NBA Off Topic Thread

[Jeffx]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

So is this Andrew Wiggins story a potential Steve Nash situation, lol.

"I de Pappy!"

[l3ulvl]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

What type of person is watching a women's college game over a NBA one ? I knew the ratings were bad, but this is rough and clearly only getting worse. The sports media seems to be pretty silent on this topic.

because the women's season and tourney has been AWESOME

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

So is this Andrew Wiggins story a potential Steve Nash situation, lol.



"I de Pappy!"

What do you mean?

[ProfessaPackMan]

NBA Off Topic Thread

League and the Players agrees to a new 7 year CBA deal. Some details:

The NBA is curbing the ability of the highest-spending teams, such as the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers, to continue running up salary and luxury tax spending while still maintaining mechanisms to add talent to the roster. The NBA is implementing a second salary cap apron -- $17.5 million over the tax line -- and those teams will no longer have access to the taxpayer mid-level in free agency. Those changes will be eased into the salary cap over a period of years.

Under these changes, Golden State's Donte DiVincenzo, Milwaukee's Joe Ingles, Boston's Danilo Gallinari and former Clippers guard John Wall wouldn't have been able to sign with those teams last summer.

As a counter to those spending limitations, the new CBA is expected to create more spending and trade opportunities for teams at the middle and lower spectrum of spending. There will be an opening of more opportunities in the free agent market, including larger trade exceptions.

In an attempt to curb load management and lost games among star players, the NBA is tying eligibility for postseason awards -- such as All-NBA teams and MVP -- to a mandatory 65 games played. The 65-game minimum does come with some conditions.

The in-season tournament could arrive as soon as the 2023-24 season. The event will include pool-play games baked into the regular-season schedule starting in November -- with eight teams advancing to a single-elimination tournament in December. The Final Four will be held at a neutral site, with Las Vegas prominent in the discussion, sources said.

Each in-season tournament game would count toward regular-season standings; the two finalists would ultimately play 83 regular-season games. Winning players and coaches will earn additional prize money.

The NBA and NBPA have agreed to increase the upper limits on extensions from a 120% increase on a current deal to 140%, which could have a significant impact on the futures of stars like Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.

Under the current rules, Brown would be allowed to sign a four-year extension worth $165 million. With the extension rules increased to 140%, however, Brown -- who is set to earn $31.8 million in the 2023-24 season, the final year of his current contract -- would be able to reach his four-year maximum of $189 million, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

Similarly, Sacramento Kings All-Star center Domantas Sabonis could currently sign a four-year, $111 million extension -- one that jumps up to $121 million with the increase to 140%.

There is an increase in two-way contract slots, jumping from two to three per team. Two-way contracts were created in the 2017 collective bargaining agreement as a vehicle for teams to develop younger players. It has been seen as a success, as it's become a route to players earning long-term homes in the league, and in several cases becoming major contributors.

Some of the biggest success stories to emerge from the two-way pipeline include: Austin Reaves and Alex Caruso with the Los Angeles Lakers; Duncan Robinson and Max Strus with the Miami Heat; Anthony Lamb with the Warriors; Jose Alvarado with the New Orleans Pelicans; and Luguentz Dort with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Silver told them folks “Y’all wanna smoke weed? Well accept this midseason tournament” and the players said bet smh

[Jeffx]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

What do you mean?

Just rumors so far;

https://www.si.com/nba/warriors/news/andrew-wiggins-girlfriend-reacts-to-rumors-about-absence

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

Tuned into that Iowa/South Carolina women’s game for the ratings boost lol.

Was not disappointed.

They have a hero in Caitlyn Clark. Must see TV.

[VDusen04]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

This is one of those things that borders on being a perception vs reality thing though. Sure players sell contact more, reviews take longer, more calls are upgraded to flagrant/tech.. But things like actual fouls called, free throw attempts, and free throws per field goal attempt are all at basically historic lows. Like the whole "too many fouls in today's game vs insert whatever era" argument factually holds zero weight because less fouls are called now than in literally any other era.

I still watch the modern NBA and enjoy a lot of it, but it probably has more frustrating elements than I've ever encountered in 30 years of viewing. And the thing is, a lot of the elements that frustrate me are stupid and frivolous yet somehow they all add up to a sour experience if it's not counterbalanced by someone like Steph Curry doing amazing things.

I'm fully ready to catch flak for some of these but it is what it is. These are the things that end up making me feel like a mark for tuning in:

1. The 14,000 minutes of video replay

2. The soft flagrants where there was zero intent and completely happenstance contact (alongside the corresponding five minutes of video review).

3. Egregious foul hunting, which I think has dipped a nominal amount after the rule emphasis last year but still stands far beyond any other level of foul hunting I've seen in history.

4. Kamikaze offensive players who truck stick into defenders and reap the reward (akin to one of my old school frustrations, which was how Shaq was allowed to murder people in the post to get his buckets).

5. Hamstrung defenders who are continuously unduly punished for realistic counter-measures. (We can argue what kind of defense should be allowed or not but I'm frustrated by what I see nonetheless.)

6. The obnoxious on-court ads that are so huge and frequent now that it's almost like the game is flaunting how stupid I am for tuning into their product, particularly the local broadcasts and their superimposed ads.

7. The loss of team identity with the extreme cash-grab approach of swapping out jersey designs every single year while completely abandoning home-away patterns, making it unnecessarily difficult to quickly identify who's playing and where.

8. The mega-inflation of offensive performances on account limited defensive counter-measures. Shooters are just about untouchable, firing with the confidence of knowing only the most perfect defensive contest can hinder them, with defenders otherwise forced to jump to the side of them or put themselves in position to be fouled by a kicking offensive player.

Again, we can argue all day about whether viewers should be frustrated. But fact of the matter is, many are, myself included. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy many elements of the game (you'll still absolutely see me glued to the screen when Steph goes off) but it does mean that there's a number of barriers there.

And to be fair, there's always been barriers. I mentioned my frustration with Shaq Ball in the 2000's. And I didn't mind leaving the 72-68 type of pace of the early 2000's. But the pendulum's just swinging a bit far in the other direction now. To the point where I'm often like, "Aight this is getting stupid now."

Through all that, here's something I am grateful for in today's game: Imagine if the league hadn't ended the Hack-a-Shaq strategy. What a mess everything would be today if that was still as viable as it was seven years ago.

[J_Posse]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

League and the Players agrees to a new 7 year CBA deal. Some details:





Silver told them folks “Y’all wanna smoke weed? Well accept this midseason tournament” and the players said bet smh

I hope the concept of a "mid-season tournament" dies a quick and sudden death.

It makes no sense to create an artificial "tournament" to boost engagement when involved only the NBA. If they included another league or leagues, then it would have a little more traction (though I would still be against it).

I still watch the modern NBA and enjoy a lot of it, but it probably has more frustrating elements than I've ever encountered in 30 years of viewing. And the thing is, a lot of the elements that frustrate me are stupid and frivolous yet somehow they all add up to a sour experience if it's not counterbalanced by someone like Steph Curry doing amazing things.

I'm fully ready to catch flak for some of these but it is what it is. These are the things that end up making me feel like a mark for tuning in:

1. The 14,000 minutes of video replay

2. The soft flagrants where there was zero intent and completely happenstance contact (alongside the corresponding five minutes of video review).

3. Egregious foul hunting, which I think has dipped a nominal amount after the rule emphasis last year but still stands far beyond any other level of foul hunting I've seen in history.

4. Kamikaze offensive players who truck stick into defenders and reap the reward (akin to one of my old school frustrations, which was how Shaq was allowed to murder people in the post to get his buckets).

5. Hamstrung defenders who are continuously unduly punished for realistic counter-measures. (We can argue what kind of defense should be allowed or not but I'm frustrated by what I see nonetheless.)

6. The obnoxious on-court ads that are so huge and frequent now that it's almost like the game is flaunting how stupid I am for tuning into their product, particularly the local broadcasts and their superimposed ads.

7. The loss of team identity with the extreme cash-grab approach of swapping out jersey designs every single year while completely abandoning home-away patterns, making it unnecessarily difficult to quickly identify who's playing and where.

8. The mega-inflation of offensive performances on account limited defensive counter-measures. Shooters are just about untouchable, firing with the confidence of knowing only the most perfect defensive contest can hinder them, with defenders otherwise forced to jump to the side of them or put themselves in position to be fouled by a kicking offensive player.

Again, we can argue all day about whether viewers should be frustrated. But fact of the matter is, many are, myself included. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy many elements of the game (you'll still absolutely see me glued to the screen when Steph goes off) but it does mean that there's a number of barriers there.

And to be fair, there's always been barriers. I mentioned my frustration with Shaq Ball in the 2000's. And I didn't mind leaving the 72-68 type of pace of the early 2000's. But the pendulum's just swinging a bit far in the other direction now. To the point where I'm often like, "Aight this is getting stupid now."

Through all that, here's something I am grateful for in today's game: Imagine if the league hadn't ended the Hack-a-Shaq strategy. What a mess everything would be today if that was still as viable as it was seven years ago.

Yeah, as an "old head," I agree with most of this post.

Official HQ of Bills Backer/Spurs Nation

[Junior Moe]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

The NBA has a major ratings problem as the women's NCAA game between Iowa and Louisville was higher then any NBA game this season.

Also the 1st round of the NCAA men's tournament was 2.5 times higher than the early playoffs rounds last year (9.3 million vs 2.7 million.

I agree that the NBA season is too long. I also believe that the years of players demanding trades and load management have taken a toll as well. Overall, the league is fine but the optics of players not caring (Ben Simmons) and diminishing the regular season is a problem, I think. After saying that though, I think the playoffs and play in this year are going to be amazing.

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[DamnYanks2]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

Tuned into that Iowa/South Carolina women’s game for the ratings boost lol.

Was not disappointed.

They have a hero in Caitlyn Clark. Must see TV.

Yea we were talking about that on the college forums. She made it worth watching. She's a damn bucket and then some.

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[Jeffx]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

Yeah, as an "old head," I agree with most of this post.

As an "old, old head", I agree with a lot what VDusen posted too. I still watch the NBA (especially now that the Knicks are relevant), but it doesn't have the same hold on me it did in the past. I miss the low-post action, physicality and the different styles of play. Call me out of touch, but I loved those late 90s battles between NY & Miami where the score was in the mid-80s.

[Speedy]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

Sometimes it's not worth watching NBA games till about the 4th Q. It's gotten harder for me to watch full games honestly. Because of the lazy defense. Guys just trading baskets. Wide open guys in the corners, Stars sitting out. I get it.






Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

100%, DY.

Let's also not forget the 30 3's per game.

[dubcity]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

"Please play at least 65 games, we're begging you." Lol gotta love it. And then throw in a meaningless mid-season tournament that no one wants or cares about, with the added bonus of having to play an 83rd game if you make the Finals. They should keep it secret which games are tournament games, because otherwise teams will just lose on purpose, because why lose a day off? These players don't give a **** about these franchises, and stupid made up trophies.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

"Please play at least 65 games, we're begging you." Lol gotta love it. And then throw in a meaningless mid-season tournament that no one wants or cares about, with the added bonus of having to play an 83rd game if you make the Finals. They should keep it secret which games are tournament games, because otherwise teams will just lose on purpose, because why lose a day off? These players don't give a **** about these franchises, and stupid made up trophies.

I’m hoping more comes out but aside from being able to smoke, I’m curious as to what else the players gained in this?

[J_Posse]

Re: NBA Off Topic Thread

As an "old, old head", I agree with a lot what VDusen posted too. I still watch the NBA (especially now that the Knicks are relevant), but it doesn't have the same hold on me it did in the past. I miss the low-post action, physicality and the different styles of play. Call me out of touch, but I loved those late 90s battles between NY & Miami where the score was in the mid-80s.

We are both "out of touch" cause I loved that **** too.

Seeing guys give up nearly nothing to the opponent was a lot more appealing than the turnstile defense of today (no fault of the defenders).

Official HQ of Bills Backer/Spurs Nation