2018 NBA OFFSEASON

this was where Jordan was maybe a bit better to an extent, he definitely had his drama w/the Jerrys but he trusted them personnel-wise afaict, at least enough to let them do their thing. I'm sure he had some opinions he shared but i never sensed that he was the guiding hand. And those teams were pretty drama-free aside from a Pippen moment here and there and the three years w/Rodman which tbh felt more like waiting for the other shoe to drop as opposed to actual shoe-dropping. Also unlike the Cavs squads everyone was either exceptionally good-to-great or supremely competent at their small role. Maybe it was a zen thing too.

Report: Markelle Fultz (76ers), Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown (Celtics) among players ‘off limits’ in Kawhi Leonard trade https://t.co/PkrbaQJGLT

— Dan Feldman (@DanFeldmanNBA) July 5, 2018

from that windy article:

What Johnson pitched to James was a team stocked with tough-minded playmakers like Stephenson and Rondo who could free up James to finish in the lanes and from the post, rather than having to create the lion's share of the offense himself. Rondo and Stephenson are also defensively versatile, as their length enables them to be effective defenders in switches. That also follows with the talents of the 6-foot-6 Ball, who showed the ability to be an elite rebounder and defender for a guard in his rookie year.

"I know some people are rolling their eyes, but I like what the Lakers have done," a rival Western Conference executive said. "You can find shooters. They've taken some in the last few drafts. Playmakers matter and are harder to find."

got a hearty lol at rondo being a 'versatile defender'.

this sounds good in theory but these players aint it. there's also plenty of playmakers and good shooters out there, but not many that do both.

the problem is that they didn’t sign good players imo.

exactly

a rival Western Conference executive

Vlade Divac?

ingram needs the ball to be effective, can lebron play off the ball? i mean he can of course but is he willing at this point.

markelle fultz off limits for kawhi is hilarious to me (tho not quite as funny as terry rozier) but maybe it means the sixers doc who treated him privately knows the injury is a longterm issue

Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42

Top 10 in projected team salary (not including FA cap holds) through July 5:

1. OKC $159.7M
2. GSW $143.1M
3. TOR $136.7M
4. DEN $132.6M
5. WAS $128.1M
6. DET $123.4M
7. UTH $121.9M
8. POR $121.2M
9. MIA $120.7M
10. HOU $119M

didn't realize nuggets were in that deep, not ideal for their position

same with Miami both teams that are a major piece away

ESPN Spurs reporter @mikecwright bottled up a lot of wild Kawhi/Spurs stories. But he did share this one anecdote on @back2backpod:

The time Kawhi’s people tried to hide Kawhi from Spurs staffers in NYC

Full episode here: https://t.co/7sJsB8wAN4 pic.twitter.com/aVsrisQbab

— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) July 5, 2018

has kawhi been kidnapped?

wow nothing to see here, teams should be clamoring for him

either rozier knows too much or they are they believe Kyrie is bouncing in a year (or gonna be traded)

― Hall of Fam (Spottie), Thursday, July 5, 2018 2:02 PM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

terry is dannys son

maybe bron and magic just see the best in everyone, and bcz they can maximize a player's on-court potential they overestimate how valuable any player is

― the bhagwanadook (symsymsym), Thursday, July 5, 2018 1:15 PM (three hours ago

this is an interesting point...

that windhorst/shelburne article was really embarrassing man

we talked to sources inside the lakers organization and they told us that actually everything is fine and it's going to work out

an unnamed rival executive "likes" what the lakers have done

i mean it is interesting in so far as it’s articulating the lakers’ point of view... it’s just a stupid point of view

yeah otm

2nd insider to say clippers is kawhis choice

Tom Haberstroh: So which team does Kawhi suit up for next year? Who do you think is the leader in the clubhouse to get his services?

Michael Wright: Well, contrary to, and I don’t know if it’s changed. I think that’s what happened. Things have changed. But the Lakers are not Kawhi’s preferred destination anymore. He wants to go to the Clippers. He doesn’t want to go and be second fiddle to LeBron. That’s what I was told. And it was by somebody that would know. And so right now, the Clippers are where he wants to go. But I’m also told, like you know, I talked to people within the Spurs organization and they’re like, ‘well yeah he wants to go to the Clippers, but their assets are shit at this point.’ That’s what I was told.

Report: Markelle Fultz (76ers), Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown (Celtics) among players ‘off limits’ in Kawhi Leonard trade https://t.co/PkrbaQJGLT

— Dan Feldman (@DanFeldmanNBA) July 5, 2018

kawhi must really be putting off will only resign with LA vibes for this to be true imho

yeah or maybe boston isnt even that interested and theyre just floating out stuff to inflate roziers value

the fultz thing tho i think represents a pattern

this shit is just stressing me out on my vacation

sorry bro go enjoy and get off the internets.

nah im fine i just want that kawhi trade woj bomb to drop

Bjelica is a nice pickup for the Sixers, he's looked good when healthy but not gotten many minutes because Thibs, from a roster management standpoint, is a stupid fucking buttface

Spurs should really push for another championship.

how do you figure?

The Warriors might be insurmountable, but the Spurs were a playoff team without Kawhi last year and could’ve challenged the Warriors before Zara murdered Kawhi the year before. Kawhi in a contact year could be incredible.

My team hasn’t made the playoffs in years so I encourage everyone in striking distance to actual strike. Moreover, talking about assets is boring.

Kawhi has basically said he'll sit the year out if they dont move him they would be stupid not to, might as well get something for him. kawhi is dumb cos he could've played the good soldier and got the supermax ... then gone super weird and demanded a trade after.

the celtics will win the nba finals

i don’t think the spurs would’ve challenged the warriors in that series

ahem spurs were up by 27 before kawhi got injureed if my calculations are correct spurs wouldve swept the warriors to win the championship thanks

Kawhi has basically said he'll sit the year out if they dont move him

This is not a wise move.

It would be hilarious tho

the sitting out thing is against the cba, he would essentially lose his free agency that year i think

The Warriors might be insurmountable, but the Spurs were a playoff team without Kawhi last year and could’ve challenged the Warriors before Zara murdered Kawhi the year before. Kawhi in a contact year could be incredible.

My team hasn’t made the playoffs in years so I encourage everyone in striking distance to actual strike. Moreover, talking about assets is boring.

― Allen (etaeoe), Thursday, July 5, 2018 7:12 PM (sixteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i think there's actually something to this. a healthy and reconciled kawhi with this spurs lineup would challenge for the 2 seed and then you just roll the dice and hope for injuries.

what if he's "injured" xp

Exactly. His “camp” hasn’t cleared him, probably for that reason

the spurs with kawhi would be right in the mix for the third seed, but are not challenging for the 2 seed

aw but hear me out! the last two years of healthy kawhi they were 67 and 61 win teams! in a hypothetical universe where they bygones became bygones and the water went under the bridge and kawhi's leg is fine, they could be right there again in terms of wins which would put them in the 2nd seed last year. and i think houston will take a step back this year and warriors may not give a shit in the regular season again.

i mean look this isnt going to happen anyway since water is on the bridge still and he's getting traded, but STILL

*steeples fingers*

https://i.imgur.com/4HVI5Mf.png

grayson allen and joe ingles are going to become alt-right darlings arent they

in 3 summer league games trae young:

12/52 fg and 3/24 tp

wack mamba stats

To be fair, he is tres young