2020 End of Season / Playoffs

[The Great One]

Butler only took 7 shots in that half - made 2 of them. He needs to be more aggressive, him playing cute isn't gonna work, they're already missing Bam and Dragic.

[bertarapsfan]

Are the Heat gonna play zone all game????

i wouldnt blame them. Lakers bench dudes had a good night game one. But id try to see if danny, KCP, Kuzma, Rondo and caruso can beat you again instead of letting bron and AD get inside easy.
Bam is the defensive lynchpin i think zone might be there best shot and let those other guys shoot 3s all night

[007]

Are the Heat gonna play zone all game????

[bertarapsfan]

I remeber when this team lost to Terrence Davis and Chris boucher. Cant count out these heat

[007]

Nunn is so ass. They gotta play Jones over him

[The Great One]

I may be in the minority but I find Lebrons team building approaches more honorable than KDs. Yes he brings in other stars because the reality is you usually need at least 2 all nba players. But KD joined a ready made champion and record setting regular season winner, essentially a dynasty in the making, and just latched out like a literal leech, and swooped in and took 2 finals MVPs and back to back titles for his resume.

History will remember that Kevin Durant took the easy way out. He wanted to win chips the easy way, that's what people will remember him for.

[DogeLover1234]

I may be in the minority but I find Lebrons team building approaches more honorable than KDs. Yes he brings in other stars because the reality is you usually need at least 2 all nba players. But KD joined a ready made champion and record setting regular season winner, essentially a dynasty in the making, and just latched out like a literal leech, and swooped in and took 2 finals MVPs and back to back titles for his resume.

Yeah in hindsight I feel like LeBrons path is honestly pretty respectable. Went to Miami when he was young and wanted to play on a winning team in a big market, big stage. Went back to Cleveland to win one for the fans and I would imagine fulfill a childhood dream. Then as a basketball fan I feel like anyone would want to play for the Lakers.

Looking back I think LeBron chose a team he wanted to play for, then found out how to make them really good, KD just found the team he knew would win chips.

[KeonClark]

It's the avoidance of the challenge. People want to see the best players go head-to-head and not team up with each other and steamroll everybody else. If the best players somehow end up on the same team, organically, then that's the luck of the draw. Still doesn't guarantee a championship either (e.g. Harden, Durant, Westbrook). But when the player himself avoids that challenge of competing with the best..... that speaks to his character and competitive spirit.



https://chicagoist.com/2010/07/19/jordan_on_lebron.php



https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=5395989

That said... I can also understand why Lebron did what he did, because he was put between a rock & a hard place. The old school guys also criticized him mercilessly for not winning championships.... but that wasn't his fault because he got drafted into a crappy organization. The old school guys are just flaunting the fact that they were lucky enough to land in great organizations and to be surrounded by top tier role players and elite coaches. MJ wins nothing without Pippen and PJax. Lebron had no choice but to seek that out on his own to rightfully get himself back in the GOAT conversation. It's easy to see how people can be on both sides of the argument.

I may be in the minority but I find Lebrons team building approaches more honorable than KDs. Yes he brings in other stars because the reality is you usually need at least 2 all nba players. But KD joined a ready made champion and record setting regular season winner, essentially a dynasty in the making, and just latched out like a literal leech, and swooped in and took 2 finals MVPs and back to back titles for his resume.

[G__Deane]

No player attempts to void a valid contract. They threaten not to play, which would allow the team to void their contract and prevent them from signing elsewhere. The two sides have leverage. Teams just decide to trade players instead of going down that path.

Is your position that players are in indentured servitude because they signed a contract? They should not be allowed to express a desire to be elsewhere and then work with their employer to work out a solution that benefits both parties more than the strict legal alternatives each side has?

Also, what's this nonsense about players trying to get out of contracts to get paid more? Can you quote a single example of this ever happening?

They want out of a valid contract to play in X city and leave for Y. That's voiding the contract to play for team X unless traded, not the (financial) terms of the contract.

My position is players should play out their contract under the terms of their contract. Unless they want to allow teams to cut under performing players which you know will never happen.

And I didn't say anything about getting out of contract in order to be paid more. It was in response to you saying "teams get to carry rookies for 4 years way below their market value"
Yes, if that's the contract they sign and collectively bargained for.

Players can make so much money in endorsements now. What if the top 5 players decided to play for $1 a season or just below market value enough to fit under the salary cap, just to win chips. That wouldn't bother you?

I like MJ and Giannis attitude far better. I want to be number 1 by beating number two, not colluding with him.

[G__Deane]

It's the avoidance of the challenge. People want to see the best players go head-to-head and not team up with each other and steamroll everybody else. If the best players somehow end up on the same team, organically, then that's the luck of the draw. Still doesn't guarantee a championship either (e.g. Harden, Durant, Westbrook). But when the player himself avoids that challenge of competing with the best..... that speaks to his character and competitive spirit.



https://chicagoist.com/2010/07/19/jordan_on_lebron.php



https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=5395989

That said... I can also understand why Lebron did what he did, because he was put between a rock & a hard place. The old school guys also criticized him mercilessly for not winning championships.... but that wasn't his fault because he got drafted into a crappy organization. The old school guys are just flaunting the fact that they were lucky enough to land in great organizations and to be surrounded by top tier role players and elite coaches. MJ wins nothing without Pippen and PJax. Lebron had no choice but to seek that out on his own to rightfully get himself back in the GOAT conversation. It's easy to see how people can be on both sides of the argument.

Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo on avoiding workouts with other NBA stars: I don't 'buddy-buddy' with my opponents

Giannis said he passed on working out in the summer with LeBron, Durant and others he'd compete against during the season

"I hate it when …" [Antetokounmpo cuts himself off to pretend to put his arm around someone and pose for a picture]. "I hate that. I don't want [opponents] to see me to be buddy-buddy with me."

Antetokounmpo, whose Bucks are back in action on Monday against Cleveland (8 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension), is protective of his game, and he doesn't want to potentially tip his hand to his competitors during a workout, which is something he feels happened to James while working with Durant during the summers of 2011 and 2012.

"I feel like with LeBron and K.D., K.D. did that to LeBron," Antetokounmpo said. "Take a lot of his thoughts and use it against him. And that's what I don't want guys doing to me."

Despite his stance, Antetokounmpo isn't against working with LeBron in the future, as long as it is in a one-on-one setting.

"If it's just me and him," Antetokounmpo said, when asked about working out with James. "Just me and him. I cannot do the pickup games and stuff like that."

For fans that might be tired of the buddy-buddy nature of the players prevalent in the NBA today, Antetokounmpo's approach represents a breath of fresh air.

[Maury]

Irving thinks he's figured out literally everything there is to know not only about basketball (in which he's not close) but in life altogether. The guy thinks he's some kind of intellectual but he can't even articulate whatever he tries to say effectively. It's baffling. All of this because he hit one massive shot in his life. That's it. Watching that video he posted after all this was actually worse to me than the quotes themselves, and that's saying something.

[slaw]

KD and KI are worthy of each other, that team will be shitshow chemistry wise. I was in disbelief when they were discussing that Nash won't be the head coach and they themselves (KD and KI) will coach as equals. Even if you think so, how clueless you have to be to tell that to everyone out there. I'm honestly thinking KI is actually a flat earther. Guy has no common sense.

It's actually no-lose for Nash. If they are great, people are going to credit Nash for bringing/keeping it together. If they are awful, everyone will blame Irving and Durant. And he gets a massive payday, too.

[RandomGuy]

KD and KI are worthy of each other, that team will be shitshow chemistry wise. I was in disbelief when they were discussing that Nash won't be the head coach and they themselves (KD and KI) will coach as equals. Even if you think so, how clueless you have to be to tell that to everyone out there. I'm honestly thinking KI is actually a flat earther. Guy has no common sense.

[The Great One]

This is an underrated point. KD I'd put in a bit of a separate boat in that OKC had talent and he bailed on it while they still had potential to win something. KD didn't just hurt his legacy though, he potentially robbed NBA history of prime Steph Curry, MVP.

Related - Brooklyn is going to be a shitshow this year. Hear how Kyrie's already talking?

Kyrie is so jealous of LeBron he can't even hide it anymore lmao.

[slaw]

This is an underrated point. KD I'd put in a bit of a separate boat in that OKC had talent and he bailed on it while they still had potential to win something. KD didn't just hurt his legacy though, he potentially robbed NBA history of prime Steph Curry, MVP.

Related - Brooklyn is going to be a shitshow this year. Hear how Kyrie's already talking?

That was an insane interview. Honestly, it's for the best of everyone involved if they just move all their younger guys. If I'm Levert, Dinwiddie, Allen, Harris I'm calling my agent telling him to get me the hell outta there (or in Harris' case just leaving). Nets just need 5-6 role players vets. It won't be a great situation for any youngish player and if anything goes wrong the team is going to throw you under the bus anyway.