2018-2019 NBA Regular Season Thread

[Shanemansj13]

Bucks are scary. If the Heat make the playoffs and get a game from them, I'm celebrating with a bottle of champagne.

CLE was 4th in offense and 3rd in defense that year. Shows you how much Lebron meant to that team, those early CLE teams did play some great defense.

Mo Williams
Delonte West
Lebron James
Anderson Varejao
Big Z

Was their starting lineup lol

 

[trojanfan12]

Article was posted on October 4th and dude was spot on.

Not sure what he said that pretty much everyone else on here didn't say before the season.

We all knew the Western Conference was going to be tough and that there was a chance they could miss the playoffs even if everyone stayed healthy.

We all knew that if Lebon missed significant time, they were unlikely to make the playoffs.

We all knew that they lacked quality bigs.

We all knew that there was the potential for internal drama.

 

[tlance]

Unrealistic to think that was the Heat plan. Pursue mediocrity?
Does that in any way sound like Pat Riley?

James blindsided them, and then Bosh was forced to medically retire.

So, he had to do something.
He gambled on some players who had an incredible second half the previous season, after he didnt get Hayward ( not a bad thing).

Didnt work out as hoped.
Next summer he can try again.

And you are right, most of these teams just suck for various reasons vs ‘tanking’.
Thing is, fans like @WiggyRuss just won’t accept that, or are in denial.

Look,

Miami has 3 championships in the last 15 years with 2 different core groups. They are a first rate organization.

But when you sign mediocre players, yes. You are pursuing mediocrity. That is what Riley did. Because adding solid role players to the existing roster that finished strong 2 years ago was never going to amount to much because they overachieved relative to their talent level. And we all knew it.

We all knew that their absolute ceiling was the 2nd round of the playoffs.

I am not going to blast Miami like Wiggy does because of all they have accomplished. But the fact is that you have a current roster with no chance to contend and little future upside outside of clearing cap space.

Lucky for you, Miami is the type of market that can make that strategy pay off.

 

[trojanfan12]

And? The NBA is a league where one or two players can change the fortunes of a team.

The Heat were mediocre at best before Riley came along. You all added an all time NBA exec/coach. That was the game changer.

While you're correct that Riley going to the Heat was a game changer, being an expansion team does matter.

Yes, 1 or 2 players can change the fortunes of a team, it also requires time to build up those teams and acquire/develop game changing players.

A teams fortunes can be changed by acquiring a player or 2 of that caliber via the draft...in which case it's going to take a few seasons to develop them and get the right players around them.

Or players of that caliber can be acquired vis free agency, but how many players of that caliber are going to an expansion team?

Bringing in Riley made them "legit". But even then, they still had work to do. They were just able to do it faster.

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

Lakers...

(I’m sure someone already posted this but I’m too lazy to look...)

 

[Stakesarehigh]

While you're correct that Riley going to the Heat was a game changer, being an expansion team does matter.

Yes, 1 or 2 players can change the fortunes of a team, it also requires time to build up those teams and acquire/develop game changing players.

A teams fortunes can be changed by acquiring a player or 2 of that caliber via the draft...in which case it's going to take a few seasons to develop them and get the right players around them.

Or players of that caliber can be acquired vis free agency, but how many players of that caliber are going to an expansion team?

Bringing in Riley made them "legit". But even then, they still had work to do. They were just able to do it faster.

And I agree with your entire premise and I'm not knocking the Heat at all in fact my point is it isn't easy to build a contender. Using qualifiers like "without LeBron" is kinda lame imo.

Without Larry, without Dr J, without Michael, Without Duncan and on and on and on.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

And I agree with your entire premise and I'm not knocking the Heat at all in fact my point is it isn't easy to build a contender. Using qualifiers like "without LeBron" is kinda lame imo.

Without Larry, without Dr J, without Michael, Without Duncan and on and on and on.

You have to say ‘without Lebron’ when discussing how awful the Cavs have been for so long because he left, then returned.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Look,

Miami has 3 championships in the last 15 years with 2 different core groups. They are a first rate organization.

But when you sign mediocre players, yes. You are pursuing mediocrity. That is what Riley did. Because adding solid role players to the existing roster that finished strong 2 years ago was never going to amount to much because they overachieved relative to their talent level. And we all knew it.

We all knew that their absolute ceiling was the 2nd round of the playoffs.

I am not going to blast Miami like Wiggy does because of all they have accomplished. But the fact is that you have a current roster with no chance to contend and little future upside outside of clearing cap space.

Lucky for you, Miami is the type of market that can make that strategy pay off.

Nobody is saying anything different to that, except adding the opinion that he was hoping he’d be able to trade those player(s).

 

[bksballer89]

 

[WiggyRuss]

Article was posted on October 4th and dude was spot on.

So was I.

 

[dtgold88]

And AD's regarded as a fragile player as well. Did I say Kevin Love was the only injury prone player in the NBA?

No, but you said he was the most fragile.

Kyrie also wants to check in to the discussion. Maybe Griffin?

 

[raptorlife4]

This is surprising

 

[dtgold88]

Back in the early 2000's, Riley had put together a pretty impressive roster that at the time included Eddie Jones, Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, Anthony Mason and Brian Grant. At the time, it was a roster that from a pre-season perspective, looked like it could challenge Kobe and Shaq's Lakers.......until Zo went down with kidney disease.

We ended up landing Wade with a top 5 pick. Having said that, you do realize there are a plethora of star players in the NBA that were picked outside of the top 5.

And people that say bullshit like the bolded, are pussies.

As to the latter, I'd say that applies more to the Yosemite sam-like namecalling internet toughguys. Cue "I'd say it in person" retort.....

Ok, back to the topic. Yes, you did have to suck for whatever reason to get Wade. Given the chance to go back would you rather they won more games that year and NOT gotten Wade?

Sure, there are many players picked outside top 5. But more likely to get a better player the higher you pick. You sound like the guy who says no need to get a QB high because Brady went in round 6.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Back to James Johnson.
Next season doesnt matter.
Theres no expectations this summer.
Then , assuming he opts in, its the last year of the deal.
So, now you are saying that its hard to move players in the Final year of their contracts?

this is what cracks me up- according to you- this season doesnt matter, next season doesnt matter,

but instead of bottoming out, and getting a high lotto pick, and trying to acquire draft picks- its a great idea to be in a battle with the Orlando Magic for the 8th seed and get your ass whooped in the first round.

The Cavs absolutely 100% have had a more succesful season than the Heat. Neither team is winning a playoff series- but the Cavs have done way more to get to the point where winning one is a realistic goal.

 

[dtgold88]

Congrats! Your team sure showed some draft savy on that one. Must've been a real shock to everyone that Lebron James was picked #1 in the draft in 03.

At a top 5 pick, you're expected to be at best a really good player. Neither Waiters or Thompson fit that mold; although Waiters shines at times. And we paid Waiters $12 mil per year, just slightly less than the $85 million Rich Paul was able to get out of the Cavs.

The draft savvy was the tanking to have the best chance to get the Lebron guy.

According to spotrac waiters deal is 4 years 52 mil, but close enough. TT was paid his deal after helping lead the Cavs to a title and it was sign him or no one. Did Waiters help the Heat win a title? Did they really need to sign and start him? are you saying if they could amnesty him they would not?

 

[dtgold88]

My belief is that he thought they wouid continue to improve, like many others have before.
Then he could use them in trades.

And he was wrong. Badly miscalculated. That's the point here.

 

[dtgold88]

Go back at look at FA money that summer.
Waiters was on the low end.

Ok....doesn't mean you had to sign him. Better to avoid him if you think he's a bust.

 

[dtgold88]

well yah no shit - he was wrong.

how many gms signed guys thinking they would be better then they ended up being?

beat me to it.

 

[dtgold88]

lol...still never answered my question that you conveinently avoid-

what is better

-being the 8th seed, with no cap room and little draft assets and getting your ass whooped in the first round?

or

-being one of the worst teams in the league, taking on bad contracts for extra draft assets , getting 2 extra 1st rounders, and 6 extra second rounders and getting a premium lotto pick?

still waiting on the answer.

Make it easier and write it out as an A or B choice? Somehow make it true or false?

 

[WiggyRuss]

And he was wrong. Badly miscalculated. That's the point here.

exactly. For some reason Riley thought it was a good idea to sign a bunch of mediocre guys to long term expensive contracts. Its like, honestly, the worst idea i have ever heard in the NBA...

RILEY: "What if we signed a ton of guys, crowded the rotations, locked all our cap space into mediocre players for the next 3-4 years?"

MICKEY: "uhhh, well, i dunno"

RILEY: "Cmon- who wouldnt want to trade for James Johnson making 15M a year when you can pick up a replacement level guy off the street to give you 80% of what he does? Who doesnt want to trade for Waiters on a 4 year 50M dollar contract? They will be banging down our door to trade for Whiteside and his 27M dollar player option!--- Tyler Johnson 19M a year his last 2 years--- I bet we can squeeze some major value out of that!"