2022/23 NBA REGULAR SEASON THREAD "TANKING FOR WEMBANYAMA"

every ring is a career pinnacle. i have no doubt that of all that lebron has accomplished, he'll cherish the championship he won in Cleveland the most. he won over the team that had the most regular season wins ever and featured the 'death lineup', while his team had much less talent. The near-miraculous aspect of that championship kind of puts any other ring lebron won before or might win now in a lesser light. any theoretical 'next ring' would be a highlight, but not the highlight of his career.

otoh, the career scoring achievement is a better measure of how his whole career stacks up against that of every other NBA player who ever got minutes in a game and it puts his career at the very top of that list.

they each measure different things, but putting the unique honor of the scoring record next to yet another ring, I think the record would mean more to him as the more enduring accomplishment. but I can't prove that. I'm just typing on the internet.

this is silly it’s apples and oranges, career vs one season, things of that nature

hard to compare the two because titles are a team accomplishment and so much is out of your hands - if Ray Allen doesn't hit that 3 then he probably has one less, whereas if KD hadn't joined the Warriors maybe he'd have 2 more? who knows! scoring title on the other hand makes him 1 out of 1, imo it's as good an argument in favor of him being the GOAT as Jordan's 6 titles. we'll probably see another player hit 6 but idk if the scoring record will be broken in our lifetimes. you have to average 30 points a game for 20 years and not miss any significant time, I just don't think you'll ever see that again

1 scoring title + 4 rings > 5 rings

math

its just more prestigious

records can be broken, rings are forged for all time

friendships even longer

someone has not internalized the lessons of Frodo Baggins and friends, it seems

btw not really getting the AD mvp talk. he's played 37 of the lakers 61 games, currently doesn't qualify for the stat leader boards because of lack of games played, and his team is 12th in the west (and presumably likely to stay there or fall with lebron out awhile). these are not exactly traditional mvp metrics! he'd be lucky to make an all-nba team

bro

BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets are planning on shutting down Ben Simmons for the remainder of the season, per sources.

Nets brass are disappointed with Simmons & looking into ways to offload his contract this summer pic.twitter.com/BGjA8uJRV7

— JACK SETTLEMAN (@jacksettleman) February 28, 2023

turning his on/off switch to “off”

he cant get minutes on a team that just traded away their two best players, hes done

two more years at $39m per a completely untradable contact

can they even buy him out? that would be crazy but

theyd still have to pay him, guess their could waive and stretch him if that makes more sense

does seem like they might end up paying him to go away, just bizarre, what a flame out

money wise it's insane but at a certain point he's taking up a roster spot that could go to a decent bench player or something

he was very bad vibes too people dont like him

he should get bought out and then sing with the nuggets for the vet min

the nuggets already have a center

wonder if he would even stay in the league doesnt seem like he likes it

the nuggets already have a center

― Clay, Tuesday, February 28, 2023 8:30 PM (four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

ok but a min contract backup….

i'm not really sure why you keep trying to get ben simmons on your team!

No matter how weird and fat Harden is, he's not Simmons.

I feel like the next steps are Simmons missing the rest of the playoffs, posting gym workout videos all summer, announcing a week before the start of next season that he's not ready, and then being fined by the Nets for missing games.

― we only steal from the greatest books (PBKR), Wednesday, April 20, 2022 3:13 PM (six days ago) bookmarkflaglink

― we only steal from the greatest books (PBKR), Tuesday, April 26, 2022 2:05 PM (ten months ago) bookmarkflaglink

Preferred outcome is still:

Omg it would be amazing if a disgruntled Simmons is left alone on the Nets.

― Am I doomposting? I would say you’re not doomposting enough. (PBKR), Monday, June 27, 2022 7:18 AM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

― Am I doomposting? I would say you’re not doomposting enough. (PBKR), Thursday, June 30, 2022 5:05 PM (eight months ago) bookmarkflaglink

An insane fall from grace

Very charitable use of the word grace there. Although back when he could get out of his own head and actually play ball I will concede there was grace to his game. Alas

the lakers are not making the playoffs

ja flexin on lebron-less lakers. welp.

Luka-Kyrie duo is now 1-4

shaedon vs kuminga choose your fighter dunker

An old school third quarter from the Warriors: 39-17. They’ve come from 23 down. Up five entering the fourth. Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole both had 12 in the quarter. Jonathan Kuminga had this dunk. pic.twitter.com/jSdrAj0RHv

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 1, 2023

SHAEDON SHARPE WITH THE ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE JAM pic.twitter.com/rErfycSnXf

— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) March 1, 2023

aww the drew eubanks bench mob reactions, i miss those

there’s been some really good games on TV since the asb

full strength clippers attempting to lose to the wolves

some really horrible westbrook plays down the stretch here. why are the clippers subjecting themselves to this i truly don’t understand

legit feels like point shaving that lue is playing westbrook in crunch time

ant says in his postgame interview that passing to his teammates is "actually fun" :)

warriors in 5th lol

Jason Kidd may not be a good coach.

Shocking development

jesus seriously

The Rockets are widely expected to pursue 76ers guard James Harden this offseason, sources tell @TheAthletic — assuming he declines his player option.

Inside a bond that refuses to dissipate, a tale of two cities and the allure of unfinished business. https://t.co/TzBvcQyqzc

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) March 1, 2023

this isnt what happened wtf he mad a total nuisance of himself there were many stories about it

But in spite of everything that transpired, this was a situation unlike any breakup in NBA history involving a star player and a franchise. There was no bad blood between the two parties, just a collective feeling of disappointment. Instead of having it turn into an arduous, drawn-out saga that absorbed most of the season, Harden’s exit was a streamlined process from start to finish. The former MVP had made it clear he wanted to be traded during the preseason and Houston’s braintrust obliged, keeping him abreast of developments on that front.

yeah and he started playing noticeably harder as soon as he put on the brooklyn uniform

he even admitted it afterwards lol

tbf this is the previous graph but they just dont make sense together

There was his choice to party in multiple cities — and do so publicly, no less — during a global health scare. He reported late and out of shape for training camp. There were tension-filled practices, clashes with coaches and teammates. The widespread belief was Harden’s moves were intentional power plays, boss moves made as a way of holding the organization hostage and facilitating the exit strategy of his choosing.

very weird article doesnt feel legit

everyone involved is delusional

this section about him being a great vet presence is wild

From a locker room perspective, potentially inserting Harden during a pivotal offseason could have positive long-lasting effects. Sources close to Harden highlight 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey as an example of the veteran’s mentorship and leadership, taking the young talent under his wing and retooling his mindset, propelling a third season worthy of Sixth Man of the Year honors. It’s also no coincidence Embiid’s best seasons have coincided with Harden’s arrival in Philadelphia. His presence has meant everything, even if it’s gone surprisingly under the radar.

This isn’t the same Harden that for years operated in a heliocentric system both mentally and schematically. Somewhere along the lines, whether it was him realizing the wear and tear of averaging or flirting with 30 points a night, the rising talent of players around the league or a juxtaposition of the two, Harden’s mentality shifted. One source with ties to his Rockets days described him as “incredibly driven.” He’s now in his Chris Paul/Phoenix Suns era, a highly talented player willing to defer to fit in more and amplify others as opposed to making everyone fit around him.

“He’s one of the best point guards in the league right now,” one source said. “Without a doubt. That’s a big step towards winning.”

Players like Green and Jabari Smith Jr. — another player Harden is fond of — would benefit greatly from his tutelage, although they’re some tiers below Devin Booker and Miles Bridges. The former would require a significant jump from his second to third season akin to Booker, but Harden would undoubtedly improve Green’s efficiency, making him a more lethal off-ball weapon while still giving room for him to spread his own wings with the ball in his hands.

i think he just wants to go back to playing the weird ass hardenball from his original rockets tenure

if i had to guess based on this article thats clearly sourced from hardens camp id say that hes trying to get philly to max him out, but he might be open to going back to houston who knows, the thing that really makes no sense is houston wanting him back, they would have to be insane and maybe they are