Yep. Durant had 36 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists. Not a bad night's work.Durant played in their latest game yesterday against OKC, with Kyrie still out for that one.
Yep. Durant had 36 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists. Not a bad night's work.Durant played in their latest game yesterday against OKC, with Kyrie still out for that one.
And they still lost to OKC. Wonder what Durant is thinking about Kyrie's absence.Yep. Durant had 36 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists. Not a bad night's work.
Did he fall off the edge of the Earth?
Would it surprise anyone if he went Larry Sanders on the Nets and just said I’m done?Literally anything is possible. I hope he's safe and healthy.
A good case for expansion is that even the lousy teams have some pretty good players. I think every team in the NBA right now has someone who could conceivably make the ASG; even the Knicks have Randle and the Pistons have Jermai Grant, whos is improbably averaging 25 ppg on decent efficiency.De’Aaron Fox just threw down a monster exclamation point tomahawk dunk on Sabin is’ head. Whoa!!!
This Kings team may be dysfunctional but they still have some interesting individual pieces who have significant flaws in their game.
There are unverified videos of him partying in New Jersey.Could Kyrie be having a mental health episode? Its 2021, and it would not be surprising if he was a) being proactive about taking care of himself, and b) the team were not saying anything remotely detailed about it.
Did they even know where he was and what he was doing? Gist I got from the reports is that he's just MIA.What I don't get is why they didn't just announce that he was possibly exposed to COVID and he was in quarantine?
Which is what makes Mr. Chemistry such a special person. He can't just tell people he might have been exposed to COVID; he has to go mysteriously missing and have his coach wondering where he is, and then an NBA Twitter personality has to reveal the truth through a semi-real investigation.Did they even know where he was and what he was doing? Gist I got from the reports is that he's just MIA.
He wasn't at the time.What I don't get is why they didn't just announce that he was possibly exposed to COVID and he was in quarantine?
He can be fined for breaching protocol.What are the penalties that Silver could impose here on Kyrie? Or is this basically a team matter (the team obviously won't do squat)?
Not many honestly. Someone is always filming nowadays. Or just posting to twitter than they saw him.So how many athletes are at these parties and smart enough to make sure no one is filming?
The answer appears to be "Violating NBA covid19 protocols for his sister's birthday party". Not sure who had that one on their Kyriexcuse Bingo card.Durant played in their latest game yesterday against OKC, with Kyrie still out for that one.
I mean, he’s not wrong. That s a pretty horrid roster around him. It doesn’t help that they matchup terribly with the team they would ultimately have to get past.In the span of a few days we've gone from everyone thinking, "hmm, this Rockets roster is actually really interesting if Harden just sticks around," to Harden saying the Rockets "just aren't good enough" and "this situation is crazy. It's something that I don't think can be fixed."
James, you're two games out of a playoff slot with over 63 games to play.
Really? On paper, it’s not *that* different from the borderline championship contender (or at least dangerously explosive 55-win team) they had last season. They still have Harden, Gordon, Tucker, House, and McLemore; they made a small downgrade from Westbrook to Wall while adding a budding frontcourt star in Wood and an intriguing bench big in Cousins.I mean, he’s not wrong. That s a pretty horrid roster around him. It doesn’t help that they matchup terribly with the team they would ultimately have to get past.
fixed the above for youHarden’s done with the main course. And will now suck down a few more ribs for a while.
Jae’Sean Tate & David Nwaba are playing 23mpg and Sterling Brown 20. There are significant downgrades from last year all over the floor. These guys are replacing veterans like Covington, Rivers, and Jeff Green.Really? On paper, it’s not *that* different from the borderline championship contender (or at least dangerously explosive 55-win team) they had last season. They still have Harden, Gordon, Tucker, House, and McLemore; they made a small downgrade from Westbrook to Wall while adding a budding frontcourt star in Wood and an intriguing bench big in Cousins.
Most salient differences are the loss of D’Antoni and the fact that for whatever reason their superstar gained 30 lbs. and doesn’t seem to GAF about the team.
I would reserve some ??? for 36-yr old Gasol here as well.NBA top 10 in blocks
Myles Turner 46 (!!)
Rudy Gobert 29
Chris Boucher 26
Mitchell Robinson 21
Andrew Wiggins 20 (????)
Jarrett Allen 19
Anthony Davis 19
Andre Drummond 17
Marc Gasol 17
James Wiseman 17
Wiseman has played some decent defense which is his real immediate value. Blocks are cool and all but its not clear if they do anything to contribute to winning (not arguing one way or the other - just saying that those who have looked at their value haven't been able to identify blocks as a difference maker in terms of winning basketball games). But Wiseman shows the signs of a player who can credibly guard smaller guys on the PnR.View: https://twitter.com/DimeUPROXX/status/1349223112303390721
NBA top 10 in blocks
Myles Turner 46 (!!)
Rudy Gobert 29
Chris Boucher 26
Mitchell Robinson 21
Andrew Wiggins 20 (????)
Jarrett Allen 19
Anthony Davis 19
Andre Drummond 17
Marc Gasol 17
James Wiseman 17
A lot of that is House and McLemore missing more than half their games. Assuming those guys are both still alive, they'll shore up the depth considerably. Covington was a big loss for them; I'd argue guys the level of Green and Rivers could be found pretty easily before the trade deadline if the team decided it wanted to compete. Wood is at worst a mild upgrade on Green. And Cousins was a nice add, at a position where they had nothing last year.Jae’Sean Tate & David Nwaba are playing 23mpg and Sterling Brown 20. There are significant downgrades from last year all over the floor. These guys are replacing veterans like Covington, Rivers, and Jeff Green.
Chemistry takes time to develop. The Rockets have played nine games. Fit-wise, Wall is a pretty similar player to Westbrook: both big, physical, ball-dominant PGs who like to slash to the rim on O and can physically handle wings on D. Wall is a better three-point shooter than Westbrook. There's no reason the basketball fits with Harden shouldn't be fairly similar, given a bit of time and effort.This doesn’t even account for the Wall fit w Harden compared to RWB, who is somewhat surprisingly had great chemistry with on the floor.
Yeah, I definitely did not mean to conflate blocks with good defense. From what I've seen (all eleven Warrior games, lol) Wiggins has played great D apart from the blocks, while Wiseman has played pretty bad D despite the blocks (as one might expect from a 19 year-old who just started learning team defensive concepts like five minutes ago).Wiseman has played some decent defense which is his real immediate value. Blocks are cool and all but its not clear if they do anything to contribute to winning (not arguing one way or the other - just saying that those who have looked at their value haven't been able to identify blocks as a difference maker in terms of winning basketball games). But Wiseman shows the signs of a player who can credibly guard smaller guys on the PnR.
As a side note, the data is still kind of useless until teams get more consistency in line-ups and rotations and players are in better shape. I do wonder if we are going to get real read on players and teams this season with the protocols, missed games etc. Its entirely possible that as the playoffs approach, we get another team like Miami who kind of comes together at the end and surprises a few people. I fully expect the screwy schedule as well as the play-in games means that there are no "easy" match-ups - at least not for the first half of the season.
Oh I wasn't directing that at you btw - I am just fascinated with how the NBA market continues to evolve. A great shot blocker might have used that singular skill to get paid all the way into the early 2010s. Now I suspect that blocks are way down the list in terms of attributes teams value. Rebounds seem to have a lower price point too these days. Wiseman can do all of these things but his real upside is his defensive versatility and an already nifty game around the bucket (Curry appears to be having fun with his new rim running toy!).Yeah, I definitely did not mean to conflate blocks with good defense. From what I've seen (all eleven Warrior games, lol) Wiggins has played great D apart from the blocks, while Wiseman has played pretty bad D despite the blocks (as one might expect from a 19 year-old who just started learning team defensive concepts like five minutes ago).
Harden so far went missing before training camp, openly fleeced COVID protocols, has shown up in terrible shape and played passionless basketball while throwing his teammates and the entire organization under the bus at every turn. If Harden was in killer shape and putting up an efficient 30 points every night and the team was still losing, he would have a point. But he hasn't dedicated himself one iota to this season's team; he has no room to gripe.A lot of that is House and McLemore missing more than half their games. Assuming those guys are both still alive, they'll shore up the depth considerably. Covington was a big loss for them; I'd argue guys the level of Green and Rivers could be found pretty easily before the trade deadline if the team decided it wanted to compete. Wood is at worst a mild upgrade on Green. And Cousins was a nice add, at a position where they had nothing last year.
Chemistry takes time to develop. The Rockets have played nine games. Fit-wise, Wall is a pretty similar player to Westbrook: both big, physical, ball-dominant PGs who like to slash to the rim on O can physically handle wings on D. Wall is a better three-point shooter than Westbrook. There's no reason the basketball fits with Harden shouldn't be fairly similar, given a bit of time and effort.
I can definitely buy that on balance the supporting cast has dropped off a bit, but I don't give Harden even in a little bit of a pass for quitting on his "horrid roster," if that's what you're indulging him. Curry's roster has had an even greater fall from grace than Harden's, and yet he came into the season in great shape (as always) and comes out every game and gets after it, setting an unwaveringly positive and supportive tone for his motley teammates. If 3-6 is a death knell, the entire Raptors team should be committing hara kiri, yet somehow we don't hear Lowry/Siakam/FVV and co. giving up on the season. I'm sure they'd laugh at the idea.
Suck it up, James.
Don't they have to match salary as well?View: https://twitter.com/sam_amick/status/1349425617196879873
Nets as expected offerring every pick and swap they can for Harden.
yeah, probably LeVert, Allen and one of Prince/Dinwiddie, that was the rumor pre-season.Don't they have to match salary as well?