Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

Melo Sent To L.A. in 3-Team Deal

The New York Knicks have agreed to send 9-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony to the Los Angeles Clippers in a 3-team trade that was completed right before today's NBA Trade Deadline. The deal comes on the heels of Anthony agreeing to waive his no-trade clause only if he was traded to either L.A., Boston, or Chicago.

The Clippers will send former New York Knick Jamal Crawford, Wesley Johnson, a 19' 2nd round pick, & 20' 2nd round pick to New York. They will also be sending future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce back to Boston as he completes his final season. A full breakdown of all the moving parts are below:

Clippers Get:
Carmelo Anthony
Maurice N'Dour

Knicks Get:
Jamal Crawford
James Young
Wesley Johnson
2019 & 2020 2nd round picks (via LAC)

Celtics Get:
Paul Pierce

This move should solidify the Clippers as one of the top 4 teams in the West and give them at least a puncher's chance against the reigning conference champion Warriors.
For the Knicks, this is officially the beginning of another rebuild for them. The good part is unlike in the past, they actually have a positive foundation to begin with though already having what many now believe is the face of the franchise in Kristaps Porzingis. They should now be able to obtain a higher spot in this years' draft to add another talented young guy to build on.

The most feel good story in this trade though has to be Paul Pierce returning to Boston for one last hurrah. He may not play much for the Celtics, but his presence and experience should be invaluable for this years team.

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

All-Star Weekend A Rousing Success

Aaron Gordon took home the 2017 NBA Slam Dunk Championship

[trekfan]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

That return for Melo was WEAK for the Knicks. The front office basically gave him away for 2nd rounders, an old (but still useful) Crawford, and draft busts.

FIRE PHIL. Get Kristaps out of New York, ASAP. The franchise is determined to suck for years to come.

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

That return for Melo was WEAK for the Knicks. The front office basically gave him away for 2nd rounders, an old (but still useful) Crawford, and draft busts.

FIRE PHIL. Get Kristaps out of New York, ASAP. The franchise is determined to suck for years to come.

I figured that was highly realistic when it came to the Knicks and Phil as the PBO in general

One thing to remember though, Phil being bad at negotiating, tanking Melo's value, and giving him that no trade clause put him in an awful spot. So, basically we're looking at expiring deals for cap relief who can maybe salvage their careers as end of bench guys (Young and Johnson), and a MSG crowd favorite from years past in Crawford (though they could buy him out).

If one thing is for certain, they're gonna be BAD to finish this season(have some more news coming up on that), which is great since they have their pick and if they land #1 they can get a franchise cornerstone to pair with Porzingis. If they suck next year too (which is likely), it'd probably be looked at as genius given the draft class that'll be coming in.

[trekfan]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

I figured that was highly realistic when it came to the Knicks and Phil as the PBO in general

One thing to remember though, Phil being bad at negotiating, tanking Melo's value, and giving him that no trade clause put him in an awful spot. So, basically we're looking at expiring deals for cap relief who can maybe salvage their careers as end of bench guys (Young and Johnson), and a MSG crowd favorite from years past in Crawford (though they could buy him out).

If one thing is for certain, they're gonna be BAD to finish this season(have some more news coming up on that), which is great since they have their pick and if they land #1 they can get a franchise cornerstone to pair with Porzingis. If they suck next year too (which is likely), it'd probably be looked at as genius given the draft class that'll be coming in.

No doubt the move was realistic -- but MAN, what a shoddy job by that front office. Knicks need to spray some PHILBEGONE to remove the odor of his free agency signings/trades.

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA


Derrick Rose Dislocates Right Patella; Out 1-2 months
Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Feb 17, 2017

In other unfortunate news, the dark cloud of injury to hover over Knicks Guard Derrick Rose as he has once again gone down with injury. Rose was just diagnosed with a dislocated right patella today after getting his knee checked out due to discomfort. This only adds to the list of negative things going on for the Knicks as they've just traded Carmelo Anthony to the Clippers.

Sources say Knicks President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson will scour the D-League for some help at the PG position as the Knicks are already in advanced talks to buyout guard Brandon Jennings.

Other Note-able Injuries:
Trevor Ariza - Dislocated Left Patella: Season
Nene - Dislocated Right Patella: 6-8 weeks
Marco Bellineli - Broken Left Leg: 4-6 weeks
J.R. Smith - Broken Right Ankle: 2-4 weeks
Marc Gasol - Hyperextended Right Shoulder: 1-2 weeks
Kawhi Leonard - High Left Ankle Sprain: 1-2 weeks
Bradley Beal - Pinched Nerve In The Back: 1-2 weeks
Garrett Temple - Pulled Lower Back Muscle: 1-2 weeks

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA


Waiver Wire Update
Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Feb 20, 2017

The waiver wire season is officially upon us and there seems to be more movement here than in past seasons. Some solid contributors have found new homes for the stretch run of the season giving contenders some much needed talent infusion. Surprisingly, teams right on the cusp were quiet here as it was the favorites to win the title who made moves along with a couple of young lottery teams looking to add some veteran savvy.

Here are all of the moves so far:
Brandon Jennings - released by Knicks, to sign with Wizards
Deron Williams - released by Mavericks, to sign with Cavaliers
Andrew Bogut - released by Sixers, to sign with Cavaliers
Jose Calderon - released by Lakers, to sign with Hawks
Derrick Williams - released by Heat, to sign with Cavaliers
Matt Barnes - released by Kings, to sign with Warriors
Omri Casspi - released by Pelicans, to sign with Timberwolves
Quincy Acy - released by Mavericks, to sign with Nets

In other free agent news, the Pelicans were pretty active bringing in former Rockets bigman Donatas Montiejunas and bringing back former New Orleans PG Jarrett Jack to bolster their depth after the Demarcus Cousins trade. The Dallas Mavericks will also bring D-League PG Yogi Ferrell to the association after having a productive season for the Texas Legends.

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

2/23/17

2/24/17

2/25/17

2/26/17

2/27/17

2/28/17

GD's Highlights

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA




Warriors remain number one
By John Schuhmann NBA.com
@johnschuhmann
Mar 1, 2017

The Golden State Warriors continue to lay waste to the NBA landscape now that their health has officially become a non factor. They've also added the services of Matt Barnes and found solid role players in guys like Javale McGee, Patrick McCaw, & Ian Clark.

This months biggest jumps comes from the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Oklahoma City Thunder. The biggest drops are the Indiana Pacers, Portland Trailblazers, and New York Knicks:

1. Golden State Warriors (47-13)

Last Month: 1
The Warriors are currently on an 8 game winning streak and have won 10 of their last 11 overall. Kevin Durant is having one of his best seasons ever (definitely one of his most efficient). Steph Curry continues to cruise along as does Klay and Draymond. The only surprise here was there weren't 4 all-star appearances for this team which should only fuel them more the rest of this season.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (43-15)

Last Month: 2

The East is in the hands of the Cavs until further notice, aka, until LeBron retires. The closest team in the standings are the Wizards who are 8 GAMES behind the Cavs...

3. Houston Rockets (40-21)

Last Month: 3

James Harden has to be the favorite for the MVP award at this point and it isn't as close as most think. No one expected this Rockets team to be on pace to win around 60 games this season. As long as Russell Westbrook doesn't make a comeback and average a triple double (he's close at 29ppg, 10.3rpg, 9.7apg) I think James finally wins the award that has alluded him the past 3 years.

4. San Antonio Spurs (38-20)

Last Month: 5
The Spurs have found a groove this month going 7-3 and making up ground on the Rockets for the 2 seed in the standings. Kawhi continues to make an outside case for the MVP and LaMarcus Aldridge seems to have found his niche in the Alamo City finally.

5. Washington Wizards (35-23)

Last Month: 4

The Wiz have slowed after they had a torrid month and a half stretch between December & January. John Wall is still having an amazing season though putting up averages of over 16ppg, 4rpg, & 9apg. The key for them though will be whether Bradley Beal is a good enough 2nd option for them moving forward.

6. Oklahoma City Thunder (35-25)

Last Month: 12

The Thunder have impressed over the last month and now sit 10 games over .500. Russ has found a groove and the Thunder just brought in some reinforcements in Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott at the trade deadline.

7. Memphis Grizzlies (35-26)

Last Month: 10

Memphis continues to chug along in the west as one of the better teams there is. They are also surprisingly healthy this late in the season which is bad news for any team that has to play them in the 1st round.

8. Los Angeles Clippers (33-26)

Last Month: 8

Doc finally swung for the fences by bringing in Carmelo Anthony at the deadline in a blockbuster deal. In their first outing though the Clipps got manhandled by the Warriors up at Oracle Arena. With the loss of Jamal Crawford in the Melo deal L.A.'s bench scoring will fall squarely on Austin Rivers shoulders.

9. Milwaukee Bucks (33-25)

Last Month: 7

Giannis continues the Bucks resurgence as he is averaging a career high in 5 different statistical categories. Jabari continues to improve with his health now having him over a year removed from a return from injury. The supporting cast seems to also be better than expected in Wisconsin.

10. Boston Celtics (33-27)

Last Month: 11

Questions will remain for this team all year given their talent level, but Isaiah Thomas is having an amazing season. He currently has Boston placed as the number 3 seed in the east after a lackluster start to say the least. One has to wonder how good they can really be at their peak.

11. Utah Jazz (32-28)

Last Month: 15

The Jazz have had an amazing recovery after an early injury plagued start to the season. They are 27-14 since December 1st and are now in the hunt for a top 4 seed in the rugged west. Rudy Gobert is also in the Defensive Player of the Year discussion.

12. Atlanta Hawks (31-28)

Last Month: 13

The Hawks are pretty much the definition of average. They are stuck in the NBA's purgatory and it probably is the best thing they can do given their history and Atlanta's history of being a notorious transplant city. There are also rumblings that Dwight Howard is unhappy with his role (what's new?) and they tried to trade four 1st round picks for Paul George...yikes!

13. Charlotte Hornets (31-29)

Last Month: 9

MJ's bunch of stingers are somehow managing to hold their heads just above water as the season winds down, trying to reach their 2nd consecutive playoffs for the 1st time since the first time the Hornets were in the Queen City.

14. Toronto Raptors (30-30)

Last Month: 19

The Raptors are totally healthy again and just acquired Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker at the trade deadline giving them one of the deeper rosters in the east. They still haven't exactly "clicked" yet though, but if they do, we may be looking at the biggest threat to the Cavs prior to the finals this season.

15. Chicago Bulls (30-30)

Last Month: 17

Dwyane Wade is fresh off of another All-Star appearance and Jimmy Butler has been back for about a month now after his early season leg troubles kept him out for a few weeks. Rajon Rondo also seems to have escaped Fred Hoiberg and Chicago's front office doghouse.

16. Indiana Pacers (30-30)

Last Month: 6

Can't say we didn't see this coming, but there have been several sources indicating Larry Bird took calls about Paul George during the deadline, most notably from Atlanta, Boston, and his hometown Lakers. Apparently, they were just feeling out the market for him, but this is big given George's free agency status following next season. People around the league have received word that if they trade for George he will leave for the Lakers in free agency which is a clear power play by his camp.

17. Portland Trailblazers (29-30)

Last Month: 14

After starting 14-6 in November, the Blazers have are 15-24 since and their defense continues to be a problem. The good news, they recently acquired talented bigman Jusuf Nurkic and are in the drivers seat for the 8th seed out west, though that means Golden State in round one...

18. Detroit Pistons (28-32)

Last Month: 21

The Pistons are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs currently, mainly because of bad point guard play, but they are in a good spot currently. With them moving into a new arena next season and the release of a updated logo (which is a callback to the Bad Boy Era), things are looking up in the Motor City.

19. New Orleans Pelicans (28-32)

Last Month: 16

Who saw this coming? The Pelicans acquired the Boogie man himself, Demarcus Cousins to pair with Anthony freaking Davis. The 2 best bigs in the game are now on the same team and will look to terrorize the league as they fight to drag the rest of what amounts to a very sub-par roster to the playoffs.

20. Denver Nuggets (27-33)

Last Month: 20

Denver has basically given up on Emmanuel Mudiay as it stands but the good news is Nikola Jokic has thrived as essentially a point center. One cause for concern for Nuggets fans has to be Denver's almost unwillingness to ship out some of the redundancies on the roster for future assets. Guys like Danillo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler are still here after 6 years and aren't long term building blocks of the future for this franchise.

21. Los Angeles Lakers (27-34)

Last Month: 24

We're 61 games into the season and the Lakers are only 7 games below .500. Luke Walton has got to be using the force, well, that and D'Angelo Russell is legit. Now the wait begins for Brandon Ingram, who if he reaches his potential can make this a scary duo for years to come. They're most likely gonna lose their pick this season, but that means they'll keep next years' in a loaded class and with the Paul George rumors, the Lakers might be back sooner than we all thought. Seems Magic does have the Midas Touch.

22. Phoenix Suns (25-35)

Last Month: 22

Last month I asked if Phoenix should tank again. This month, not so much. The Suns are...bad to say the least but with another high draft pick coming in and Devin Booker and Marquise Chriss, things aren't completely eclipsed in the valley of the sun. Probably should've kept that Lakers pick though given how out of favor Brandon Knight has fell.

23. Sacramento Kings (26-34)

Last Month: 23

I'm proud of Vlade and the Kings for finally pulling the plug on the Cousins era, but every single time they take a step forward they take 3 steps back. That return for Cousins was absolutely putrid and if reports are true that owner Vivek Ranadive believes Buddy Hield to be the next Steph Curry, the Kings may be in for a world of hurt to come.

24. Philadelphia 76ers (23-36)

Last Month: 27

Hinkie died for their sins indeed. Philly is set up nicely for the next several years thanks to their bottoming out. Joel Embiid is well on his way to winning Rookie of the Year and is already a top 10 center. Ben Simmons looks really good in the limited minutes since his return. Dario Saric is in the top 5 of the Rookie race, and they still have two top 10 picks coming this summer. If there was a team that I look at to take over the east from LeBron and the Cavs, it'd be between these Sixers and Giannis' Bucks. Now if they'd just solved that Jahlil Okafor problem instead of shipping off Noel.

25. Miami Heat (25-35)

Last Month: 25

Miami seems to be in the odd low lottery territory as they won't make the playoffs, but aren't too bad either. Hopefully they decide to rest a few guys down the stretch to try and increase their chances as they continue to rebuild post Wade. Chris Bosh's situation continues to be a dark cloud over the organization too as he tries to figure out his future.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves (24-36)

Last Month: 26

So we overrated the Wolves coming into the year, but we also didn't expect KAT to regress on defense, Wiggins not to improve much outside of scoring, and Kris Dunn to be pretty much a non factor. The Wolves with another high pick though has to be scary with an already loaded young team. Rumors are swirling Thibs wants to bring in some of his old Chicago guys, but is that really a good idea?

27. New York Knicks (25-35)

Last Month: 18

Man, the Knicks are the Knicks. Is there really much to say after that? Phil finally alienated Carmelo enough to get what he wanted and traded him for a bag of salted peanuts that fell on the ground. Then Derrick Rose gets injured and is out for the rest of the season. They buy out Brandon Jennings right before Rose gets injured and are now starting Ron Baker. At least Knicks fans can hope they land the number 1 pick, but with the Knicks luck and bad decision making, do you believe in or even trust them if it isn't something negative?

28. Orlando Magic (21-39)

Last Month: 28

Orlando is still reeling post Dwight but at least now they corrected the mistake they made last summer in creating a glut of big men. Aaron Gordon (2017 Slam Dunk Champion) will be able to play his natural position now and Terrence Ross will have a chance to revive his career a bit. They have several highflying players though so they definitely will be interesting to watch.

29. Dallas Mavericks (17-42)

Last Month: 29

I never thought the Mavs would be this bad at any point during the Dirk era, but here we are. He says he wants to play at least 2 more seasons, but I wonder if this year will have a toll on him and change his decision making. Mark Cuban and company did find a good deal though in acquiring Nerlens Noel locking up the center position long term for Dallas. They'll have to pay big to keep him this summer, but that shouldn't be a problem. Harrison Barnes and Nerlens Noel are now the Mavs core moving forward which is not too bad a start, but they'll have to continue to amass assets to dig out of this hole.

30. Brooklyn Nets (13-45)

Last Month: 30

Still not much to talk about here in the borough east of Manhattan, but the Nets were able to obtain another 1st round pick for Bojan Bogdanovic after trading him to Washington. They also picked up KJ McDaniels for next to nothing which is nice. The key for the Nets will be if they can get some guys through restricted free agency this summer and/or trade Brook Lopez to expedite their rebuild because as it stands they don't have much to work with until 2019 at the earliest (or did I mean 2091? hmm).

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

Top 10 Plays of the Month: February

[Kumode]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

Damn IT4 with 2 game winners in one month. Ice cold.

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

Damn IT4 with 2 game winners in one month. Ice cold.

King Clutch has been ramping it up getting ready for the playoffs for sure

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA





Return of The King
By John Schuhmann NBA.com
@johnschuhmann
Mar 1, 2017

The King reminded every one this month no to disregard him anytime there's a discussion for league MVP. His rise from third to first in this months rankings is kind of surprising give Russell Westbrook and James Harden's superior statistical seasons, but we all know by now that team success matters too. The Cavs are surging and have a 8 game lead for the East's number 1 seed, meanwhile the Rockets have slipped a bit after a hot start. The Thunder have been on a roll since the trade deadline (who knew all they needed was Taj Gibson), but they are still floating between the 4th-6th seed on any given night.

The rest of this months MVP race rankings are below:

1. LeBron James - 21.8ppg, 10.1rpg, 9.8apg, 2.3spg, 54%, 37.3% 3pt, PER: 26.0

Team Record: (43-15)

The Cavs are cruising through the regular season and though LeBron's scoring numbers are down he's averaging a career high in rebounds and assists per game. The only thing that could possibly stop the King from reeling in a 5th MVP award is whether or Tyronn Lue will start resting the Big 3 in preparation of the playoffs. A healthy and rested LeBron is scarier than an MVP and top overall seed.

2. Russell Westbrook - 27.9ppg, 10.7rpg, 9.8apg, 1.7spg, 44.4%, 35.7% 3pt, PER: 30.9

Team Record: (35-25)

Russell is extremely close to history now with only a month and a half left in the season and only 22 games left, Russell controls his own fate in regards to being the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple double for an entire season. All that is secondary to the Thunder's success as a team though and right now the Thunder have clicked with their mid season acquisitions of Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott.

3. James Harden- 29.8ppg, 7.8rpg, 7.9apg, 1.3spg, 49%, 39% 3pt, PER: 30.5

Team Record: (40-21)

James is still posting incredible numbers this year, but it seems as if this may be a rerun of the 2015 season where he comes up just short of the MVP because of a legendary season by another player. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't let it take away from what this man is accomplishing this year or any other year. Houston is having an incredible year and one of the greatest scoring seasons ever.

4. Anthony Davis - 28.7ppg, 12.1rg, 3apg, 2.1bpg, 1.5spg, 52% fg, 37.8% 3pt, PER: 29.3

Team Record: (28-32)

AD doesn't have the record to leap into the top 3 candidates this year (nor does he have the roster around him), but statistically he's having a historical year as well. The addition of Boogie to the Pelicans should help and hopefully can get them the few needed wins to get into the 8th spot this year.

5. John Wall - 16.5ppg, 5.2rpg, 8.8apg, 47.3% fg, 36% 3pt, PER: 23.7


Team Record: (35-23)

The Wiz are now the East's 2nd seed and are looking like they may be a lock for that spot given the competition. They've lost 3 in a row since the all-star break, but John Wall has flipped the switch since returning averaging 23ppg, 8rpg, & 9apg. If the Wiz can somehow make a comeback for the East's top seed before the end of the season, don't be surprised if Wall is in serious consideration for MVP.

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

3/1/17


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3/21/17

GD's Highlights

[lakers24]

Re: The League: Reign of The NBA

What Happened In Indianapolis

Indianapolis, IN (AP) - During the trade deadline this year President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird took calls on the availability of Paul George, who is due to become a free agent at the end of next season. Most teams do their due diligence in this respect as it's the smart way to conduct business. Unfortunately, that information got out and made it's way to George through the media instead of directly from the front office of the team for which he plays for.

Not surprisingly, George is and was upset at this and his team has let it be known throughout the league to not trade for him because he will opt out (most players of his caliber do because of financial reasons). The power play here is letting them know he plans to leave for his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.

Essentially, if George can't win in Indiana and Bird can't build a team that can contend or at the least be better than a .500 or below team like they are now, he's going to live out a dream and play for the Lakers. Looking at it from a logical perspective, it makes little sense, especially when George says he wants to win, but the Lakers do have a nice cache of youthful talent (a lot more than the Pacers), which can be trade for established talent. Even if they decided to not trade anyone and George led these young Lakers, they are already pretty solid as the only have 3 fewer wins than the Pacers do and they are in the western conference. There's also the fact that it is Los Angeles and if you're George recruiting guys to play with, wouldn't it be easier to get someone to play with you if you're in L.A. and not Indiana (no offense)?

So, if you're Paul George what do you do? If you're the Pacers what do you do? There's a high probability the Pacers will be mediocre again next season and George walks away for nothing. There are going to be suitors for his services even with threats of leaving for L.A. next year and if a team like the Celtics decides they want to make the leap into true contenders, then how can George pass on a chance like that and how can the Pacers? This story is sure not to go away anytime soon, for now though, let's see if PG13 can will Indiana into the postseason.