Official NBA 2023-2024 Thread

[Geoff Grace]

Now that the recent NBA season has been over for a few days, it’s time to start discussing the one ahead. Here are some headlines to get us started:

Sources: Michael Jordan agrees to sell Hornets stake for $3B

Warriors promote Mike Dunleavy Jr. to general manager

Grizzlies' Ja Morant suspended for 25 games by NBA

 

Danilo Gallinari picks up $6.8M option to stay with Celtics

Best,

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

And of course...

 

 

GO SUNS!!!      

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

Wow! Here comes another whopper of a trade for Phoenix:

Sources: Suns finalizing trade for Wizards' Bradley Beal

Gone will be Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, and some second-round picks. There will also be a picks swap. The Wizards are trying to widen the deal to a three-team trade, so that CP3 might be able to wind up with a contender. I really hope he does, and I’m sorry to see the Suns lose him.

Surprisingly, for now at least, Deandre Ayton remains with the Suns. I hope they’ll trade him to add some depth to the squad. Otherwise, there will be little money left for anyone else.

 

New owner Mat Ishbia has dramatically reconfigured the Suns. There's hardly anyone left from the team that made it to the NBA Finals in 2021.

Best,

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

Well, now we know where Chris Paul will play:

Sources: Wizards to send Chris Paul to Warriors for Jordan Poole

 

I'm glad he wound up with a contender and is no farther from his family in LA now than he was while playing for Phoenix.

Best,

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

The NBA Draft is happening right now. Here are the top three picks:

Spurs take phenom Victor Wembanyama with No. 1 overall pick in NBA draft

Hornets take Brandon Miller with 2nd pick of NBA draft

Blazers take Scoot Henderson with No. 3 pick in 2023 NBA draft

 

Expectations are high for Victor Wembanyama as a generational talent. Anticipation is as high for Wembanyama as it was for Lebron James when he joined the NBA.

Best,

Geoff

[Joe Muscara]

Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. Charged with Assault, Strangulation  (note that a later article I saw says she has a fractured vertebrae in her neck!)

 

Sigh. We had thought he was doing better. I’m seeing a lot of articles saying the Rockets should have seen the red flags, but what I saw was a guy who seemed to be doing better on the court and perhaps in the locker room. John Lucas, who is huge on helping players with issues, was an assistant and it was obvious he was working with KPJ, keeping him cool and focused. But a coach can’t be everywhere in a player’s life and obviously this is too far. The kid needs serious help and I hope he gets it, and I hope the woman gets herself in a better situation too. 

[ProfD]

4 hours ago, Joe Muscara said:

I’m seeing a lot of articles saying the Rockets should have seen the red flags...

There was no shortage of red flags.  KPJ has been troubled for quite some time.   

 

However, the realty is that in a capitalistic society where there is money to be made, talent and skills will cover-up a lot of ills until it cannot.

 

If KPJ does not deal with his mental health issues, he will eventually lose everything...possibly his freedom or even worse...his life.

 

Of course, the NBA will find another talented player to take KPJ's place.  The league has done it many times over from past to present.

 

Those of us old enough to know better have already seen this movie.😎

[Geoff Grace]

Sources: Blazers trading Damian Lillard to Bucks in 3-team deal

The third team involved is the Phoenix Suns.

Portland gets Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, and Toumani Camara, along with Milwaukee's 2029 unprotected first-round draft pick, and unprotected Milwaukee swap rights in 2028 and 2030.

 

On 6/18/2023 at 7:35 PM, Geoff Grace said:

Surprisingly, for now at least, Deandre Ayton remains with the Suns. I hope they’ll trade him to add some depth to the squad. Otherwise, there will be little money left for anyone else.

That's exactly what the Suns did today. In exchange for Deandre Ayton, Phoenix is getting Jusuf Nurkić, along with added depth from Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson.

 

The Bucks are now favored to win the NBA title.

 

Best,

Geoff

[Dave Bryce]

13 minutes ago, Geoff Grace said:

Sources: Blazers trading Damian Lillard to Bucks in 3-team deal

The third team involved is the Phoenix Suns.

Portland gets Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, and Toumani Camara, along with Milwaukee's 2029 unprotected first-round draft pick, and unprotected Milwaukee swap rights in 2028 and 2030.

 

So much for the whole “Miami or Bust” thing. 🤔😏

 

dB

[Mark Zeger]

Andre 3000 signed to Miami 

[ProfD]

On 10/2/2023 at 4:53 PM, Mark Zeger said:

Andre 3000 signed to Miami

Yep.  I could only shake my own bald head when I saw that foolishness.

 

I understand he may not have been happy with Damian Lillard going to the Bucks. 

 

Still, that is no reason for a grown azz man to look like Viola Davis with a goatee.  D8mn shame.😎

[Geoff Grace]

Sources: Clippers land James Harden in blockbuster 76ers trade

The 76ers sent Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev to the Clippers for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks, a 2029 pick swap and an additional first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Best,

Geoff

[Dave Bryce]

22 minutes ago, Geoff Grace said:

Sources: Clippers land James Harden in blockbuster 76ers trade

The 76ers sent Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev to the Clippers for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks, a 2029 pick swap and an additional first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

 

Works for me.  SIxers got a nice haul for Harden. 😎

 

Anyone wanna guess how long it’ll take Harden to grow disgruntled with LAC because he doesn’t get the ball enough? 🤔 🙄

 

dB

[Geoff Grace]

Amazing... 

 

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

Any interest in the NBA playoffs?

 

The Suns have had a disappointing season so far, but at least they played well enough to make the postseason. Today, we’ll see whether or not that happens for the Lakers and Warriors, two formerly dominant teams with aging superstars. 
 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

Blake Griffin announces retirement from NBA after 14 years

Best,

Geoff

[jazzpiano88]

I loved Boba giving the Clippers fans their free chicken by purposely missing his 2nd free throw!    I wonder if the NBA will investigate his obvious ploy to get into the HOF down the road.

 

After the Chicago/Jazz finals shootouts, I don't really watch NBA since it's essentially a 3point launching contest with most guys loping up and down the court with no real purpose.    Plus the Refereeing scandal proved the sport is corrupt and essentially fixed.  And recently, just look at  the Jontay treated as a nothing-burger.

[Sean M. H.]

2 hours ago, jazzpiano88 said:

I loved Boba giving the Clippers fans their free chicken by purposely missing his 2nd free throw!    I wonder if the NBA will investigate his obvious ploy to get into the HOF down the road.

 

After the Chicago/Jazz finals shootouts, I don't really watch NBA since it's essentially a 3point launching contest with most guys loping up and down the court with no real purpose.    Plus the Refereeing scandal proved the sport is corrupt and essentially fixed.  And recently, just look at  the Jontay treated as a nothing-burger.

 

 

Well...as far as we know--the referee scandal was one bad apple...same with Jontay if that goes the way it looks like it might.  Now I'm not naive enough to think the problem is not more widespread than that... BUT I'm also not cynical enough to just assume the games are "fixed" based on a couple bad actors caught over the course of a couple decades.

 

I will agree that the game has become too far skewed towards the 3-point shot though.  It's simple math really!  The idea of one shot being worth 50% more than another shot, implies the former shot is 50% more difficult than the latter.  Now that players have evolved to the point that math no longer holds up, it makes the 3-pointer disproportionately more valuable.  The only way to fix it is to make the shot more difficult--by moving it back or some other more creative method.  My "outside the box" idea would be to simply make the ball ever so slightly larger--which would in theory make long-range shooting more difficult, and also reduce the palming/carrying that is now commonplace.

 

 

[ProfD]

With regard to how the games are being played, I would imagine the coaches have some input into running the offense, defense, shot selection, etc. 

 

By extension, the league bears the brunt of blame for everything *wrong* with the modern game.

 

That includes the lack of defensive effort to offenses consisting primarily of isolation plays that feature one or two players to jacking up 3 pointers. 

 

Then, there are the contractual incentives that star players try to meet and coaches are encouraged to fulfill or deny.

 

The business of putting on a show for money has corrupted the game on several  levels.

 

Yet, as sports fans, we still watch hoping for a *good* game.😎

[Sean M. H.]

Agree...the business side ruins the spirit of...well, just about all the major sports.

 

.... but I still think the quantity of threes attempted is largely just a math problem...or maybe more accurately: a simple risk vs. reward proposition.  If I can get 50% more points for something that is no longer 50% more difficult*, it's a no-brainer...not to mention it's a lot easier on the body to jack up 3s than to drive to the basket or post up (to your point, it's a "business decision")

 

 

* League shooting averages this year were 36.6% for 3-pointers vs 54.5% for 2-pointers

...contrast that with 30 years ago.  For the '83-84 season (an era some would say was the golden era of the sport)...it was 25% for 3-pointers, vs 49.9% for 2-pointers.  Mathematically, this was essentially a perfect scoring system-relative to the shooting efficiency!  Improved shooting has just made it outdated/obsolete.  And the only way to fix it is to somehow make the 3-pointer harder than it is (I don't think moving the line back even further makes much sense)...or, more radically, change the scoring system--say 3s & 5s instead of 2s & 3s (never gonna happen!...plus it ruins all historical reference for stats).

 

As you can tell...I spend way more time thinking about this stuff than I probably should lol

[ProfD]

Surely, stats matter as one aspect of the game.

 

The overall game would be *better* if they actually *played* it.😁

 

The proof lies in watching college basketball tournaments.

 

Those kids are playing their hearts out and it shows in victory and defeat.😎 

[Dave Bryce]

Go SIXERS! 🥳

 

 

dB

[jazzpiano88]

Oh Man, I've never seen LaBron shut down and intimidated so badly in a loss at the end of the game yesterday.  Go Nikola!!     I love it!!

Jordan Never would have missed that shot. 

[Geoff Grace]

The Suns have some great players, but they don't have enough good ones.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[jazzpiano88]

Cool.   I haven't heard the Suns mentioned since the Cotton days. Loved watching when Hornacek played for them before he broke out. 

[Sean M. H.]

1 hour ago, jazzpiano88 said:

Oh Man, I've never seen LaBron shut down and intimidated so badly in a loss at the end of the game yesterday.  Go Nikola!!     I love it!!

Jordan Never would have missed that shot.

 

 

Maybe we watched a different game....but LeBron actually had a great 4th quarter last night!  It was Anthony Davis--although he had a good game otherwise--who got dominated in the 4th quarter (by Jokic) IMO

 

 

[Geoff Grace]

Finally, a postseason victory for one of my two favorite teams:

LeBron scores 30, and the Lakers avoid 1st-round elimination with a 119-108 win over champion Denver

Here’s hoping the Suns will pull off the same feat tomorrow.

Best,

Geoff

[jazzpiano88]

You could tell they were trying harder in this game.  

[Sean M. H.]

Lakers/Nuggets is turning into one of the stranger series I can recall.  Denver has been dominant...and they've also been consistently outplayed (yes I know those two statements are oxymoronic).  I believe the Lakers have been leading every game at halftime.  And yet, before last night--it looked like they would be sweeped.

 

Thinking Nuggets will probably win it in 5...but, it's hard to be shocked if the Lakers win, considering they've been leading for the vast majority of these games thus far. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[Geoff Grace]

I believe the Lakers are more easily winded than the Nuggets because Denver conditions its players better due to the high altitude. By the fourth quarter the Nuggets are still going strong and LA is spent, thus blowing their lead. 
 

Also, older players are more likely to get gassed than younger ones; and the Nuggets best players are younger overall than the best Lakers. That gives Denver another advantage as the game wears on. 
 

Best,

 

Geoff