2018-2019 NBA Regular Season Thread

[Stakesarehigh]

You've been asked maybe a handful of times where you rank Bam and where you see him going and wont answer for some reason.

Bam is definitely appearing to be good value at 14. Considering he went to UK it's not like he broke the analytics department to find or something. It's still pretty early but if he can give the same value over 32 minutes or so he might make a couple all star teams over his career. That's his ceiling imo. Maybe a two time all star type

 

[WiggyRuss]

The NBA is loaded with talent.
That's why they are in the NBA, right?

Anyway, everything doesn't have to be about rankings.
If Bam can continue to grow, then his value is tremendous, regardless of how any of the above pan out.

I asked you about Sexton.
I like him, but he might never be a top anything, but a huge asset for the Cavs.

See how that works?

"a huge asset"

sure they might become good players- but the thing is- and i dont understand why you cant get this through your skull even though every season the Heat have ever won anything is dependent upon it- STARS win in the NBA. A bunch of pretty good guys does not win dick.

Bam looks like he could be a solid starter someday- but the Heat wont be anything until they get a star.

Just like Sexton? Can Sexton one day become a top 10 PG and a very high level player in the NBA? ehhh....its REALLY REALLY hard to become a top 10 PG. Its possible.....probably not likely---- but his shooting at his age and does give him a lot better chance then i thought coming into this season. Sexton is without a doubt an asset, but if, even 4-5 years from now- is the Cavs best player- expect either to miss the playoffs or just eek in with no shot of making any kind of real noise.

Bam? Seems like a fairly nice player for the 14th pick or whatever he was. Certainly does not seem to be the type of special player that elevates a team to contender status. You def. need guys like him, but if he is your third best player your prob. not winning shit.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Good points about Sexton. But as of now he isn't paid like a top PG. Whiteside is paid like a top center.

Sexton proved a lot this year but he has a long way to go before he can become a top 10 point guard and be one of the better guards in the NBA- and thats what the CAvs need if he is ever to become the 2nd or 3rd ebst player on a team that can make some noise. His season was encouraging but he has a LONG way to go and there are a ton of great guards in the NBA.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Good points about Sexton. But as of now he isn't paid like a top PG. Whiteside is paid like a top center.

He's forced to share with Bam.
His mpg average was 23, yet he's still 9th in the league in rebounds and 7th in blocks.
He's ahead of MANY of the players @WiggyRuss named, while playing far less.
Whiteside 36 mpg projections would make him a top center, easily.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

"a huge asset"

sure they might become good players- but the thing is- and i dont understand why you cant get this through your skull even though every season the Heat have ever won anything is dependent upon it- STARS win in the NBA. A bunch of pretty good guys does not win dick.

Bam looks like he could be a solid starter someday- but the Heat wont be anything until they get a star.

Just like Sexton? Can Sexton one day become a top 10 PG and a very high level player in the NBA? ehhh....its REALLY REALLY hard to become a top 10 PG. Its possible.....probably not likely---- but his shooting at his age and does give him a lot better chance then i thought coming into this season. Sexton is without a doubt an asset, but if, even 4-5 years from now- is the Cavs best player- expect either to miss the playoffs or just eek in with no shot of making any kind of real noise.

Bam? Seems like a fairly nice player for the 14th pick or whatever he was. Certainly does not seem to be the type of special player that elevates a team to contender status. You def. need guys like him, but if he is your third best player your prob. not winning shit.

Same circle jerk.

Hopefully Heat can add FA stars.
Having young quality assets is just that. They don't have to be STARS.
How many STARS didn't even make the playoffs this season?

We'll see.
We know Cavs can't.
So basically they suck, draft top picks, then develop them for some other team 5 years down the road.
And you're happy with that?

 

[trojanfan12]

2. I understand the reasoning for allowing Randle to leave if you land an actual All-Star. Randle's a good player, but he's not elite (at the moment). I also am assuming that you mean picking Lonzo Ball over Tatum and not the way you worded it. If Pelinka really wanted Tatum over Ball, then that's not exactly a reason to fire him. Also, Magic's the one whom made the overall decisions. He could've overrode Pelinka's decision making. It was his hire, it falls on him as well.

It's being reported that there was a bit of a rift between Magic and Pelinka. Apparently, Magic wanted to fire Pelinka. If Pelinka wasn't on board with what Magic wanted to do, that would explain it.

 

[Stakesarehigh]

He's forced to share with Bam.
His mpg average was 23, yet he's still 9th in the league in rebounds and 7th in blocks.
He's ahead of MANY of the players @WiggyRuss named, while playing far less.
Whiteside 36 mpg projections would make him a top center, easily.

He has Drummonditis. Unless he's clicking he can be more of an offensive detriment than value. Just look at his real plus minus last year. If he was as good as his stats he would play 30 plus minutes.

There have been scores of examples of this throughout NBA history.

 

[trojanfan12]

I never understood owners that like to make personnel decisions like that when they have people in place that they pay to make those decisions. How do you properly evaluate someone at their job when they constantly keep stepping on them in the process?

Actually, I just heard (literally about 20 minutes ago) that the rift started with Pelinka wanting Fox and Magic wanting Ball.

Magic was the one touting Lonzo as the next Magic.

That actually makes more sense than Jeanie stepping in.

Although, from a business perspective, drafting "the next Magic" from UCLA would be pretty good for business.

 

[bksballer89]

He has Drummonditis. Unless he's clicking he can be more of an offensive detriment than value. Just look at his real plus minus last year. If he was as good as his stats he would play 30 plus minutes.

There have been scores of examples of this throughout NBA history.

I agree

 

[WiggyRuss]

Same circle jerk.

Hopefully Heat can add FA stars.
Having young quality assets is just that. They don't have to be STARS.
How many STARS didn't even make the playoffs this season?

We'll see.
We know Cavs can't.
So basically they suck, draft top picks, then develop them for some other team 5 years down the road.
And you're happy with that?

are you huffing glue again?

a 1st round pick has 4 years of control, and if they are good, and are offered a big contract, almost always resign. You basically have a young top pick for AT LEAST 7 years if they are good enough to retain and more likely 8-10.

plenty of stars did not make the playoffs this season---- but how many teams made the playoffs without star players? I can think of four- the Clippers, Pacers (and the Pacers star was hurt), Magic and Nets (is Russell a "star" at this point? might be debatable).

All of them are under dogs and all of them will almost assuredly be gone after the first round.

you need stars to win in the NBA- you gotta get that through your thick skull.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Actually, I just heard (literally about 20 minutes ago) that the rift started with Pelinka wanting Fox and Magic wanting Ball.

Magic was the one touting Lonzo as the next Magic.

That actually makes more sense than Jeanie stepping in.

Although, from a business perspective, drafting "the next Magic" from UCLA would be pretty good for business.

my source was The Athletic and Bill Oram.

who was your source? your go-to "I heard it on the radio and dont have any evidence but i promise its true"?

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

He has Drummonditis. Unless he's clicking he can be more of an offensive detriment than value. Just look at his real plus minus last year. If he was as good as his stats he would play 30 plus minutes.

There have been scores of examples of this throughout NBA history.

That's fair, but @WiggyRuss acts like there's some huge talent difference between Whiteside and these others centers, and it just isn't so.
I'm talking about real C, not these modern NBA PF who play center.

 

[Shanemansj13]

The NBA is loaded with talent.
That's why they are in the NBA, right?

Anyway, everything doesn't have to be about rankings.
If Bam can continue to grow, then his value is tremendous, regardless of how any of the above pan out.

I asked you about Sexton.
I like him, but he might never be a top anything, but a huge asset for the Cavs.

See how that works?

Bam can be a force inside but most big guys nowadays can shoot from the outside. Always great to have an athletic big but less likely to take the next step or be more dominant if he doesn't have an outside shot.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

are you huffing glue again?

a 1st round pick has 4 years of control, and if they are good, and are offered a big contract, almost always resign. You basically have a young top pick for AT LEAST 7 years if they are good enough to retain and more likely 8-10.

plenty of stars did not make the playoffs this season---- but how many teams made the playoffs without star players? I can think of four- the Clippers, Pacers (and the Pacers star was hurt), Magic and Nets (is Russell a "star" at this point? might be debatable).

All of them are under dogs and all of them will almost assuredly be gone after the first round.

you need stars to win in the NBA- you gotta get that through your thick skull.

Never said you didn't need stars, these days you need several.

As far as your numbers, they mean what?
These players run the league now.
Demanding trades with 2-3 years left under contract.
I think its bullshit, but they always seem to get their way.

 

[WiggyRuss]

both ESPN and The Athletic have reported that Jeanie buss wanted the Lakers to draft Lonzo Ball and pushed Magic in that direction. Neither one is just reporting what the other has said either--- both have independent sources on it.

Have not seen anything about Pelinka wanting Fox and Magic wanting Ball reported anywhere.

 

[trojanfan12]

my source was The Athletic and Bill Oram.

who was your source? your go-to "I heard it on the radio and dont have any evidence but i promise its true"?

Never promised anything was true, just stated what I heard and always have said it's speculation. If Magic really wanted to fire Pelinka, it would make sense that there was a rift between them.

Everything is speculation right now because the Lakers haven't said anything official.

There's also speculation that they are targeting Bob Meyers to replace Magic, Kobe has been said to be a favorite to replace him.

I also said in my post that it would make sense from a business perspective to want Lonzo over Fox.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Bam can be a force inside but most big guys nowadays can shoot from the outside. Always great to have an athletic big but less likely to take the next step or be more dominant if he doesn't have an outside shot.

Agree. And that's what he said his off season goals included.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Bam is definitely appearing to be good value at 14. Considering he went to UK it's not like he broke the analytics department to find or something. It's still pretty early but if he can give the same value over 32 minutes or so he might make a couple all star teams over his career. That's his ceiling imo. Maybe a two time all star type

yah not bad.

Kuzma, Giles, Collins, Allen were all big men drafted after Bam and all woudl probably jump him in a re-draft, but Bam has been a solid selection.

only one PF/C was taken ahead of him Bam in the draft that year, Zach collins, and Bam would jump him in a re-draft. I really thought the Heat were gonna take Giles but they mustve been scared off by the injury concerns he had around the draft- that, luckily for the Kings, seem to be passed him.

 

[bksballer89]

@Bolts

 

[bksballer89]