very average at this point in his career. That is a lot of money on a guy who will be 36 when the playoff begins.

 

[wizenheimer]

What offseason move would you elevate above the Lowry acquisition?

.

I think a lot of the rating as the Lowry signing being the best is a CP3 reverb factor from the Suns. Seeing the major bump the Suns got from having a superior floor general vs an average one. Lowry runs an offense really well, has championship experience, and still manages to play some decent defense. The big risk of course is his age. But unlike Portland, Miami has management that will swing for the fences

 

[Natebishop3]

What offseason move would you elevate above the Lowry acquisition?

As an aside--am I the only one shocked to realize that Kyle Lowry is (like Dame) a 6-time all-star?? Like--does he really feel like a hall-of-fame player? Because his resume suggests that he is, but viscerally he seems like the absolute epitome of "hall-of-very-good".

Byproduct of the east being weak and the Raptors always being a good team. That's why I hate that the All-Star selections seem to hinge so much on how successful the team is. It's an individual achievement. Wins and losses shouldn't matter. It's a game with the brightest stars in the league. I have never understood why they give out honorary spots because a team is doing well. For example, Conley shouldn't have been an All-Star last year.

 

[Minstrel]

What offseason move would you elevate above the Lowry acquisition?

As an aside--am I the only one shocked to realize that Kyle Lowry is (like Dame) a 6-time all-star?? Like--does he really feel like a hall-of-fame player? Because his resume suggests that he is, but viscerally he seems like the absolute epitome of "hall-of-very-good".

I think Lowry is Hall of Very Good. 6-time All Star is impressive, but has to be taken in the context of a significantly weaker, shallower-in-talent Eastern Conference for most/all of his Toronto career.

As a comparison between 6-time All Star Lowry and (in my opinion, a true Hall of Famer) 6-time All Star Lillard, Lowry made the All-NBA team once, in 2016, and on the third team. Lillard has made it 6 times...once on the first team, five times as second team and once as third team. I think Lillard's is a Hall of Fame resume.

 

[THE HCP]

Longer they wait, lower Simmons value is.
Can we hold panic till February?

You couldn’t hold me til Thanksgiving son.

 

[DDolla]

The Nets will be on National TV for 38 games. Why not make it for every game?

 

[Pinwheel1]

. But unlike Portland, Miami has management that will swing for the fences

Yep and for good reason. Miami can crash and burn and rebuild quickly. Portland can not.
When the best player in the world holds a press conference and says he will be taking his talents to Jantzen Beach and joining the Portland Trail Blazers, then they might feel comfortable gambling a bit more.

 

[Orion Bailey]

I have no idea why we would possibly want Dray over Simmons. That makes no sense. Simmons is younger and far far more athletic and bigger and just as skilled if not more skilled. Like I've said before the only thing Dray has that Simmons doesn't is a really inconsistent jumper.

becUse green still gives us most of what we need at a lesser sticker price. Plus green can hit a three.

 

[wizenheimer]

Yep and for good reason. Miami can crash and burn and rebuild quickly. Portland can not.
When the best player in the world holds a press conference and says he will be taking his talents to Jantzen Beach and joining the Portland Trail Blazers, then they might feel comfortable gambling a bit more.

more excuses for Olshey inaction:



























some were smaller, but most were higher-risk, franchise altering trades. The kind of trade Olshey has avoided or at least not completed

 

[Pinwheel1]

more excuses for Olshey inaction:

some were smaller, but most were higher-risk, franchise altering trades. The kind of trade Olshey has avoided or at least not completed

You think those were high risk? The trades that were high risk were all complete freaking blunders by the Blazers. Kiki, Moses, Jermaine and Petro. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Haakzilla]

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo purchases stake in Milwaukee Brewers

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id...-purchase-stake-milwaukee-brewers-sources-say

 

[wizenheimer]

You think those were high risk? The trades that were high risk were all complete freaking blunders by the Blazers. Kiki, Moses, Jermaine and Petro. Thanks for the reminder.

Blazers got a lot better by:

trading for Maurice Lucas

trading for Jerome Kersey

trading for Terry Porter

Trading for Buck Williams

trading for Kevin Duckworth

trading for Damon Stoudamire

trading for Scottie Pippen

trading for Arvydas Sabonis

trading for Lamarcus Aldridge

trading for Brandon Roy

trading for Damian Lillard

but sure, let's go with your template of Portland not taking risks because the Blazers fucked up by trading away Moses and Jermaine

 

[Pinwheel1]

Blazers got a lot better by:

trading for Maurice Lucas

trading for Jerome Kersey

trading for Terry Porter

Trading for Buck Williams

trading for Kevin Duckworth

trading for Damon Stoudamire

trading for Scottie Pippen

trading for Arvydas Sabonis

trading for Lamarcus Aldridge

trading for Brandon Roy

trading for Damian Lillard

but sure, let's go with your template of Portland not taking risks because the Blazers fucked up by trading away Moses and Jermaine

Almost everyone on this list is someone we drafted...without giving up much. And only Mo was a high pick going #2 in the ABA merger draft. Yes, I realize we traded an often injured Petrie for him, but no one I knew thought that was a risky trade.

The often-injured Sam Bowie for the all-star Buck Williams? Again no one saw that as a risk.

Roy and LMA were high picks but again I guess we view high-risk moves a little differently.

 

[blazerkor]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32056930/brooklyn-nets-open-nba-highest-season-win-total

So this has us at 43.5 and other sports books have us at 44.5. Unfortunately I think that's about right when looking at the schedule if we keep the same roster. I also think the wins are going to be hard to come by at the beginning of the season due to who we're playing.

I also think only a fool would bet on our win total this season. We don't know if Dame is going to get frustrated before the trade deadline and demand a trade. We don't know what that trade would leave this team looking like. We don't know if there will be a trade made to try and get us closer to contention and keep Dame on board. There are far too many question marks to bet on this forecast but I would bet on one thing. If we only win 44 games, we'll be in the play-ins as one of the bottom two seeds. That won't sit well with this group and they'll likely fold and miss the playoffs. Then Dame will ask out for sure.

The Knicks are disrespected on this list. Some of their young talent should get better and they were way better than this last season and they added scoring in Fournier. They're basically what they were last year, just a year better and with Fournier's additional offense. I think they'll end up at least a few games above .500.

 

[THE HCP]

The Nets will be on National TV for 38 games. Why not make it for every game?

Why would they NOT be?

 

[THE HCP]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32056930/brooklyn-nets-open-nba-highest-season-win-total

So this has us at 43.5 and other sports books have us at 44.5. Unfortunately I think that's about right when looking at the schedule if we keep the same roster. I also think the wins are going to be hard to come by at the beginning of the season due to who we're playing.

I also think only a fool would bet on our win total this season. We don't know if Dame is going to get frustrated before the trade deadline and demand a trade. We don't know what that trade would leave this team looking like. We don't know if there will be a trade made to try and get us closer to contention and keep Dame on board. There are far too many question marks to bet on this forecast but I would bet on one thing. If we only win 44 games, we'll be in the play-ins as one of the bottom two seeds. That won't sit well with this group and they'll likely fold and miss the playoffs. Then Dame will ask out for sure.

The Knicks are disrespected on this list. Some of their young talent should get better and they were way better than this last season and they added scoring in Fournier. They're basically what they were last year, just a year better and with Fournier's additional offense. I think they'll end up at least a few games above .500.

43 wins sounds about right? Interesting that they have the Lakers so high……I thought they were old.

 

[blazerkor]

43 wins sounds about right? Interesting that they have the Lakers so high……I thought they were old.

You've got the wrong guy. I think it would be shocking if the Lakers and Nets are healthy for the playoffs and don't end up in the Finals.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

You've got the wrong guy. I think it would be shocking if the Lakers and Nets are healthy for the playoffs and don't end up in the Finals.

Yep.
If those teams make the playoffs and stay healthy throughout them. They will be in the Finals.
Nets will win it is my thinking.

 

[tykendo]

more excuses for Olshey inaction:

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some were smaller, but most were higher-risk, franchise altering trades. The kind of trade Olshey has avoided or at least not completed

In hindsight, that Kiki move was terrible. I liked him, but that trade built a contending Nuggets team.

 

[tykendo]

Calvin Natt went from playing with stiffs, to working on them after retirement.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Random fun video:

 

[KSF-ERIC]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32056930/brooklyn-nets-open-nba-highest-season-win-total

So this has us at 43.5 and other sports books have us at 44.5. Unfortunately I think that's about right when looking at the schedule if we keep the same roster. I also think the wins are going to be hard to come by at the beginning of the season due to who we're playing.

I also think only a fool would bet on our win total this season. We don't know if Dame is going to get frustrated before the trade deadline and demand a trade. We don't know what that trade would leave this team looking like. We don't know if there will be a trade made to try and get us closer to contention and keep Dame on board. There are far too many question marks to bet on this forecast but I would bet on one thing. If we only win 44 games, we'll be in the play-ins as one of the bottom two seeds. That won't sit well with this group and they'll likely fold and miss the playoffs. Then Dame will ask out for sure.

The Knicks are disrespected on this list. Some of their young talent should get better and they were way better than this last season and they added scoring in Fournier. They're basically what they were last year, just a year better and with Fournier's additional offense. I think they'll end up at least a few games above .500.

There you go with your doomsday thinking. Games haven’t started and we’re already crumbling in the play-in. You did this last year. Relax.

 

[blazerkor]

There you go with your doomsday thinking. Games haven’t started and we’re already crumbling in the play-in. You did this last year. Relax.

Last year went terribly. We got beat by a Denver team without their second best player and two important role players, that got swept out of the second round by the Suns. Also we only avoided the play-in because teams lost on purpose against us down the stretch. Telling me to chill like we did something good last post season... smh.

 

[PCmor7]

He also said, "I don't see how you can look at this roster and think it's a championship roster." If you take what he said at face value, you have to be reading into it to come to any conclusion OTHER than "acquire more stars to play with me".

No, actually you don't. You could take it as just getting the right pieces like Milwaukee did. You could take it as just an honest assessment of the roster instead of an ultimatum.

That said, I didn't think his directive was that the team had to do this for him to stay so much as the players and the organization had to at least make a more sincere attempt to work harder to be better. It doesn't even necessarily mean getting a blockbuster deal done. It's in the attempt.

But, I mean that's a boring narrative that people don't go setting themselves on fire over, so no one wants to consider that.

 

[wizenheimer]

In hindsight, that Kiki move was terrible. I liked him, but that trade built a contending Nuggets team.

not really. After the trade, Denver won 52 games, then 47 games, then 37 games. And Natt had one good season there then rapidly declined. Lever was nearly a triple double machine though

Kiki did what Portland traded for though as he averaged 22.4, then 24.8, then 26.9. IIRC, during the 4th season after the trade he suffered a serious knee injury and was never the same after that

 

[KSF-ERIC]

Last year went terribly. We got beat by a Denver team without their second best player and two important role players, that got swept out of the second round by the Suns. Also we only avoided the play-in because teams lost on purpose against us down the stretch. Telling me to chill like we did something good last post season... smh.

And there you go, being as grim as possible. I suppose if we had won the title, it would’ve been only cuz Murray didn’t play in the first round.

 

[Strenuus]

You couldn’t hold me til Thanksgiving son.

Underrated comment.

 

[riverman]

43 wins sounds about right? Interesting that they have the Lakers so high……I thought they were old.

They draft refs really well

 

[royo]

You couldn’t hold me til Thanksgiving son.

No worries. Your team will be fun to watch.

 

[blazerkor]

And there you go, being as grim as possible. I suppose if we had won the title, it would’ve been only cuz Murray didn’t play in the first round.

If we win a title I'll be elated. On O-Live I was regularly called a Kool Aid kid but right now is a time of consternation for the franchise. I'll be optimistic when we have more to be hopeful about. If something crazy happens between now and then and we win an unexpected title I'll be happy and give you all of the credit in the world.