The 2016-2017 NBA basketball thread

[pinhigh27]

love is not a legit #1 option on anything other than a horrible team. klay isn't really either. but that kind of analysis makes no sense. the cavs have no one like iggy or livingston. guys that can come in and actually contribute as opposed to just trying not to screw up.

 

this cavs team is a slightly above average finals team. GSW is literally the best team in history of basketball.

 

last year was a fun matchup. I'm not just saying that because the cavs won. I have said multiple times last year GSW team was better than cavs and would probably win series 8/10 times.this year is stupid.

[sharp7823]

This talk about Durant over Bron is foolish. Put Bron on GS and let's see how it goes. Lol

 

"Bron" as you call him, could not play with GS. It would not work out; there would be too much drama. He needs to be on a team where he can in charge.

[pinhigh27]

you can't look at the players in a vaccuum like that. klay and draymond? both are awesome players but the warriors system is perfect for them.

[BoogieThumper]

you can't look at the players in a vaccuum like that. klay and draymond? both are awesome players but the warriors system is perfect for them.

That's fair. I just don't know how else to look at it, both teams have their share of All Stars. I just get bored with all the anti Warrior talk when LBJ has been trying to piece together talent for years.

[gambit]

love is not a legit #1 option on anything other than a horrible team. klay isn't really either. but that kind of analysis makes no sense. the cavs have no one like iggy or livingston. guys that can come in and actually contribute as opposed to just trying not to screw up.

 

this cavs team is a slightly above average finals team. GSW is literally the best team in history of basketball.

 

last year was a fun matchup. I'm not just saying that because the cavs won. I have said multiple times last year GSW team was better than cavs and would probably win series 8/10 times.this year is stupid.

 

It's true the Cavs don't have anyone like Iggy or Livingston, but that's management's fault. GS signed Iggy as a free agent and gave him a good chunk of change and this was at a time when no one really wanted to come to GS. Kerr came in and asked him to come off the bench (much like Ginboli). Livingston was pretty much a cast off because of injuries and GS gave him the mid level exception that other teams didn't want to do. Remember the last 2 years Tristan Thompson was a beast on the boards against GS. He was literally a rebounding wrecking ball and JR Smith was hitting 3's. Not so much this year. I think Tristan's issues stem from the Kardashian curse lol. But if you look at what the Cavs have done, they paid the starters sooooooo much that they can't do anything with the bench. Was Tristan worth that big contract? Probably not at the expense of sacrificing the improvement of the bench. They built that team for their Big 3 to carry them 46 mins a game in the Finals, because they could pretty much cruise through the East. And let's not forget that no one wanted Javale. Clark and McCaw were drafted late and developed within.

[pinhigh27]

tristan was worth it last year. no idea what he is doing this playoffs

[pinhigh27]

my point is its a pretty unique set of circumstances that GSW has brought in a lot of these guys past their primes and they are still playing really solid. obviously some of that is the system and I'll be first to say they have a great system but a portion of it is luck too. none of these guys have really been busts.

 

livingston, javale, iggy, west. mccaw 2nd rounder, most 2nd rounders dont even stay in nba. clark undrafted

 

I'm not criticizing I'd love to have all those guys on the cavs just saying it's like a celestial event that they have all panned out

[gambit]

my point is its a pretty unique set of circumstances that GSW has brought in a lot of these guys past their primes and they are still playing really solid. obviously some of that is the system and I'll be first to say they have a great system but a portion of it is luck too. none of these guys have really been busts.

 

livingston, javale, iggy, west. mccaw 2nd rounder, most 2nd rounders dont even stay in nba. clark undrafted

 

I'm not criticizing I'd love to have all those guys on the cavs just saying it's like a celestial event that they have all panned out

 

Kerr learned from, IMO the best coach ever, Popovich who's been pretty good at finding quality players (George Hill for Kawhi) and took players that no one else thought much of made them pretty good too (Green, Mills, Simmon, etc).

[scratchswinger]

I don't think the two rosters top to bottom are even close. Take Kyrie and Bron off CLE and insert JR Smith and Deron Williams. Probably a 5th or 6th seed in the East. Take Steph and Durant off GS and insert Andre and Livingston, the team would contend with anyone in the West.

[Peanut191]

I don't think the two rosters top to bottom are even close. Take Kyrie and Bron off CLE and insert JR Smith and Deron Williams. Probably a 5th or 6th seed in the East. Take Steph and Durant off GS and insert Andre and Livingston, the team would contend with anyone in the West.

 

I don't know how those teams make it to the playoffs without their top two players. They are pretty top heavy.

[BoogieThumper]

I don't think the two rosters top to bottom are even close. Take Kyrie and Bron off CLE and insert JR Smith and Deron Williams. Probably a 5th or 6th seed in the East. Take Steph and Durant off GS and insert Andre and Livingston, the team would contend with anyone in the West.

:cheesy: I didn't think you could top the Blake Griffin post but I was wrong.

[scratchswinger]

I don't think the two rosters top to bottom are even close. Take Kyrie and Bron off CLE and insert JR Smith and Deron Williams. Probably a 5th or 6th seed in the East. Take Steph and Durant off GS and insert Andre and Livingston, the team would contend with anyone in the West.

 

I don't know how those teams make it to the playoffs without their top two players. They are pretty top heavy.

 

GS is one of the deepest teams ever, far from top heavy. They just also happen to have 2 of the top 5 or so players in the league. They have a Finals MVP coming off the bench, two time defensive player of the year and arguably the best two guard in the league. I mean think about it... This same team last year minus Durant set an NBA record for wins. So you really think if the best regular season team ever loses their best player from that team (Curry) they go from 73 wins to 40? Curry is worth 33 wins?

[BoogieThumper]

Funny you're calling this version of the Warriors deep when before the season started people were saying they gave up too many key bench contributors to get KD.

[gambit]

Curry changes the way a defense plays. Klay won't get the same looks if Curry ain't there so if you take KD and Curry off they may not make the playoffs. Livingston is not a starter...and I love him. Iggy is not a starter anymore and I love him too. AND...he was defensive player of the year several years ago. Take Bron and Kyrie off Cleveland and that team is basically the same team Love was on in Minnesota...trash.

[scratchswinger]

Funny you're calling this version of the Warriors deep when before the season started people were saying they gave up too many key bench contributors to get KD.

 

What key bench guy did they give up? Festus Ezeli, Barbosa, Speights? Those guys average like 8 mins a game in the playoffs. They also added David West, McGee and Barnes, it's a wash.....

 

The Utah Jazz this year won 50 games, Durant and Curry'less GS wins 50+ as their roster is hands down better than Utah without their two best players. They are in the group of competitive teams in the West, LeBron and Kyrie off Cleveland and the team is fighting for a playoff spot at best.

[pinhigh27]

ya I would say 4 seed in west without KD and curry

[scratchswinger]

ya I would say 4 seed in west without KD and curry

 

GS fans trying to convince themselves that Durant has heart is :alcoholic: :rofl: .

[MtlJeff]

The Jazz and Clippers were pretty good teams, but it would be interesting.

 

Green and Klay are definitely going to be the Scottie Pippen's of this era if the team stays together. Although that may not even be the best comparison because we got to see apex Pippen for a full season without Jordan. (he had a great all around year and the Bulls still won 55 games i believe)

 

One of my alternate world basketball questions would be seeing Klay and Draymond on different teams to see how good they are. For example put Klay on say, the Pacers with Paul George. How far does he elevate the Pacers? Could they even have been the #1 seed this year? (i think maybe?)

 

I also think seeing Draymond on a team like the Thunder, or Bucks, where he could do his facilitator thing and be a #2 option instead of #4....what does he do? Does he potentially average a triple double like Westbrook? (if he was on the Thunder this year, is it possible two players from the same team could have averaged a triple double?)

[scratchswinger]

The Jazz and Clippers were pretty good teams, but it would be interesting.

 

Green and Klay are definitely going to be the Scottie Pippen's of this era if the team stays together. Although that may not even be the best comparison because we got to see apex Pippen for a full season without Jordan. (he had a great all around year and the Bulls still won 55 games i believe)

 

One of my alternate world basketball questions would be seeing Klay and Draymond on different teams to see how good they are. For example put Klay on say, the Pacers with Paul George. How far does he elevate the Pacers? Could they even have been the #1 seed this year? (i think maybe?)

 

I also think seeing Draymond on a team like the Thunder, or Bucks, where he could do his facilitator thing and be a #2 option instead of #4....what does he do? Does he potentially average a triple double like Westbrook? (if he was on the Thunder this year, is it possible two players from the same team could have averaged a triple double?)

 

Just answer me this..... Could Andre and Livingston be starters in the NBA?

[scratchswinger]

Brons oop to self is nominated for best finals play ever.

[Peanut191]

Brons oop to self is nominated for best finals play ever.

 

That was really cool. Didn't see it coming at all.

[pinhigh27]

The changing the first tech to on Kerr was weird. Never seen that before

 

What happened last time gsw had a 3-1 lead? Jk cavs screwed

[MtlJeff]

The Jazz and Clippers were pretty good teams, but it would be interesting.

 

Green and Klay are definitely going to be the Scottie Pippen's of this era if the team stays together. Although that may not even be the best comparison because we got to see apex Pippen for a full season without Jordan. (he had a great all around year and the Bulls still won 55 games i believe)

 

One of my alternate world basketball questions would be seeing Klay and Draymond on different teams to see how good they are. For example put Klay on say, the Pacers with Paul George. How far does he elevate the Pacers? Could they even have been the #1 seed this year? (i think maybe?)

 

I also think seeing Draymond on a team like the Thunder, or Bucks, where he could do his facilitator thing and be a #2 option instead of #4....what does he do? Does he potentially average a triple double like Westbrook? (if he was on the Thunder this year, is it possible two players from the same team could have averaged a triple double?)

 

Just answer me this..... Could Andre and Livingston be starters in the NBA?

 

Pascal Siakam started in the NBA this year. LOL

 

I think they could

[scratchswinger]

The Jazz and Clippers were pretty good teams, but it would be interesting.

 

Green and Klay are definitely going to be the Scottie Pippen's of this era if the team stays together. Although that may not even be the best comparison because we got to see apex Pippen for a full season without Jordan. (he had a great all around year and the Bulls still won 55 games i believe)

 

One of my alternate world basketball questions would be seeing Klay and Draymond on different teams to see how good they are. For example put Klay on say, the Pacers with Paul George. How far does he elevate the Pacers? Could they even have been the #1 seed this year? (i think maybe?)

 

I also think seeing Draymond on a team like the Thunder, or Bucks, where he could do his facilitator thing and be a #2 option instead of #4....what does he do? Does he potentially average a triple double like Westbrook? (if he was on the Thunder this year, is it possible two players from the same team could have averaged a triple double?)

 

Just answer me this..... Could Andre and Livingston be starters in the NBA?

 

Pascal Siakam started in the NBA this year. LOL

 

I think they could

 

Jeff is such a nice guy, he doesn't want to be mean. Lol - he knows those two can start on really good teams.

[scratchswinger]

Kyrie is really f****** good. He is probably the best at making hard shots since Kobe. He gets to the rim like the OG IT.

[xxio]

Well I said 13-14 3s + LBJ stats and they lose by 7.

 

They made a lot of 3s.

[MtlJeff]

When Kyrie has it going he's as fun to watch as anyone

 

I wonder if the rumors of Lebron potentially leaving again will start any new Love trade talks. I know i'm beating a dead horse here but i've said for 2-3 years now that Love is a great player in the wrong situation. He barely played in the finals last year when they won, he's got a bigger role this year but he's still not optimized. Ideally he's a guy that you run your offense through like Dirk Nowitzki. I still think the Cavs would be better, and better suited to play the Warriors, if they get a package of rangy defenders/shooters for him. He still would have a LOT of trade value and there's so many crazy options that i wonder if teams would look at

 

If i was New Orleans i'd flip Boogie for Love wouldn't you? And doesn't the thought of Lebron reigning in Boogie make the Cavs really scary? (Boogie defends really well when motivated). And i feel like that's better for NO aswell. What about a Love/Westbrook reunion in OKC for Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo

 

I just feel like Love, with 3-4 years left on his contract, has a ton of value and Cleveland could do better with a trade that ALSO makes the other team better

[MtlJeff]

Kyrie is really f****** good. He is probably the best at making hard shots since Kobe. He gets to the rim like the OG IT.

 

He's the best at bank shots around the hoop i've ever seen. He puts some voodoo spin on the ball

[pinhigh27]

When Kyrie has it going he's as fun to watch as anyone

 

I wonder if the rumors of Lebron potentially leaving again will start any new Love trade talks. I know i'm beating a dead horse here but i've said for 2-3 years now that Love is a great player in the wrong situation. He barely played in the finals last year when they won, he's got a bigger role this year but he's still not optimized. Ideally he's a guy that you run your offense through like Dirk Nowitzki. I still think the Cavs would be better, and better suited to play the Warriors, if they get a package of rangy defenders/shooters for him. He still would have a LOT of trade value and there's so many crazy options that i wonder if teams would look at

 

If i was New Orleans i'd flip Boogie for Love wouldn't you? And doesn't the thought of Lebron reigning in Boogie make the Cavs really scary? (Boogie defends really well when motivated). And i feel like that's better for NO aswell. What about a Love/Westbrook reunion in OKC for Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo

 

I just feel like Love, with 3-4 years left on his contract, has a ton of value and Cleveland could do better with a trade that ALSO makes the other team better

 

Run your offense through love? No way man.

 

Boogie for love wouldn't work out. Lebron wouldn't tolerate his BS at all. I don't think NO would want to do that at all either. Adams and oladipo doesn't make cavs better. I'm probably most critical person of love on the planet and I really wouldn't want either of those trades. The only thing I'd be interested in is paul george but I don't really see how cavs could swing it.

 

I don't think the cavs should blow up their team. Never know how injuries work. Lot of crazy stuff can happen. I'd rather work on my gameplan and playstyle than try to overpower them with star players. I agree some 3 and D guys would be nice.

 

I don't think lebron is going anywhere. If I was him, what other opportunity could I get that is better than cleveland where he is basically guaranteed in the finals every single year. People are saying spurs or LA. Well then you obviously have to go through golden state to even get to finals and you can't coast through the regular season like he has been doing for last few years. Why would you do that? It just doesn't seem logical to me. And if he leaves its definitely going to hurt his legacy. I always knew he would come back. He had to, to actually be in the GOAT talks. I just don't see any reason why he'd leave or how any situation could be better than the cavs.

[tocino]

He's stated he'd love to play at least one season with the banana-boat crew. I could see cp3, Lebron, melo, and wade doing it on the clippers a couple years down the road (if cp3 stays in la). Plus he has a house that's supposed to be pretty close to staples and he has his movie production business. If/when that Halle s it probably won't be a viable team especially out west if they're all in their mid-to-late 30's. But I doubt he ends his career in Cleveland.

 

Now about last nights game, the cavs definitely won that game but holy sh$@!!! That must've been the worst officiated playoff game I've ever seen in my life. 22 free-throws in the 1st quarter? So many missed calls and ticky-tack fouls, and how the hell do you not correct the scorers table on who has a technical or not?!? I thought the refs working the finals were supposed to be the best of the best?!