NBA Thread

[shel311]

Didn't the Magic beat the Raptors in game 1 of the 1st round last season?

They're up 15 with 5 minutes to go against the Bucks now.

[nick]

Raps v LA(L or C) finals

[shel311]

Not saying they'll lose to the Blazers but the Lakers have real issues.

When you're closing out playoff games with Danny Green as your 3rd best player and Caruso and Kuzma also on the court, that's not good.

[nick]

So Masai got in trouble last championship with an altercation with a cop. The cop said he started it. Masais lawyers released the vid and it’s very clear that the cop is completely in the wrong. The police station is doubling down that they think masais in the wrong and don’t listen to lawyers ...

#UPDATE - Alameda County Sheriff's office tells @CP24 "We 100% stand by original statement that was released that Mr. Ujiri is the aggressor in this incident...don't be quick to judge based off of what lawyers are saying." @Raptors #Toronto

And people wonder why black ppl don’t trust cops. Even with evidence they lie.

[ReignOnU]

I saw the video on my phone last night... seemed like Masai initiated the contact and the officer shoved him back, then Masai proceeded to keep moving forward at him.

[nick]

....

youre the first human being alive outside the almeda cops to say that

[GeorgesGoons]

....

youre the first human being alive outside the almeda cops to say that

Is the video out? I haven't seen it

[shel311]

Playoff P making an appearance tonight.

[ReignOnU]

....

youre the first human being alive outside the almeda cops to say that

Seems likely.

Now that we're beyond your absurdity, I did go back to look at it, since I really didn't pay much attention to it when I first saw it. I didn't see a YouTube link right away, so this TMZ link will have to do for George.

https://www.tmz.com/2020/08/18/masai-uj ... ba-finals/

1.) This is a chest cam, for depth purposes, start by using the 2 fans right in front of the cam, then you can count the seats after the first push.
2.) :02 - you see the officer is fairly close to the old/young fans.
3.) :07-:08 - Officer in the same spot, Ujiri walking quickly toward them, no eye contact, no ID
4.) :08-:09 - Officer puts out left hand (asking for ID?), Ujiri looks up and seems to look past the cop? (tough to tell from this angle)
5.) :10 - Officer's hand is still up in a questioning manner, Ujiri is now between the officer and the fans (still at same distance), doesn't appear to be looking at the officer at all
6.) :11 - Ujiri is right on top of the officer, he initiates the contact, he hasn't presented anything, seemingly said anything and doesn't even seem to be paying attention to the cop
7.) :11 - :13 - Ujiri is right up on the cop, you lose the depth perception
8.) :13 - Push happens by officer
9.) :14 - We're now much farther from the 2 fans, we're maybe 5 seats further away? Ujiri has his hand on seat 2/3?
10.) :15-:17 - Officer approaches Ujiri, Ujiri doesn't seem to move back. For depth, see dark haired fan's face, top left... it's barely on the screen.
11.) :18 - Fan on left is fully on screen, so officer has moved back as Ujiri again tries to pass
12.) :19-:20 - Officer pushes again to create separation and backs up as well, fan on the left is now 1/3 across the screen

I think my initial thought was pretty much reaffirmed here. Ujiri walked right into him, seemingly disregarded him, and initiated the contact. I don't think the push was necessary, he could have restrained him less forcefully. But it's not like there was any legit exchange and the officer just shoved him. Ujiri clearly walked right into him and the 2nd time, looks like he may have still been trying to force his way through.

[shel311]

Draft Lottery tonight!

Pels with a 1.2% chance to win the lottery again this season...

[ReignOnU]

Draft Lottery tonight!

Pels with a 1.2% chance to win the lottery again this season...

This draft seems really poor. Only 3 'big' names and I'm not seeing any of them as superstars... and I feel like their floor-ceiling are all over the place.

#3 - Anthony Edwards: Is he Dwyane Wade/Vince Carter and he's going to have a great career? Is he what Zion Williamson would be at a reasonable weight? Is he DeMar DeRozan and he's never going to be an outside threat? I think you're only happy with 1 of those outcomes if you take him top 3. To me, if Edwards could hit 36%-40% on 3s, he would be so much more valuable. That spacing is huge in the NBA.

#2 - LaMelo Ball: I've seen the Shaun Livingston/Penny Hardaway comparisons. He's certainly a better shooter than Shaun was. I don't think he's nearly the finisher that Penny was. The answer is likely somewhere in the middle. He's going to be unique and he's going to have success in my opinion. If I had to bet on 1 player becoming an all-star, I think it would be on Ball. I don't see him hitting elite status year in and year out, but I think he has the best shot at a few appearances. I remember a comparison from the spring that was great... 6'8 Jason Williams. That made a ton of sense to me. Good and flashy passer. Has a nice pullup shot. Gets to the hoop pretty consistently, but finishes with floaters/below the rim.

#1 - James Wiseman: Here's the boom or bust. I'd go #1 with him, partially because the boom potential is great, but also because the rest of the class is kind of meh and I'm not seeing a high chance for a major difference-maker. Wiseman has a similar profile to Mo Bamba, which would be crushing if that's who your #1 pick is. But you can't teach the physical potential/size. Wiseman will immediately be one of the top 10 (5?) most athletic centers in the game. If DeAndre Ayton was athletic as he looked, he'd be Wiseman. While bust potential is there, I believe that the worst case scenario for Wiseman is DeAndre Jordan. He has already flashed high quality defense. While Jordan has been great, I think Wiseman can match him, but at worst be really good and offset that with better offense. If Wiseman can match Jordan's defense, then he really starts to look like a #1. He's a better FT shooter and has a better (I mean, it's Jordan, so "any" would qualify) mid-range game. He's shown the hook and face-up as well.

Beyond these 3, I just don't see a lot. Obviously, being in Dayton, I've got my thoughts on Obi. Having grown up watching UC basketball, I get the Kenyon Martin comparison. My issue with that is Martin was a different breed. You hear it all the time in football... "that guy is a dawg!" Well, there haven't been many bigger dawgs than Martin. Obi is tough by comparison to the rest of the class, but I don't know how that plays out in the league. Keep in mind, Obi is a little older, so that played to his advantage quite a bit. I do give him a lot of credit for developing his shooting. He took off over the last 2 years. What would have been really special is if UD was able to keep Kostas Antetokounmpo around with Toppin. I'd have had to give UD a fair shot at the NCAA title with those 2 monsters together.

Finally... 1 bonus comparison that is decent, but I just don't know a lot about him other than a some scouting reports and a couple of YouTube videos... Killian Hayes has keeps getting these combo guard comparisons like Dante Exum... I see a whole lot of a true French PG in his game, Tony Parker. He looks smooth on film and I think he's not only a good enough passer to be a true point, I think he's a well above average passer as a true point. I haven't seen enough of his shooting to project him, but on passing, slashing, general ball handling and game play that I've seen, 6'5 Tony Parker is a pretty solid fit.

[nick]

....

youre the first human being alive outside the almeda cops to say that

Seems likely.

Now that we're beyond your absurdity, I did go back to look at it, since I really didn't pay much attention to it when I first saw it. I didn't see a YouTube link right away, so this TMZ link will have to do for George.

https://www.tmz.com/2020/08/18/masai-uj ... ba-finals/

1.) This is a chest cam, for depth purposes, start by using the 2 fans right in front of the cam, then you can count the seats after the first push.
2.) :02 - you see the officer is fairly close to the old/young fans.
3.) :07-:08 - Officer in the same spot, Ujiri walking quickly toward them, no eye contact, no ID
4.) :08-:09 - Officer puts out left hand (asking for ID?), Ujiri looks up and seems to look past the cop? (tough to tell from this angle)
5.) :10 - Officer's hand is still up in a questioning manner, Ujiri is now between the officer and the fans (still at same distance), doesn't appear to be looking at the officer at all
6.) :11 - Ujiri is right on top of the officer, he initiates the contact, he hasn't presented anything, seemingly said anything and doesn't even seem to be paying attention to the cop
7.) :11 - :13 - Ujiri is right up on the cop, you lose the depth perception
8.) :13 - Push happens by officer
9.) :14 - We're now much farther from the 2 fans, we're maybe 5 seats further away? Ujiri has his hand on seat 2/3?
10.) :15-:17 - Officer approaches Ujiri, Ujiri doesn't seem to move back. For depth, see dark haired fan's face, top left... it's barely on the screen.
11.) :18 - Fan on left is fully on screen, so officer has moved back as Ujiri again tries to pass
12.) :19-:20 - Officer pushes again to create separation and backs up as well, fan on the left is now 1/3 across the screen

I think my initial thought was pretty much reaffirmed here. Ujiri walked right into him, seemingly disregarded him, and initiated the contact. I don't think the push was necessary, he could have restrained him less forcefully. But it's not like there was any legit exchange and the officer just shoved him. Ujiri clearly walked right into him and the 2nd time, looks like he may have still been trying to force his way through.

Uh huh...

[ReignOnU]

Draft Order:
1.) Minnesota
2.) Golden State
3.) Charlotte
4.) Chicago
5.) Cleveland

First 2 mocks I looked at were the same... Ball to Minnesota, Edwards to Golden State, Wiseman to Charlotte and Toppin to Chicago. I don't like any of those 4 fits (maybe Wiseman if he fell to Charlotte, but we've seen their track record of drafting bigs).

My Thoughts:
1.) Minnesota - James Wiseman
You have D'lo at the point, just drafted Culver, acquired Beasley and still have Okogie (late '18 1st). Putting Ball beside D'lo is a huge mistake. Horrendous defensive duo. Not only that, neither is a natural fit to slide to the 2. This team is built around the buddy duo of D'lo and KAT, don't screw with that. Edwards just adds to the mess on the wing too. Wiseman however, is a legit C. This opens up KAT to float high and outside, which stretches the team opposing defense. Then it gives the T-wolves a tremendous paint presence.

2.) Golden State - LaMelo Ball
Edwards doesn't have the shot right now and I'm not sure he'll get it. I'd see him operating a bit more like Andre Iguodala did. It's a bit risky, but I'd take a shot with Ball. He wouldn't be a full time PG right away, but I think he can rotate through the position and Curry can definitely play off ball. Their offense is built around solid perimeter shooting and often has multiple players with ball handling duties. That's a system that Ball can succeed in.

3.) Charlotte - Obi Toppin
Honestly, they suck and they'll screw this pick up somehow. With that said, they've got a young mix of wing players and PJ Washington really isn't a good suited for the 4. There's no legit big man left, unless you believe Okongwu can become Bam Adebayo (doubt that). Toppin at least gives them a legit 4 and he's got an edge. That let's them slide Washington and Bridges down as needed or work different variations. The best play here is a trade out for them.

4.) Chicago - Anthony Edwards
This is the perfect scenario for Chicago. They've got a variety of options in the post and they've got White and LaVine shaping up as a nice duo. There's enough shooting on the team to open it up for Anthony Edwards. Chicago fans will eat up that D-Wade comparison.

5.) Cleveland - Maybe they'll move to Baltimore.

[shel311]

Playoff P making an appearance tonight.

9 of 44 shooting the past 3 games

[shel311]

Best game I've watched in the postseason so far.

Doncic was a game time decision and is hobbling around with a cool 36/15/12.

[shel311]

Gonna go ahead and upgrade this to the game of the NBA season.

[shel311]

We're going to need to start talking about if Luka is the 2nd best player in the NBA soon.

43/17/13 while injured with the game winning 3 at the buzzer.

[wdoupis]

I honestly might have to divorce my wife for refusing to let me name my son Luka

[shel311]

I honestly might have to divorce my wife for refusing to let me name my son Luka

Yea, you had to overrule on that one. Just had to!

[GeorgesGoons]

Finally got to really watch him play. Kid is amazing!