The Official 2020-2021 NBA Season Thread

[miami_fan]

After one game, I got the Nets and Clippers in the Finals.

[NobodyHere]

Didn't the last season just end?

[Vince, Pt. II]

I didn't get to watch, but outside of the free throws Wiseman's stat line looked pretty good for his first game as a pro.

[wustin]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I didn't get to watch, but outside of the free throws Wiseman's stat line looked pretty good for his first game as a pro.

half of his points came from garbage time in the 4Q when GSW was down like 20+ points

He looked solid for someone who hasn't played since high school but I don't see GSW being a playoff team with him as the starting center. They should find a more experienced center who can pass and set screens well or flip the offense and have Curry on ball more. Nothing good ever happens when they move the ball and it ends up in Wiggins' hands.

[Ksyrup]

One of my daughters teammates got the new Harden shoes and their coach asked if they came with bad attitude and no defense. Ha!

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

One of my daughters teammates got the new Harden shoes and their coach asked if they came with bad attitude and no defense. Ha!

[miami_fan]

Thunder vs Rockets has been postponed due to COVID. I saw a report that that the contact tracing has nothing to due with the Harden adventures.

I have my salt shaker ready as this story progresses.

[wustin]

harden also already had covid over the summer

the contract tracing is from the idiots on the team who went to go get a haircut together offsite

[miami_fan]

A bit of coaching advice for Brad Stevens. Let that be the last Tristan Thompson isolation from the elbow of the season.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Umm ... Bulls?

I mean, dayum.

[SirFozzie]

The first game without Tommy since his passing, and I could hear his voice from heaven "Come on Refs! That wasn't a foul! That was HORRIBLE! HORRRRIBLLLE!"

[miami_fan]

Three Christmas Day games so far. Three blowouts.

[wustin]

elite teams be elite

[miami_fan]

So I checked three different websites and all are saying the same thing. The Mavs are beating the Clippers without Kawhi 77-27 at halftime.

[miami_fan]

I see ya, Cleveland.

Had to get that one in early.

[wustin]

there are 15 teams in the western conference and I think 13 or 14 of them are legitimate playoffs teams. Gonna be a crazy NBA season.

[miami_fan]

The Rockets are sifting through finalists — Nets and 76ers — for a James Harden deal that could culminate quickly, with Brooklyn preparing an offer of all its future first-round picks and pick swaps, per sources.

Story on @TheAthletic with @sam_amick: https://t.co/tTYIRVG8Xg

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2021

[sterlingice]

It's a sad ending for the Harden and, by extension, Morey era in Houston. They were one really badly timed CP3 hammy injury away from beating the "unbeatable" Warriors and if that had gone differently, everything's different today.

SI

[rjolley]

After I read about Harden's and Wall's interviews last night, my first thought was whether the Rockets would keep Harden away from the team to try and keep them united. Glad to see them make that move.

[bhlloy]

I guess we need to wait to see the deal, but Kyrie and Harden on the same team. What. A. World.

[Atocep]

My son texting me that Harden to the Nets is done.

[sterlingice]

The Nets are trading for All-NBA star James Harden and sending four first-round picks and four draft swaps to the Rockets, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen are being moved -- could be another team or two involved.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2021

Why don't we have a barf emoji?

I mean, yeah, lots of picks but, ugh.

SI

[Atocep]

Seeing the trade now. Lavert, Exum, Kuruks, four 1sts (including 2022 Cleveland) and 4 pick swaps.

Not a bad haul for the Rockets considering the circumstances.

[sterlingice]

Keeps evolving

Rockets To Trade Harden To Nets, Acquire Oladipo From Pacers | Hoops Rumors

The Rockets will acquire Oladipo from the Pacers; Rodions Kurucs, three first-round picks, and four pick swaps from the Nets; and Dante Exum and the Bucks’ 2022 first-round selection from the Cavs, per ESPN and The Athletic.

SI

[rjolley]

Not bad. Pairing Oladipo with Wall and Cousins should be a fun team to watch. I thought I'd rather have LeVert but after looking into it, maybe not.

Should be interesting to see the Nets once they're at full strength.

I still think Boston could've come up with a good package with Brown and Smart as a starting point.

[Kodos]

Huh. Guess I'm a Rockets fan now! It'll be like the Barkley days.

[rjolley]

https://twitter.com/minakimes/status...68100601782281

Saw this 10 minutes ago and I'm still laughing.

[sterlingice]

This has been a pretty popular Tweet today

https://twitter.com/RTNBA/status/1349478315149713411

SI

[JPhillips]

The Nets have to do this, but those last three years of picks/swaps could be a gold mine for Houston.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The Nets have to do this, but those last three years of picks/swaps could be a gold mine for Houston.

That's what I'm really hoping for

SI

[bhlloy]

Did the Nets not learn from the last time they destroyed their franchise for 10 years to try to get a big 3?

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by rjolley

I still think Boston could've come up with a good package with Brown and Smart as a starting point.

That's a hard no from me... Part of that is scarring from the Kyrie experience, but I think the two Jay's could also give us a 10 year window.

Shurg, we'll see how Brooklyn does with Kyrie & Harden. KD alone makes them a contender, but good luck y'all.

[rjolley]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

That's a hard no from me... Part of that is scarring from the Kyrie experience, but I think the two Jay's could also give us a 10 year window.

Shurg, we'll see how Brooklyn does with Kyrie & Harden. KD alone makes them a contender, but good luck y'all.

For the drama, I'm with you, but Tatum + Harden + Walker ain't bad, especially in the East.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by rjolley

For the drama, I'm with you, but Tatum + Harden + Walker ain't bad, especially in the East.

Jaylen is 24 & went from 13ppg to 20 to 26 this year (ok, SSS), on 54% shooting, combined with actually good defense on the wing. Plus his assists have gone from 1.4 to 2.1 to 3.5 (again, SSS, and yes Kemba being out gave him more ball handling). Tatum + Brown alone in the East ain't bad, let alone if Kemba comes back at full strength (and even so I still question if you really want him in crunch time vs certain playoff matchups).

This team is already a 50+ win team & a title contender if Tatum (or I guess Brown!) can outplay Giannis, Butler, Kawhi, LeBron, etc in a 7 game series... if I was able to wishcast & get Harden for some combination of Kemba + picks that would be a hell of a move, but I really don't see how trading Jaylen (+my binky Marcus!) for Harden would increase our odds of winning this year. You need one go to guy on O - and Harden is more proven than Tatum if he's motivated - but you think Harden is competing on the D end vs Butler, Simmons, Giannis, etc, let alone switches in the pick & roll?

(I'm unabashedly a homer who prefers homegrown cores, but I'll stand by it )

[SirFozzie]

yeah, as a celtics fan, I wasn't ready to give up a decade of Jaylen Brown for possibly a year of Harden (Not to mention all the first round draft picks)

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Jaylen is 24 & went from 13ppg to 20 to 26 this year (ok, SSS), on 54% shooting, combined with actually good defense on the wing. Plus his assists have gone from 1.4 to 2.1 to 3.5 (again, SSS, and yes Kemba being out gave him more ball handling). Tatum + Brown alone in the East ain't bad, let alone if Kemba comes back at full strength (and even so I still question if you really want him in crunch time vs certain playoff matchups).

This team is already a 50+ win team & a title contender if Tatum (or I guess Brown!) can outplay Giannis, Butler, Kawhi, LeBron, etc in a 7 game series... if I was able to wishcast & get Harden for some combination of Kemba + picks that would be a hell of a move, but I really don't see how trading Jaylen (+my binky Marcus!) for Harden would increase our odds of winning this year. You need one go to guy on O - and Harden is more proven than Tatum if he's motivated - but you think Harden is competing on the D end vs Butler, Simmons, Giannis, etc, let alone switches in the pick & roll?

(I'm unabashedly a homer who prefers homegrown cores, but I'll stand by it )

I agree with all of this. If I were Boston, I say sending a protected 1st to Houston for PJ Tucker makes much more sense for their overall chances to winning a title.

[wustin]

Boston has like a 28M trade exception, why waste a first round pick on PJ Tucker.

They should be trying to get Harrison Barnes or Jeremi Grant. Prob not any other stretch 4 other than those two who are good and on bad teams.

[miami_fan]

You rate Harrison Barnes much higher than I do. He feels like he is going to be or already is the next Jeff Green. I would pass on him. Jerami Grant just signed a three year $60 million contract with Detroit. Not sure he is going anywhere any time soon.

Houston is not in a position where they are desperate to trade Tucker. I believe a contender will give up a 1st to get him at some point this season. If it is not Boston, then it will be someone else. I would have my eyes on PJ Tucker and his expiring contract in support of Tatum, Brown, etc. If that is what they are looking for, it will probably cost them a 1st rounder. Boston may decide they want to ride with the guys they already have up front. I would understand that too.

[wustin]

Harrison Barnes is currently having a career season averaging 17/8/3 with shooting spits of 52/41/80. He is on an attractive contract set to make less than 40M in the final 2 years. Is he overpaid? Maybe, but good stretch 4s are always overpaid unless you are Robert Covington who somehow always manages to sell himself short.

Detroit is not in a position to win any time soon and they are tanking to eventually draft hometown hero Emoni Bates, if they can get a an asset out of Jeremi Grant they should do it. He doesn't fit their timeline anyways.

I will say again Boston has a 28M trade exception, it would be dumb to not take advantage of that this season because a chunk of it is going to expire by next season.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by wustin

Harrison Barnes is currently having a career season averaging 17/8/3 with shooting spits of 52/41/80. He is on an attractive contract set to make less than 40M in the final 2 years. Is he overpaid? Maybe, but good stretch 4s are always overpaid unless you are Robert Covington who somehow always manages to sell himself short.

Detroit is not in a position to win any time soon and they are tanking to eventually draft hometown hero Emoni Bates, if they can get a an asset out of Jeremi Grant they should do it. He doesn't fit their timeline anyways.

I will say again Boston has a 28M trade exception, it would be dumb to not take advantage of that this season because a chunk of it is going to expire by next season.

We will agree to disagree on the evaluation of Harrison Barnes.

Detroit was not in a position to win anytime soon when they signed Grant to his contract a month and a half ago. Not sure why they would decide all of sudden to move him. Especially given the close relationship he has with the new GM in Detroit. As you say, Grant is an asset. If the Pistons are trading him this year, they are not just trading him to off load salary unless that is the price for the other team to take Blake Griffin's albatross along with him.

Besides that, the Celtics are hard capped at $138.9 million because of the Tristan Thompson signing. They can only bring in $19.5 million on that trade exception this year unless they are going to move $9 million in salary to use the whole $28 million. Grant would work but see above. Barnes does not work as he is on over $22 million. Tucker would work but there is no way that the Rockets are just giving him away to offload salary when other teams will off draft picks. I think they are more likely to hang on to the trade exception until the coming off-season unless Ainge can take advantage of someone and get a 1st rounder along with the player they want for it.

[miami_fan]

Maybe it is just me, but I think it is okay for Zion to play 82 games in the NBA before worrying about him developing a jump shot.

[SirFozzie]

No Tatum, no problem.

Oh, and this game also had Tacko Fall banking in a would-be three pointer (His foot was on the line).

https://streamable.com/k0qjef

[JonInMiddleGA]

Question: obviously I'm glad the health problems Caris LeVert has were discovered thanks to the routine medical screening that is part of the trade process but ... wouldn't that normally have voided the trade?

Did Indiana simply want to get rid of Oladipo badly enough to take on a player with a cancerous kidney and chose to not void the deal?

edit to add: Just FTR, I'm not meaning to be flippant about it, what they found is waytoofuckingclosetohome for me. But letting the trade go through as-is has puzzled me from the initial discovery of the problem.

[rjolley]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Question: obviously I'm glad the health problems Caris LeVert has were discovered thanks to the routine medical screening that is part of the trade process but ... wouldn't that normally have voided the trade?

Did Indiana simply want to get rid of Oladipo badly enough to take on a player with a cancerous kidney and chose to not void the deal?

edit to add: Just FTR, I'm not meaning to be flippant about it, what they found is waytoofuckingclosetohome for me. But letting the trade go through as-is has puzzled me from the initial discovery of the problem.

I thought the same thing. I believe the team has an option to void the trade based on the medical report or can continue with maybe some additional compensation for their trouble.

My guess is Indiana and Oladipo wanted to be rid of each other and Indy did that by whatever means necessary.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Question: obviously I'm glad the health problems Caris LeVert has were discovered thanks to the routine medical screening that is part of the trade process but ... wouldn't that normally have voided the trade?

Did Indiana simply want to get rid of Oladipo badly enough to take on a player with a cancerous kidney and chose to not void the deal?

edit to add: Just FTR, I'm not meaning to be flippant about it, what they found is waytoofuckingclosetohome for me. But letting the trade go through as-is has puzzled me from the initial discovery of the problem.

The short answer to your second question is yes

Levert is signed until 2023. Oladipo is in the last year of his contract with the prospects of resigning with the Pacers being dim for both sides. Not to be callous but I am guessing the call was made that the kidney was not an issue to LeVert's playing career. Once the call was made and the belief is that Levert will be back playing at some point this season, the trade met Indiana's goal of getting something of value for Oladipo's expiring contract.

[JPhillips]

Russell Westbrook is now tied for second in career triple-doubles for the Wizards.

That seems impossible.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Russell Westbrook is now tied for second in career triple-doubles for the Wizards.

That seems impossible.

Or at least remarkably improbable.

[Lathum]

ESPN put a question on twitter.

You get 10 chances to score on MJ in his prime. Make one and you win 5 million, don't score and you never can listen to music again. Would you try it.

There are actually clowns who think they could score on him.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Lathum

ESPN put a question on twitter.

You get 10 chances to score on MJ in his prime. Make one and you win 5 million, don't score and you never can listen to music again. Would you try it.

There are actually clowns who think they could score on him.

Ever watch Pros vs. Joes? These guys went against mostly average former pros and got their asses kicked. There are a lot of current pros that would go 0 for 10 against MJ in his prime. lol

I would never try, I'd have no chance even if I could try it on the day I was in the best shape of my life.

[Brian Swartz]

I had the opportunity to play one-on-one with David Thompson once. This was in the mid-90s, and he was 40 years old at the time; I was 17 and at a basketball camp. The more hilarious part was trying to defend him, a completely hopeless exercise even though he wasn't trying that hard. I can see a decent athlete scoring on Jordan, once, if they got lucky. Most people though? Zero shot whatsoever. And if the shoe was on the other foot, forget it. Getting dunked on at about the moment I even realized Thompson was by me is my biggest memory. The sheer quickness ... and of course prime Jordan would be even faster ... and speed of the first step of players like that can only be appreciated up close.