2018 Off-Season Thread

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Raptors can't beat Indy or Milwaukee? Bucks were a 7th seed last year, and they lost to a team that lost to a one-man LeBron squad. But I guess since we're basically in regular season mode we're gonna do the Giannis hype thing again.

It’s not that they “can’t” I just wouldn’t be surprised if either of those teams beat them. I think either of those teams would have beaten them this year and they are both going to be improved.

I’m high on Indiana, I think they are a top 3 team in the East next year.. regardless of regular season record. I’m not even convinced Washington couldn’t beat them with a team that’s actually healthy and if the Dwight experiment works out for them. Toronto didn’t exactly beat them handedly this year, and their best player definitely wasn’t looking to be his 100% self.

I think Milwaukee stacks up against them pretty evenly. I’m not suggesting they are a sure pick to beat Toronto, I just wouldn’t be surprised if they did. Realistically Toronto probably should beat them, but we’ve saw how that story typically plays out with them.

Of course all this speculation is without getting a chance to see if the coaching change makes any significant changes to the team as a whole. They’ll be a better team with a 100% Kawhi, but I don’t know that it’s enough to leap frog a bunch of teams I thought would beat them before the trade.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SPTO]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

I think calling OG a "steal" is the wrong way to put it. He's proof of just how deep that draft was but remember the context of that statement. If he hadn't had injury concerns he would've been picked in the top 5 that year.

[BradyRuss]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

This is the craziest NBA offseason ever.

[Caveman24]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

I don't know, Bryant looked really awkward against NBA competion. I liked him as a prospect but he had ways to go.

He didn’t get much burn. He couldn’t have looked any worse then Zubac.

[YuNgWuN]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Don't know why...but this whole time I had this John Witherspoon-ish character in my head whenever y'all talked about that man [emoji23]

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Operation Sports mobile app

I'm pretty sure that's Bobby Webster
Raptors gm
Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[lilteapot]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

This made me lol

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlgwkHqlRFl/

[CMH]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

This made me lol

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlgwkHqlRFl/

"Thx."

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[BluFu]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

I personally don't see the point in the move the Raptors made. **** over Derozan. Sign a diva. Unless OG truly breaks out. Same team. They aren't getting past Boston. Milwaukee, Indiana, 76ers are equal if not better.

And you are putting all your eggs in the basket. Hoping Kawhi is still Kawhi. Even with a career year from Kawhi. How much better is Toronto?

Sent from my SM-J327VPP using Tapatalk

Yeah DeRozan to Kawhi is a marginal difference. They're pretty much the exact same player

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

What teams we overhyping today, y’all?

[King_B_Mack]

2018 Off-Season Thread

OG breaking out is a hope of theirs. Doesn't mean this year, but soon. People have saying he could be THE steal of that draft.

What's worse about Raptors this year VS last if Kawhi plays? They haven't decreased anywhere, and upgraded DeRozan for Kawhi. And then the young guys get better too,and an actual 3&D guy in Green added also.

And the big point I make about this deal is that Kawhi in playoffs is gonna be better than the guy people here have called "DeFrozen". The playoffs alone is where this trade could be best evaluated. Former finals MVP and guy who improved in each playoffs he was in, or a guy known for choking year after year?

Kawhi could miss entire regular season, return for playoffs and take them to NBA finals and I'd call that a good trade.

Not if they lose and he leaves to one of the 10+ teams that will have cap space next summer and you realize that you traded a 27 year old, cost controlled star that at least could have landed you a starter and two first round picks for essentially 28 games and that’s just using a number for if every series they played went 7 up until their Finals loss.

Now that I think about it, that franchise has always set the bar ridiculously low on accomplishments though. With the division title championship fanfare celebrations and whatnot

Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[YuNgWuN]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Not if they lose and he leaves to one of the 10+ teams that will have cap space next summer and you realize that you traded a 27 year old, cost controlled star that at least could have landed you a starter and two first round picks for essentially 28 games and that’s just using a number for if every series they played went 7 up until their Finals loss.

Now that I think about it, that franchise has always set the bar ridiculously low on accomplishments though. With the division title championship fanfare celebrations and whatnot

Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

Derozan was god awful on defense and doesn't spread the floor. Will not miss.

Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

I think my biggest pet peeve lately has been the whole “doesn’t spread the floor” notion for any player that doesn’t shoot close to 40% from 3. If you’re enough of a threat from deep to take multiple attempts per game and defenses are still lunging at you to contest you are still spreading the floor.

Guys who don’t spread the floor are guys defenders let have shots and refuse to properly close out on. Rondo, Allen, Roberson, Smart.. Hell as poorly as Lonzo shot last year most games he was still spreading the floor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[turty11]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

my "doesnt spread the floor" would apply to guys who WONT shoot from 3, like rondo was back with boston when they would legitimately stand his defender in the paint and roberson now with OKC. Marcus smart cant shoot, but hes willing enough to shoot that you cant just blatently leave him.

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

Yeah, if defenders are sill running out at you then you are spreading the floor make or miss.

I included Smart because it felt like he was getting into that territory where guys were starting to leave him open. The Cavs didn’t, them lunging out at him and giving him driving lanes as a result was almost comical, but there was a game I remembered in particular in one of the previous rounds where he hit a bunch of outside shots because he was basically wide open.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[3304Life]

Re: 2018 Off-Season Thread

I feel there’s been a strange shift now with players like Curry, Thompson, even as far as Korver and Redick shooting way over 40% that people expect 40% to be the norm.

It’s always been a benchmark for ridiculously good shooters. Durant is one of the best jumpers shooters in the league and has hit over 40% four times in his career.

I don’t know how the numbers come out but Curry and Thompson may well be the only players in history to have hit 40% in every season of their careers. Obviously using some kind of barometer (minimum 200 games or something) but it should never be seen that sub-40 percent shooters aren’t a threat, imo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk