2023 NBA Playoffs
- Thread starter BaseballJones
- Start date
Does anyone think he's that good? He's ok at the most noticeable aspect of the game (scoring) and is below average at everything else. 8 straight years of 20+ ppg (legitimately impressive), yet has never made an all-star team.
My read of it is that most national media thinks he’s very good/just below all-star level.
I had him on my fantasy team this year so I paid more attention but he was really not good. This doesn’t even account for the fact that he’s a player you have to constantly hide on defense.
IMO, I think the Zion injuries have distracted from the fact that McCollum is mediocre and way overpaid
Thunder are gonna be real good for a while, SGA, Giddey, Williams. Plus Chet next year and a ton of picks 2024-2027 (HOUx2, UTAH, LACx2, PHI, DEN plus a swap)
I'm pretty bearish on Chet, but surround SGA and Giddey with good defenders and 3 point shooters and the future is very, very bright.
If they treat Chet like Embid/ TimeLord ... he might be a serious contributor in 4 year. Will SGA be in LA then?
To quote Wikpedia (that most reliable source), "On August 3, 2021, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder agreed to a five-year, $172 million rookie extension that will become a five-year, $207 million rookie maximum extension if Gilgeous-Alexander is included on an All-NBA Team."
Eh, there is no indication that SGA is sorry about being on the Thunder. Of course, like most small-market teams, the Thunder has to be worried about defections. But, SGA has recognized that he has been a critical part of "the process"; he may not have had the same impact on a different team.
His deal ends in 2027, and he'll likely be supermax eligible during that stretch.
Learn how the NBA works before emoting about LA.
It's finally time for them to use some of the thousands of picks they've stockpiled, no?
Probably. Good thing for them in none of them are in this draft, so they can shop for the right deal, also they can see how Chet fits.
I would expect them to be sniffing around Jaylen if he doesn't sign the extension, and basically be in on every star under 30 who might be unhappy (Luka?)
I also wouldn't be surprised if they keep some of the picks and trade their own.
I doubt they will use many of them but rather look to package into the Top-5, 3 or even the top slot on these upcoming draft nights.
One problem for the pick hoarders is that picks don't have the value they might have once had. With load management, improved nutrition and conditioning, better surgical techniques player careers are lasting longer. It gets harder and harder for new guys to crack rotations as fewer spots are available. We see it across the league. Toronto turns down 3 first for OG, and it probably makes sense. What are the odds you can get a player like OG with the 25th, 19th, and 16th picks in the draft? You'll be lucky to get two rotation guys, one of which can play minutes in a real (i.e. 2nd round+) playoff series.
High lottery picks will always have good value, but picks outside the top 10 or so? I'm not sure. I'm not saying they have no value, but I don't think there's been a point in NBA history when they've been less valuable than they are right now.
High lottery picks will always have good value, but picks outside the top 10 or so? I'm not sure. I'm not saying they have no value, but I don't think there's been a point in NBA history when they've been less valuable than they are right now.
You aren’t factoring in the likelihood that this league adds Seattle and Las Vegas franchises in the next 2-3 years which seems to be likely. That’s 30 more jobs and 18-20 rotation players.
Expansion will change things for sure. I think that timeline might be a bit optimistic (or maybe pessimistic, depending on individual taste), but we'll see.
We shall see but I think if not for Covid we’d have been looking at this coming year. That crap pushed it back 2-3 years imo.
I think there is something to this, at least pre-expansion, which makes Brad's getting DWhite and Brogdon for the 25th and 29th picks (+filler) incredibly heist-y.
I can imagine it, and yes, the home crowd would absolutely allow it.
I mean, what are we talking about here:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHaOj64sHds
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93Zwc_QNm38
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu3LQmJWsKg
@Sam Ray Not has been pretty down on CJ McCollum for years.
He kind of hid in PDX behind Dame's shine while usually taking half the credit when they were winning.
I keep having fantasies that OKC will go after Rob and Grant so they can send out an all Williams lineup. It would really mess with the play by play announcers.
He's a much slower, much less efficient Jordan Poole at this point, without the upside. Only where Poole can occasionally be dialed down to ~15 mpg as effectively "Steph's backup" when he's playing poorly or facing a bad matchup (viz. late in last year's Finals), McCollum has been anointed by NOP as a 35 mpg starter. He needs to be relegated to an early-career Clarkson/Poole bench sparkplug role (with player X at starting PG) if the Pels ever get serious about contending for anything.
True. Though given his rich history of terrible defense and bad volume shooting in big games (career .526 TS in the playoffs, .418 TS last night as his team was eliminated) I wonder how many might have wanted to.
This Zion thing is fascinating.
He's missed 63% of the games over the past 4 years.(got paid 44 million for this) And he said this week he feels fine physically but doesn't want to go out there if he's unsure of himself. And then he's doing windmill dunks in the pre game. And now his team is eliminated and the season is over.
Wait, what? I guess the elimination is what Zion wanted. Now he's got 5 months to hit McDonalds without anyone watching him.
He's missed 63% of the games over the past 4 years.(got paid 44 million for this) And he said this week he feels fine physically but doesn't want to go out there if he's unsure of himself. And then he's doing windmill dunks in the pre game. And now his team is eliminated and the season is over.
Wait, what? I guess the elimination is what Zion wanted. Now he's got 5 months to hit McDonalds without anyone watching him.
This seems like a common take. It is a bad one though. There is a huge difference between dunking in warmups and being in good enough physical condition to withstand an NBA game(s).
Very true, but apparently he feels fine:
https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/williamson-feel-fine-physically-return-feel-zion/story?id=98512331#:~:text=METAIRIE, La.,embarks on a postseason run.
Then there's this from CJ:
View: https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1646614695934042114?s=20
There's something off here. McCollum is the current president of the NBA PA, when he speaks he does so thoughtfully and with purpose.
CJ got a bump from being good last year after the trade, which made people think "maybe it was the combo of him and Dame that was the issue" instead of the correct take, which is both he and Dame are overrated players who make it difficult to win because they stink on D.
But where Dame is elite on offense and so is overrated in the sense people think he's top 5-10 instead of a tier or two down, CJ isn't that great on O either so he's treated like a borderline all-star instead of a borderline starter.
But where Dame is elite on offense and so is overrated in the sense people think he's top 5-10 instead of a tier or two down, CJ isn't that great on O either so he's treated like a borderline all-star instead of a borderline starter.
As noted, he literally said he feels fine. And by he, I mean Zion. The player who sat out since January and skipped an elimination game despite feeling fine.
So my take isn't a bad one. If you're issuing verdicts on the quality of takes, I would suggest maybe taking a look in the mirror.
And regardless, it is a truly bad look to be dunking a basketball before a game when you never play said game for the team you're employed for.
Why do people bend over backwards over bums? Ben Simmons got a similar defense. How is that working out?
The team has been banged up a lot this year but when CJ joined them last season he made an immediate impact as he filled a hole in the lineup. Next year will be interesting once they are healthy to see if they get back to that.
I would call more having compassion and not knowing the full story rather than bending over backwards. We all think these dudes are robots - they are not. Shit happens and I prefer not to think the worst
I agree with you 100% that Zion needs to take better care of his body. In this case, though, he's not getting any lift on those dunks. This is one of the most athletic players in the NBA when he's healthy and in shape. He can say he feels fine, but that Zion dunking in warmups is not the same guy who was a first team All-NBA player to start the season.
He really did and he was pretty terrific the first part of this season, too. I think he's getting a bit sold short on this thread. He's not a 1B type player nor even a 2, but he's probably a strong 3rd gun on very good team -- i.e., a team with Zion as their best player and Ingram as their 2nd best player. Not great defensively but not terrible, and he is quite smooth with the ball (I admit aesthetically I just like watching him play -- love the style).
He obviously finished this season in a funk, but the news that he was playing w/ both a torn labrum and a bad thumb (both of which will require surgery, I think I read?) puts that in a bit of perspective. And, obviously, it also connects to CJ (apparently) calling out Zion pretty directly.
Im still not sure I understood the rationalization for that call from SVG and Anderson.
It was "he had to land somewhere" right?
Not like Bam could be playing any worse. Dude has zero touch around the basket, he keeps back rimming open 5 footers. Contrasted nicely by Vucevic repeatedly hitting contested shots in the same area with ease.