2015-16 NBA Western Conference OFFICIAL THREAD

[trojanfan12]

I think they need to fire Kevin McHale...

 

[DJ]

Well....the Rockets rallied and won by 5 points.....

 

[Mecca]

he is injury prone

I mean...

He gets hurt an awful lot.

It's always something with this guy.

The skill is clearly there.

But, now that he's got the money, will his heart still be into it?

 

[CitySushi]

Big test for the Warriors coming up tonight @ Utah. Steph going for 40 tonight though. Biggest matchup will be Favors vs. Green.

 

[bksballer89]

Big test for the Warriors coming up tonight @ Utah. Steph going for 40 tonight though. Biggest matchup will be Favors vs. Green.

I would be pretty shocked if they go unbeaten this week. I think they're going to lose one of these 3 teams (not including Brooklyn). Charlotte & Toronto will be difficult as well

 

[gordontrue]

Spurs Bulls tonight might be interesting.

Spurs and Pacers are tied for the 2nd longest current winning streak... at 5 games each. I can't remember who is 1st right now, probably some unimportant team.

 

[CitySushi]

I would be pretty shocked if they go unbeaten this week. I think they're going to lose one of these 3 teams (not including Brooklyn). Charlotte & Toronto will be difficult as well

I'm not as concerned about the games this week, only because there is enough travel time for rest. They play Utah tonight, Charlotte on Weds, then Toronto on Saturday. Brooklyn gave the Warriors a big test earlier this year, and if they get past Toronto without an L, they're going to put it on the Nets as revenge.

The biggest challenges on this 7 game road trip are Utah tonight, Pacers on next Tues (3rd game in 4 nights) and Milwaukee on the back end of a back to back.

Utah is always tough defensively and are playing well. The Pacers, especially PG-13, could be a problem. PG is playing at an MVP level this year and it's getting completely overlooked because of Curry. They run him at the 4, and that could cause problems, even for Draymond. Lastly the Bucks have been pretty bad this year on defense, but their length could be a big problem for our outside shooting. They can pretty much switch anything like the Warriors do, without giving away huge matchup advantages. Monroe is terrible defensively in the paint, but we don't have a capable scoring center to keep him honest. Also Milwaukee is the last game of the road trip and players could be looking forward to going home.

 

[bksballer89]

Utah is giving Golden State everything as i expected

 

[ManuForever]

Tough loss for the Spurs last night. You hold a team without a FG for the last 6.5 minutes and they still beat you with defense. Kawhi didn't even touch the ball the last 2 minutes except the final play. Terrible, terrible execution. Spurs HAVE to get better at those types of situations. I believe they will, it'll just take time. Pop himself said it might be March before they're a good offensive team. Let's hope it doesn't take quite that long.

 

[Bolts]

Kings are 6-3 in games Demarcus Cousins starts and finishes healthy and 1-9 when he misses a game/leaves a game because of injury. He really needs to stay healthy.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

meh... Chicago has been a tough out for SA for a while.
That loss is not really surprising.

The lack of a closer is a bit distressing though for the short term.
I doubt it is a long term problem.

OKC, WAS, and CHI were all last second losses that did not need to happen with even mediocre execution.
The Spurs are likely (17-1) if they had any reliable closing scenarios.

In each case, the Spurs did not know exactly who was getting the ball at the end.
And in each case, it ended up being a poor tentative possession with some wild 3-ball.

It was always going to be an early season problem. Timmy and Lamarcus still need about 40-50 games.
There is a total overhaul of the offensive philosophy.

We essentially have a good problem. Tony, Lamarcus, Kawahi, Tim, or Manu could easily be the guy.
Popovich just needs to sort out the logjam.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Tough loss for the Spurs last night. You hold a team without a FG for the last 6.5 minutes and they still beat you with defense. Kawhi didn't even touch the ball the last 2 minutes except the final play. Terrible, terrible execution. Spurs HAVE to get better at those types of situations. I believe they will, it'll just take time. Pop himself said it might be March before they're a good offensive team. Let's hope it doesn't take quite that long.

Kawhi doesnt have that go-to-guy mentality yet. We saw that last year with those free-throws. He can be the best player on the court a good amount of the time- but last 2 minutes there are a boatload of guys id rather have with the ball in their hands. I think hes a borderline top 10 guy in the league- hes a great player- GREAT 2 way player....dont trust him at the end of games yet though.

 

[ManuForever]

Kawhi doesnt have that go-to-guy mentality yet. We saw that last year with those free-throws. He can be the best player on the court a good amount of the time- but last 2 minutes there are a boatload of guys id rather have with the ball in their hands. I think hes a borderline top 10 guy in the league- hes a great player- GREAT 2 way player....dont trust him at the end of games yet though.

He's still growing. He will definitely get there. He's hit some huge shots to win games before but not consistently (partially cause the Spurs usually don't have many close games.) I'm not worried about it. Just got to have patience.

 

[CitySushi]

He's still growing. He will definitely get there. He's hit some huge shots to win games before but not consistently (partially cause the Spurs usually don't have many close games.) I'm not worried about it. Just got to have patience.

I think it's partly due to the system as well. I think if LA could become the go-to guy, Kawhi would easily be the best #2 option in the NBA. I think it's entirely possible for him to be a top 10 player, without being the go-to guy down the stretch. That's how good I think he is on both sides of the ball.

I think he will eventually turn the corner and become the franchise superstar that everyone thinks he is. He's still learning and I think at times a victim of the system that Pop runs.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

He already is a top 10 player IMO.
He is probably the best defender in the game (IMO as well).
And his so-called "weakness or offensive game" gets better every year.

22.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 51% FG, 47% 3FG, 86% FT would be MVP level even as a poor defender.

He just hasn't developed that closer mentality just yet.
It is tough to do when there are a bunch of 10+ year vets who are used to that role.

So at the end of close games, he defers to the elders. And it gets confusing.
Manu, Tim, Tony, and Lamarcus are all used to being the man.

It is a minor nitpick.
Within 2 years, when all those guys have cleared out....K-Leonard will be an MVP staple.

 

[trojanfan12]

He already is a top 10 player IMO.
He is probably the best defender in the game (IMO as well).
And his so-called "weakness or offensive game" gets better every year.

22.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 51% FG, 47% 3FG, 86% FT would be MVP level even as a poor defender.

He just hasn't developed that closer mentality just yet.
It is tough to do when there are a bunch of 10+ year vets who are used to that role.

So at the end of close games, he defers to the elders. And it gets confusing.
Manu, Tim, Tony, and Lamarcus are all used to being the man.

It is a minor nitpick.
Within 2 years, when all those guys have cleared out....K-Leonard will be an MVP staple.

Yeah, I don't think there's anything to worry about with Kawhi. My bet is that he doesn't have the "closer mentality" because the Spurs haven't needed it. I doubt he'll have a problem stepping into that role when the Spurs need him to.

 

[Bolts]

DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo have 'powerful' recent meeting with Kings coach George Karl
Sounds like it was a good meeting this time between Rondo, Cousins, and Karl. Rondo might have the veteran leadership Cousins has needed on the court to help him control his temper, only time will tell. The situation could still blow up if they can't turn it around on the court, but it's a step in the right direction.

 

[Bolts]

Rudy Gobert out "indefinitely" with an MCL sprain. Big loss for the Jazz, even if it's only a couple of weeks.
Jazz's Gobert out indefinitely with sprained MCL

 

[trojanfan12]

Cowherd said something interesting this morning re: the Lakers. He said he has heard that of the Lakers 4 young guys, Clarkson, Randle, Russell and Nance Jr. they would be willing to part with Russell, Clarkson and Nance to rebuild with FA's.

He said that they believe that Randle is ready to be a contributor on a really good team right now. He said they believe that Russell will be a special player in a couple of seasons, but they aren't sure they want to wait. The Lakers have never been known for patience.

He's says he's been told that they are paying very close attention to what is going on with the 76ers and seeing that you can't even win with young guys in the East, so there's no chance to win with kids in the West.

It's Cowherd, so it has to be taken with a grain of salt. But interesting nonetheless. Personally, depending on who they could get, I'd prefer that they stick with the young guys.

 

[CitySushi]

Cowherd said something interesting this morning re: the Lakers. He said he has heard that of the Lakers 4 young guys, Clarkson, Randle, Russell and Nance Jr. they would be willing to part with Russell, Clarkson and Nance to rebuild with FA's.

He said that they believe that Randle is ready to be a contributor on a really good team right now. He said they believe that Russell will be a special player in a couple of seasons, but they aren't sure they want to wait. The Lakers have never been known for patience.

He's says he's been told that they are paying very close attention to what is going on with the 76ers and seeing that you can't even win with young guys in the East, so there's no chance to win with kids in the West.

It's Cowherd, so it has to be taken with a grain of salt. But interesting nonetheless. Personally, depending on who they could get, I'd prefer that they stick with the young guys.

It's all about which young guys you draft. That's the important part. The Sixers have shown no ability to draft well. The Lakers did well I believe with Randle. Clarkson looks decent, but not sold. Russell has tons of upside, but that's going to take time.

The Lakers may have the prestige to just build a team through Free Agency, but almost all the championship teams in the last 20 years has had at least one home grown star to build around. Not sure if the Lakers have that.

The Lakers would have to gut the entire team as they have no one to build around. Assembling a team through Free Agency would be incredibly difficult because you couldn't just go out and sign the best players, you would have to assemble a team around a style of play and a focal point. You would have to combine certain big names if you're able to get them in the first place.