NBA Thread

[Hoosierfan2017]

Philly has some intriguing players but they have stupid management. They tank and stockpile draft picks just to trade away their good players later on. They gave away Nerlens Noel for peanuts and I wouldn't be surprised to see them do the same with some of their other pieces. Their franchise hopes rest on a talented but constantly injured big guy and a guy in Ben Simmons who is probably bolting as soon as he hits free agency. 

[mdn82]

I think the Sixers would have to stay healthy for a year before we can speak of what they can do. Don't know how we can say with any conviction they can even possibly overtake the number 1 team in East who will most likely have the number 1 overall pick. I am all for dreaming on players that haven't played, but damn. At some point those players are what they are and are injury prone. I don't envy either the Pacers or Sixers situations but to act excited about either is a stretch. This isn't NBA 2k17 where you draft the top kids every year then get to play with them.


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[mdn82]

Potential based discussions aren't about everybody being hurt. It is about everyone being healthy.


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No but they involve the consequences of coming back from those injuries and show a trend of the team. Until they are healthy what are you basing their potential on? Draft scouting reports? Hell they won't even all be healthy by the time their rookie deals are up. You think the Sixers can keep everyone needed to fulfill this promise? No way


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[Hoosierfan2017]

12 minutes ago, Joe DeLow said:

Watching these players play and what talent they have. That's how you know their potential. Just like with any other player. And the Sixers are loaded. That is why their future is bright. They have talent, draft picks and trade targets. That helps any team.


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What talent do they have that will put them above Boston, Cleveland, Toronto or Washington? Those teams all have established stars. We don't really know what talent Philly has because their players never stay healthy for very long. I can see them developing into a playoff team but that's only if the stars align and all their players pan out. There are a bunch of "ifs" that have to come true for them to become a decent team. 

[Hoosierfan2017]

37 minutes ago, Joe DeLow said:

Embiid, Simmons, Okafor and Saric. Embiid and Simmons has superstar potential. Not many teams have 2 players with the talent and potential of Embiid and Simmons.


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They've been looking to trade Okafor for over a year now. Maybe they'll get something good in return, but after the way they gave away Noel I'm not too sure. Embiid and Simmons could become a great duo, but I have to see how Simmons actually plays in the NBA first before making any predictions. He showed at LSU that he can put up nice stats without making his team a winner. The four teams at the top of the Eastern Conference all have multiple talented players that we already know can produce at a high level.  

[mdn82]

Watching these players play and what talent they have. That's how you know their potential. Just like with any other player. And the Sixers are loaded. That is why their future is bright. They have talent, draft picks and trade targets. That helps any team.


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Not sure what you saw of Simmons this year to say he has Superstar potential for the Sixers. Look at what the T'Wolves have done with their Superstar potential this year with players that actually played. I would prefer their players and situation every day of the week over the Sixers. With Towns and Wiggins, any two you throw at them from the Sixers don't stack up.


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[mdn82]

I watched Simmons, Embiid and Okafor while in college. I've watched Embiid and Okafor in the NBA. I watched scouting videos of Saric and Sixers games. Same with Luwawu-Cabarrot. Easily accessible things. This Sixers are in a good situation. Simmons and Embiid are healthy enough to play. And Embiid can dominate games on both ends of the floor. If you haven't watched a game with Embiid in it, you should. Or at least watch his highlights. The dude is that good.


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I have watched Embiid when he played. Will be interesting to see him without the restrictions. I have only seen Simmons play a handful of games against NBA caliber players. Potential? Yes. But do the Sixers have enough after being the worst franchise for 6 years? Not sold on that. Like I said, I prefer the Wolves situation if we are going 5 years out. 3 years to the top is just a pipe dream.


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[Hoosierfan2017]

I have no doubts that Embiid is a very talented player. I just question whether he'll be able to stay healthy long enough for it to matter. Andrew Bynum, Greg Oden and Yao Ming were all talented big men who just couldn't stay healthy. Embiid has had back and foot injuries, injuries that are especially tough on big guys. I hope I'm wrong and he's able to get healthy and have a great career, but we've seen numerous big guys have their careers ended or negatively altered by injuries. 

[mdn82]

I have no doubts that Embiid is a very talented player. I just question whether he'll be able to stay healthy long enough for it to matter. Andrew Bynum, Greg Oden and Yao Ming were all talented big men who just couldn't stay healthy. Embiid has had back and foot injuries, injuries that are especially tough on big guys. I hope I'm wrong and he's able to get healthy and have a great career, but we've seen numerous big guys have their careers ended or negatively altered by injuries. 

Absolutely. I think if he could have stayed healthy to this point we are talking a top 3 Center in the NBA. Simmons to me will be good if he is healthy, but not a top 5 lead Guard in the next 3-5 years. I don't know how or where we came to the conclusion the Sixers have tops in the East in 3 years potential. That insinuates they are resigning everyone while they take massive leaps. A lot has to happen right for that to happen while other situations happen poorly.


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[KingPG21]

Wait, so now we're throwing Okafor into the mix? The guy they've been trying to trade for how long? Or lets get into how he doesn't fit into the current space and pace era of the NBA. Not even going to get into how he can't defend his position. Saric is just Mirotic for the Bulls with way more usage because the 76ers suck @$$. 

 

And once again potential is great, but the two guys who actually have potential either haven't played a single second of meaningful  time in the NBA or played less than a fifth of the time he could be playing. People thought the Pelicans a few years back were going to be great, and they've been stuck in the well they have potential area for that entire time. Give me the Wolves over the 76ers, since they're young guys actually play and don't sit on the side of the court in a suit 80% of the time

[KingPG21]

So with Bird stepping down chances are so much greater that PG is gone, probably via trade. Was really well documented how stingy Bird was when it came to trading his best players, looking at Granger

[Hoosierfan2017]

With LAC losing today that's probably the last we've seen of their current lineup. They were exciting during the regular season but it seemed like they were always getting hit with injuries in the playoffs. They could just never quite break through. I'd like to see what Chris Paul could do with San Antonio or New Orleans. 

[Brass Cannon]

8 hours ago, KingPG21 said:

So with Bird stepping down chances are so much greater that PG is gone, probably via trade. Was really well documented how stingy Bird was when it came to trading his best players, looking at Granger

Imagine if we had kept Leonard and trade Granger OMG

[KB0]

6 hours ago, Brass Cannon said:

Imagine if we had kept Leonard and trade Granger OMG

This was never ever going to happen. The only reason the Pacers drafter Kawhi was because the trade was in place. That's not who they were taking with the pick. 

Side note - Pacers would have been a much better team this season if George Hill was on the roster. He can actually shoot and play defense. 

[Brass Cannon]

2 minutes ago, KB0 said:

This was never ever going to happen. The only reason the Pacers drafter Kawhi was because the trade was in place. That's not who they were taking with the pick. 

Side note - Pacers would have been a much better team this season if George Hill was on the roster. He can actually shoot and play defense. 

Which really speaks volumes to the Pacers drafting 

[LIHoosier]

Rockets lead the Spurs in SA by 30 at half. Troy may get some PT.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

8 hours ago, LIHoosier said:

Rockets lead the Spurs in SA by 30 at half. Troy may get some PT.

5 minutes to be precise as the Rockets routed the Spurs 126-99.  

05.01.17	Playoff W/L			Min.	Pts.	FG's	3's	FT's	Reb	Asst	Stls	Blks	TO's	PF	+/-
Houston	1-0	Gordon	W	24	11	4-8	3-6	0-0	3	4	1	0	1	3	+14
Houston	1-0	Williams	W	5	1	0-2	0-2	1-2	1	0	0	0	1	0	-10
	Houston vs. San Antonio best of 7 semifinals series.  Game 2 on Wed. at 9:30 ET

[VeevlandBrowns]

I'm just getting around to skimming through Game 1 of Houston vs San Antonio. 

So ... Harden makes an early 3 and Popovich calls a time out, 90 seconds into Game 1, with his team down 5-2, just to yell at David Lee? 

That was awesome.

It took five minutes, after a commercial and more playing time, before Reggie Miller explained that Pop was angry at Lee for switching and guarding Harden. 

I thought he might have been angry for Lee not getting a hand up. But I was wrong.

But I don't think I've ever seen an NBA coach call a time out with a 5-2 score, 90 seconds into Game 1 and rip into a guy. David Lee took it. I suspect they won't make that mistake again. And the Spurs have built a culture where the coach is in charge and they have always had stars who let the coach lead (of course players play, and tough players win, and the most talented players usually win in the NBA, and coaching doesn't have as much impact as it does in other sports. but it has a little bit of an impact in terms of getting everyone on the same page. Pop hit that page hard, 90 seconds into the series. Interesting).

[VeevlandBrowns]

Well, forget most of what I said. Houston 126, San Antonio 99.

But it was still interesting to watch Pop rip on Lee that early in the game. (and then tell him his arse was out later when he apparently messed up a rotation when Harden drove the lane off a back cut. I'm not sure what Lee did wrong on that one, but it earned him a seat on the bench).

Entertaining. 

I was hoping for a Harden vs Leonard showdown in the fourth quarter. Maybe game two.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Spurs even the series at 1-1 with a 121-96 win over the Rockets but it may have been a costly victory.  Tony Parker carried of the court with a potentially severe 4th Q leg injury; he'll undergo an MRI today.  

05.03.17	Playoff W/L		W/L	Min.	Pts.	FG's	3's	FT's	Reb	Asst	Stls	Blks	TO's	PF	+/-
Houston	1-1	Gordon	L	29	15	6-12	3-7	0-0	3	2	1	1	2	0	-25
Houston	1-1	Williams	L	4	0	0-1	0-1	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0	+1
	Houston vs. San Antonio best of 7 semifinals series.  Game 3 on Fri. at 9:30 ET