Everything 2017 Off-Season

[Mess]

Russell Westbrook signed the biggest total contract in NBA history on the birthday of Kevin Durant. That's such a petty move and I love him.

— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) September 29, 2017

Me too.

[KeonClark]

Russell Westbrook signed the biggest total contract in NBA history on the birthday of Kevin Durant. That's such a petty move and I love him.

— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) September 29, 2017

Me too.

The media is the real LVP. Pure coincidence. These guys know Durants better than Westbrook does forsure and its kind of weird.

[Mess]

The media is the real LVP. Pure coincidence. These guys know Durants better than Westbrook does forsure and its kind of weird.

Sure thing.

http://www.gettyimages.ca/event/kevi...re-id181653284

HAPPY BDAY TO THE BRODIE @KDTrey5 continue to be the person you are today & the old man ur becoming lol love you bro pic.twitter.com/z1O0pE0ooj

— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) September 29, 2015

[007]

Russell Westbrook signed the biggest total contract in NBA history on the birthday of Kevin Durant. That's such a petty move and I love him.

— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) September 29, 2017

Me too.

Good for OKC and lmao

[Mapko]

The FBI probe into the cesspool that is the NCAA College Basketball program is turning up skeletons and bodies faster than you can count. Coaches and agents will lose jobs..and given it's the FBI and not the NCAA..some might see actual time in jail. The Federalis likely have lock solid documentation as they followed the money trail.

The NCAA will be along for the ride and to get coffee on this one..So far no players seem to be in the crosshairs for the Feds..but here is where it gets interesting...What if some of those one and done lottery players get suspended by the NCAA ?

How would that affect the draft? Do players actually have to play a year in college or just wait for the draft class to be eligible?
Do they go to Europe? How do you scout talent that isn't playing?
Adam Silver must be paying close attention.

So far the programs caught on tape in outright bribery and collusion are Arizona..Louisville, Auburn, USC...these are big time programs.

Somewhat comparable to steroids with athletes (baseball, athletics....).
Pretty much most elite athletes are using them but only a handfull (non americans & not Nike clients) get caught using them.
Here most elite NCAA schools "circumvent" rules but only some get caught.
Lets face it (just like athletes on steroids) where is incentive to catch cheaters?
TV? -Hell no
NCAA? -Hell no
Fans & supporters? -Why, your guys are always clean (or justified cheating), rest are cheaters.
Everybody idolizes guys like Rick Pittino (?). But we crucify guys like Bobby Knight bec of "lack of political correctness" or whatever.
Lets face it: The end justifies the means or "Just win baby".

[Mapko]

There is a longer version with Drake and Lebron. All this was shot in Toronto.
Drake recruiting Lebron to Toronto confirmed...


Just a thought:
Biggest danger for Bosh (Re cloths) is flying.
Play only home games & an occasioanal trip where he can zig-zag (drive, limo..) -say Florida, NY...
At least till playoffs.
He would easily make us close 2nd in East at least.

[The Great One]

This is such a TERRIBLE idea lol. Every rookies would just sign with the Lakers or Celtics....you know big market teams.

https://twitter.com/theScore/status/914192873683271680

[Hotshot]

This is such a TERRIBLE idea lol. Every rookies would just sign with the Lakers or Celtics....you know big market teams.

https://twitter.com/theScore/status/914192873683271680

I normally agree with Gundy but this would kill most small market teams who aren't situated next to a Sandy beach. This would also hurt the Raptors as well cause moving to a new country and playing in a cold weather isn't on any high profile rookie's bucket list. Also the teams that cannot improve through the draft, will forever be bad cause that's the only way they can improve as free agency tends to be difficult to attract as well.

[Fully]

I normally agree with Gundy but this would kill most small market teams who aren't situated next to a Sandy beach. This would also hurt the Raptors as well cause moving to a new country and playing in a cold weather isn't on any high profile rookie's bucket list. Also the teams that cannot improve through the draft, will forever be bad cause that's the only way they can improve as free agency tends to be difficult to attract as well.

The thought process behind this idea is that small market or bad teams would be able to offer enough money to rookies that they'd still get the majority of the top end talent coming into the draft. It's easy to say that every young player would flock to the Golden States of the league but I seriously doubt you'd see that many guys signing up to play for the minimum and bench roles when the Sacramentos or Chicagos of the league were offering them 10x that amount each year, plus all the playing time you can handle.

[JimiCliff]

I normally agree with Gundy but this would kill most small market teams who aren't situated next to a Sandy beach. This would also hurt the Raptors as well cause moving to a new country and playing in a cold weather isn't on any high profile rookie's bucket list. Also the teams that cannot improve through the draft, will forever be bad cause that's the only way they can improve as free agency tends to be difficult to attract as well.

I wouldn't dismiss it out of hat. There's a bunch of reasons it could work.

- I'll bet a team like the Spurs would be high up on a lot of players list, just because they're really well run. Any team can become that. The Raptors are in the process of becoming that right now imo.

- Steph, Kawhi, Giannis, Draymond, Gobert, IT, Klay, Jimmy Buckets, Demar, Dame Lillard, CJ Mcollum, PG13 ...none of them highly touted. Could be they all end up on small market teams.

- Playing time. Most players don't want to end up on the bench. At a certain point, the Celtics/Lakers/Knicks/Heat's rotations will be full, and won't be able to offer any PT right away.

What the NBA could is say, 'Listen, we'll try this for 10 years. If it doesn't work, we'll go back.'

[Hotshot]

The thought process behind this idea is that small market or bad teams would be able to offer enough money to rookies that they'd still get the majority of the top end talent coming into the draft. It's easy to say that every young player would flock to the Golden States of the league but I seriously doubt you'd see that many guys signing up to play for the minimum when the Sacramentos or Chicagos of the league were offering them 10x that amount each year.

So essentially rookies could hold desperate teams hostage by asking for max rookie scale contracts as free agents right off the bat?! cause nobody wants to be there anyway unless high money was involved just like regular free agency. Again this will be madness for small market teams especially when they will be dealing with an unproven commodity or teams trying to be competitive yet stay under the cap like the Raptors.

[JimiCliff]

At this point, I'm for anything that forces teams to innovate and get better. There's way too much shit basketball in the regular season.

Also: the Pelicans have WASTED the early years of Brow's career by surrounding him with a garbage team. THEY DON'T, AND NEVER DID, DESERVE HIM.

[Hotshot]

At this point, I'm for anything that forces teams to innovate and get better. There's way too much shit basketball in the regular season.

Also: the Pelicans have WASTED the early years of Brow's career by surrounding him with a garbage team. THEY DON'T, AND NEVER DID, DESERVE HIM.

I agree. Sometimes it's the location is at fault and sometimes it's the ownership/management is at fault and sometimes it's the combination of the two. New Orleans should really not have a team (Seattle or Vancouver much better markets) and A.David should not have to suffer by being on a bad team and not getting his due respect as one of the best players in the league ( he is essentially the NBA star big man that only once in a decade you are fortunate enough to find).

[The Great One]

Hmm...

Part of Lonzo Ball’s pregame hype up in the locker room: listening to himself rapping. Pretty sure it was the Melo Ball commercial song.

— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) October 1, 2017

[magoon]

This is such a TERRIBLE idea lol. Every rookies would just sign with the Lakers or Celtics....you know big market teams.

https://twitter.com/theScore/status/914192873683271680

Rookies want to build their own brands, and you don't do that by going to big-market teams with three or four star players. You do it by going to a smaller team where you get more playing time and exposure. Don't underestimate the number of young players who want to be "the man" for their teams.

More to the point, the end result of this would be the NBA's gradual migration towards a system where teams were running their own developmental and junior teams - IE, like soccer, which has never used a draft and where not every star runs to "a warm city with a beach" - because high school basketball coaching is mostly primitive and most players don't come out of high school really knowing good basketball fundamentals. You don't think the Spurs would prefer to be coaching players in their teens into the Spurs system? And you don't think younger players would like to be paid in their junior years? And you don't think that goes double for Masai?