Official 2018 NBA Preseason Thread - Jimmy Butler Does Things

[buc em]

He's 13 and turns 14 October 6th. Kids skip grades...especially kids whose fathers want to play long enough in the NBA to play with or against their son's like Lebron has publicly expressed a desire to do.

Sierra Canyon is where Scottie Pippen's boys go, its also where Marvin Bagley went before attending Duke. I know you don't have to commit to HS but you also don't wanna jerk your kids around.

I agree, Lebron is a super calculated guy. So I would suspect that when he plops down over $20M on not one but TWO houses in the Los Angeles area, he's not doing so with plans of never living in them I would assume.

I don't buy into the Brian Windhorst narrative that Lebron doesn't want to show his hand. If Lebron shows all of his cards he still maintains leverage in virtually every possible NBA roster scenario because he is Lebron James. The only real advantage of keeping his plans a secret are to keep the media from distorting it.

It's not a lock that he comes to LA but Philly seems like a risky choice with Embiid's health and Simmons being such a similar player.

Houston doesn't make sense because Chris Paul is guaranteed to get hurt at the most inopportune time every season like clockwork.

Staying in Ohio will not work because that team is now cash strapped due to moves made to make Lebron happy.

Get ready for Lonzo lobs to Bron and a lot more Lavar.

If we’re talking about right now, Lonzo and Ingram missed over 50 games combined this past season. Embiid missed only 9 games, mostly all for rest management pre-All Star break, before a freak eye injury caused by his own teammate. And as far as Simmons goes, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have another elite athlete point forward with an extremely high basketball IQ that can set LeBron up for easy shots instead of himself having to do it all the time.

I’ve heard nothing about LeBron’s kid skipping a grade this year to go into 9th grade early. I have a good feeling that a kid named LeBron James Jr could enroll in any school in the entire nation, probably on full scholarship, any day of the year that he pleases though. And I don’t think that day would be in the beginning of June.

 

[Kinfolk]

If we’re talking about right now, Lonzo and Ingram missed over 50 games combined this past season. Embiid missed only 9 games, mostly all for rest management pre-All Star break, before a freak eye injury caused by his own teammate. And as far as Simmons goes, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have another elite athlete point forward with an extremely high basketball IQ that can set LeBron up for easy shots instead of himself having to do it all the time.

I’ve heard nothing about LeBron’s kid skipping a grade this year to go into 9th grade early. I have a good feeling that a kid named LeBron James Jr could enroll in any school in the entire nation, probably on full scholarship, any day of the year that he pleases though. And I don’t think that day would be in the beginning of June.

So there was this guy named Yao Ming. Hall of famer. Big over in China. Maybe you're familiar with him. Legend goes, his hall of fame career ended over a foot injury.

More specifically the injury that Yao sustained was a navicular stress fracture.

Interestingly enough, that is the EXACT same injury that Embiid sustained in 2015.

Granted some time has passed and that injury appears for now at least to be behind him.

But consider Embiid's size, the repetitive nature of an 82 game grind, his weight and his physical playing style...well, you see where I'm headed with this, don't you?

Now that wasn't the only injury Embiid has sustained. He's also had knee and back injuries. Significant ones.

If you don't believe me here's a little detail on the back injury: "Embiid’s condition is called spondylolysis. Essentially, a spondylolysis is a defect in the pars interarticularis, an area of the vertebrae that connects the vertebral facets, or joints that adjoin vertebrae together. A spondylolysis occurs most commonly in the lumbar spine, and presents on an X-Ray as a gap between the facet joints, with a possible forward shifting of the vertebral body. A good example of a spondylolysis image can be found here. Essentially, it’s a stress fracture in the joint, similar to an “ankle fracture,” which is usually a fracture of the tibia or fibula around the ankle."

A STRESS FRACTURE IN HIS FREAKING BACK! Let that marinate...

To point to Embiid only missing 9 games as some sort of evidence that he is in any way, shape or form a model of health or an iron man is outrageous and frighteningly short sighted.

Embiid is one of my favorite players to watch and I really hope his body holds up for many years, but let's be honest here... the odds are not in his favor.

As for Simmons, it wouldn't be a huge deal IF simmons could shoot.

He cannot shoot and the entire league is aware of this.

Klutch Sports mates or not, I think Lebron will pass on Philly despite the fact that they are extremely attractive on paper.

Oh wait there's also Marke... nevermind.

 

[bballkid11]

Andrew Bogut: Have the popcorn ready for this offseasons @NBA FA dramas! Don’t be fooled, most big deals are already done “verbally”. More superteams are cometh…

 

[Cashflow]

Once Lebby rejects Philadelphia, what should their Plan B be for upgrading their roster?

 

[Kinfolk]

The whole "where is Lebron" going saga is interesting but I'm honestly more interested in seeing what happens with Demarcus Cousins.

Like- which teams will realize that Elton Brand was Cousins before Cousins, suffered a Torn Achillies, is roughly the same size minus 3 inches in height, and poor Elton never was able to reach his double double average again. He stayed in the league for a long time but he was never the 20 and 10 allstar that we had come to know.

The Cousins thing is so interesting because it will have a direct impact on Anthony Davis. Will Davis eventually demand a trade? Davis on another team with a capable coach and another top 5 player could be scary.

 

[BIG FISH]

Tha bogut tweet is interesting hmmm

 

[Kinfolk]

Once Lebby rejects Philadelphia, what should their Plan B be for upgrading their roster?

Resign Reddick. Without shooters, they're dead and can't maximize Embiid's ability to draw a crowd.

Try to undo the damage of giving Covington all that money. (don't think there is much they can do here).

And they HAVE TO nail the 10th pick. Nailing the 26th pick would also be a great look, but how likely is that?

 

[junglejim]

People already writing theses about where bron is going a couple days into the offseason. This is going to be a long couple of weeks

 

[Kinfolk]

People already writing theses about where bron is going a couple days into the offseason. This is going to be a long couple of weeks

That's what happens during the NBA offseason.

People speculate.

A lot.

 

[buc em]

So there was this guy named Yao Ming. Hall of famer. Big over in China. Maybe you're familiar with him. Legend goes, his hall of fame career ended over a foot injury.

More specifically the injury that Yao sustained was a navicular stress fracture.

Interestingly enough, that is the EXACT same injury that Embiid sustained in 2015.

Granted some time has passed and that injury appears for now at least to be behind him.

But consider Embiid's size, the repetitive nature of an 82 game grind, his weight and his physical playing style...well, you see where I'm headed with this, don't you?

Now that wasn't the only injury Embiid has sustained. He's also had knee and back injuries. Significant ones.

If you don't believe me here's a little detail on the back injury: "Embiid’s condition is called spondylolysis. Essentially, a spondylolysis is a defect in the pars interarticularis, an area of the vertebrae that connects the vertebral facets, or joints that adjoin vertebrae together. A spondylolysis occurs most commonly in the lumbar spine, and presents on an X-Ray as a gap between the facet joints, with a possible forward shifting of the vertebral body. A good example of a spondylolysis image can be found here. Essentially, it’s a stress fracture in the joint, similar to an “ankle fracture,” which is usually a fracture of the tibia or fibula around the ankle."

A STRESS FRACTURE IN HIS FREAKING BACK! Let that marinate...

To point to Embiid only missing 9 games as some sort of evidence that he is in any way, shape or form a model of health or an iron man is outrageous and frighteningly short sighted.

Embiid is one of my favorite players to watch and I really hope his body holds up for many years, but let's be honest here... the odds are not in his favor.

As for Simmons, it wouldn't be a huge deal IF simmons could shoot.

He cannot shoot and the entire league is aware of this.

Klutch Sports mates or not, I think Lebron will pass on Philly despite the fact that they are extremely attractive on paper.

Oh wait there's also Marke... nevermind.

You wrote all of this about injuries from literally 3-5 years ago that he’s had zero problems with since. Yao Ming and other big guys that had problems with that foot injury were never the same after it and retired soon after. The only other injury he suffered was a torn meniscus that KD, Westbrook, Steph and plenty other stars came back from completely fine just like Embiid.

Fultz can still be really ******* good. Him and Embiid working out together with Drew Hanlen is a step in an extremely right direction. Fultz, Dario, Covington, #10 and Bayless’s expiring contract are all valuable pieces that could be used to add a 4th star to Bron, Ben and Embiid if the opportunity came along too.

 

[junglejim]

Confirmed. If Broussard says do this, then there is zero chance of it happening. I expect bron to go to the Sixers now

 

[alchemist iq]

People already writing thesis about where bron is going a couple days into the offseason. This is going to be a long couple of weeks

Fixed.

 

[Kinfolk]

You wrote all of this about injuries from literally 3-5 years ago that he’s had zero problems with since. Yao Ming and other big guys that had problems with that foot injury were never the same after it and retired soon after. The only other injury he suffered was a torn meniscus that KD, Westbrook, Steph and plenty other stars came back from completely fine just like Embiid.

Fultz can still be really ****ing good. Him and Embiid working out together with Drew Hanlen is a step in an extremely right direction. Fultz, Dario, Covington, #10 and Bayless’s expiring contract are all valuable pieces that could be used to add a 4th star to Bron, Ben and Embiid if the opportunity came along too.

I'm just going to let you believe the fallacy that injuries aren't cumulative, especially on men over 7 feet tall. You are also the only person on earth that doesn't view Embiid as an injury risk based on 1 outlier season of relative good health. You got it bro.

Drew Hanlen is the perfect example of what a lot of skills coaches call an instagram trainer.

See Drew's work with Kelly Oubre and Jordan Clarkson (clarkson does all the dribble combos that Drew teaches him over the summer, then gets to finally play in some meaningful games this Spring and what does he do? HE STARTS PLAYING LIKE THEY DON'T KEEP SCORE, LMAO!!)

Oubre, while he has a load of potential also doesn't appear to be gleaning much under Hanlen's tutelage.

Drew is nearly useless. Reputable skills coaches and player dev coaches that are actually hired by teams don't send their best guys to drew. I know he played D-1 ball and his intentions seem pure, but word on the streets is that he's a joke.

Bradley Beal was good before he started paying Drew to film his summer workouts at St. Bernards...

 

[LebronHasMoreFinalsMVPs]

This kyrie movie looks like hot garbage

 

[addict4sneakers]

I'm just going to let you believe the fallacy that injuries aren't cumulative, especially on men over 7 feet tall. You are also the only person on earth that doesn't view Embiid as an injury risk based on 1 outlier season of relative good health. You got it bro.

Drew Hanlen is the perfect example of what a lot of skills coaches call an instagram trainer.

See Drew's work with Kelly Oubre and Jordan Clarkson (clarkson does all the dribble combos that Drew teaches him over the summer, then gets to finally play in some meaningful games this Spring and what does he do? HE STARTS PLAYING LIKE THEY DON'T KEEP SCORE, LMAO!!)

Oubre, while he has a load of potential also doesn't appear to be gleaning much under Hanlen's tutelage.

Drew is nearly useless. Reputable skills coaches and player dev coaches that are actually hired by teams don't send their best guys to drew. I know he played D-1 ball and his intentions seem pure, but word on the streets is that he's a joke.

Bradley Beal was good before he started paying Drew to film his summer workouts at St. Bernards...

@P C H need you to weigh in on this take

 

[BIG FISH]

If this is true that means he has to be going to Houston or another team that can’t outright sign him...

 

[LebronHasMoreFinalsMVPs]

If this is true that means he has to be going to Houston or another team that can’t outright sign him...

I think cleveland would sign and trade with no problem

 

[Kinfolk]

If this is true that means he has to be going to Houston or another team that can’t outright sign him...

yikes

 

[Kinfolk]

@P C H need you to weigh in on this take

Also Hanlen got called out by another skills trainer on Twitter recently.

Instead of explaining himself, he blocked the guy because the criticism was accurate.

Wiggins is another guy that worked with Hanlen and with all of that freak potential that guy is struggling to stay above 40% shooting and his defense is getting worse at his athletic peak.

Show me 5 guys that have gotten measurably better after employing Drew Hanlen as their skills trainer.

I feel like the evidence is irrefutable...

 

[smedroc]

Warriors going after AD is all over instagram

 

[addict4sneakers]

Also Hanlen got called out by another skills trainer on Twitter recently.

Instead of explaining himself, he blocked the guy because the criticism was accurate.

Wiggins is another guy that worked with Hanlen and with all of that freak potential that guy is struggling to stay above 40% shooting and his defense is getting worse at his athletic peak.

I feel like the evidence is irrefutable...

I can’t speak on Drew being a fraud, I only know of his work from when comes across my timeline. He’s got the clientele, that’s for sure. I will say Oubre made a pretty significant jump from year 2 to 3. I don’t know when he got to Embiid but if he’s a major part in his development then he deserves all the props in the world

 

[Moheezy]

If this is true that means he has to be going to Houston or another team that can’t outright sign him...

That’s a good assumption. Or maybe he’s just going to see what Houston, SA, and Boston are willing to offer so that he can make an informed decision.

 

[bballkid11]

If this is true that means he has to be going to Houston or another team that can’t outright sign him...

Or maybe he just wants them to know early that he is leaving but not tell them where so they can prepare for life without him.

 

[Kinfolk]

I can’t speak on Drew being a fraud, I only know of his work from when comes across my timeline. He’s got the clientele, that’s for sure. I will say Oubre made a pretty significant jump from year 2 to 3. I don’t know when he got to Embiid but if he’s a major part in his development then he deserves all the props in the world

I mean I don't have anything personal against the guy... he's certainly trying.

It's just that none of his clients seem to show major improvement.

Every time Otto Porter gets hurt (not a hanlen client) and Oubre becomes the starter, Oubre s**ts the bed.

Oubre has to be held accountable first...but the next person I'm looking at is Drew.

The only Hanlen client that impresses me (after having worked with Drew) is Lavine and he's still not a full year out of the ACL injury.

Embiid was good before hanlen came into his orbit...

 

[BIG FISH]

Or maybe he just wants them to know early that he is leaving but not tell them where so they can prepare for life without him.

Why tell them this early then lol