2016-17 NBA Regular Season Thread

[WiggyRuss]

Well the Cavs essentially play a top team in the East in the 1st round. I thought the Pacers were going to be one of the best teams, struggled throughout the season, but they are playing great ball and PG is on fire. That is scary.

This isn't a time for playing games anymore Cavs. Dig deep and bury these douchebags

Paul George is one of the best in the business.

Cavs gotta take it seriously thats for sure. Id much rather have played the Heat or Pistons. Anytime you face a team with a George or a Butler they have a chance to make life tough on you if you dont bring your A game. Most valuable thing in the game is a star in their prime because they can elevate a team by themselves.

 

[trojanfan12]

Makes sense why they have to worst record in the league.

At this point I just hope the Heat win their game so we can say we made it back to .500. No team has ever done that while starting off with a record as bad as 11-30.

Lord knows we're not making the playoffs.

What an amazing turnaround. The Heat literally flipped their record. 11-30 through the first half and 30-11 for the 2nd half. As a fan of the game, it was fun to watch. Had to be even more fun for actual Heat fans.

Bummer about the playoffs. I think the Heat were poised to do some damage, especially if they got Waiters back.

Guess this puts the "Spoelstra was a product of Lebron, Wade and Bosh" theories to rest too.

 

[trojanfan12]

You've never heard when Lue said he makes the decisions?

When he does that, it's more delusion/wishful thinking than stupidity. lol

 

[gordontrue]

Maybe its easy for me to say... but I'd much rather my team have a season like the Heat, competitive and entertaining right down to the last game and miss the playoffs... then have my team tanking and not watchable for half the season.

The lottery is a crapshoot anyway

 

[trojanfan12]

* clears throat *

Doc Rivers says there’s no gap between LA Clippers, Warriors

To be fair, from a talent perspective, he is correct.

From an everything else perspective...?

 

[DJ Fieri]

The Cavs rested players last night also? They have no momentum heading into the postseason.

None.

 

[WiggyRuss]

The lottery is a crapshoot anyway

what do you mean when you say that?

I mean- in my view- its obvious that your chances of finding a true-franchise changer is enormously more likely when you are picking in the top 3 then in the between 10 and 15.

and a franchise player is the building block of a great team- esp. with max contracts. You are getting talent at an enormous discount for guys that are the top level guys.

A franchise player attracts other players. A franchise player lifts the game up of everyone around them.

Without a franchise player there is no realistic shot at winning on a high level. If I am a team that is mediocre or shitty- I would do everything I can to give myself the best shot at acquiring one of those guys. The easiest way to do it is obviously by having a top a pick in the draft.

I understand your argument- I would rather have my team build toward winning something on a large scale- rather than be mediocre perpetually.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Good thing the Cavs aren't matched up with the Bulls since Chicago swept them in the reg season.

 

[WiggyRuss]

The Cavs rested players last night also? They have no momentum heading into the postseason.

None.

thats true.

 

[DJ Fieri]

what do you mean when you say that?

I mean- in my view- its obvious that your chances of finding a true-franchise changer is enormously more likely when you are picking in the top 3 then in the between 10 and 15.

and a franchise player is the building block of a great team- esp. with max contracts. You are getting talent at an enormous discount for guys that are the top level guys.

A franchise player attracts other players. A franchise player lifts the game up of everyone around them.

Without a franchise player there is no realistic shot at winning on a high level. If I am a team that is mediocre or shitty- I would do everything I can to give myself the best shot at acquiring one of those guys. The easiest way to do it is obviously by having a top a pick in the draft.

I understand your argument- I would rather have my team build toward winning something on a large scale- rather than be mediocre perpetually.

Anthony Bennett.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Good thing the Cavs aren't matched up with the Bulls since Chicago swept them in the reg season.

yah...out of the teams that were the Cavs possible opponents (Miami, Indiana and Chicago) Chicago was def. last on my list of teams I wanted the Cavs to play.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Anthony Bennett.

Bargnani, Kwame Brown, Oden, Bennett, Olowokandi

plenty of #1 overall picks have failed. Thats for sure.


My point is- and its 100% based on fact- the higher you pick, the better chance you have at finding a franchise player. Thats undisputable.

and without a franchise player- you arent going anywhere.

A franchise player changes your whole franchise- changes its perception from the outside, it attracts guys to a franchise, it makes everyone on the team better. Without one- all you are doing is wallowing in mediocrity until you get one.

and as i said- the easiest and most likely path to getting one is through having a high lotto pick.

if you have the ability to go out and sign a Paul George in free agency, or to trade for a Kevin Garnett--- hey- id be the first to say go for it. Its just incredibly rare for those circumstances to present themselves in today's NBA.

 

[gordontrue]

what do you mean when you say that?

I mean- in my view- its obvious that your chances of finding a true-franchise changer is enormously more likely when you are picking in the top 3 then in the between 10 and 15.

and a franchise player is the building block of a great team- esp. with max contracts. You are getting talent at an enormous discount for guys that are the top level guys.

A franchise player attracts other players. A franchise player lifts the game up of everyone around them.

Without a franchise player there is no realistic shot at winning on a high level. If I am a team that is mediocre or shitty- I would do everything I can to give myself the best shot at acquiring one of those guys. The easiest way to do it is obviously by having a top a pick in the draft.

I understand your argument- I would rather have my team build toward winning something on a large scale- rather than be mediocre perpetually.

Both the actual lottery and the draft of the lottery picks are crapshoots to an extent.

Of course your chances of a higher pick# go up with a worse record and your chances of getting a good player go up the higher you pick.

But is it enough of a difference to make up for a lost season? I'm not so sure.

There's also the fact that at least the Heat will be adding their lottery player to a team that just won 41 games

 

[bksballer89]

Both the actual lottery and the draft of the lottery picks are crapshoots to an extent.

Of course your chances of a higher pick# go up with a worse record and your chances of getting a good player go up the higher you pick.

But is it enough of a difference to make up for a lost season? I'm not so sure.

There's also the fact that at least the Heat will be adding their lottery player to a team that just won 41 games

Exactly. You hit the nail on the head. I don't get why this is so hard to understand.

 

[bksballer89]

I feel like a 41 win team who dealt with a ridiculous amount of injuries is much easier to improve with their lottery pick compare to a 20-25 win team with rarely no injuries banking on their lottery pick turning into some all time great.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Both the actual lottery and the draft of the lottery picks are crapshoots to an extent.

Of course your chances of a higher pick# go up with a worse record and your chances of getting a good player go up the higher you pick.

But is it enough of a difference to make up for a lost season? I'm not so sure.

There's also the fact that at least the Heat will be adding their lottery player to a team that just won 41 games

so you think missing the playoffs in a league where over half the teams make does not qualify as a "lost season"? I do. Obviously that is just my opinion.

But going into next year- if you asked me what would give me greater hope-

A. a Cavs team without a franchise player- playing hard, gelling, getting as much as they could out of the limited talent they have on the team to- finish .500 and barely miss the playoffs

or

B. Finishing 21-61 and drafting Karl Anthony Towns or Jabari Parker or Lonzo Ball or Kyrie Irving, or Blake Griffin, or Ben Simmons- KNOWING you are going to have a sigificant chance at a franchise changing talent being on your team for at least the next 7 years---

thats an easy choice for me.

I mean- I think both the Cavs and Heat are very good examples. The Heat won their titles- why?--- they had Dwayne Wade- a former 5th overall pick- who became a transcendent player- who attracted other good players, who made everyone around him better.

If the Cavs - after LeBron left- jumped into free agency- spent all their cap room on veterans- they would have never got Kyrie - they would have never gotten Wiggins. They would have never had the talent to attract LeBron James back to the franchise. They might have won a few extra games--- maybe gotten an 8 seed or maybe a 7 seed--- and been wiped out in the first round. hooo-ray

Its ALL predicated on getting that franchise player. Until you have it- you arent doing anything. Once you do have it- it lays the groundwork for everything else. Its the cornerstone of a teams ability to win.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I feel like a 41 win team who dealt with a ridiculous amount of injuries is much easier to improve with their lottery pick compare to a 20-25 win team with rarely no injuries banking on their lottery pick turning into some all time great.

when you say "lottery pick" you of course have to differentiate between- say- the Suns lotto pick , and the Heat's.

a HUUUUUGE difference there.

one team will be able to draft out of a pool of players that is rated far superior to what the Heat will have avaliable to them.

does that always mean success? of course not- plenty of busts inside the top 5 picks. Booker and Giannis were not top 10 picks.

Its just about the probability. You are many times more likely to find that franchise guy in the top 5- then you are to find him outside the top 10. Thats undisputable.

 

[Black Adam]

Maybe its easy for me to say... but I'd much rather my team have a season like the Heat, competitive and entertaining right down to the last game and miss the playoffs... then have my team tanking and not watchable for half the season.

The lottery is a crapshoot anyway

absolutely...

way too many people putting emphasis on tanking and getting "high quality" rookies. go out the way the Heat did and give your fans some hope for next season...

 

[trojanfan12]

Yep and think about the Wolves though. One of their young players who they got came through a trade. Outside of the Warriors/Thunder, not a single team really got significantly better through the draft.

....and the Jazz.

Gobert, Hood, Hayward...

Favors and Hill by trade....

Yeah, no...

You are right.

They drafted well. But, not on the level of the teams you named.

With the notable exceptions of the Warriors/Thunder, the best teams have always built through a combination of the draft, FA and trades.

And even in the case of the Warriors and Thunder, there were final pieces added through FA and/or trades.

 

[bksballer89]

when you say "lottery pick" you of course have to differentiate between- say- the Suns lotto pick , and the Heat's.

a HUUUUUGE difference there.

one team will be able to draft out of a pool of players that is rated far superior to what the Heat will have avaliable to them.

does that always mean success? of course not- plenty of busts inside the top 5 picks. Booker and Giannis were not top 10 picks.

Its just about the probability. You are many times more likely to find that franchise guy in the top 5- then you are to find him outside the top 10. Thats undisputable.

And that's why only 2 teams in the last 13 years became great teams from their lottery picks.....