Interesting point about the playoffs Harden. He is labeled as a playoffs underperformer, but I remember checking his stats and it wasn't much worse than the regular season stats - that was some time ago and I might be misremembering though. Doncic has been incredible in the playoffs so far (small sample size), so it's entirely possible that he's better than Harden in that respect, I'll check it one of these days And indeed, Harden's defense has always been below average, my point was more that he was at one point labeled as one of the worst defenders in the NBA, and in reality he was never that bad.
I love both Van Gundy brothers as commentators, it's a shame indeed. Question for people here: do you like the Van Gundy and Mark Jackson combo? They're catching a lot of heat for their commenting style, but imo they're the most interesting duo to listen to (or trio with Breen). _________________ Finally updated the overall chart
I love both Van Gundy brothers as commentators, it's a shame indeed. Question for people here: do you like the Stan Van Gundy and Mark Jackson combo? They're catching a lot of heat for their commenting style, but imo they're the most interesting duo to listen to (or trio with Breen).
Yes! Love the chemistry of those three and just listening to the interplay of their three voices. Their commenting as art, and I loved their chemistry!
OMG! Why did the Heat let Vincent go?! He was soooo important for their Finals run! Clearly more deals to come for the Heat, but this is the most curious player move for me. Gabe is tough and a baller. Great, great pick up by the Lakers for sure.
OMG! Why did the Heat let Vincent go?! He was soooo important for their Finals run! Clearly more deals to come for the Heat, but this is the most curious player move for me. Gabe is tough and a baller. Great, great pick up by the Lakers for sure.
Colossally dumb decision. He fit their system so well. I guess this + the Oladipo trade means Heat is making sure they have cap space to sign someone to take their point guard/shooting guard minutes while Herro (continues?) and Lowry to come off the bench.
Yeah, Vincent (assuming he continues to play well) should be a huge pick up for the Lakers. Also, Prince is a steal at 4.5 million. They locked up Hachimura too, which was an obvious must. They still need to hold onto Reeves -- and hope another team doesn't drive his price up too much -- but they are having a great off-season so far. Besides trading the farm for Westbrook (a terrible move and fit) Pelinka has been exceptional and deserves more props. Lakers are looking like they have potential to be legit contenders IF IF IF IF Lebron and Davis stay relatively healthy and go into the playoffs that way. Lebron being 39 is obviously a major unknown because no one has been quite this good this late (Karl Malone comes the closest, Jordan was probably closer than we think considering the pace and defensive differences with his Washington stint being often underrated especially the first half of his first season with them when he was avging 25 if I remember correctly, the team was edging towards a good playoff seed, and he was building a pretty legit MVP case before injury ... Kareem was still really good at 38, in spurts after...) and so you just don't know if he is going to have a bigger drop off in any given year at this point because its just about uncharted territory for a player at his usage, athleticism and responsibilities on the floor. And it is still an unknown just how much Lebron's foot injury affected him in last season's playoffs OR if it really wasn't that big of a deal (and possibly being exaggerated by his camp as an excuse to cover up exhaustion?) and if it really was just his age slowing him down. And then there's the AD mystery: will he stay healthy or will he not? Will he take the mantle with a more dominant attitude or continue to be inconsistent and concede to the aging Lebron? He was certainly the Lakers best player last year but definitely not their leader and he still sort of shrunk in some games where they really couldn't afford it. How much does he want it after playing alternately excellent, then (the very next game) just so-so versus Jokic and the Nuggets last year and losing out on his chance to return to the conversation as one of the very best players in the game (and instead being a notch below that)? Does that upset him? Does he want to win an MVP, lead a team to a championship as its undisputed best player? Is he motivated to try and overtake Jokic this next year? (Laugh if you want -- and I'm not saying I would bet on him to do so -- but he has had the tools to be the best player in the NBA for years now ... there is a solid case that he may be better than Embiid WHEN he plays to his potential, particularly on defense, but of course that is always a question mark with him)
Here's Hoops Tonight's Jason Timpf's thoughts about all the major signings so far (until last night) -- not just the Lakers, but the others too:
VanVleet is nice, but that seems like a pretty steep price for him particularly because of the logjam you mention. _________________ Best Classical Best Films Best Paintings
Despite the Blazers being my hometown team and Lillard being among my favorite players, I am happy to see this. He wasn't going anywhere with the Blazers anytime soon and, being on the back end of his career and having already proven his loyalty to Portland through thick and thin, I want to see him in contention. He is perhaps the most clutch player in the NBA and is born for the playoffs. Seems like he might be going to Philly or Miami...
He is the exact type of player that the NBA needs contending and playing for championships, to be looked up to and followed by the younger generation and incoming stars _________________ Best Classical Best Films Best Paintings
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And indeed, Harden's defense has always been below average, my point was more that he was at one point labeled as one of the worst defenders in the NBA, and in reality he was never that bad.
