NBA 2017-2018 Season Thread

DickTrickle said:

The one time he had a strong coach was when he was most successful (Miami). Lue is too enamored with his star to develop a functional full team system.

The bulls always had that. It's why they still won 57 games without Jordan. All the players have a role. The Lue and Brown LeBron teams did too much standing and watching and that's on the coach the most. The isolation shit can take you far but there are limits, as the rockets are also seeing.

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Totally agree, that is why I would love to see Lebron play for a coach like Pop who wouldn't allow any of his supposed strong arming of personnel and play style. I mean I'd love to see it now since I'm a Bulls fan and with all the finals losses and team shuffling nobody with a brain is really saying he is comparable to Jordan anymore. Correct that, nobody with a brain or over the age of twenty.

I hate Harden too, but really like Chris Paul so while I enjoyed watching Harden "get his" and still get the doors blown off his team I feel for Paul who is most likely never going to win a championship.

I don't feel for Paul at all. Just comes off as an entitled little beach too often. Detest his dirty little plays like his favorite of jumping in front of guys and stopping. I probably give Harden an edge in terms of how unlikeable he is, but its close.

It was interesting before this series started how some reporters were trying to glean something out of the relationship CP3 and Steph have with each other. Cause after or before his rookie season Steph worked out with CP3 for a bunch of the summer, learned a lot from him. But I think for the past 4-5 years or so, maybe ever since they faced each other in the playoffs for the first time in 2014, they really don't seem to like each other much. I mean it doesn't seem to be some friendly rivalry where they compete and then go hang out still in the offseason some. So when reporters asked each of them about it, they didn't give much. "Yeah, working out with him after my rookie year helped to see how to prepare and train as an all-star." Nothing about their relationship since from either. Steph started to dislike CP3 because.. Clippers, duh. CP3 probably hugely resents the success Steph has had in surpassing him.

The point no one is talking about us LeBron won a championship FOR CLEVELAND.

THE FUCKING CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WIN A TITLE. God hates Cleveland and he had to beat perhaps the greatest team in NBA history to do it.

Durant just piggybacked to a championship team and won a chip. LeBron went back to the City of Sadness and did the impossible.

Chanur said:

Yes KD went to a team that was developed. LeBron came and picked who he wanted to play with him. What is your point?

Kobe was a bit of a twat and I never said he was a better person than LeBron but he has certainly gotten to the top of the mountain more often. So uh..thanks for the input and stuff.

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Why does everyone forget the Celtics did the Big 3 thing before LeBron.

Merrith said:

I think he should have fought harder to have Kyrie stay. Personally I'd like to see him stay in Cleveland and keep trying there, but I'm not sure how much of the current team he'd want to blow up and/or who you get to replace.

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Sigh. Gilbert didn't renew Griffin. He signed some scrub Altman as GM cuz he has Jerry Jonesitis. He wants to think he knows talent but he doesn't.

They were shopping Kyrie as part of a PG13 deal. Altman in his rookie ineptitude let it leak that they were shopping Kyrie. Kyrie got pissed and demanded a trade. They (the front office) relented.

That isn't on LeBron. That is part of the dysfunctional and unprofessional organization he is playing for. I mean Kyrie was on LBJs All Star team.

As for playing through LeBron it's because it works. He has a ton of gravity and he always makes the right play and has amazing court vision and BBIQ. You want to surround him with slashers and shooters and let him decide what to do based on the defenses he sees.

As for paying JR and TT you guys don't mention that he didn't say shit until well into training camp. At that point you are down guys, there really isn't anyone available and so you have no choice but to pay the guys so your full team is ready for the season.

LeBron gets blamed for having a shitty 3Q last night and no one mentions all the 0 for 7 shooting and shit that happened all up and down the roster.

As for KD it was smart on the Warriors part as it made them better simply by virtue of them not having to play against him. It's not comparable to LeBron because KD went to the team that best him after he was up 3-1 in the WCF and choked.

LeBron and Bosh went to a Heat team that hadn't been that good since Shaq left and the miracle 06 run. Outside of the Big 3, Haslem, and Miller they were mostly rookies and veterans. They got better as they went on by getting Battier and Allen but the Heat weren't some 73 win team making consecutive finals appearances.

Chanur said:

Kobe was a bit of a twat and I never said he was a better person than LeBron but he has certainly gotten to the top of the mountain more often. So uh..thanks for the input and stuff.

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5 rings, 3 courtesy of Shaquille O'Neal and two thanks to Paul Gasol who before he was signed Kobe was telling anyone who would listen he wanted to be traded.

How about the sweep that led Phil Jackson to retire? Kobe had some historically bad playoff flame outs that LeBron hasn't suffered.

LeBron 18 year old rookie no playoffs.
LeBron 19 year old no playoffs.
LeBron 20 years old second round.
LeBron 21 years old made the Finals.

Then I think it was a couple seconds and a ECF then he went to the Heat on 2010 and has been in the Finals every fucking year since then.

He has also NEVER lost in the first round.

Gaige said:

Why does everyone forget the Celtics did the Big 3 thing before LeBron.

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Jordan did the Big 3 some twenty years earlier with Scotty and recruited HOF'er Dennis Rodman so they could stay on top.

San Antonio had a Big 3 with The Big Fundamental, Manu, and Tony Parker.

Kobe assembled a Big 3 with Bynum and Pau.

Paul Pierce punked out and recruited KG and Ray Allen.

Over the last 30 years, the teams who have won with fewer than 3 stars is a much shorter list than who's won it on the backs of three guys. "Superteams" have been going on for decades.

Gaige said:

5 rings, 3 courtesy of Shaquille O'Neal and two thanks to Paul Gasol who before he was signed Kobe was telling anyone who would listen he wanted to be traded.

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Lol @ "thanks to Paul Gasol" (Btw its Pau, not Paul.) You have to be truly retarded to think Gasol was a bigger part of those championships than Kobe. Which we already knew you were, but hey, thanks for confirming it pretty much every time you post.

Kobe last 2 rings were well deserved. He stopped that Boston Big 3 from winning more than one chip, and was obviously the Lakers most important player at the time.

His shooting percentages are awful, but you know what they say a shooters gotta shoot, and he did and he won some critical games coming through with Big time performances hitting key mid range Js, or blowing by a mismatch for an easy bucket in crunch time, Kobe was an unbelievable player.

Older Kobe was an asshole and embraced that Mamba mentality, but to his credit he evolved his game to compensate for the loss of explosiveness and continued to be an All NBA player into the twilight of his career, honing that turn around jumper and his baseline cuts, getting to the line a TON.

Young Kobe was just fucking phenomenal, one of the best pure athletes, more explosive than anyone in the league in only his second year, and was a dynamic scorer who was just playing incredible 2 man ball with Shaq.

yamikazo said:

Jordan did the Big 3 some twenty years earlier with Scotty and recruited HOF'er Dennis Rodman so they could stay on top.

San Antonio had a Big 3 with The Big Fundamental, Manu, and Tony Parker.

Kobe assembled a Big 3 with Bynum and Pau.

Paul Pierce punked out and recruited KG and Ray Allen.

Over the last 30 years, the teams who have won with fewer than 3 stars is a much shorter list than who's won it on the backs of three guys. "Superteams" have been going on for decades.

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San Antonio drafted all 3 of those guys. Rodman was great at what he did, but he wasn't near the type of player that the Heat assembled with Wade getting LeBron and Bosh both there. Lakers drafted Bynum, and traded assets for Gasol. Celtics also traded for both Allen and KG.

Celtics probably closest to what Miami did, but even in that case, still not 3 guys deciding years in advance to form a superteam once contracts were up. Celtics were worst team in the East the year before those moves, and the Timberwolves and Sonics were 2nd and 3rd worst teams in the West. In Miami case, Heat were 5th in the conference the year before, getting the franchise player from the team with the best record in the NBA, and the other from the team that only missed the playoffs the year before by 1 game.

Blitz said:

You using the "Heat weren't good since Shaq" bit is hilarious. That doesn't give justification for them constructing that team. Basketball is 5 starters. Hey lets take two of the absolute best players in the world and add a borderline Top 10 guy! That is a completely different squad, and one they threw together for obvious reasons. LeBron didn't magically go there to build up some team. You wording makes it seem like LeBron expected to go there and build a team and organization up.. They fully expected to walk into that season and win a title. "Not one, not two, not three..."

And that Miami "big 3" is the first completely player-driven scenario where a team like that was created. Nothing but Free Agency, no trades or anything (at least regarding LeBron & Bosh). At least the Celtics had to involve trades. So yeah, those fuckers get some blame in why the way the league is currently. Was always destined to happen, but they did it first. Congrats, you get some of the blame.

"He has never lost in the first round guys".

In generally, a super-shitty Eastern Conference. Congrats. Good accomplishment, but let's not act like that's some sensational feat.

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Actually, there was a trade with LeBron going to the Heat. He did a sign and trade from Cavs to Heat so the Cavs could get some draft picks and trade exemption compensation. Of course, it was for picks 2 years down the road from when the trade happened, but they did at least get some compensation for him. It just seemed like they wanted a little window first without giving anything up.

Warriors defense looked like garbage and they carelessly turned the ball over way too much. Here's to hoping for a classic Dubs third quarter.

Merrith said:

San Antonio drafted all 3 of those guys. Rodman was great at what he did, but he wasn't near the type of player that the Heat assembled with Wade getting LeBron and Bosh both there. Lakers drafted Bynum, and traded assets for Gasol. Celtics also traded for both Allen and KG.

Celtics probably closest to what Miami did, but even in that case, still not 3 guys deciding years in advance to form a superteam once contracts were up. Celtics were worst team in the East the year before those moves, and the Timberwolves and Sonics were 2nd and 3rd worst teams in the West. In Miami case, Heat were 5th in the conference the year before, getting the franchise player from the team with the best record in the NBA, and the other from the team that only missed the playoffs the year before by 1 game.

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You missed my point.

In the NBA, the most talented team usually wins. While modern NBA history has sometimes featured two guys getting it done (Shaq & Kobe, Shaq & Wade, Jordan & Pippin), more often the way to get the most talent is to get 3 very good guys. It's a very reliable formula.

In the past, guys didn't know each other. Social media didn't exist. The AAU circus didn't exist. Cell phones didn't exist. Free agency didn't exist in the same way. Whatever.

In the past, the power was in the scouting department not squandering away picks/assets/salary on guys like Antawn Jamison or Timofey Mosgov. These days, the path is different but in the end it's the same. Want a reliable shot to win championships? Get three very talented guys together.

Curry isn't playing well tonight. Hasn't hit a single three. Someone needs to step up outside of Durant. Surprised Rockets aren't leading by 20+ honestly.