2021-22 NBA In-Season News/Transactions

EvilEmpire

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I really doubt Morey is being offered a true second star. I don't think settling for less is going to get that team into the finals.

Of course having two stars isn't a guarantee of success either.
 

the moops

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As much as I mock Morey I can’t imagine he holds out all season to trade a young All-Star player for a small guard about to turn 32 coming off an injury and down year. This would be funny though.
This makes no sense. He is exactly holding out for someone like Lillard. Why do you think he hasn't traded him yet?
 

terrynever

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I really doubt Morey is being offered a true second star. I don't think settling for less is going to get that team into the finals.

Of course having two stars isn't a guarantee of success either.
76ers are already a success this season because they are nearly as good without Simmons. They have reminded us that the NBA still rewards teamwork and playing hard almost every night.

Simmons fiddles as the owners collude to avoid another megastar forcing his way out. Except the 76ers have uncovered a legit point guard while Ben plays video games. Embiid now thinks his team can compete with anyone in the East.
 

EvilEmpire

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Yeah, credit to the players and coaches for working through a horrible situation. When Morey does finally settle, and assuming it is for something less than a "true star", I hope he can find the right kind of roleplayer(s) that can enhance what the team is doing and not disrupt the progress they've made.

Edit: And of course Embiid being happy is kind of important. He's the show, and another disgruntled star would be catastrophic for that organization.
 

nighthob

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I really doubt Morey is being offered a true second star. I don't think settling for less is going to get that team into the finals.

Of course having two stars isn't a guarantee of success either.
Yeah, that train left the station when he passed on Harden.

This makes no sense. He is exactly holding out for someone like Lillard. Why do you think he hasn't traded him yet?
Yeah, but not a 32 year old 6’2” guard with injury issues.
 

Cellar-Door

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76ers are already a success this season because they are nearly as good without Simmons. They have reminded us that the NBA still rewards teamwork and playing hard almost every night.

Simmons fiddles as the owners collude to avoid another megastar forcing his way out. Except the 76ers have uncovered a legit point guard while Ben plays video games. Embiid now thinks his team can compete with anyone in the East.
I mean, I guess, but not really.
They are 13th in the league in offense, same as last year, but they dropped from 2nd in the league in defense to 11th and from 5th in the league in net rating to 11th.

Last year's 76ers profile as a real contender, this year's team w/o Simmons profile as a team on the 2nd/3rd tier border.

I get it, people don't like Simmons because he's aloof. He's still really good and the 76ers are a much better team with him than without him. If Simmons doesn't play this year and doesn't get traded the 76ers would need a whole lot of injuries around the league to realistically win a title.
 

HomeRunBaker

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This makes no sense. He is exactly holding out for someone like Lillard. Why do you think he hasn't traded him yet?
I can’t believe for one second that Morey holds out for a year for next year and beyonds version of Dame Lillard. That would be one for the ages.


76ers are already a success this season because they are nearly as good without Simmons.
Of course “nearly” means “less than” for a team that lost in the second round last year. So yes, teamwork and playing hard makes for another early out in Embiid’s prime.
 
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terrynever

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I mean, I guess, but not really.
They are 13th in the league in offense, same as last year, but they dropped from 2nd in the league in defense to 11th and from 5th in the league in net rating to 11th.

Last year's 76ers profile as a real contender, this year's team w/o Simmons profile as a team on the 2nd/3rd tier border.

I get it, people don't like Simmons because he's aloof. He's still really good and the 76ers are a much better team with him than without him. If Simmons doesn't play this year and doesn't get traded the 76ers would need a whole lot of injuries around the league to realistically win a title.
Those numbers make sense, especially on defense. But the Philly defense still changes games, as Thybulle and Embiid showed in Boston on Friday night. Thybulle takes up some of Simmons’ slack. Maxey in place of Simmons on offense balances the floor like we rarely saw with Ben standing on the weak side. 76ers definitely miss Ben’s ability to up the tempo with a steal and quick push up the floor.

In a Covid season like this one, it’s distinctly possible that a flawed team might win it all.
 

Tony C

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I'm sure the teams in the Eastern Conference are putting as much pressure as possible on Morey not to do anything. At all. For the entire length of Simmons' contract. :)

I mean the fact of the matter is that Embiid is almost 28, is oft-injured (hasn't played more than 64 games in a season), and weighs 280 pounds minimum. I don't know how many healthy years Embiid has left in his body but as a Cs fan, I'm happy that Morey has apparently chose one of them not to pair Embiid with a true second star.
Right? The idea that Morey is "winning" this by dunking on Clutch is great news ...for every single one of Philly's competitors. Last I heard the job of an NBA GM is to have his team win more games. The job of a team with an injury prone super star like Embiid is to go all in during the window of his open years. Philly has a great player, a very nice supporting cast, and very minimal chance to win anything unless they trade Simmons for a star complementary to Embiid. Some might want to celebrate the moral victory of putting Klutch in their place, but that seems like a very counterproductive criteria for judging a GM. I guess there might be enough Simmons-hate in Philly that Morey will be a hero after another 1st or 2nd round exit, but...well goody for Philly and even better for the rest of the league.
 

Jimbodandy

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Right? The idea that Morey is "winning" this by dunking on Clutch is great news ...for every single one of Philly's competitors. Last I heard the job of an NBA GM is to have his team win more games. The job of a team with an injury prone super star like Embiid is to go all in during the window of his open years. Philly has a great player, a very nice supporting cast, and very minimal chance to win anything unless they trade Simmons for a star complementary to Embiid. Some might want to celebrate the moral victory of putting Klutch in their place, but that seems like a very counterproductive criteria for judging a GM. I guess there might be enough Simmons-hate in Philly that Morey will be a hero after another 1st or 2nd round exit, but...well goody for Philly and even better for the rest of the league.
Yeah, I'm all for it. But not just because I'm a Celtics fan (or NOT a Sixers fan).

The idea that the 25-30th player can shoot his way out of town with 4 years left on his deal should be horrifying to any fan. It would be bad enough if it were Lebron or Durant having just inked a 4-year extension, nevermind the 26th or whatever Ben used to be. How the fuck do you build a team at all if anyone can demand out any time. Klutch tried to demand Tyrese fucking Maxey out as punishment. Before his breakout this year, Maxey was like the 200th best player.

The league appropriately gets that the players are the talent and the product and lets big stars with a year or two left on their deals (and in bad situations where they are) get to better places. It's good for business. Everyone has generally been happy with this approach. Most folks get it. But this was a wild overreach by Klutch, probably trying to pad Paul's rep as a god of business, and I'm personally glad that Morey called his bluff. And frankly not only does it show that Paul doesn't have the power that he thought he did, but it also sheds light on his ridiculously bad judgement to think that Morey was the chump that would cave to this tactic. Morey is bonkers and had been hired like 6 months before. No owner is going to throw his new, big name hire overboard to appease Rich Paul. Morey had all of the cards.

That said, Morey should have taken the offseason to strike the best deal that he could quietly. It was pretty obviously irreconcilable in Philly for Ben. If I were a Sixer fan, I'd rather "lose the trade" than have nothing for the guy. As noted, Embiid is a huge dude with a history of lower body issues, and big dudes are prone to those in general. Wasting this year was stupid.
 

Cellar-Door

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Yeah, I'm all for it. But not just because I'm a Celtics fan (or NOT a Sixers fan).

The idea that the 25-30th player can shoot his way out of town with 4 years left on his deal should be horrifying to any fan. It would be bad enough if it were Lebron or Durant having just inked a 4-year extension, nevermind the 26th or whatever Ben used to be. How the fuck do you build a team at all if anyone can demand out any time. Klutch tried to demand Tyrese fucking Maxey out as punishment. Before his breakout this year, Maxey was like the 200th best player.

The league appropriately gets that the players are the talent and the product and lets big stars with a year or two left on their deals (and in bad situations where they are) get to better places. It's good for business. Everyone has generally been happy with this approach. Most folks get it. But this was a wild overreach by Klutch, probably trying to pad Paul's rep as a god of business, and I'm personally glad that Morey called his bluff. And frankly not only does it show that Paul doesn't have the power that he thought he did, but it also sheds light on his ridiculously bad judgement to think that Morey was the chump that would cave to this tactic. Morey is bonkers and had been hired like 6 months before. No owner is going to throw his new, big name hire overboard to appease Rich Paul. Morey had all of the cards.
I think it's for Simmons and Klutch not about padding rep. Simmons feels like Morey is a scumbag who lied to his face (he is and he did) and that the coach isn't interested in putting Simmons in a position to succeed, but instead has and will continue to throw Simmons under the bus as a scapegoat for his own failings (semi-true). Now, yeah Simmons should also take responsibility for his own on-court failings, but there were some real reasons to want out. Klutch is doing what the client wants, and probably what they think is best for him. Playing in Philly is a no-win situation for Simmons at this point.

Edit- I will say, some people criticized Ainge for saying "I will trade anyone if I get the right offer", but the one good thing about that is it meant if your name got leaked in possible trades you were ready for it, and Ainge had been upfront with you. Morey shopped a guy hard, told him he wasn't trying to trade him, then went behind his back to a teammate to get approval on a trade. Honestly the relationship was probably screwed right there. Then Simmons had the terrible Hawks series and the coach and guy who okayed trading him to Morey threw him under the bus... there's no coming back from that, and if Morey really thinks there is (I doubt it, he just thinks he can get more value) then he's Hinkie 2.0.
 
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Jimbodandy

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I think it's for Simmons and Klutch not about padding rep. Simmons feels like Morey is a scumbag who lied to his face (he is and he did) and that the coach isn't interested in putting Simmons in a position to succeed, but instead has and will continue to throw Simmons under the bus as a scapegoat for his own failings (semi-true). Now, yeah Simmons should also take responsibility for his own on-court failings, but there were some real reasons to want out. Klutch is doing what the client wants, and probably what they think is best for him. Playing in Philly is a no-win situation for Simmons at this point.

Edit- I will say, some people criticized Ainge for saying "I will trade anyone if I get the right offer", but the one good thing about that is it meant if your name got leaked in possible trades you were ready for it, and Ainge had been upfront with you. Morey shopped a guy hard, told him he wasn't trying to trade him, then went behind his back to a teammate to get approval on a trade. Honestly the relationship was probably screwed right there. Then Simmons had the terrible Hawks series and the coach and guy who okayed trading him to Morey threw him under the bus... there's no coming back from that, and if Morey really thinks there is (I doubt it, he just thinks he can get more value) then he's Hinkie 2.0.
Nobody thinks that there's any coming back from it. The day of the refused layup, the relationship was dead. Both Doc and Joel fucked him on national TV that night. Of course he wants out, and I don't blame him.

And yeah Morey should have quietly made a deal. Make the damn deal and be done with it. But some of these guys have to "win" the deal for their egos or whatever. Pritchard, for example, has been running out two bigs who can't shoot for a couple of years now. His team is 15-29, but hey, at least he didn't lose in a trade. Danny developed a bad habit in this regard near the end too, IMO. Sometimes you have to take a paper loss to improve your team. Collins, McCollum, et al. were probably gettable and would have been better than Ben-Stapled-To-Bench.

I'm not absolving Morey of blame. He's an egomaniac at least and duplicitous as fuck. He'd doing his team harm.

But Klutch acting on behalf of their client? He's still in Philly. Not sure how they covered themselves in glory here. The Tyrese Maxey flex still really cracks me up. It's a good thing that kid didn't end up sitting out or something. He made himself some money this year. None of their pressure worked. It wasn't going to work on Morey ever.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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But this was a wild overreach by Klutch, probably trying to pad Paul's rep as a god of business, and I'm personally glad that Morey called his bluff. And frankly not only does it show that Paul doesn't have the power that he thought he did, but it also sheds light on his ridiculously bad judgement to think that Morey was the chump that would cave to this tactic. Morey is bonkers and had been hired like 6 months before. No owner is going to throw his new, big name hire overboard to appease Rich Paul. Morey had all of the cards.
I get your post and it's all very reasonable except for one thing. This isn't a wild overreach by Klutch. Sure Simmons hasn't been dealt yet but AFAIK, he's getting paid and he doesn't have to play for PHI. I think Simmons is fine with what has happened this year. Maybe at some point he'll get sick of sitting on the sidelines but it's not going to be this year.

My guess is that so long as Simmons is getting paid, Klutch doesn't really care for the time being what Morey does.
 

benhogan

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If Morey trades Simmons by Feb. 10, for someone like McCollum or Collins, both sides win

Philly unloads a bad fit with Embiid, adds a cusp star, & develops a cheap, controllable young star (Maxey) at the same time.

Klutch gets Simmons out of town before the ink dries on his MAX deal.

RICH PAUL vs DARYL MOREY would be a draw in my book.

There is no bigger jolt for an organization than a rookie or 2nd-year player breaking out. Tyrese Maxey has singlehandedly changed the dynamic from Philly's perspective.

Wait a second, Klutch reps Maxey... RICH PAUL with a 12th round TKO
 

Cesar Crespo

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In the beginning, it was reported Maxey was demanding to be traded too. It was talked back pretty quick.

Pairing CJ with Maxey probably isn't the best either. Or Fox.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Wait a second, Klutch reps Maxey... RICH PAUL with a 12th round TKO
The conspiracy theorist could say that Klutch directing Simmons to sit out AFTER signing his huge deal to open the door to minites for Maxey BEFORE signing his post-rookie was a well thought out financial genius play. ;)

Klutch already won this war.
 

benhogan

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The conspiracy theorist could say that Klutch directing Simmons to sit out AFTER signing his huge deal to open the door to minites for Maxey BEFORE signing his post-rookie was a well thought out financial genius play. ;)

Klutch already won this war.
The confetti is flying around KLUTCH's offices daily

As long as Morey doesn't land a PG like Lilliard, who would snatch the ball from Maxey, this maneuver will be studied at David Falk Graduate (@Syracuse) program for years to come.
 

Jimbodandy

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I'm assuming that a lot of this is tongue in cheek.

Simmons not playing in Philly is a win for Maxey I guess but nobody else. Not Simmons, not Klutch who supposedly could force a trade, and not Morey. Everyone looks like an asshole...because they are.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I'm assuming that a lot of this is tongue in cheek.

Simmons not playing in Philly is a win for Maxey I guess but nobody else. Not Simmons, not Klutch who supposedly could force a trade, and not Morey. Everyone looks like an asshole...because they are.
Partly but not totally. One of an agents primary jobs is to find their client opportunity. This is exactly what Klutch did by sitting out Simmons. I’d say anyone who doesn’t feel minutes for Maxey wasn’t at a minimum in the back of Rich Paul’s mind during the preseason I don’t know what to say.
 

Jimbodandy

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Partly but not totally. One of an agents primary jobs is to find their client opportunity. This is exactly what Klutch did by sitting out Simmons. I’d say anyone who doesn’t feel minutes for Maxey wasn’t at a minimum in the back of Rich Paul’s mind during the preseason I don’t know what to say.
Maxey was a nobody 6 months ago. You guys are excuse making for a supposedly strong agency who couldn't bully a team into trading their all star client.

This was always about Simmons. Pritchard scored more points than Maxey last year and got 300 more minutes.
 

Cesar Crespo

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I'm assuming that a lot of this is tongue in cheek.

Simmons not playing in Philly is a win for Maxey I guess but nobody else. Not Simmons, not Klutch who supposedly could force a trade, and not Morey. Everyone looks like an asshole...because they are.
Chances are Maxey develops anyway. He had a good rookie year and a few of us were pretty upset he "demanded" a trade because it was clear he had some value. If Ben were to come back now, he'd be taking minutes away from players not named Maxey. No reason to think the 2 couldn't play together.

It'll be interesting to see who the 76ers get for Simmons. Collins, CJ and Fox are fine but at some point you are probably better off taking a package of players over a "star." Collins would require moving Harris, CJ and Maxey might be problematic defensively and CJ seems redundant with Seth. Fox can't shoot but isn't afraid to shoot. He also just turned 24, so it's possible he improves in that area, though he's at a career low right now. Dame would work if you're convinced he's healthy and due for a rebound.

Detroit trading Jerami Grant + for him would be great for Detroit. Not sure it's great for Philly. Minnesota would probably love to trade Russell for him but Philly can do better. Toronto for FVV would be a great basketball move for both teams but will never happen.

I dunno, I don't think holding out for a star is necessarily the right move if the star is John Collins or McCollum. Fox is a gamble and many on this board would pass. Looking at the team, they could probably use another shooter (like every team), and possibly a back up PG. McCollum fits the shooting bill, JC arguably does but he doesn't get the volume. Collins would be interesting for other reasons too, but I don't like the thought of Embiid/Collins/Harris on D. Staggering Fox and Maxey would basically be a backup PG. It would give Philly a 2nd alpha scorer too and they'd might have enough shooting to place around Fox. Dame would be the best "go for it now" move, probably. Russell is meh. Grant and FVV would be really interesting but will never happen.

I think there actually will be a lot of trades this deadline, and it won't be all bluster. There are lots of stars available and a lot of teams wanting to make a playoff push. I think the play in games are great for the NBA re tanking, but I think they'll prove to be great for the trade deadline too. Even if it is player like Fournier for 2 2nds. Last year's deadline was pretty busy as far as player movement.
 

benhogan

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I'm assuming that a lot of this is tongue in cheek.

Simmons not playing in Philly is a win for Maxey I guess but nobody else. Not Simmons, not Klutch who supposedly could force a trade, and not Morey. Everyone looks like an asshole...because they are.
yea I'm just having fun with it.

But Philly will be better now that Maxey has popped and whatever they collect on Simmons (along with all the cash lining the Sixers owners pockets in non-payment???)

I think there actually will be a lot of trades this deadline, and it won't be all bluster. There are lots of stars available and a lot of teams wanting to make a playoff push. I think the play in games are great for the NBA re tanking, but I think they'll prove to be great for the trade deadline too. Even if it is player like Fournier for 2 2nds. Last year's deadline was pretty busy as far as player movement.
I agree. The multi-year flat cap will make in-season trades more difficult. It is kind of why I think Schroder may have more trade value. DS is much easier to move/match than say the $18MM multi-year contract guys like Myles Turner.

Unloading completely useless players like Hernangomez, to get below the cap, might cost more than Brad likes
 

Cesar Crespo

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Maxey was a nobody 6 months ago. You guys are excuse making for a supposedly strong agency who couldn't bully a team into trading their all star client.

This was always about Simmons. Pritchard scored more points than Maxey last year and got 300 more minutes.
This is not true. You can find people like me wanting the C's to make a move for Maxey if he really was demanding a trade.

This board dreams big on Romeo Langford and AN but then brushes off other teams rookies so casually. It wasn't hard to envision Maxey improving his 3 point shot and that's what happened. His other stats are pretty much in line with last year. He's in his "first" leap so to speak. I expect to see the rest of his game improve next year. This is what good, young players actually do. The last time the C's have had a player with a promising rookie year who actually build on it in year 2 instead of regress/flatline is Jayson Tatum so it's easy to forget what player development looks like. TL improved a bit in year 3 and some this year but sophomore years have been rough for the C's for 4 years now. The 3rd year has been a little better with TL and GW on the plus side and RL on the flatline side (Others are higher on Romeo). PP has been showing signs of late though and if he finishes the season on a good run, it's possible he's a year 2 success story. Hard to see AN getting there but it's possible.

Maxey's advanced % stats are flat or down across the board except a decent decline in TO (8.2% to 7.3%) and a drop in usage (23.0% to 20.6%). On its own, that's not a good sign but he went from 15.3 mpg to 34.9 with little to no drop and also drastically improved his shooting from last year. His per 36 are basically identical, too. From my experience, players who don't improve at least one of the following in their 2nd year aren't going to develop into much: 1. their advanced % stats, 2. their shooting percentages, or 3. Minutes/usage.

Maxey had a rookie year worth building on and in year 2 he's improved in shooting and minutes (though not usage). He was also incredibly young and had lots of room for growth (unlike say, PP).

Plus, some of us have an unhealthy obsession with following young players around the NBA. You can see me pimping Anfernee Simons a few months ago. Him turning into a 1st or 2nd scoring option isn't surprising to anyone paying attention. Just like if Saddiq Bey blows up next year, it won't be that surprising, even if it's not necessarily expected.
 

Jimbodandy

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This is not true. You can find people like me wanting the C's to make a move for Maxey if he really was demanding a trade.

This board dreams big on Romeo Langford and AN but then brushes off other teams rookies so casually. It wasn't hard to envision Maxey improving his 3 point shot and that's what happened. His other stats are pretty much in line with last year. He's in his "first" leap so to speak. I expect to see the rest of his game improve next year. This is what good, young players actually do. The last time the C's have had a player with a promising rookie year who actually build on it in year 2 instead of regress/flatline is Jayson Tatum so it's easy to forget what player development looks like. TL improved a bit in year 3 and some this year but sophomore years have been rough for the C's for 4 years now. The 3rd year has been a little better with TL and GW on the plus side and RL on the flatline side (Others are higher on Romeo). PP has been showing signs of late though and if he finishes the season on a good run, it's possible he's a year 2 success story. Hard to see AN getting there but it's possible.

Maxey's advanced % stats are flat or down across the board except a decent decline in TO (8.2% to 7.3%) and a drop in usage (23.0% to 20.6%). On its own, that's not a good sign but he went from 15.3 mpg to 34.9 with little to no drop and also drastically improved his shooting from last year. His per 36 are basically identical, too. From my experience, players who don't improve at least one of the following in their 2nd year aren't going to develop into much: 1. their advanced % stats, 2. their shooting percentages, or 3. Minutes/usage.

Maxey had a rookie year worth building on and in year 2 he's improved in shooting and minutes (though not usage). He was also incredibly young and had lots of room for growth (unlike say, PP).

Plus, some of us have an unhealthy obsession with following young players around the NBA. You can see me pimping Anfernee Simons a few months ago. Him turning into a 1st or 2nd scoring option isn't surprising to anyone paying attention. Just like if Saddiq Bey blows up next year, it won't be that surprising, even if it's not necessarily expected.
Christ.

I'm not saying that it's a complete surprise that Maxey can play, given an opportunity.

Point is that he hadn't. He was a relative nobody. There was no national outcry for more Tyrese Maxey. Klutch did not take on a public fight with Morey to help Tryese Maxey. They were representing Simmons who was blatantly disrespected on national TV by his coach and star teammate. Maxey was collateral damage, or in this case benefited coincidentally.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Christ.

I'm not saying that it's a complete surprise that Maxey can play, given an opportunity.

Point is that he hadn't. He was a relative nobody. There was no national outcry for more Tyrese Maxey. Klutch did not take on a public fight with Morey to help Tryese Maxey. They were representing Simmons who was blatantly disrespected on national TV by his coach and star teammate. Maxey was collateral damage, or in this case benefited coincidentally.
I just disagree with the nobody part. Had he been on the C's to start the year, he'd probably have been penciled in 8th before any games were played. A lot of us had PP penciled in for 20 minutes a game.

National outcry would be casual fans so in that sense, yeah he's a relative nobody. And yeah, they didn't sit Simmons for the benefit of Maxey. What would have been interesting is if Maxey really did demand a trade despite Simmons demanding one. How colossally stupid would that have been? Or if he did, and an agent got into his ear right fast telling him how stupid it was.
 

Jimbodandy

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I just disagree with the nobody part. Had he been on the C's to start the year, he'd probably have been penciled in 8th before any games were played. A lot of us had PP penciled in for 20 minutes a game.

National outcry would be casual fans so in that sense, yeah he's a relative nobody. And yeah, they didn't sit Simmons for the benefit of Maxey. What would have been interesting is if Maxey really did demand a trade despite Simmons demanding one. How colossally stupid would that have been? Or if he did, and an agent got into his ear right fast telling him how stupid it was.
I'm glad that he didn't get caught up in it. Klutch has let clients down before to focus on bigger clients (to be fair, most agencies have). He is thriving.
 

ElUno20

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This isnt really news so not sure if it belongs here but lebron has named the fall guy for the lakers
https://theathletic.com/news/lakers-coach-frank-vogels-job-in-jeopardy-with-team-seventh-in-west-sources/VjrapK0ax51l/
Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel’s job is in serious jeopardy with the team seventh in the Western Conference through 44 games, sources told The Athletic. Vogel is being evaluated on a game-to-game basis and is at risk of being fired if progress doesn’t continue after Monday’s win over the Utah Jazz, sources said.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Maxey was a nobody 6 months ago. You guys are excuse making for a supposedly strong agency who couldn't bully a team into trading their all star client.

This was always about Simmons. Pritchard scored more points than Maxey last year and got 300 more minutes.
Oh it was absolutely all about Simmons. Only pointing out that Is was a perfect storm for Klutch. As far as Maxey being a nobody……that’s exactly my point. His client went from a nobody to a starting guard for a playoff team simply by having his other client hold out.

Edit: To be clear I agree that this was a coincidental benefit but still a big win for Klutch nonetheless.
 

benhogan

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some Kyrie mumbo jumbo...take 2 Advil before reading the whole article


"That's what I'm saying," Irving said. "You're bringing my vaccination status into a basketball game, and I live my life, the majority of the time, when I'm away from this. So when I say I'm not getting vaccinated and I'm making a choice with my life, somehow it gets mixed into, 'Well, what about the basketball?' When it's like no, bro. We live in a real world. It's great to be able to do this. I'm grateful for the opportunity. I love being with my teammates. I love playing on the Nets, but I've already been away enough time to think about this, to process it, to be able to make this decision, stand strong, understand that people are gonna agree and some people are gonna disagree.

"The circumstances that are at hand, I'm praying that they get changed and we're able to do things differently and that's not just for me -- that's for all those that are dealing with being unvaccinated and getting fired from work on a day-to-day basis. It's not just about me. That's been my message this whole time. So though I feel your feeling and emotion for asking that question, it's just like, sometimes it feels a little disrespectful. I'm not just a basketball player, bro. Millions of fans. I appreciate all of it, but it's not just about the game."

After being told that he's one of the most famous unvaccinated people in the country, Irving responded, "That sounds crazy to me ... but I'm not the only one."

"Fame is socially created, bro," Irving said. "I hear what you're saying. ... Like being the most famous unvaccinated player, what does that even mean? I don't even know what that means at home."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33088525/brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-reconsider-covid-19-vaccine-stance-wake-kevin-durant-injury-stay-rooted-my-decision
 

slamminsammya

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Has a coach ever reached the "evaluated day by day" status and not been fired? I don't get why teams go through this walking on eggshells song and dance.
 

NomarsFool

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Has a coach ever reached the "evaluated day by day" status and not been fired? I don't get why teams go through this walking on eggshells song and dance.
It's also just a stupid way to manage things, especially in basketball. In football, where every game is a pretty big deal - would be slightly more defensible. You really want a basketball coach to be considering every game like it's their last? Just seems like a really dumb way of managing things.
 

ElUno20

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https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33106148/los-angeles-lakers-star-russell-westbrook-benched-late-loss-coach-frank-vogel-had-green-light-sources-say
LOS ANGELES -- Long before Russell Westbrook was benched down the stretch of Wednesday's 111-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel was given assurances that the organization would support him in taking a hard line while coaching the star, sources told ESPN.
Over the past week and a half, Lakers management has told the coaching staff to coach Westbrook as the coaches see fit, even if that means pulling him from a game, as Vogel did for the final 3 minutes, 52 seconds of the fourth quarter against Indiana, sources told ESPN.
 

Cellar-Door

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Buss is making the calls, with some heavy influence from Mr. and Mrs. Rambis and a bit of advice from Palinka. Now, her decision tree generally leans much heavier towards what LeBron wants than the Coach, but that's inevitable when you're talking about probably the best player ever in the era where coaches are far more replaceable than massively underpaid superstars.
 

HomeRunBaker

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While there's truth to what you say, this team is run by a trust fund kid who slept with the coach and posed for Playboy. I wouldn't say that's typical.
Others with more intel can chime in but everything I’ve heard is that Kurt Rambis is the one at the top of the food chain right now.
 

PedroKsBambino

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What I've taken away is that Rambis has Buss' ear and thus effectively can overrule Pelinka. But Lebron is the guy who sets Rambis' agenda when he cares to do so (e.g. Westbrook trade).
 

Jimbodandy

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The fact that we're piecing together who runs the team by forensic anecdotal accounting shows what a turd show that organization is.

Good for them that they're in LA and that means something to people, because it's hardly a Wharton case study on organizational behavior.
 

Kliq

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The Lakers franchise since Jerry Buss died in 2013 has been a pretty big train wreck. First, you had the years where the team served as a vanity project for Kobe has he buried the team with his enormous contract, selfish play, and refusal to stop being the centerpiece of the team. Then they went into a dark rebuilding phase where they actually ended up drafting fairly well (their top picks being D'Angelo Russell, Ingram, Ball and Randle) except that the team never had the patience to wait for those players to develop, and ended up shipping them out to various outposts where they would grow into All-Star level players.

The organization was obviously successful at being able to lure LeBron to LA. I'm not sure how much you can credit ownership or upper management with that; LeBron wanted to go to LA for various reasons, many of which probably didn't have to do with basketball and so he went to the Lakers. That opens the door for the Klutch-inspired Davis trade. They win the title in the bubble, which is becoming an increasingly interesting title to look at when you consider what the Lakers have accomplished outside of that one season.

You can blame a million people; Mitch Kupchak, Rambis, LeBron, Magic Johnson, Frank Vogel, etc. but the common denominator is the Buss family. Jimmy Buss took a ton of flak from the media before handing the job over to Jeannie Buss, who has a much better relationship with the media and has thus skated through a lot of poor administrative decisions. But the ownership is pretty rotten in LA and while the Lakers play by a different set of rules than the rest of NBA teams because they can fuck up things a million times and still remain an attractive destination for players, I'm skeptical on their post-LeBron future.
 

Cellar-Door

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The Lakers franchise since Jerry Buss died in 2013 has been a pretty big train wreck. First, you had the years where the team served as a vanity project for Kobe has he buried the team with his enormous contract, selfish play, and refusal to stop being the centerpiece of the team. Then they went into a dark rebuilding phase where they actually ended up drafting fairly well (their top picks being D'Angelo Russell, Ingram, Ball and Randle) except that the team never had the patience to wait for those players to develop, and ended up shipping them out to various outposts where they would grow into All-Star level players.

The organization was obviously successful at being able to lure LeBron to LA. I'm not sure how much you can credit ownership or upper management with that; LeBron wanted to go to LA for various reasons, many of which probably didn't have to do with basketball and so he went to the Lakers. That opens the door for the Klutch-inspired Davis trade. They win the title in the bubble, which is becoming an increasingly interesting title to look at when you consider what the Lakers have accomplished outside of that one season.

You can blame a million people; Mitch Kupchak, Rambis, LeBron, Magic Johnson, Frank Vogel, etc. but the common denominator is the Buss family. Jimmy Buss took a ton of flak from the media before handing the job over to Jeannie Buss, who has a much better relationship with the media and has thus skated through a lot of poor administrative decisions. But the ownership is pretty rotten in LA and while the Lakers play by a different set of rules than the rest of NBA teams because they can fuck up things a million times and still remain an attractive destination for players, I'm skeptical on their post-LeBron future.
For all her bad decisions, one reason Jeannie also gets a lot of DotB, is that she got the best player of all time to sign there, and added another top 10 or so player, and it led to a title. You win a championship you get a lot of rope.
 

Tony C

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That is true but all that Kliq writes is true, too. I think they sort of lucked into that championship because it was really LeBron deciding he wanted to be in L.A. and then getting Davis to join him. But, sure, if things happen you get credit for them, so give Buss et al their due as they did win it.

But all the rest that Kliq lays out is true, too, and I'll just add that there's an embarrassing amateurism to the Lakers organization under Buss (who I should add seems to be a pretty cool person -- so no hate, she and her siblings just suck at running a basketball team). Things like offering the head coaching job to Lue and then backing out because of money and wanting to hire his assistant coaches. All the Pelinka-Magic public backstabbing. The current rise of Kurt Rambis as the supposed decision-maker over Pelinka -- Rambis now sits in on coaching meetings and leaks about Vogel about to get fired and then leaks he won't get fired. It's just lamely amateurish. So, yeah, give her/them their due for the championship. But they also deserve to be mocked for how badly they've mismanaged things since then. I mean, you start the season with LeBron and AD it's like being born on 3rd base -- best duo in the NBA. The easy part is getting a decent supporting cast. Last year injuries hurt them and, so be it. But this year has been just dumb decision after dumb decision and the chickens are coming home to roost.