2021 NBA regular season thread

[WiggyRuss]

Sexton at 22 years old isnt gonna get 30 but he could get 25-28 a game. And do it pretty efficiently.

 

[WiggyRuss]

their will supposedly be 72 games this season- i dont know if that will happen...but thats the goal

how many games do you think the Cavs win this year?

My guess is 32.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Top 8 in the East....

Its really hard to say---- and it could obviously change with trades etc...

but ill go:

1. Bucks
2. Nets
3. Celtics
4. Pacers
5. Sixers
6. Heat
7. Raptors
8. Hawks

9. Wizards
10. Magic
11. Cavs
12. Hornets
13. Pistons
14. Knicks
15. Bulls

 

[WiggyRuss]

West:

1. Clippers
2. Lakers
3. Nuggets
4. Trail Blazers
5. Mavericks
6. Houston (hardest team to rank)
7. Jazz
8. Warriors

9. Suns
10. Pelicans
11. Spurs
12. Grizzlies
13. Twolves
14. Kings
15. Thunder



Both conferences are so tough this year though. It really is. This year is the hardest year I can remember to do this. The NBA seems deeper all the way around right now. The Twolves and Grizz are not good- but i certianly see talent on both teams. Same with the East. Even the Bulls have some talent. The Warriors could be #4 or they could be #10.

I really like the Pacers starting lineup so that will be my dark horse team. The Raptors I have as #7 but that is a really talented team--- having them as #7 in the East- when traditionally a #7 team in the East is not very good- is just so different this year.

I mean the Hawks have some talent finally- and i have them as #8-- usually that is an under .500 team that is a pushover in the 1st round but i just dont think thats the case.

The Magic actually look decent and i have them as a not very good team. I dunno. Its tough this year is all i am saying.

 

[ChrisperJ10]

Wood is the #2 on Houston now. What were the Pistons thinking letting him walk

I’m pretty sure he told them he was leaving no matter how much money they were ready to fork over...

 

[ChrisperJ10]

Christian Wood looks like he belongs with the rest of the unicorns (Durant, KP, Ingram)

 

[ChrisperJ10]

2021 draft class isn’t looking so good so far...

 

[msgkings322]

Kangz!!

 

[WiggyRuss]

2021 draft class isn’t looking so good so far...

Okoro was scoreless in 42 minutes tonight. Larry Nance was scoreless in 25 minutes.....but make no mistake- the defense those 2 guys bring - along with Drummond- will be the only reasons the Cavs defense improves this year from being the worst in the league the last 2 years.

The Cavs back court is Garland and Sexton- 2 undersized guards that are 20 and 21 years old.

I have not been this excited for a Cavs rookie since Kyrie. Okoro is going to be a damn good player.

 

[ChrisperJ10]

Okoro was scoreless in 42 minutes tonight. Larry Nance was scoreless in 25 minutes.....but make no mistake- the defense those 2 guys bring - along with Drummond- will be the only reasons the Cavs defense improves this year from being the worst in the league the last 2 years.

The Cavs back court is Garland and Sexton- 2 undersized guards that are 20 and 21 years old.

I have not been this excited for a Cavs rookie since Kyrie. Okoro is going to be a damn good player.

Next years class bruh...

Okoro has been playing solid THIS YEAR. Looks like a hustle guy and once he develops a mid range/3 pt shot, the Cavs got a steal.

I compared him to a poor mans D Wade...

 

[WiggyRuss]

The Sixers roster actually kind of makes sense this year.

Getting Curry and Green to shoot is a big help.

Getting rid of Horford was big- not that he isnt a solid player- but it lets everyone know their roles and get comfortable. Now Harris can play the 4 and maybe get on a roll and get iinto it. Horford and Harris were competing over the same minutes and neither one ever seemed to get in a groove.

Simmons is the absolute point guard now and they can just let him play to his strengths. Green, Curry and Harris can shoot--- and Embiid can do his thing without the middle getting clogged up. Howard is fine as the backup center.

And i mean- its crazy to think about but Ben Simmons is only 24 and Embiid is only 26. Neither has hit the top of their prime yet.


and the other East team i like.

the Pacers

1-5 there might not be another team in the league that has a quality player at every position

PG- Brogdon
SG- Oladipo
SF- Warren
PF- Sabonis
C- Turner

every single player in their starting lineup is either an all star- or a guy that is a solidly above average player. I am not a huge fan of their bench....McConnell, McDermott, Holiday, LAmb is nothing special......but that starting 5 has no holes.

If Oladipo works his way into form, and Warren carries over his improvements from last year, that is not an easy team to play. They all have to be unselfish though and on the same page. One thing i worry about is Oladipo's health and buy-in.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I dont know if i buy into the Hawks moves to bring in vets over the last year or so.

You have a young core--- Young, Collins, Hunter, Okungwo (who i really liked in this draft), Reddish, Huerter....all prety high picks.....

then you bring in a ton of vets and spend money on guys like Rondo, Gallo, Bogdonavic, Capela....some of these guys are gonna be locked in for a long time.

in your front court Collins is your stud--- and you draft Okungwu who is a nice talent- and then have Capela and Gallo.

In the back court you got Trae Young and Reddish- and bring in Rondo and Bogdaanvic.......

I mean there are only so many minutes in a game- and some of these guys are just going to get blocked. I guess if you dont believe in Reddish and think Boganovic will be a core piece you get him.....and Gallo can shoot and open things up....ut it just seems they have a lot of pieces and not a team.

maybe i will be wrong.

but they are now locked into this team to a certain extent. Young is gonna get an extension long before Bogon and Gallo and Capela are up. and then thats kind of it.

I guess they wanted to compete now.....i mightve waited one more season and saw what i had in some of these young guys and let them develop--- and then went for a bigger impact type guy.

I dont know. they are an interesting team.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Capela, Bogdonavic, and Gallo are all signed up for at least this year plus 2 more, and make about 60 million a year combined.

i dont know about that.....we shall see.

 

[WiggyRuss]

and...surprise surprise....i dont really think i am buying the Heat nearly as much as some people.

You have Butler and Bam of course.

it seems they are relying an awful lot on Robinson and Herro again this year. Meyers Leonard is the starting 4 it looks like.

Bradley, Harkless, and Iguadala dont really do much for me at this point.

I think they will be solid--- right there with anyone not named Milwaukee or Brooklyn

They are relying on a lot of really young guys to- including Bam- to really be the framework of the team.

hey seem a player or two away for me. I think this is a team that couldve done what the Hawks did and bring in a guy who is not a star - but is an established NBA solidly above average guy. They need Bam to be an all star just about every given night- which he very much looks like he can be--- but they need a lot out of Herro and Robinson and some of these vets that just arent that great.

Onlyk, Leonard, Bradley, Harkless and Iguadala just arent that good. Dragic is still pretty damn good but hes old and injury prone.

Again, we shall see......

 

[WiggyRuss]

and honestly- i kind of hate hte Celtics bench.

they had so much draft capital- and i just dont see where they got much out of it.

Teague, JAvonte Green, Romeo Langord, Grant Williams, Daniel Theiss?

ickk.

Smart is 26, Tatum 22, Brown 24........thats a lot on those 3 guys. They are all good, but they seem a player away too.

I do not like Daniel Theis as a starter at all. Having him and Thompson together- 2 bigs that cant shoot a 3 and cant get their own shot seems a little rough.

If i were them id try and add some kind of playmaker in the front court. IF they could do that id feel very good about them.

 

[Stakesarehigh]

I feel like the Celtics could've mortgaged some of those picks for one or tangible pieces a little better

 

[SteelersPride]

Which ball

You must have missed game 1. He made 11 of 15 shots, 73% of his FGA's....he simply had an off night.

Yes game 1 was the off night

 

[Shanemansj13]

West:

1. Clippers
2. Lakers
3. Nuggets
4. Trail Blazers
5. Mavericks
6. Houston (hardest team to rank)
7. Jazz
8. Warriors

9. Suns
10. Pelicans
11. Spurs
12. Grizzlies
13. Twolves
14. Kings
15. Thunder



Both conferences are so tough this year though. It really is. This year is the hardest year I can remember to do this. The NBA seems deeper all the way around right now. The Twolves and Grizz are not good- but i certianly see talent on both teams. Same with the East. Even the Bulls have some talent. The Warriors could be #4 or they could be #10.

I really like the Pacers starting lineup so that will be my dark horse team. The Raptors I have as #7 but that is a really talented team--- having them as #7 in the East- when traditionally a #7 team in the East is not very good- is just so different this year.

I mean the Hawks have some talent finally- and i have them as #8-- usually that is an under .500 team that is a pushover in the 1st round but i just dont think thats the case.

The Magic actually look decent and i have them as a not very good team. I dunno. Its tough this year is all i am saying.

No way the W’s are better than the Suns or Pelicans, they have no depth and fit issues. The crazy thing though at this point I could see the W’s finishing 13th or 14th in the conference

 

[Shanemansj13]

2021 draft class isn’t looking so good so far...

Edwards and Wiseman might be fighting for ROY. Probably lean Wiseman bc he could be the W’s #2. Crazy

 

[thunderc]

Wolves looking likely to represent the West in the finals

All roads to the finals in the West go through OKC.