2018-2019 NBA Regular Season Thread

[trojanfan12]

The only thing I wonder about is how close that PG13 deal was and why Lebron wouldn't commit if he knew PG could come to Cleveland. There is no way he leaves Cleveland if they get him and really all they would need to do is get role players around those 3 guys, if you don't like the current role players trade them and substitute.

Honestly, I'm not 100% convinced that PG coming to the Cavs would have stopped him from leaving. It would have made leaving much harder, but I don't know that it would have stopped him.

I don't think Lebron ever wanted to come back to Cleveland in the first place. But he had promised Cleveland's fans a title, knew what getting a title in Cleveland would do for his legacy and he went back to get them one. He got them their title and considered his promise fulfilled.

 

[WiggyRuss]

a current- today top 25 in the NBA list?

1. LBJ
2. Giannis
3. Durant
4. Davis
5. Curry
6. Harden
7. Leonard
8. Embiid
9. George
10. RW
11. Kyrie
12. Lillard
13. Jokic
14. Gobert
15. Oladipo
16. Towns
17. Beal
18. Kemba
19. Mitchell
20. Griffin
21. Klay
22. Simmons
23. Holliday
24. Butler
25. Paul

Hon. Mention: Vucevic, Draymond, DeRozan, Love, Porzingis, Doncic, McCollum, Drummond, Middleton, Harris, Booker, Fox, Lowry, Aldridge

I threw this together super-quick so id probably edit it if i took more time but gotta get some shit done

 

[dtgold88]

No, I meant "There is no way Lebron leaves if they get PG". Griff was a vital part of the championship run but if he pulls that deal and still leaves...they still make it. All they would need to do is make small moves

And I'm saying even if they get PG Lebron is going to LA. Not committing makes that kind of clear, doesn't it, when he had the power to bring in PG by just staying?

 

[dtgold88]

Honestly, I'm not 100% convinced that PG coming to the Cavs would have stopped him from leaving. It would have made leaving much harder, but I don't know that it would have stopped him.

I don't think Lebron ever wanted to come back to Cleveland in the first place. But he had promised Cleveland's fans a title, knew what getting a title in Cleveland would do for his legacy and he went back to get them one. He got them their title and considered his promise fulfilled.

Not sure he was against coming back and felt he had to like you say, but certainly wouldn't rule it out.

Now I do agree if not from Akron he never comes back.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Honestly, I'm not 100% convinced that PG coming to the Cavs would have stopped him from leaving. It would have made leaving much harder, but I don't know that it would have stopped him.

I don't think Lebron ever wanted to come back to Cleveland in the first place. But he had promised Cleveland's fans a title, knew what getting a title in Cleveland would do for his legacy and he went back to get them one. He got them their title and considered his promise fulfilled.

im almost 100% sure it wouldnt have

as i have said before- I have read reports where the Cavs had a deal done with the Pacers for a Love/George deal that included a bunch of light protection on draft picks- the Cavs went to LeBron and asked him to commit saying they couldnt risk their entire future for years and years like the Nets did with their Boston trade draft pick fiasco- and LeBron said no.

and that was befoer Kyrie's trade request. If LeBron was not going to commit to a team of him, kyrie and george, exactly what would he have committed to? Id contend nothing.

 

[lebron23james]

Honestly, I'm not 100% convinced that PG coming to the Cavs would have stopped him from leaving. It would have made leaving much harder, but I don't know that it would have stopped him.

I don't think Lebron ever wanted to come back to Cleveland in the first place. But he had promised Cleveland's fans a title, knew what getting a title in Cleveland would do for his legacy and he went back to get them one. He got them their title and considered his promise fulfilled.

I don't know if i agree with that.

If you study Lebron, his MO is leaving for greener pastures once he thinks his team can't win. He never really wanted to leave CLE, except when things got tough. I would argue he never really wanted to go to Mia, and the first second they ran into trouble he left. If you listen to what he said, he thought PG was going to sign with the lakers, and then it would be "easy" to add another star. He probably figured he was leaving to play with better stars, and still thought he was good enough to compete for championships. It was misguided and wrong, but it is what it is lol

 

[dtgold88]

im almost 100% sure it wouldnt have

as i have said before- I have read reports where the Cavs had a deal done with the Pacers for a Love/George deal that included a bunch of light protection on draft picks- the Cavs went to LeBron and asked him to commit saying they couldnt risk their entire future for years and years like the Nets did with their Boston trade draft pick fiasco- and LeBron said no.

and that was befoer Kyrie's trade request. If LeBron was not going to commit to a team of him, kyrie and george, exactly what would he have committed to? Id contend nothing.

Other than moving Cleveland to the West Coast, Gilbert had no shot.

I think what killed them, as well, at least for last 2 seasons with Lebron, was Kyrie making his demands AFTER the draft and FA.

 

[CitySushi]

a current- today top 25 in the NBA list?

1. LBJ
2. Giannis
3. Durant
4. Davis
5. Curry
6. Harden
7. Leonard
8. Embiid
9. George
10. RW
11. Kyrie
12. Lillard
13. Jokic
14. Gobert
15. Oladipo
16. Towns
17. Beal
18. Kemba
19. Mitchell
20. Griffin
21. Klay
22. Simmons
23. Holliday
24. Butler
25. Paul

Hon. Mention: Vucevic, Draymond, DeRozan, Love, Porzingis, Doncic, McCollum, Drummond, Middleton, Harris, Booker, Fox, Lowry, Aldridge

I threw this together super-quick so id probably edit it if i took more time but gotta get some shit done

Tbh I think this is the first legit year you could argue Lebron isn’t the best. I’ll work on my list when I get to work later. Prob will still have bron at 1 but it’s close imo.

 

[lebron23james]

Other than moving Cleveland to the West Coast, Gilbert had no shot.

I think what killed them, as well, at least for last 2 seasons with Lebron, was Kyrie making his demands AFTER the draft and FA.

Nah you got it wrong...

Lebron has no loyalty. It doesn't matter where the city is. He will leave LA at the first chance he gets to join something better.

He also caused the Kyrie problems imo

 

[WiggyRuss]

Tbh I think this is the first legit year you could argue Lebron isn’t the best. I’ll work on my list when I get to work later. Prob will still have bron at 1 but it’s close imo.

before I would have LeBron in a tier of his own at the top.

That is definitely not the case anymore.

If I had one game to win in the NBA- id still pick LeBron

for an entire season though? That is getting a lot more dicey.

 

[lebron23james]

before I would have LeBron in a tier of his own at the top.

That is definitely not the case anymore.

If I had one game to win in the NBA- id still pick LeBron

for an entire season though? That is getting a lot more dicey.

I started noticing last year he didn't dominate very well like he use to. Sure he got his numbers, but most was stat padding, or at the expense of the other teammates and or winning the game. His iso dribbling helps him and no one else

This year he kinda looks out of shape, and watch how he jumps...He barely gets off the ground lol

 

[dtgold88]

Nah you got it wrong...

Lebron has no loyalty. It doesn't matter where the city is. He will leave LA at the first chance he gets to join something better.

He also caused the Kyrie problems imo

I think his mind was set on LA......you are correct, though, if things don't improve next season he could look for a way out, or at least go after year 3.

Hilarious Gilbert takes most of the blame for Kyrie when you are correct, Lebron is far more at fault. And the notion the trade was why Lebron left is absurd. If he uses his big boy voice and commits to stay they said they'd keep Kyrie.

 

[trojanfan12]

I don't know if i agree with that.

If you study Lebron, his MO is leaving for greener pastures once he thinks his team can't win. He never really wanted to leave CLE, except when things got tough. I would argue he never really wanted to go to Mia, and the first second they ran into trouble he left. If you listen to what he said, he thought PG was going to sign with the lakers, and then it would be "easy" to add another star. He probably figured he was leaving to play with better stars, and still thought he was good enough to compete for championships. It was misguided and wrong, but it is what it is lol

Maybe. But I think you have to look at more than that.

Lebron didn't leave Cleveland because things got tough, he left because the Cavs either couldn't or wouldn't do what was necessary to get him the help he needed to win a title.

So, he went to Miami.

I do agree that leaving Miami was more about things getting too tough. They had just gotten crushed in the finals, D-Wade had become older and couldn't seem to stay healthy and they really didn't have much way to improve the team.

As for leaving this time. As Wiggy pointed out, before Kyrie's trade request, he was looking at a roster that could have had him, PG and Kyrie had he been willing to commit to a longer term deal.

Now that I think about it, not trading for PG because Lebron wouldn't commit may be the one true mistake that you can put on Griffin.

I say that because, maybe if the make the trade anyway, Kyrie doesn't leave. I don't know if Lebron, PG and Kyrie would have been enough to get past the Warriors, but it may have made for one of the most exciting finals in NBA history.

Plus, worst case, all 3 leave, but the Cavs have an additional title run and maybe a 2nd title before going into full rebuild.

Also, we saw that PG wasn't as committed to the Lakers as most thought, so maybe the Cavs are rebuilding around PG and Kyrie or one or the other of them?

 

[lebron23james]

Maybe. But I think you have to look at more than that.

Lebron didn't leave Cleveland because things got tough, he left because the Cavs either couldn't or wouldn't do what was necessary to get him the help he needed to win a title.

So, he went to Miami.

I do agree that leaving Miami was more about things getting too tough. They had just gotten crushed in the finals, D-Wade had become older and couldn't seem to stay healthy and they really didn't have much way to improve the team.

As for leaving this time. As Wiggy pointed out, before Kyrie's trade request, he was looking at a roster that could have had him, PG and Kyrie had he been willing to commit to a longer term deal.

Now that I think about it, not trading for PG because Lebron wouldn't commit may be the one true mistake that you can put on Griffin.

I say that because, maybe if the make the trade anyway, Kyrie doesn't leave. I don't know if Lebron, PG and Kyrie would have been enough to get past the Warriors, but it may have made for one of the most exciting finals in NBA history.

Plus, worst case, all 3 leave, but the Cavs have an additional title run and maybe a 2nd title before going into full rebuild.

Also, we saw that PG wasn't as committed to the Lakers as most thought, so maybe the Cavs are rebuilding around PG and Kyrie or one or the other of them?

I agree with that. They should have traded for PG, considering they lost everyone except love anyways lol

I think he may have thought him, kyrie and PG wasn't enough considering him, love and Kyrie wasn't enough once Durant joined. He also may have started to realize getting any more finals losses on his resume would not look good.

 

[trojanfan12]

I started noticing last year he didn't dominate very well like he use to. Sure he got his numbers, but most was stat padding, or at the expense of the other teammates and or winning the game. His iso dribbling helps him and no one else

This year he kinda looks out of shape, and watch how he jumps...He barely gets off the ground lol

lol

Lebron hasn't "dominated" in the regular season for awhile. He figured out that getting to the playoffs rested and healthy was more important than being dominant in the regular season.

Also, he was trying to play in all 82 games last year. So, he had to find ways to "rest" while still on the floor. Which meant he had to pick and choose when he "dominated" a game.

We see this all of the time when superstars start getting older. They know their presence is still important, but they also know that they have to conserve energy for the postseason.

 

[dtgold88]

Maybe. But I think you have to look at more than that.

Lebron didn't leave Cleveland because things got tough, he left because the Cavs either couldn't or wouldn't do what was necessary to get him the help he needed to win a title.

So, he went to Miami.

I do agree that leaving Miami was more about things getting too tough. They had just gotten crushed in the finals, D-Wade had become older and couldn't seem to stay healthy and they really didn't have much way to improve the team.

As for leaving this time. As Wiggy pointed out, before Kyrie's trade request, he was looking at a roster that could have had him, PG and Kyrie had he been willing to commit to a longer term deal.

Now that I think about it, not trading for PG because Lebron wouldn't commit may be the one true mistake that you can put on Griffin.

I say that because, maybe if the make the trade anyway, Kyrie doesn't leave. I don't know if Lebron, PG and Kyrie would have been enough to get past the Warriors, but it may have made for one of the most exciting finals in NBA history.

Plus, worst case, all 3 leave, but the Cavs have an additional title run and maybe a 2nd title before going into full rebuild.

Also, we saw that PG wasn't as committed to the Lakers as most thought, so maybe the Cavs are rebuilding around PG and Kyrie or one or the other of them?

with hindsight, this was definitely the way to go.

 

[WiggyRuss]

with hindsight, this was definitely the way to go.

i disagree.

even if they bring in Paul what is their % chance of winning a championship?

what if the Pacers were asking for 3 first rounders with no protection?

if LeBron signs- thats a deal you do- if he doesnt- you are in a Brooklyn situation.

imagine the Cavs having NO draft pick this year. and no draft pick a 2 years from now, and no draft pick 4 years from now.

the franchise would become a joke for a decade.

you cant risk your franchise for 1 year - esp. when there is nothing guaranteed- in fact youd still be the under dog.

 

[Mecca]

Lmao

Somebody needs to pull Lou Wllliams to the side and explain what tanking means.

I would have been pissed if we won...lol

Dude out there hanging 45 on the Timberpups.

Why?

Sit his ass on the bench and play Robinson's bust ass.

 

[Mecca]

Honestly, I'm not 100% convinced that PG coming to the Cavs would have stopped him from leaving. It would have made leaving much harder, but I don't know that it would have stopped him.

I don't think Lebron ever wanted to come back to Cleveland in the first place. But he had promised Cleveland's fans a title, knew what getting a title in Cleveland would do for his legacy and he went back to get them one. He got them their title and considered his promise fulfilled.

Yeah, he was always headed to the Lakers.

 

[bksballer89]

Somebody needs to pull Lou Wllliams to the side and explain what tanking means.

I would have been pissed if we won...lol

Dude out there hanging 45 on the Timberpups.

Why?

Sit his ass on the bench and play Robinson's bust ass.

My 16-1 fantasy basketball team was very happy with his performance