NBA 2018 Preseason Thread

[bksballer89]

Pretty big news out of OKC

 

[Black Adam]

Pretty big news out of OKC

fuckin injuries, man...

 

[bksballer89]

The NBA preseason schedule is silly. You had some teams who started their preseason schedule since last Friday or Saturday then you have a team like the Pacers who just played their first preseason game tonight.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Javale with his first of many Shaqin a fool moment tonight

 

[Bolts]

 

[Bolts]

 

[trojanfan12]

Short of a catastrophic injury to Harden, Paul, Durant or Curry SPECIFICALLY.....

I don't see the Lakers getting to the WCF, let alone the finals.

But, I also don't see a team with a healthy LeBron missing the playoffs.

As much as I'd love for it to happen, I just don't see it.

LeBron is that good.

I certainly don't see this roster somehow coming together and going on some "Cinderella run" to the finals or even the WCF.

But I also don't think it's going to be nearly as bad as some folks think/hope. Yes, it's certainly an "eclectic" group of players, but the Lakers hold all of the cards.

All of those guys are on 1 year deals and trying to get one more good contract and/or stay in the league. I'd think/hope they'd be smart enough to realize that and be on their best behavior.

If any of them do start acting the fool, I expect that the Lakers will move on from them pretty quickly. Which would all but end their chances of staying in the league or getting another good contract.

 

[CitySushi]

David West on Josh Hart from last night:

 

[Sparhawk]

Pretty big news out of OKC

Wait, I thought this only happens to players on the Sixers.....

 

[WiggyRuss]

I certainly don't see this roster somehow coming together and going on some "Cinderella run" to the finals or even the WCF.

But I also don't think it's going to be nearly as bad as some folks think/hope. Yes, it's certainly an "eclectic" group of players, but the Lakers hold all of the cards.

All of those guys are on 1 year deals and trying to get one more good contract and/or stay in the league. I'd think/hope they'd be smart enough to realize that and be on their best behavior.

If any of them do start acting the fool, I expect that the Lakers will move on from them pretty quickly. Which would all but end their chances of staying in the league or getting another good contract.

there is kind of a double edged sword there.

A lot of those guys realize that they are not in the Lakers long term plans. When you know you are going to be a free agent and likely moving on- the tendency is to try and "get yours" instead of sacrificing for the betterment of the team.

Kind of like what happened with Short Buss- when your interests and the interests of the team are not aligned- you do stuff like sign Deng and Mozgov to try and win a couple extra games to save your job.

If you are Stephenson are you going to pass up shots and sacrifice minutes and scoring for the betterment of the team- or are you going to try and make yourself more attractive for the free agent market, get as many minutes and shots as you can?

Its something that makes a big difference- making sure that the incentives and what is good for the player match what is actually good for the team.

 

[trojanfan12]

A lot of those guys realize that they are not in the Lakers long term plans. When you know you are going to be a free agent and likely moving on- the tendency is to try and "get yours" instead of sacrificing for the betterment of the team.

Kind of like what happened with Short Buss- when your interests and the interests of the team are not aligned- you do stuff like sign Deng and Mozgov to try and win a couple extra games to save your job.

The difference is, Short Buss signed those guys long term.

Magic and Pelinka don't have to try to save their jobs, they are secure and are playing for beyond this season.

These are players on 1 year deals. I don't see Magic and Pelinka allowing guys like that to mess up their long term plans.

I expect that if any of them start acting up, they'll be spoken to and their agents will be told to "get your boys mind right or he's gone".

If you are Stephenson are you going to pass up shots and sacrifice minutes and scoring for the betterment of the team- or are you going to try and make yourself more attractive for the free agent market, get as many minutes and shots as you can?

Its something that makes a big difference- making sure that the incentives and what is good for the player match what is actually good for the team.

If he wants a chance to stay in the league, being a good soldier and passing up shots/sacrificing minutes is exactly what he'll do if that's what is needed.

There's more to it than how he plays. There's also his locker room behavior, how he interacts with teammates and how willing he is to play within the team concept. Teams that may be interested in him will look at all of that.

If the Lakers ended up cutting him loose in the middle of the season because of his behavior, it would pretty well mean the end of his NBA career.

 

[trojanfan12]

David West on Josh Hart from last night:

Funny, but also some pretty nice praise from a solid vet like David West.

 

[CitySushi]

Funny, but also some pretty nice praise from a solid vet like David West.

Not only that but the nature of the comment too. West is one of the rugged guys of that particular NBA era. If he says you're tough or strong, you better believe it.

 

[trojanfan12]

Not only that but the nature of the comment too. West is one of the rugged guys of that particular NBA era. If he says you're tough or strong, you better believe it.

I'm really happy with all of the Lakers youngsters. "Rap Battles" etc. aside, they all look like they have bought into putting in the extra work that is needed to improve and maximize their games, seem to take the game seriously and seem to genuinely like each other.

In those respects, they look a lot like your Warriors. Now, if they can start to play like them on the floor...we just might have something. lol

I don't know if any of them will be "stars" (although I think Ingram will be. Kuz and maybe Lonzo may be all star level) but at worst, they should, at the least, make a very good group of solid role players that a star player or couple of star players can have a lot of success with.

 

[CitySushi]

I'm really happy with all of the Lakers youngsters. "Rap Battles" etc. aside, they all look like they have bought into putting in the extra work that is needed to improve and maximize their games, seem to take the game seriously and seem to genuinely like each other.

In those respects, they look a lot like your Warriors. Now, if they can start to play like them on the floor...we just might have something. lol

I don't know if any of them will be "stars" (although I think Ingram will be. Kuz and maybe Lonzo may be all star level) but at worst, they should, at the least, make a very good group of solid role players that a star player or couple of star players can have a lot of success with.

The biggest, and I think most crucial aspect of the Warriors players development was actually Mark Jackson's doing. I don't give him a ton of credit, but there's one thing I will absolutely give him credit for it was unleashing Steph and Klay's full potential. He allowed them to go out there and to make mistakes. He allowed them to find themselves and find what suited their strengths best and to focus it into making them the best players they can be. Kerr was absolutely ready to take them to the next step but Jackson was the one who gave Curry and Klay the confidence they have now.

What I'm really interested to see is how that really will happen with Lebron being there. They are under a huge lens this year and with Lebron's competitive window always closing, it'll be interesting to see how much leash Walton gives them.

 

[trojanfan12]

What I'm really interested to see is how that really will happen with Lebron being there. They are under a huge lens this year and with Lebron's competitive window always closing, it'll be interesting to see how much leash Walton gives them.

Yeah, the Lakers are doing their best to keep the pressure off this season, but there will be pressure no matter what.

Right now, Lebron is saying and doing all of the right things, but it's going to be interesting to see how patient he is once the games start to count and the Lakers are in the playoff hunt.

As you point out, his competitive window is closing, so while he seems willing to be patient now, that could very well change as the season wears on.

 

[CitySushi]

Yeah, the Lakers are doing their best to keep the pressure off this season, but there will be pressure no matter what.

Right now, Lebron is saying and doing all of the right things, but it's going to be interesting to see how patient he is once the games start to count and the Lakers are in the playoff hunt.

As you point out, his competitive window is closing, so while he seems willing to be patient now, that could very well change as the season wears on.

Yeah, especially towards the end of the season if the Lakers are in a really competitive position. I could see guys like Rondo getting more playing time over a developmental guy like Hart, or even Lonzo for that matter. Same with maybe Kuzma getting some run over Ingram because of their skill sets and depending on what is needed. Will definitely be interesting to see.

 

[bksballer89]

 

[Mecca]

Damn, that's too bad.

 

[bksballer89]

Marcus Smart is a punk lol