2021-22 NBA "REGULAR" SEASON THREAD

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.

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

― lag∞n, Sunday, February 6, 2022 8:59 PM (seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

if luka fulfills the prophecy and becomes the biggest of boys who knows

xp i've been listening and i totally get nate's macro point but i think it misses the real life aspects of this...like if you were working on a team that was delivering really successfully and then you lost two of the best people who do a given job, and management was like it's ok we'll just lean really hard on the 3rd person that does that job because it's better for us to replace those two people next year or the year after......it's just not how things work in reality and that's probably for a reason.

the mavs would need some breaks i think. ultimately jumping from not winning a playoff round to i.e. the finals seems like too big of a leap. the suns did it but they had lots of injury luck along the way, no disrespect.

i don’t think they could beat a fully healthy suns or dubs team, i just think they’re playing a style that makes sense where the roles are defined and the defense seeming to be fixed. ideally the talent level would be upped & ultimately that feels like the step they’ll need to take but they have a clear identity which is a foundation you can lean on

if rubio didn't have the injury i presume this trade never happens?

yeah he was playing great for them and fit well

i don’t know, they’re different players who do much different things. they may have needed to figure out a different way to match the salary but still a possibility they go after a scoring wing

rubio will probably re-sign in cleveland, theyre basically just losing the ability to pay him while he recovers from injury

Spottie at 5:26 6 Feb 22

Speaking of reddish, does thibs just hate him or what

going out of his way to alienate a talented young high draft pick? doesn't sound like the thibs I know

lets do this baby

The Brooklyn Nets are open to a Ben Simmons and Seth Curry package in a James Harden trade, per @BillSimmons

(Via the Bill Simmons Podcast | h/t B/R) pic.twitter.com/mimwpP6YXK

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) February 7, 2022

I'd prefer Danny Green go instead of Curry but I think I would ultimately do that. Curry got killed on D late in games against Atlanta last year.

The New Knicks are emerging as a ‘legitimate trade suitor’ for CJ McCollum, per @TheSteinLine

(Via https://t.co/OV8XTF4RUa) pic.twitter.com/0QUWm2ugFF

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) February 7, 2022

good luck cracking thibs' starting lineup, cj

Murray and Lamelo are the all star fill ins for Dray and Kd

see this is why i never trusted the idea that the knicks actually had found a competent front office. no such thing is possible w/ james dolan as owner

I really like McCollum as a player and as a person, but the Blazers need to move him if they can find a trade that makes any kind of sense.

lol what the hell are the knicks going to do with cj mccollum

if the portland front office actually has a plan apart from dumping salary and going deeper into the tank, it should be obvious by mid-July. if no clear plan emerges, this just looks like the prelude to dame moving on and another rebuild.

can’t wait to see how dirt cheap the market for cj is after waiting five years for things to somehow just work out, feels like some matching salary and a second rounder?

I hope the pellies part with an unprotected first for cj. (/dreaming)

see this is why i never trusted the idea that the knicks actually had found a competent front office. no such thing is possible w/ james dolan as owner

― J0rdan S., Monday, February 7, 2022 5:17 PM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

relatively competent

they’re going to build a 48-win team around rj barrett and vets and furiously congratulate themselves for achieving competence

watching heat vs wiz tonight and bertans didn't get into the game until the heat were up 32 points. forgot he was even on their team. what a predictably horrible contract that turned out to be jeez

Kyrie Irving is only eligible to play in 10 of the Nets’ last 29 games this season because of the NY vaccine mandate.

The Nets are currently the 7-seed. 😶 pic.twitter.com/DzK5MPZnjz

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 7, 2022

trades

Atlanta and New York have joined New Orleans in the bidding for CJ McCollum, sources said. Plus more details on Portland, Indiana, Sacramento, Boston, Milwaukee and others around the league in our latest @BR_NBA trade deadline notebook: https://t.co/DQOSlNUnaV

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 8, 2022

New York remains active in exploring avenues to bolster its roster and compete for the Play-In tournament while clearing room for Cam Reddish in Tom Thibodeau's rotation. 

haha I love this, Thibs rotation is so set in stone that you literally have to wait until someone is traded or retires to get minutes

Why would you trade for him if you're not going to play him? It's just nuts.

sounds like the front office and coaching staff might not be 100% on the same page

interesting to see divincenzo in there wonder if the bucks dont want to pay him

Over the weekend, Boston offered Schröder to Milwaukee for Donte DiVincenzo, which the Bucks countered asking for Grant Williams, sources with knowledge of the discussions told The Athletic. Though sources said the Celtics balked at the offer, the teams continue to explore frameworks that include Williams.

celtics really need to be targeting connaughton tho, bring patty home

they could save money by having him play lucky too, just put the hat on during timeouts get out there with w tshirt cannon

guess this is happening

New Orleans is on verge of adding an accomplished vet and playmaker as the franchise aims to make postseason.

End of an era for the Trail Blazers and their McCollum-Damian Lillard backcourt. Portland worked to acquire assets in McCollum deal and send him to a good situation. https://t.co/or5Ay22rZ3

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 8, 2022