NBA 20/21 season thread

Jimbodandy

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That Dallas trade is laughable. You're going to take Hardaway and the 18th pick in this draft for Buddy? The first couple of proposals make more sense.
 

DJnVa

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That Dallas trade is laughable. You're going to take Hardaway and the 18th pick in this draft for Buddy? The first couple of proposals make more sense.
Yeah, that one was bad. It's not a deep draft, so this:

Sacramento could start to reform its identity with the pick.
makes little sense.
 

DJnVa

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Apparently there has been talk about multi-game division series in the NBA for next season. Which would SUUUUCK.

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/10/nba-considering-baseball-style-series-mlk-day-start-for-next-season-report.html
The Miami Heat, fresh off their Finals run, would get heavy doses of the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Atlanta Hawks.

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics will have to play through much tougher competition like the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and revamped Brooklyn Nets with healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
 

the1andonly3003

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Kliq

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johnmd20

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Is it? He basically went all-in on small-ball with an incredibly aggressive strategy and it has failed continually in the playoffs. This felt like a championship or bust season for a lot of people in Houston, so losing in five games in the second-round was never going to cut it.
And I wonder if he stepped down or he was given the "option" of stepping down or being fired?

His China tweet caused a ton of problems for the NBA. (absolutely amazing that it happened a year ago, because it feels like something that occurred in 2004) Whatever your view on the matter, it caused a major issue with the league. And his team has continually failed in the playoffs. I understand why he's gone.
 

ifmanis5

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PedroKsBambino

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Speaking of ex-Rockets, Isola says D'antoni might be an assistant coach in Brooklyn. If he's open to being an assistant I hope that Danny and the crew are looking into it. Brad could use some help on the offensive end.

View: https://twitter.com/TheFrankIsola/status/1316380736614694912
D'Antoni coached Nash in Phoenix---I'd think this is more like going there to be the mentor/"experienced advisor" to someone who he konws and likes than being a true assistant to Stevens. I'd be all for him in Boston, but think it's a pretty different proposition for D'Antoni
 

nighthob

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Daryl Morey is stepping down as GM of the Rockets. A stunner to me.

View: https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1316772149940686849
Not really a stunner, he gambled on Westbrook and five out basketball and lost. And the Rockets suddenly find themselves in the situation the Nets did five years ago. They can't tank next season because unless they win the lottery they end up with Miami's 2021 #1 (low 20s). They have 21-23 to assemble a western conference playoff team as their draft belongs to OKC from 24-26.

I suppose they could send Harden back to OKC to get their picks back. Sadly that might be the best rebuilding path forward for the next GM. Anyway, when you're in the GM business, it's always best to bail before you get shitcanned. Leave the mess for the next guy to clean up (see Dombrowski, Dan).
 

BigSoxFan

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Is it too cynical of me to connect China deciding to televise the last Finals game to Morey stepping down days later?

Probably. But I’ll be interested in seeing if he lands somewhere else quickly because there’s no reason why he shouldn’t.
 

Swedgin

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Jun 27, 2013
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Not really a stunner, he gambled on Westbrook and five out basketball and lost. And the Rockets suddenly find themselves in the situation the Nets did five years ago. They can't tank next season because unless they win the lottery they end up with Miami's 2021 #1 (low 20s). They have 21-23 to assemble a western conference playoff team as their draft belongs to OKC from 24-26.

I suppose they could send Harden back to OKC to get their picks back. Sadly that might be the best rebuilding path forward for the next GM. Anyway, when you're in the GM business, it's always best to bail before you get shitcanned. Leave the mess for the next guy to clean up (see Dombrowski, Dan).
Agreed, though I do not fault Morey too much. Ownership is such a competitive advantage in the NBA. Given Fertitta's refusal to go into the tax and then the Paul/Harden's inability to coexist, Morey took reasonable gambles to keep the championship window open. That's what a GM should do when they have a player of Harden's caliber. But it didn't work. Perhaps this season would have turned out differently, if Fertitta had not screwed up the situation with Dantoni so badly, who knows.

I would really consider moving Harden this season. Use that haul to start the rebuild. Your ticket sales probably won't suffer because there won't be any. Westbrook can do his one man team act again for one season. Then in 2023 he is a massive expiring contract and Gordon is off your books. In a flat cap environment maybe expirings are valuable commodities again. Plus of one of 2022 or 2023 is likely to be the double draft.

As an aside, I loved the reports that Houston was seriously considering Ty Lue. I never believed (and can't imagine the Clippers believed) that Fertitta, who was cheap before the pandemic decimated his businesses, would meet Lue's asking price. Andy Miller's name should have been in the byline instead of Woj.
 

nighthob

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If OKC is sending CP3 to Milwaukee, then Houston’s draft future could be a return (the standard thinking is that the Thunder deal off the salaries coming back for more #1s, but they already have too many firsts). A deal where CP3 goes to Milwaukee, Harden to OKC, and filler/draft picks to Houston helps them hit the reset. And if the Knicks are being pushed to land a big name this summer, then Westbrook to the Knicks would help Houston flatten out in front of the double drafts (‘21 and ‘22) to give them some solid talent to build around.
 

Kliq

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So the Lakers have filed a career ending injury application for with the league about the Luol Deng contract, which if approved the salary would be taken off their books and free them up about $5 million in cap space.

View: https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1318591296865435649?s=20


The problem with that application being approved is that Deng played 22 games with Minnesota AFTER being waived by the Lakers, so it would be pretty hard to make the case that he suffered a career ending injury while playing for the Lakers. But it's the Lakers so we'll see what happens...
 

Jimbodandy

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So the Lakers have filed a career ending injury application for with the league about the Luol Deng contract, which if approved the salary would be taken off their books and free them up about $5 million in cap space.

View: https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1318591296865435649?s=20


The problem with that application being approved is that Deng played 22 games with Minnesota AFTER being waived by the Lakers, so it would be pretty hard to make the case that he suffered a career ending injury while playing for the Lakers. But it's the Lakers so we'll see what happens...
Didn't we have to carry Reggie's cap hit after he died?
 

Kliq

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Didn't we have to carry Reggie's cap hit after he died?
The rules have changed I'm sure; the Magic got an application approved for Timofey Mozgov, which got his remaining $16 million off the books back in 2019. Mozgov did sign with a Russian team after his stint with the Magic, but to my knowledge never played a game for the club. Plus it wasn't in the NBA so not sure what precedent that sets.
 

ifmanis5

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Didn't we have to carry Reggie's cap hit after he died?
Yes, the NBA Board of Governors ruled the Celtics had to keep his salary of $3.3M on the books for two years after his death. The cap at that time was $15M so that was a poison pill and everybody knew it.
Was trying to Google what happened with Drazen Petrovic's cap hit when he died but I couldn't find a definitive ruling.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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From a non-member of the Port Cellar (I wonder if he even pays attention to our little backwater):

View: https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1321550839681568768?s=20



Per KOC on Twitter: Sources: The NBA held a call this afternoon with team GMs & presidents to detail the plan for a 72-game season set to begin December 22 & end before the Olympics in July. The league intends to schedule games in a way that reduces travel by 25% with teams playing MLB style series.
 

Spelunker

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From a non-member of the Port Cellar (I wonder if he even pays attention to our little backwater):

View: https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1321550839681568768?s=20



Per KOC on Twitter: Sources: The NBA held a call this afternoon with team GMs & presidents to detail the plan for a 72-game season set to begin December 22 & end before the Olympics in July. The league intends to schedule games in a way that reduces travel by 25% with teams playing MLB style series.
Uh, if they start in December how is anything but another bubble going to actually be successful?