2021 NBA regular season thread

[tlance]

Yeah problem with this season is that there are a lot of "ifs" that need to go right.

IF - Steph stays healthy
IF - Draymond gets back into his old all star self
IF - Wiseman develops to be able to contribute some this year
IF - Wiggins buys in and also contributes on defense

I totally understand the skepticism regarding the Warriors.

Sure. Lots of ifs.

The talent and culture are there though.

 

[DJ Fieri]

All over the place today.....it's almost been a year.

 

[DJ Fieri]

People keep saying the Warriors are a 1st round playoff exit at best.

I think they could be right there with teams like the Nuggets and even Clippers if Wiseman pans out and Draymond plays well.

Could still lose in the 1st round, but also could win a series or 2 depending on matchups.

Yep. You can't discount this squad.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Would have been nice if Kobe and Shaq could have had the mindset to put team before self.....they could have rivaled the Bulls run. 1 of the best duos ever.

 

[The Q]

Would have been nice if Kobe and Shaq could have had the mindset to put team before self.....they could have rivaled the Bulls run. 1 of the best duos ever.

thay Kobe lead mutiny in the 04 finals made thay impossible

 

[DJ Fieri]

thay Kobe lead mutiny in the 04 finals made thay impossible

I know.....just reflecting. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.....

LOL.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Depends on what you mean by hate.

He's not getting hate as in, no one is saying he can't play or isn't one of the top players in the league. The hate is on the fact that he hasn't shown himself to be someone who's committed to winning titles or who can lead a team.

He's very much like what @tlance said about Kyrie...his skillset/style is that of someone who should be a #1, but mentally he's a #2.

Most of the hate I see is about his attitude, not his talent or ability.

Agree, most is about attitude which is a real issue now but fit is also an issue imo.

 

[trojanfan12]

OD has started his shtick at the other site and annoying to everybody.....just want him to shut the fuck up. It's more annoying that rooting for a hated rival.....if that makes any sense.

I get a kick out of OD. His threads when Oregon loses are epic. lol

 

[The Q]

Depends on what you mean by hate.

He's not getting hate as in, no one is saying he can't play or isn't one of the top players in the league. The hate is on the fact that he hasn't shown himself to be someone who's committed to winning titles or who can lead a team.

He's very much like what @tlance said about Kyrie...his skillset/style is that of someone who should be a #1, but mentally he's a #2.

Most of the hate I see is about his attitude, not his talent or ability.

i mean he was one injury to Paul away from beating GS's best team ever.

And even without Paul they missed 437 wide open 3s in game 7, historically bad, and lost a close game. It's really not fair to say he can't lead a team a title. He was inches away.

 

[wildturkey]

Lol. TMZ got Jerry West on tape "tampering" with Kawhi

Jerry West Alleged Voicemail, Called Lakers A 'Sh*t Show' To Sway Kawhi To Clips

The man suing Jerry West and the Clippers for his alleged role in landing Kawhi Leonard says West left him a voicemail message in 2019 acknowledging their relationship and trashing the Lakers in the process.

www.tmz.com

 

[The Q]

Lol. TMZ got Jerry West on tape "tampering" with Kawhi

Jerry West Alleged Voicemail, Called Lakers A 'Sh*t Show' To Sway Kawhi To Clips

The man suing Jerry West and the Clippers for his alleged role in landing Kawhi Leonard says West left him a voicemail message in 2019 acknowledging their relationship and trashing the Lakers in the process.

www.tmz.com

he isn’t the guys agent so I’m not sure exactly what the rules are with him.

 

[trojanfan12]

Lol. TMZ got Jerry West on tape "tampering" with Kawhi

Jerry West Alleged Voicemail, Called Lakers A 'Sh*t Show' To Sway Kawhi To Clips

The man suing Jerry West and the Clippers for his alleged role in landing Kawhi Leonard says West left him a voicemail message in 2019 acknowledging their relationship and trashing the Lakers in the process.

www.tmz.com

According to the lawsuit, the guy claims that West and the Clippers promised to pay him $2.5 million to get West in touch with "Uncle Dennis".

This seems like bullshit. Pretty sure Jerry West could get a hold of Uncle Dennis without having to pay someone. lol

 

[WiggyRuss]

 

[The Q]

I still don’t know what kyrie is trying to say there lol

I do agree with the pawns comment though lol

 

[WiggyRuss]

aaaaa

Yeah problem with this season is that there are a lot of "ifs" that need to go right.

IF - Steph stays healthy
IF - Draymond gets back into his old all star self
IF - Wiseman develops to be able to contribute some this year
IF - Wiggins buys in and also contributes on defense

I totally understand the skepticism regarding the Warriors.

-Who knows with Steph staying healthy. Evidence for and against his track record there. The rest couldnt have hurt though thats for sure.

-Depends on what "old self" you mean. The Draymond that was a 3 point threat and top tier defender is long gone. The Draymond that can still be a solid defender, distributor and very strong role player can still be there.

-I think Wiseman is set up to have a nice rookie year. He has amazing athleticism. He is never going to be the focal point of the defense which is rare for picks that are so high. He will have space to operate. I dont like Wiseman's long-term expectations as a franchise guy or all-star, but short term i think he is set up to compete for a ROY.

-Who knows with Wiggins. With Oubre added in Wiggins doesnt need to be a 20 ppg guy. If he plays more of a floor game and focuses on defense it would be a big help. If he leverages his athleticism on the offensive end to get out in transition and get to the rim he could be dangerous. All depends on him and his effort and work ethic.

 

[CitySushi]

aaaaa

-Who knows with Steph staying healthy. Evidence for and against his track record there. The rest couldnt have hurt though thats for sure.

-Depends on what "old self" you mean. The Draymond that was a 3 point threat and top tier defender is long gone. The Draymond that can still be a solid defender, distributor and very strong role player can still be there.

-I think Wiseman is set up to have a nice rookie year. He has amazing athleticism. He is never going to be the focal point of the defense which is rare for picks that are so high. He will have space to operate. I dont like Wiseman's long-term expectations as a franchise guy or all-star, but short term i think he is set up to compete for a ROY.

-Who knows with Wiggins. With Oubre added in Wiggins doesnt need to be a 20 ppg guy. If he plays more of a floor game and focuses on defense it would be a big help. If he leverages his athleticism on the offensive end to get out in transition and get to the rim he could be dangerous. All depends on him and his effort and work ethic.

Yeah definitely. I think most rational Warriors fans would agree with everything you've stated. There is reason for optimism and at the end of the day it's probably what fans most look forward to that gets them up for a season.

-With Steph, he had a bunch of nagging injuries that kept sidelining him from periods of time during the season and playoffs during their championship runs. That's kind of to be expected with them making 5 straight finals appearances. Last year was a fluke accident when he landed on his wrist, so I have more optimism that a year of him not having to put strain on his body will help against those same type of nagging injuries. But we'll see.

-Draymond the solid defender, offensive catalyst is what I'm looking for. Last year there's no question he mailed it in, but in the grand scheme can you really blame him. All of sudden he's without Steph, KD and Klay and he has to play with a bunch of dudes from the G-League? But looks like he's put in work to be in shape this season, which is probably the biggest key to his success.

-Wiseman I actually don't have much expectation out of this year. Probably setting myself up with a low bar for him to cross over, but talent-wise he's got the real look of a great NBA prospect. So far in his limited practice time (due to having Covid) everyone has raved about him. There's a different feel to the sincerity of the comments and you can sense the actual excitement of teammates. Draymond said it best in that Wiseman's mistakes in practice were basically all energy related. He wanted to do it all, so lots of times he was out of position. That can be corrected. What's harder to correct is lack of effort or energy. I have a feeling he'll probably have a rough few first weeks to the season because I have a feeling Kerr will want to use him with the 1's to maximize his development.

-Think you nailed it with Wiggins. I've tempered down my offensive expectations of him, but at the same time my defensive expectations of him have risen. When he's playing with energy he's got the real makings of an excellent defender. If you got guys like Curry, Oubre and Draymond bringing that natural hustle all game, constantly working, I have hopes that this will help to drive him. Energy on the court is contagious.

 

[The Q]

With Klay I thought Wiggins could add 2-3% from 3 like many other role players had in gs.

unsure what swapping in oubre does, but it’s probably not good.

but if he gets another 2% and focuses on being a defensive stopper, he can have value...and maybe be moved in a bigger deal

 

[DJ Fieri]

Green is only 30, he should be able to bounce back easily enough.

 

[DJ Fieri]

-Think you nailed it with Wiggins. I've tempered down my offensive expectations of him, but at the same time my defensive expectations of him have risen. When he's playing with energy he's got the real makings of an excellent defender. If you got guys like Curry, Oubre and Draymond bringing that natural hustle all game, constantly working, I have hopes that this will help to drive him. Energy on the court is contagious.

Wiggins should be able to benefit from having Klay and Steph when they are all healthy together.....they will get their double teams and Wiggins can benefit from a lot of open looks and the defense will have to respect him.

 

[Black Adam]

Just kidding @ChiefsLakers67.....

You already know that's YOUR selfie. DO be quiet lol...