⭐ OFFICIAL 2020-2021 NBA Off-Season Thread: Olympics begin 7/23; NBA Draft 7/29⭐

[getback]

Luka’s already finished over .500 and made the playoffs damned near as many times as AD did in 7 years in New Orleans.

Luka's got some of that alpha dog mentality. AD ain't really a #1 on a good team TBH. He doesn't have that killer in him.

 

[storm2006]

Luka's got some of that alpha dog mentality. AD ain't really a #1 on a good team TBH. He doesn't have that killer in him.

I’ve been wondering how things will play out for him and some of the other young superstars. Like if they win a chip will it be the Bron in Cle/LA and Kawhi in Toronto way or if they’ll end up getting rings through the super team route (regardless of if it was organic or not).

 

[100027]

I’ve been wondering how things will play out for him and some of the other young superstars. Like if they win a chip will it be the Bron in Cle/LA and Kawhi in Toronto way or if they’ll end up getting rings through the super team route (regardless of if it was organic or not).

Wait what, Bron in Cleveland and LA was the super team route...

 

[frshstunna]

Folks so thirsty to prove Luka is getting some special attention because he's white and not because he's great and it's hilarious.

It’s both

 

[freeze]

Wait what, Bron in Cleveland and LA was the super team route...

Reread what he said famalam

 

[100027]

Reread what he said famalam

My read was that he was saying Bron in Cleveland and LA was more like Kawhi in Toronto than a super team route...

 

[B Sox]

Could Dallas pass the Lakers? Their schedule doesn't look particularly difficult. I know they seem to be resting guys a lot though.

Would much rather play Denver than the Clips or Phoenix.

 

[lawdog1]

Could Dallas pass the Lakers? Their schedule doesn't look particularly difficult. I know they seem to be resting guys a lot though.

Would much rather play Denver than the Clips or Phoenix.

One loss back and now they have the tie breaker. Very possible if AD continues to come along slowly in his return.

 

[storm2006]

Wait what, Bron in Cleveland and LA was the super team route...

I forgot about KLove in Cleveland. I was thinking it was just him and Kyrie Might be a controversial take but I don’t see last years Lakers as a super team in the sense that it was Bron and 1 other guy and not two. AD is/was Top 5 which is probably why you and others called them a super team but IDK.

Probably a dated take and there’s no data or evidence behind it but I’ve always felt that the super team convo starts when you have a legit Big 3. I think that matters when you look at a team like BKN when they’re missing their Top 2 guys vs the Lakers missing their Top 2.

 

[B Sox]

Ant Man progression is

After ugly shooting in January and February, he went for 24/6/3 on 52 TS% in March, and is now at 22/5/3 on 58 TS% in April with DLo back.

 

[ill steelo]

Could Dallas pass the Lakers? Their schedule doesn't look particularly difficult. I know they seem to be resting guys a lot though.

Would much rather play Denver than the Clips or Phoenix.

Gonna be musical chairs between Dallas Portland & LA.

Can’t applaud Vogel enough for keeping the Lakers out of the play-in & maintaining that elite defense without AD & Bron. His game plans always give you a chance

 

[trynafeelmink]

AD been back for two games after being out for two months & he's not an Alpha.......

Playoff career averages of 29/11/3 on 55/35/84 all while being an all time defender..... and not an Alpha

I get it tho NT has a love for guys who only play one side of the ball, put up insane numbers (as long as they like them, if not their looters) get your team in the 50-55 wins yearly, and fail in the playoffs consistently.

 

[pums]

The term Alpha

 

[100027]

I forgot about KLove in Cleveland. I was thinking it was just him and Kyrie Might be a controversial take but I don’t see last years Lakers as a super team in the sense that it was Bron and 1 other guy and not two. AD is/was Top 5 which is probably why you and others called them a super team but IDK.

Probably a dated take and there’s no data or evidence behind it but I’ve always felt that the super team convo starts when you have a legit Big 3. I think that matters when you look at a team like BKN when they’re missing their Top 2 guys vs the Lakers missing their Top 2.

Super team or not, (I agree with you the Lakers weren’t “super”), LeBron had a heavy hand in assembling those teams himself to make sure they had the best or near best talent in the league at the time, which was also the core factor in him choosing those destinations. Obviously in Lakers case it wasn’t about winning the first year but knowing all that could be added over the next season.

So I don’t really see that as the same as what Kawhi did in Toronto or the presumed idea of someone like Luka staying and winning a championship in Dallas which I think is what you were implying.

btw I have no problem, with the way Lebron chooses to put himself on the teams ready to be most competitive at a given time, I think it’s smart and if you want to win championships in the current era you have to think that way especially if you aren’t lucky enough to be on a team with a great coach and GM.

 

[getback]

AD been back for two games after being out for two months & he's not an Alpha.......

I've said this for years though. You can use the search to confirm.

So it ain't "he's back for 2 games and ________"

He can't carry a team by himself and probably never will. What big man can in 2021 though? He's a perfect Robin. Impressive playoff numbers in open gym playing second fiddle to arguably the greatest player of al-time isn't gonna change my mind

 

[B Sox]

ALMOST there...





Would be really nice if we could get like 8-10 games with our actual rotation before the playoffs start

 

[trynafeelmink]

I've said this for years though. You can use the search to confirm.

So it ain't "he's back for 2 games and ________"

That wasn't directly towards you i've saw this sentiment on Twitter also & i've saw it for years before

imo this comes down to floor raisers vs ceiling raisers, All i really care about at the end of the day is winning it all. So the ability to propel mediocre teams to decent squads doesn't mean much to me, i put more weight into what a player does when they have optimal talent around them.

AD had already dominated in the playoffs prior but had no real success, he linked with Bron & for the first three rounds he was the best player on the court in each series. AD's a ceiling Raiser & as someone who values winning above all else i'll gladly take that.

 

[storm2006]

Super team or not, (I agree with you the Lakers weren’t “super”), LeBron had a heavy hand in assembling those teams himself to make sure they had the best or near best talent in the league at the time, which was also the core factor in him choosing those destinations. Obviously in Lakers case it wasn’t about winning the first year but knowing all that could be added over the next season.

So I don’t really see that as the same as what Kawhi did in Toronto or the presumed idea of someone like Luka staying and winning a championship in Dallas which I think is what you were implying.

btw I have no problem, with the way Lebron chooses to put himself on the teams ready to be most competitive at a given time, I think it’s smart and if you want to win championships in the current era you have to think that way especially if you aren’t lucky enough to be on a team with a great coach and GM.

I agree with you. I wasn’t speaking so much about how the teams came together and moreso about if it’ll be Luka and another guy or Luka and two or more guys. I guess what I was really getting at is will he win as THE guy or ONE OF the guys. Harden is what came to mind for the latter. Consistently 1st Team All-NBA, MVP, scoring champ, assists leader but couldn’t get it done as THE guy and now he’s with a Top 5 player and another AS (not even going to try to rank Myrie )

Not ragging on Harden either, it’s just extremely difficult to win a championship. So many things have to fall in-place and a lot of them occur years before you even win. The stars just have to align.

 

[Maximus Meridius]

 

[nick.]

 

[N41D]

I’m starting to get the feeling this Mavs management team is going to keep failing to build a competitive team for years. The drafting of Luka covered up a lot of the errors they’ve made in the years post-championship.

The only real true gripe I got post championship is not Re-signing Tyson Chandler immediately.

Everything else is basically them trying to get a younger star to come play with Dirk’s dying legs in an era where everyone could just go team with Bron or KD or Chris Paul in their prime.

They could’ve had Deron. I know that first hand. Cuban missed that meeting for Shark Tank or some wild **** and it went another way.

The guys they’ve missed on, they dodged bullets. They haven’t made a ton of mistakes - Chandler Parsons the obvious exception - but they also haven’t taken a ton of risks.

The biggest mistakes post-title were how long they tried to stay competitive and were juuuust good enough to not get better players in the draft.

 

[Maximus Meridius]

Luka showed a lot in the playoffs last year, I've become a fan of his. He's great but the way ya'll be talking is like he's a lock to start winning rings. He ain't better than Bron was in his 1st Cleveland run and Bron couldn't make the finals. Luka is in a stacked conference playing for a franchise that has only put together one championship then proceeded to fall off quick and just got relevant again with drafting him. Let's slow it down.

 

[getback]

imo this comes down to floor raisers vs ceiling raisers, All i really care about at the end of the day is winning it all.

Exactly. It's not really a knock since his role is clearly defined and works.

 

[JD617]

You gotta fight him

My main man Awwsome didn't die for this.

Really love Denzel.

I know the athleticism is questionable but his body will definitely improve in the NBA and he's a capable team defender.

Offensively dude just gets it, shot 44% on 7.5 3FG, great vision, understands angles, has a nice floater game and is just a natural playmaker.

Don't see how he's not a starter for a contender one day as long as he continues to work on his body.

When I think about it, honestly I would take Denzel over Buddy if I'm cool with his knee.

They both are elite shooters but Denzel is way more versatile on offense and has a higher ceiling.

He would be the best PG on a couple teams.

I have my own models and they all point to Denzel being twice the player, we'll see though.

Denzel is an elite shooter and passer who can play PG at 6'5 with a 6'10 wingspan, name me how many guys like that there are in the league right now?

A do it all perimeter player who can be a primary ball handler > a post dominant center who can't protect the rim.

You're trippin.

He'll never be Harden because he's not as athletic nor the finisher/foul drawer but he can definitely be used in a similar way and he would be perfect in Philly.

My models + a simple look at his game all say he is a great prospect though, so I disagree.

Like I said before, find me a 6'5 elite shooter/passer who can be your primary ballhandler vs a center who has a post game but can't defend the rim at all and handcuffs your offense.

Like I said, I can't wait to come back to this thread in 3 years.

I hate dudes like you who mindlessly attack what they don't understand.

It really isn't that hard to build and use a model and make a move based on the #'s.

Does that mean that every guy who sticks out will be a star?

No but at least you're actually making a decision based off actual historical evidence instead whatever you use to form your opinions.

Why didn't Draymond go in the 1st? Same reasons that Denzel wasn't a lottery pick, he was considered old, fat and a tweener.

Teams leaned more on that than actual production and look what happened.

There's a number of guys that I have my eye on to be way better than where they are picked.

Don't be mad at the future, learn it.

Y'all keep slandering Denzel, when he starts turning up on ****** imma post a rant like the kid at the beginning of Love Sosa.

Movie star Denzel will be the best PG on the team by the end of the season.

**** Rondo.

Box Office Denzel been clutch all week.

MOVIE STAR DENZEL.

Denzel best Bulls player to wear 45.

Wolves should trade back and take Valentine

I would move to Minnesota.

It's either him/Valentine/Furkan for best shooter in the draft and neither of those other two are projected where Minny is.

Valentine looks fine to me. His court vision, decision making in PnR, shooting and just overall feel for the game are already NBA level. He'll improve his body/athleticism now that he's in the league, I wouldn't be surprised if he has the 3rd best career out of all the players in this draft.

He'll be star on a team where he's either the primary or secondary ball handler.

He's a better passer than Kris Dunn and an elite shooter, I don't see how he's not successful unless Hoiberg is just an idiot which wouldn't be surprising.

They got a blessing getting him where they did.

 

[atlsfinest]

🗣🗣🗣

White folks love the 1 in a million, made it out the ghetto stories to tell in draft night dude never think of why those circumstances exist in the first place.

"His dad was locked up for 20 years on a minor drug charge, his uncle was killed by accident in a police raid and his mom was a crack addict. Johnny overcame all that and made it to the league. How inspirational!"