Everything Off Season

[Dr Hannibal Lecter]

Any word on Masai Ujiri..it's been real quiet,maybe that's a good thing..probably waiting for nba season 2 end, to announce it.

[Quirk]

Here's a good list of free agent centers...

https://soaringdownsouth.com/2020/10...-free-centers/

So basically the only good ones are Jak, Olynyk and Drummond assuming last year was just a bad year for Drummond.

All things considered, Poeltl is clearly the best on this list, and about the best possible addition around if Kahwi, Giannis and Gobert are not happening. Plus he can cheer up Siakam.

Jak is clear upgrade over Ibaka, and a worthy understudy if we keep Gasol around, and if we abandon the max free agent idea, then we keep FVV and have a place for Lowry.

Personally I'm ok with a developmental core of Jak, Siakam, OG, and FVV, with Gasol and Lowry providing veteran leadership. I mean if get Kahwi, Giannis or Rudy, that's great, but that feels like a long shot, so I'm fine with good development and smart management.

I feel like in terms of getting a super star, waiting on trade opportunities makes more sense.

[Quirk]

So basically the only good ones are Jak, Olynyk and Drummond assuming last year was just a bad year for Drummond.

All things considered, Poeltl is clearly the best on this list, and about the best possible addition around if Kahwi, Giannis and Gobert are not happening. Plus he can cheer up Siakam.

Jak is clear upgrade over Ibaka, and a worthy understudy if we keep Gasol around, and if we abandon the max free agent idea, then we keep FVV and have a place for Lowry.

Personally I'm ok with a developmental core of Jak, Siakam, OG, and FVV, with Gasol and Lowry providing veteran leadership. I mean if get Kahwi, Giannis or Rudy, that's great, but that feels like a long shot, so I'm fine with good development and smart management.

I feel like in terms of getting a super star, waiting on trade opportunities makes more sense.

Just to be clear if we could get Kahwi, Giannis or Gobert I'd give up basically anyone, or even everyone. we have, those players are a different level. But I think it's more prudent to move forward with the assumption that we wont get those type of free agents, and good asset management and getting the best players we can keeps the teem competitive and in good position to take advantage of trade opportunities.

[Quirk]

So basically the only good ones are Jak, Olynyk and Drummond assuming last year was just a bad year for Drummond.

Whiteside and Noel are good too.

[planetmars]

I'm not a fan of Gobert in today's NBA. So big pass for me. He's going to command a max contract, and not give much on offense outside of setting picks and being a roll man or settling in the dunker's spot. Nurse isn't really using a lot of pick and rolls in his offense. Maybe the best rim defender in the league, but you can have a top rated defense without a guy like that (see Boston or Houston).

[Quirk]

I'm not a fan of Gobert in today's NBA. So big pass for me. He's going to command a max contract, and not give much on offense outside of setting picks and being a roll man or settling in the dunker's spot. Nurse isn't really using a lot of pick and rolls in his offense. Maybe the best rim defender in the league, but you can have a top rated defense without a guy like that (see Boston or Houston).

I really like Gobert, and so do the numbers, but I tend to agree that he doesn't seem like the kind of player Masai and Nurse are into, but he's such a remarkable talent if you can get him, you do.

In any case, feels like a long shot to get him, but he maybe the most "getable" of all the players in the NBA with similar level of production and impact, since that is a group of like 8 guys. But yeah, I guess he's a slightly better version of Brook Lopez, and maybe Jak can bring that too.

[LJ2]

i think looking at the finals for the last few years it's pretty clear you need an elite wing player to contend for a championship. We could land an Embiid or Jokovic and we still won't contend. I doubt anyone wants to waste a max slot on a C anymore.

[Dr Hannibal Lecter]

Season is done, thank god..Now the offseason can begin.
Masai do us proud and make some magic..

[Ebonhawke]

Season is done, thank god..Now the offseason can begin.
Masai do us proud and make some magic..

Just imagine if you were a fan of one of the teams who didn't get invited to play in the bubble - 'your team' wouldn't have played since March!

[G__Deane]

Season is done, thank god..Now the offseason can begin.
Masai do us proud and make some magic..

Starting with signing yourself to a nice long extension

[Demographic Shift]

So our good friends and Raptor fan club at ESPN has put out their obligatory next year power rankings after Lebron won an asterisked championship.

1. Surprise its the Lakers ! The Raps were picked to miss the playoffs in the still urban myth weak East. The Lakers are picked to repeat. Hey they might .. but Lebron is older. Davis has won a championship and the supporting cast are all up for some type of contract extension. Its never dull when the full Lebron Flying Circus is in full regale.

2. Surprise its the Clippers . Yes those guys. The guys who lack of conditioning cost them a second round series win over the Nuggets. A group of guys who don't think they have to play that hard cuz they're just that good. Doc Rivers who asphysiated yet again in the post season is now having his mail delivered elsewhere.

3. No surprise here its the Bucks and Giannas is still a regular season god. However its likely ground hog day again as the cast around Giannas is the same, Giannas still has no Jimmy and the coach while a regular season stone cold killer is more like Winnie the Pooh in the playoffs.

4 No surprise here again that its the Nuggets. Four is pretty good but its still saying they don't make the WCF. Stunning in that Jamal Murray is a stone cold killer, Jokic is THE best 5 in the game and they have a coach that has the ear of the players. They should be higher.

5.Surprise The Mavs. Luca mainia is real and it should be. But look up north to the hinterlands of Milwaukee where they too have a transcendant player with no one around him. Porzingis is a walking advertisment for IR. Dorian Finney-Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr, Maxi Kleber and Jalen Brunson do not make teams quake in their boots. The Luca hype is warranted. Mavs hpe for 5 is not.

6.Surprise The Warriors. Yes after losing Curry and Thompson for the season the warriors are back. But Curry is a year older and Thompson is coming back from an ACL. But Durant is gone. Draymond Green is not the player he thinks he is and Andrew Wiggins is pretty weak sauce. In the playoffs? For sure. Out of the second round ? Maybe.

7.The Celtics. Theres more than a little friction in Chowder town. Jaylen Brown is a little unhappy with the selfishness of Marcus the bricklayer Smart. Smart is Kyle Lowry however he won't change and will remain a little selfish on his shots and he doesn't have the consistency though he killed the Raps in game 2. Gordon Hayward is on the last year of his deal and the circus drumbeat will start if he stays or goes or if he is important or not. Ambient noise.. but its irritating and has some marginal effect on the team. Kemba Walker has another year or two in him at the top of his game... but ... he has a bad pin and he will be 31. Jayson Tatum is the real thing and this fucker will haunt us for the next 8 to 10 years. The Chowders are lower than they should be.

8. SURPRISE . The Hinkies !!!. Yes those guys. The exact same poorly constructed team who can't win on the road and got drilled in round 1 of the playoffs magically elevates themselves to ECF contender based on .....the resume of a guy who blew his 3rd 3 games to 1 lead in the playoffs and was summarily run out of town. Doc Rivers. ESPN has outdone itself with this one. The Hinkies still have a clown in Embiid who refuses to get into shape. A narcassistic ball handler in Simmons who just can't shoot. Brand either won't or can't trade one of them. Until that happens the Hinkies are the Hinkies. Nuthin but East Coast Hype.

9 No Surprise. The Heat. Jimmy Butler walks the talk. The Heat and the Raps are the same in that their team ethos is defense. If you don't play defense you just don't play. Bam Adebyo got exposed by Davis (like thats a sin) as a smallish centre but they just pummled the shit out of Embiid and company and split with the Raps. They'll miss Dragic but Herro and Robinson can make shots when they have to. They're low on the rankings scale.

10. No surprise .. The Brooklyn Nets. I mean no one knows. Durant is 31 and is comming off an achillies. Boogie didn't fare so well but maybe Kevin will. Kyrie Irving is a locker room cancer but he can score. Just not all the time or consistently. He is as apt to put up 40 points as he is to put 16 on 24 shots.
The preferred centre is an over the hill 33 year old DeAndre Jordan. This is on the strength of being a friend of Kyrie and Kevin. How well Dinwidde and Levert do when their touches and shots drop dramatically is something the new first time ever coach Steve Nash will have to work through. A bona fide floor stretcher in Joe Harris likely won't be back. It should be seamless. In that nothing is holding this together but Nash's reputation. If he loses control... Irving will piss off even the ticket takers.

The Raps come in at 11. Seems fair.

[G__Deane]

So our good friends and Raptor fan club at ESPN has put out their obligatory next year power rankings after Lebron won an asterisked championship.

Great post.

[LJ2]

Celtics and Philly still getting more love than they deserve or have earned.

[GLF]

Does anyone know when the new season is going to start?

[Rudy Bargnani]

Does anyone know when the new season is going to start?

The latest buzz is hoping for MLK day start which is Jan 18.
That said, all depends on the virus. They want to have fans in stands and would prob push back start date for that.