NBA Thread 2021-22 Season

[STEVEHOLT]

Yup, way too many red flags now. His team stunk at LSU. He’s missed two entire seasons. He still won’t take an outside shot, basically ever. He was passing up layups in last year’s playoffs because he didn’t want to get fouled. Forced his way out of Philly after sucking in the playoffs, because the coach stated the obvious.

He
Just doesn’t
Like
Basketball
He
Should
Retire
His mental stressors will disappear

 

[shandeezy7]

He
Just doesn’t
Like
Basketball
He
Should
Retire
His mental stressors will disappear

He likes $$$ though, hence the dog and pony show all season to make sure he still got paid while not playing a minute.

 

[jncuse]

When the Simmons/Harden trade went down I surmised this could well be a win/win for both teams, and this was an opinion shared by a number of others. It appeared to perhaps but the Sixers/Nets a step above the rest of the East. Simmons appeared to be a perfect complement to Durant/Irving and Harden was replacing somebody who was not playing in Philly. And I was clearly wrong.

It has been a disaster for both teams -- not sure if Simmons will ever come back at this point. Harden while still crafty out there and can still set up plays is nowhere near the level he was before. And giving him a 4 or 5 year max extension is not very likely to turn out well.

I guess the Sixers could still win it all this year but that seems unlikely.

I suppose the Nets at least got a few weak first round picks out of Philly. But that only barely offsets the haul they gave up to get Harden in the first place.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

An atrocious call. A typical NBA “home team is losing at the end of the game” BS call.

No challenge left ? Or this that not challenge-able ?

 

[Cusefan0307]

The owners are going to force the players hands in the next CBA and give themselves an out in case a Ben Simmons situation transpires ever again. That said that means sitting John Wall for an entire year can never happen again either.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

When the Simmons/Harden trade went down I surmised this could well be a win/win for both teams, and this was an opinion shared by a number of others. It appeared to perhaps but the Sixers/Nets a step above the rest of the East. Simmons appeared to be a perfect complement to Durant/Irving and Harden was replacing somebody who was not playing in Philly. And I was clearly wrong.

It has been a disaster for both teams -- not sure if Simmons will ever come back at this point. Harden while still crafty out there and can still set up plays is nowhere near the level he was before. And giving him a 4 or 5 year max extension is not very likely to turn out well.

I guess the Sixers could still win it all this year but that seems unlikely.

I suppose the Nets at least got a few weak first round picks out of Philly. But that only barely offsets the haul they gave up to get Harden in the first place.

Houston may end up being the big winner as those nets first round pics might start getting pretty juicy the next few years

 

[STEVEHOLT]

The owners are going to force the players hands in the next CBA and give themselves an out in case a Ben Simmons situation transpires ever again. That said that means sitting John Wall for an entire year can never happen again either.

They have to do something. In no other sport do you have perfectly healthy highly paid , able players.. just not playing at all.. it’s freaking weird

 

[shandeezy7]

No challenge left ? Or this that not challenge-able ?

Good question. I'd imagine it's challengeable. I was watching on mute so I don't really know.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

He likes $$$ though, hence the dog and pony show all season to make sure he still got paid while not playing a minute.

and he loves the glitz and glamour. It's pretty clear that he hasn't worked hard on his game to develop it further and had no intention of playing this year. Maybe next year but he's most likely out of the league after this contract one would think.

 

[NashvilleOrange]

Good question. I'd imagine it's challengeable. I was watching on mute so I don't really know.

Tatum barreled over Blake Griffin for foul #5 which Boston made the mistake of challenging. Terrible call on foul #6 but less sympathy due to the dumb challenge earlier.

 

[MikeSU02]

He
Just doesn’t
Like
Basketball
He
Should
Retire
His mental stressors will disappear

He bailed on LSU. He bailed on the Aussie national team. He bailed in Philly. And he's bailing on the Nets in crunch time.

If he has real mental issues, I hope he gets those addressed and can get right with that. All good. If he has real back issues, same deal.

But he wasn't even on the bench for his team in game 4 after backing out. He seems to love the life that comes with being rich and famous, but it sure seems like he doesn't want to risk failing on the court.

There are three guys that won't be traded and are/were amazing, insane talents and I'm setting aside: Bron, Steph and KD. All have chips, all, imo, are all timers, etc.

There are the new "elite level guys": Giannis, Jokic, Embiid (more on him in a minute), Luka and now, imo, Tatum is here as well.
Guys knocking on that level but not there yet/might not get there: Ja, Booker

Here is my point, Harden isn't in that grouping anymore. Simmons never was. Kyrie is not in that grouping. Embiid is in it, but man he has to start owning some of this mayhem. These teams basically lobbed headaches back and forth to each other for guys that aren't in that elite camp. The Nets have allowed Kyrie to act insane because he's KD's friend. Morey can't detach from Harden, which is nuts for someone that is as cold and calculating as he is.

Do the Nets really want to pay Kyrie and deal with Simmons? Do the 76ers really want to give Harden all that money? The dude would be making like $60m per year at the end of a new contract if he got the full length. Insane.

 

[MikeSU02]

BTW, two other thoughts on Cs/Nets:

- If Bron ever had the series KD just did, he would get demolished.

- You can make a credible argument that KD is one of the best 15 players of all time. However, in that series, Tatum was better than him. No grey area. Tatum was the best player in that series.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

He bailed on LSU. He bailed on the Aussie national team. He bailed in Philly. And he's bailing on the Nets in crunch time.

If he has real mental issues, I hope he gets those addressed and can get right with that. All good. If he has real back issues, same deal.

But he wasn't even on the bench for his team in game 4 after backing out. He seems to love the life that comes with being rich and famous, but it sure seems like he doesn't want to risk failing on the court.

There are three guys that won't be traded and are/were amazing, insane talents and I'm setting aside: Bron, Steph and KD. All have chips, all, imo, are all timers, etc.

There are the new "elite level guys": Giannis, Jokic, Embiid (more on him in a minute), Luka and now, imo, Tatum is here as well.
Guys knocking on that level but not there yet/might not get there: Ja, Booker

Here is my point, Harden isn't in that grouping anymore. Simmons never was. Kyrie is not in that grouping. Embiid is in it, but man he has to start owning some of this mayhem. These teams basically lobbed headaches back and forth to each other for guys that aren't in that elite camp. The Nets have allowed Kyrie to act insane because he's KD's friend. Morey can't detach from Harden, which is nuts for someone that is as cold and calculating as he is.

Do the Nets really want to pay Kyrie and deal with Simmons? Do the 76ers really want to give Harden all that money? The dude would be making like $60m per year at the end of a new contract if he got the full length. Insane.

I wouldn't want to extend any of those 3 in Simmons, Kyrie or Harden. Talent aside they all present issues off the floor that really isn't worth it anymore. Harden is starting to really decline, IMO and never been great in the playoffs. Simmons is a mess physically and mentally and who knows what he looks like when he does actually return. He was great defender and with the ball as a distributor but who knows what he will actually do when he plays again and he will here it everywhere he plays on the road. Kyrie is just too much for any organization.

A GM would be crazy to take one of them on. If the sixers lose this series versus raptors all hell will break loose. Will be Doc's and Harden's biggest meltdown and they have both had some memorable ones

 

[IthacaBarrel]

BTW, two other thoughts on Cs/Nets:

- If Bron ever had the series KD just did, he would get demolished.

- You can make a credible argument that KD is one of the best 15 players of all time. However, in that series, Tatum was better than him. No grey area. Tatum was the best player in that series.

Absolutely, KD ain't getting any younger either and he was terrible in this series. Doesn't mean he isn't one of the greats of all time but age does set in for everyone

 

[MikeSU02]

I wouldn't want to extend any of those 3 in Simmons, Kyrie or Harden. Talent aside they all present issues off the floor that really isn't worth it anymore. Harden is starting to really decline, IMO and never been great in the playoffs. Simmons is a mess physically and mentally and who knows what he looks like when he does actually return. He was great defender and with the ball as a distributor but who knows what he will actually do when he plays again and he will here it everywhere he plays on the road. Kyrie is just too much for any organization.

A GM would be crazy to take one of them on

I don't care what guys do off the court - it's their lives. Have all the fun you want. But Harden has to make a business decision pretty soon in whether he wants to get serious about his body or keep doing what he does outside of basketball.

Or maybe he doesn't. Maybe Daryl already promised the new deal and he can get his 250M or whatever it is and still be out hitting it hard. But if he does, his decline is going to accelerate even more so than what's going on now.

 

[Fireball Jr.]

I didn’t recognize this NBA champ with his shirt on. Love Junior, happy for him.

 

[Newhouser]

He bailed on LSU. He bailed on the Aussie national team. He bailed in Philly. And he's bailing on the Nets in crunch time.

If he has real mental issues, I hope he gets those addressed and can get right with that. All good. If he has real back issues, same deal.

But he wasn't even on the bench for his team in game 4 after backing out. He seems to love the life that comes with being rich and famous, but it sure seems like he doesn't want to risk failing on the court.

There are three guys that won't be traded and are/were amazing, insane talents and I'm setting aside: Bron, Steph and KD. All have chips, all, imo, are all timers, etc.

There are the new "elite level guys": Giannis, Jokic, Embiid (more on him in a minute), Luka and now, imo, Tatum is here as well.
Guys knocking on that level but not there yet/might not get there: Ja, Booker

Here is my point, Harden isn't in that grouping anymore. Simmons never was. Kyrie is not in that grouping. Embiid is in it, but man he has to start owning some of this mayhem. These teams basically lobbed headaches back and forth to each other for guys that aren't in that elite camp. The Nets have allowed Kyrie to act insane because he's KD's friend. Morey can't detach from Harden, which is nuts for someone that is as cold and calculating as he is.

Do the Nets really want to pay Kyrie and deal with Simmons? Do the 76ers really want to give Harden all that money? The dude would be making like $60m per year at the end of a new contract if he got the full length. Insane.

Excellent post. In my opinion, Boston is benefitting from the re-empowering of the coach. From what I have read and heard, Ime provided some tough love, got backed up by management and they have taken off. The ceding of decision making power to the players has resulted in a lot of underachieving, bloated contracts for guys who are no longer Alpha's in the league.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I think these huge trades with disgruntled stars are starting to be exposed. You give up so much to get them and if it doesn't work it really sets you back for years. Sure the Lakers got the bubble championship but look at them now. Damn mess

 

[MikeSU02]

Excellent post. In my opinion, Boston is benefitting from the re-empowering of the coach. From what I have read and heard, Ime provided some tough love, got backed up by management and they have taken off. The ceding of decision making power to the players has resulted in a lot of underachieving, bloated contracts for guys who are no longer Alpha's in the league.

Ime put all his chips in the middle when he started calling out the team by name. Plus they got rid of Dennis and told Marcus he's their guy at point.

It was a courageous move and he doesn't get nearly enough credit for doing it, because if they had like two more bad weeks, he may have been gone.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Ime put all his chips in the middle when he started calling out the team by name. Plus they got rid of Dennis and told Marcus he's their guy at point.

It was a courageous move and he doesn't get nearly enough credit for doing it, because if they had like two more bad weeks, he may have been gone.

Getting rid of Schroeder was huge. Like Kemba before him, having guards that small and weak defensively is a major issue.

I also like the fact the Celtics having three functioning centers, each of whom provides something a little different on the floor. Theis has been a pleasant surprise since his return.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Pulling for the ultimate Philly choke job just to see Harden get crushed.

 

[Red Holzman]

I think these huge trades with disgruntled stars are starting to be exposed. You give up so much to get them and if it doesn't work it really sets you back for years. Sure the Lakers got the bubble championship but look at them now. Damn mess

Well... at least my Knicks have avoided this-
Of course by default, not for lack of Shooting for the Stars!

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Well... at least my Knicks have avoided this-
Of course by default, not for lack of Shooting for the Stars!

true all fans want their teams to be successful and have great players but at what cost? Do Nets fans really enjoy listening to Kyrie's nonsense. Phenomenal talent on the court but only so much a fan wants to listen too before they just can't get behind it anymore. These guys have lives and a right to express their personal beliefs no doubt about it and teams are going to win and lose but some of these guys in the NBA are just too much to take, everybody has their breaking point.

Guys like Harden, Simmons, and Kyrie are just not worth it, IMO. Westbrook too, it's tiresome. Anthony Davis forces his way out of New Orleans and gets upset when the world now realizes that he's hurt all the time or that he doesn't like to play the 5. He wanted the bright lights but hates it when he comes under scrutiny. Well welcome to the big City AD. At the end of the day, he probably doesn't care all that much as he makes a boat load of money and got where he wanted to be. I am not talking about some goof ball screaming at them from the stands either. I mean a guy like Jaylen Brown has been very vocal at times but seems to express his opinions logically and represents his team well.

These guys provide constant content for the media and wonder why? Player empowerment has pros and cons but many don't like the cons.

 

[Red Holzman]

true all fans want their teams to be successful and have great players but at what cost? Do Nets fans really enjoy listening to Kyrie's nonsense. Phenomenal talent on the court but only so much a fan wants to listen too before they just can't get behind it anymore. These guys have lives and a right to express their personal beliefs no doubt about it and teams are going to win and lose but some of these guys in the NBA are just too much to take, everybody has their breaking point.

Guys like Harden, Simmons, and Kyrie are just not worth it, IMO. Westbrook too, it's tiresome. Anthony Davis forces his way out of New Orleans and gets upset when the world now realizes that he's hurt all the time or that he doesn't like to play the 5. He wanted the bright lights but hates it when he comes under scrutiny. Well welcome to the big City AD. At the end of the day, he probably doesn't care all that much as he makes a boat load of money and got where he wanted to be. I am not talking about some goof ball screaming at them from the stands either. I mean a guy like Jaylen Brown has been very vocal at times but seems to express his opinions logically and represents his team well.

These guys provide constant content for the media and wonder why? Player empowerment has pros and cons but many don't like the cons.

100% Right.
I like most of the players the Knicks are developing.
Shed no tears when Kyrie/etc weren't interested.
Kyrie is a toxic sideshow.

 

[kirbivore]

Do people who defend officials actually watch the games?

What happened to that Canadian ref apologist on this board?