I think you're probably right. The marginal benefit of a Philly win is almost surely greater than a Celtics win since they appear to be stabilizing at the #3 seed.
Brooklyn Nets 2016-17 (the Year of the Swap)
- Thread starter Jed Zeppelin
- Start date
MIA in the #2 spot by 0.5 game this morning. PHI back by 1.0 game (but worse percentage than MIA, who has played three more games and has the most losses in the NBA).
Miami HEAT @MiamiHEAT 19m19 minutes ago
Justise Winslow will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder & is likely out for the remainder of the season.
Definitely worried about Dragic getting traded and Whiteside getting a phantom injury. Pat Riley doesn't fuck around.
New page = new update on the Nets upcoming schedule:
1/5 @ Pacers
1/6 vs. Cavs
1/8 vs. 76ers
1/10 vs. Hawks
1/12 vs. Pelicans
1/13 @ Raptors
1/15 vs Rockets
1/17 vs. Raptors
1/20 @ Pelicans
1/21 @ Hornets
1/23 vs. Spurs
1/25 vs. Heat
There's currently no timetable for Lin's return from the second hamstring strain of the season. Hollis-Jefferson is out with a hip issue tonight.
1/5 @ Pacers
1/6 vs. Cavs
1/8 vs. 76ers
1/10 vs. Hawks
1/12 vs. Pelicans
1/13 @ Raptors
1/15 vs Rockets
1/17 vs. Raptors
1/20 @ Pelicans
1/21 @ Hornets
1/23 vs. Spurs
1/25 vs. Heat
There's currently no timetable for Lin's return from the second hamstring strain of the season. Hollis-Jefferson is out with a hip issue tonight.
BRK kept it close with CLE for 20+ minutes, but CLE outscores BRK 13-3 in the last 3:15 of the 2nd quarter. BRK down 11 at the half.
Celtics playing as if they want Brooklyn to extend their "lead" over the Sixers in the lottery. A Celtics loss tonight helps us in the Tankathon.
And the sun rises in the east.
Nets now 1.5 games "up" on their competitors for the worst record in the NBA this season. The team I worry might displace them is Miami. They are both bad and willing to tank.
Likely, but is there such a consensus on who Miami (or anyone else) or Boston would want that #1 or #2 really matters? I know you'd always want all the choices, but I'm not worried. Yet.
It's still early, but Fultz is pretty close to the consensus #1 at this point. Draft prognosticators aren't GMs, but he's first in all of the draft boards I've seen. Things can change though, there's still a lot of ball to be played.
I've been scammed too many times by the ping pong balls to get my hopes up. I'll get excited after the lottery if things finally go their way. Right now I'm assuming the worst, if there's a clear cut #1, they'll get #3.
Yeah, there's only a 25% chance for the one seed getting the first pick anyway, and that only falls to 20% for the second seed. Combine that with the talent at the top of this draft, and I'm not sweating the lottery like last year, even if #1 would be nice, for Fultz or for trade value.
PHI outscoring BRK 28-8 in the third quarter (Okafor with his second straight DNP-CD). BRK now trailing by 9 with 2:15 left in 3Q.
Yes, Fultz is the consensus #1, but I'm also very high on Jackson, Tatum and Ntilikina. I'm not as high on Ball or Smith, but some people are.
Any pick in the top 4 is going to yield an outstanding prospect. So if the Nets have the 2nd or 3rd worst record, all is not lost, even if the ping pong balls are unkind.
Any pick in the top 4 is going to yield an outstanding prospect. So if the Nets have the 2nd or 3rd worst record, all is not lost, even if the ping pong balls are unkind.
PHI by 9, with three minutes left.
Edit: 5 straight by PHI, now 14 pt lead with 1:58 to go.
Edit #2: Big win for #netspick
Edit: 5 straight by PHI, now 14 pt lead with 1:58 to go.
Edit #2: Big win for #netspick
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Sixers are objectively better than the Nets, who can't win unless they hit a bunch of threes, which they aren't any good at doing.
With Okafor riding the pine consistently now, I expect them to finish pretty comfortably ahead of Brooklyn.
With Okafor riding the pine consistently now, I expect them to finish pretty comfortably ahead of Brooklyn.
As long as Embiid stays healthy, there's no way Philly is finishing behind Brooklyn.
Brooklyn is a huge favorite to finish dead last. I'd guess their worst competition for that spot ends up being the Heat. Maybe Phoenix if they peel off a veteran or two. I doubt Cuban deals off vets in an effort to tank, if he did they'd have a shot as well.
Brooklyn is a huge favorite to finish dead last. I'd guess their worst competition for that spot ends up being the Heat. Maybe Phoenix if they peel off a veteran or two. I doubt Cuban deals off vets in an effort to tank, if he did they'd have a shot as well.
If you are the Celtics, do you consider throwing in a 2018 or 2019 first, free, to make a Lopez deal happen?
No, because as was just said, the Nets are already strong favorites to land the worst record with Lopez. And I think they're going to take the best offer they get regardless of what they say they're asking for.
Simmons 1, Fultz 2, Ingram in the 3-8 mix with Ball/Smith/Jackson/Tatum/Monk
Edit: I'd probably put Brown/Bender/Dunn/Hield/Murray in the next tier with Ntilikina/Fox/Isaac/Giles/Markkanen/Anunoby/Williams/Bridges.
In other words, I'd have seven 2016 players in the top 21 of the 2016 & 2017 combined drafts.
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There are no really dreadful teams in the NBA this year, but the Nets are close and could end up there. Their -8.7 point differential is 2.1 points worse than the runner up sixers at -6.6. They may be the only team in the NBA not to win 20 games this year, but even they are on pace for 23. If the Heat trade Dragic and/or sit Whiteside, things could get interesting but they have a 3 game cushion and the Nets are awful and could always trade Lopez/Booker or sit guys themselves.
The Wolves are losing a lot of close games (5 by 2, 2 by 4), the Mavs are 7-9 over their last 16, and the Suns... well I dunno about the Suns. They are 4-5 and their last 9 but those wins are against the Mavs, Heat, Sixers and Raptors (legit win). Also not sure the sixers are in the clear yet, as they may be 3-1 in their last 4, but 2 of the wins were against the Nets and Wolves. It's basically bad teams beating up on other bad teams and the Celtics getting the best results possible.
The Wolves are losing a lot of close games (5 by 2, 2 by 4), the Mavs are 7-9 over their last 16, and the Suns... well I dunno about the Suns. They are 4-5 and their last 9 but those wins are against the Mavs, Heat, Sixers and Raptors (legit win). Also not sure the sixers are in the clear yet, as they may be 3-1 in their last 4, but 2 of the wins were against the Nets and Wolves. It's basically bad teams beating up on other bad teams and the Celtics getting the best results possible.
Nets waive Anthony Bennett. I discussed this in another thread, but I would call him the worst player every picked #1 in any sport. Most of the usual candidates can point to booze or drugs or injury, but Bennett just sucked so badly that he was nothing more than trade ballast within a year of being drafted and will perhaps end up starting only 4 games in his career.
Look at the top 10 picks in that draft: Bennett, Oladipo, Otto Porter, Cody Zeller, Alex Len, Nerlens, Ben McLemore, Caldwell-Pope, Trey Burke and McCollum.
That was just an insanely bad draft class at the top.
Agreed, except for McCollum who is beasting now. If you saw him last night he's almost making Lillard a second banana.
It was definitely a bad class. But even given that, Bennett was the worst player in the top 10 by quite a bit. Every other player picked in the top 15 has played significantly more minutes than Bennett (who played on terrible teams where playing time for a young player should have been relatively easy to come by). And to be clear, I'm not saying Bennett was the worst pick, only that he was the worst player picked #1.
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Mavs vs Wolves tonight. Winner ends the night with a 3 game cushion over Brooklyn. Loser joins Miami as the only teams within 2 games of the cellar.
I remember talking to some basketball Canada guys, who are huge cheerleaders for Canadian guys (they think Kelly Olynyk has all star potential) but they were veru worried when Bennett went #1 that since Wiggins looked like the likley #1 the next year, and worried if Wiggins got hurt or something Canadian players would be labelled busts. They believed, over optimistically as it turned out, his ceiling was an average NBA player. Since his first year in the NBA when he was out of shape the Basketball Canada guys have like Bennett a lot when he plays for TEam Canada, but they say he is comparable to the Canadian guys playing in Europe, and nowhere near Nicholson, Thompson, Olynyk, etc. Their take was he had some good games in some pre draft scrimmages where he overpowered younger guys, or less mature guys. There was a story, probably apocryphal that somebody in Cleveland thought his body resembled Lebron and that he would be "unguardable " as a physical beast that shoots the three.
Its definitely not good, but far from the worst. Bennett is a the bustiest of busts. I am not particularly high on Dipo, but he is at the least a high end starting two guard. Porter is playing very well after a slow start to his career and looks to get paid. Zeller is starting caliber big (I know not what you hope for in the #4 pick, but way better than say.... Marcus Fizer).
Len remains an unknown. If I am running the Nets, he's the kind of RFA I would look at. When he gets consistent run his numbers look good. The situation in Phoenix both in terms of roster and coaching makes it hard to get a good read on whether the flashes he has shown are just tha, or signs of what Len could be with more consistent playing time and guards who will get him the ball.
I love Nerlens. His ability to stay in front of wings is pretty much unmatched (among bigs). If I knew where to do it, I would bet on him winning a DPOY or two over teh course of his career.
McLemore is probably a bust, but its the Kings so who the hell knows. KCP is an elite defender who can knock down 3's. He is the platonic ideal of who you expect to get in the 7-10 range of an average draft. Burke is a bust; at best a second combo guard off the bench. McCollum is a clear home run.
While much maligned, the 2013 draft has relatively few out and out busts. 75-80% of the first round looks on its way to having legit NBA careers.
Long ways before anyone unseats the 2000 draft as the worst of all time.
By the way, here's a cool visual about the NBA draft and how effectively GMs have gotten value out of it.
http://polygraph.cool/redraft/
By the way, here's a cool visual about the NBA draft and how effectively GMs have gotten value out of it.
http://polygraph.cool/redraft/
That was great, thanks for sharing. It's a little annoying though that they didn't take the next logical step and use the GMs of each team for each draft and determine the best talent evaluators.