2021-22 NBA "REGULAR" SEASON THREAD

ABC surveyed tonight's schedule and unerringly selected the Lakers v Knicks as the premier matchup

they may be the most evenly matched if that's what they were going for

God, I mean it's all going to end in tears, but I want this Simmons-Harden trade to happen and then the Sixers to play the Nets in the playoffs so that Simmons has to play in Philly. This needs to happen - it's almost as good as a Championship.

otm

I love the NBA lmao pic.twitter.com/Uh63ARNAuu

—  PBD (@NBAYOUNGDREW) February 5, 2022

lmao

full-strength Lakers getting manhandled at home by the 24-28 Knickerbockers I see

man Lakers really did come all the way back just to have Russ brick 2 free throws with a minute left to send it into OT

Russ thing is brutal. Got booed at home tonight then had a wide open three in crunch time and the crowd basically yelled at him to not shoot it. Then he gets benched for overtime.

Russ with another rough miss 😅 #Shaqtin pic.twitter.com/ZWZZ5LSbgr

— Shaqtin' a Fool (@shaqtin) February 6, 2022

Surely he's seeing a sports psychologist right??

He’s only 33 wow

It’s been fun to clown on him and all but I’m kinda starting to feel bad for him

33 is pretty old for a super athletic guy who cant shoot

Westbrook's game was always built on going as hard to the rim as humanly possible and being 'unstoppable'. Now he's stoppable.

as brutal as he can look his fg percentages are basically at his career averages. the fts are rough for a guy who used to regularly shoot 80%+

the fg percentages may be similar, but I bet his +/- has fallen hard

He just plays for a team that everyone watches now.

actually was going to mention the percentages being pretty equivalent to his career numbers too. the big difference is in his free throws which is an extension of not being the primary ball handler on a lebron team. he’s just not a guy who can play different roles well. one of the most overrated players ever. fun to watch tho

Ruined the trip dub

cavs going for it!

Cleveland is acquiring Caris LeVert in a trade, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2022

*The Cavs are sending a package to the Pacers that includes Ricky Rubio’s expiring contract, lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2022

i had sort of came down on the side of the cavs really shouldn't trade their first round pick bcuz they're not going to win anything this year & if the low first round pick they trade could've turned into a desmond bane or rudy gobert type player then they will have made a poor swap of resources. that said i don't hate this, it seems like a good fit for them given how bereft they are on the wing and the fact that he's under contract for a few more years

Full trade: Indiana sends Caris LeVert and a 2022 second-round pick via Miami to Cleveland for Ricky Rubio, lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick via Houston and a 2027 second-round pick via Utah, per sources.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2022

it’s funny the cavs ended up with both allen and lavert now out of the harden/nets trade

Levert has been playing better and better this season

i kinda like this for both teams, cavs have plenty of youth and need to upgrade to be more competitive in the eastern conf which is a weird thing to say but here we are. indiana is stockpiling for a rebuild so i'd expect sabonis or turner to be gone soon.

Cavs!!!!!!!!!!

This season, Caris LeVert ranks in the top-10 in points per game on drives per https://t.co/79ljlErUJ2.

As a team, the Cavaliers rank 29th in scoring on drives, ahead of only the Nuggets.

— Matt Williams (@StatsWilliams) February 6, 2022

pacers play the cavs in an hour

Lollll wonder how many times that’s happened in NBA history

i love this, love to see a weird young team go for it

as they should! real chance to make some noise in the offs

east playoffs could be feisty this year

a lot of good whippersnappers vs old heads possibilities all over the place

Lollll wonder how many times that’s happened in NBA history

Speaking of reddish, does thibs just hate him or what

crazy stuff from luka and trae already in this game

was reading a thing in the atheltic the other day speculating that the knicks might try and trade away some vets at the deadline so that thibs is forced to play reddish

luka has played 12 mins in this game and has already thrown like 4 ridiculous behind the back/over his head passes on pick and rolls for wide open threes

smh cuban out on the court arguing w a ref

luka drives, hawks collapse, luka hits a wind open shooter in the corner, easy game

i had sort of came down on the side of the cavs really shouldn't trade their first round pick bcuz they're not going to win anything this year & if the low first round pick they trade could've turned into a desmond bane or rudy gobert type player then they will have made a poor swap of resources. that said i don't hate this, it seems like a good fit for them given how bereft they are on the wing and the fact that he's under contract for a few more years

― J0rdan S., Sunday, February 6, 2022 4:35 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

i think this makes sense as far as the thinking--levert has his limitations but doesn't seem like someone who will rock the boat much and gives them some of the stuff they need. i also think that their ballhandling/creation deficit had gotten bad enough that it could have wrecked a lot of the momentum they had built this year.

they gave up 2 really tasty 2nds though which is the part i have to question.

yeah they gave up a little more than you would like

a 1st for levert is good

luka drives, hawks collapse, luka hits a wind open shooter in the corner, easy game

the sort of ball the mavs were playing today strikes me as playoff ball — pretty small, lots of shooting, ability to D up on the wings a bit, superstar maestro pulling all the right strings. curious how dangerous they can actually become

dont think they ultimately have the talent to hang with the big boys but they could still make some noise

i think this makes sense as far as the thinking--levert has his limitations but doesn't seem like someone who will rock the boat much and gives them some of the stuff they need. i also think that their ballhandling/creation deficit had gotten bad enough that it could have wrecked a lot of the momentum they had built this year.

they gave up 2 really tasty 2nds though which is the part i have to question.

― call all destroyer, Sunday, February 6, 2022 8:29 PM (twenty-seven minutes ago

nate duncan has been making the argument on his podcast w/ hollinger that every move the cavs make should be with the best interests of the team 3-5 years down the line at the top of mind. i'm sure the cavs response would be that levert is young enough that they are getting better now and getting better in the future, and that a late first round pick and a high second are lottery tickets that could wind up giving you zero. but i would agree w/ nate that the possibility of those lottery tickets -- getting a desmond bane or a pascal siakam or a malcolm brogdon -- outweighs the certainty in hand w/ a player of levert's caliber & contract status. but i don't think the cavs are crazy in their reasoning

It’s sad cos Rubio was such a great fit there.

Seems like the biggest development for the mavs is how good brunson has been this season.