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

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

the really funny thing would be if houston was colluding with harden to get philly to max him out in order to get revenge on morey a guy they are known to be mad at

can't decide if harden taking credit for maxey's development or being "fond of" jabari smith jr (????) is the funniest part of this article

the whole thesis is weak but yeah it really struggles under the weight of the james harden great mentor theory

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

― lag∞n, Wednesday, March 1, 2023 12:01 PM (twenty-one minutes ago)

i think the leverage angle certainly has to be part of it. but if harden turns out to be a guy who prioritizes lifestyle over ring chasing i wouldn't be shocked.

also i feel like the unstated part of all this that would never come up in an article so obviously sourced from harden's circle is that he left a franchise that catered to his every whim including stuff like him flying to vegas to party in between games while the rest of the team goes to the next city. he went to a franchise where several other players were prioritized over him & pouted his way out of there and is now in a situation where he's the second fiddle who will likely shoulder all of the blame if/when they lose in the playoffs. if he was daydreaming longingly of being back in a situation where his actions have little to no consequence, i wouldn't be surprised. nor would i necessarily blame him!

from the rockets POV i think they really are just insane. there's been enough public discussion from credible reporters that -- between owing picks out to OKC and having three straight seasons (including this one) of winning 20 games or less -- they want to push for respectability asap that i believe they'll make a run for harden.

it really has the feeling of a chaotic relationship between two ppl where they break up and all their friends are like "finally" and then they start to hang out again and everyone is like "oh my god no" and can just see the inevitable reconciliation in the distance

lmao yeah im willing to accept the idea that were just dealing with crazy people here theres certainly evidence to support it, but the article does make a big point about philly being able to offer more money and that the money is very important to harden, and its safe to assume thats coming straight from the horses mouth, so i do think thats what this is all about, but! if philly is unwilling to offer him the full max could he end up back in houston, yeah it does seem possible, god help them

morey on the verge of totally destroying another team with huge all in moves makes you think

philly out in the second round again, harden goes to houston, embiid demands trade

of course thats only the worse case scenario, just losing harden would be bad, as would resigning him

philly out in the second round again, harden goes to houston, embiid demands trade

― lag∞n, Wednesday, March 1, 2023 12:52 PM (twenty-six minutes ago)

zach lowe was talking openly about this on a podcast just last week. "if you don't think other teams in the league are eyeing this exact situation you're crazy" etc but i personally find it hard to believe embiid would pull the trade lever that quickly. he still has 4 years left on his deal... i can't imagine him being in philly for anything fewer than two seasons after this one.

i do think it's feasible that harden would walk away from more money from philly if things go poorly in the playoffs and he gets blamed for them losing. he's made enough money that he doesn't have to sign up for a toxic relationship w/ the most loony fanbase in the NBA just for an extra $50 million or whatever the difference would be between the max offers from each team. but maybe he would just take the money. i guess we'll see

the situation where philly fans and james harden are in lovey dovey mode after the conclusion of the playoffs seems least likely to me...

Anthony Davis out tonight, guess the Lake Show has given up

embiid straight up for mitch rob, who says no?

mitch rob

the situation where philly fans and james harden are in lovey dovey mode after the conclusion of the playoffs seems least likely to me...

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, March 1, 2023 1:25 PM (nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

idk think he would have to play noticeably bad, obvs a very real possibility, for them to really turn on him

shd be noted to that his new more deferential style of play makes a classic harden playoff flameout less likely

of course him reverting to old habits in playoff crunch time would be the most beautiful thing

and embiid lives another year someone how avoiding the choker tag

shd be noted to that his new more deferential style of play makes a classic harden playoff flameout less likely

― lag∞n, Wednesday, March 1, 2023 1:38 PM (one minute ago)

less!? he took one shot in the second half of their final game last season and was like "yeah idk the ball just didn't get passed to me not sure what i was supposed to do"

do people here think he's a choker? when I see Philly in the playoffs he's usually one of the only ones having a decent game, or he's too injured to really play. I think you could win a title with him as a main guy, Harden maybe not

hes had a lot of bad fourth quarters in the offs

less!? he took one shot in the second half of their final game last season and was like "yeah idk the ball just didn't get passed to me not sure what i was supposed to do"

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, March 1, 2023 1:42 PM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

tbf the classic harden flameout involves missing a ton of threes, tho maybe just not taking any is his new style

behind a paywall but doesn't sound good

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/03/01/ja-morant-punch-teen-laser/

one of the great nba what-ifs: if kawhi's shot rimmed out

yeah but it was still only the second round

behind a paywall but doesn't sound good

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/03/01/ja-morant-punch-teen-laser/

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, March 1, 2023 2:13 PM (six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

de paywalled https://archive.ph/k4dWe

one of the great nba what-ifs: if kawhi's shot rimmed out

― avatár the way of watár (voodoo chili), Wednesday, March 1, 2023 2:16 PM (six minutes ago)

the answer to this "what if" is actually not that interesting or illuminating: they would have played overtime

why is ja like this

do people here think he's a choker? when I see Philly in the playoffs he's usually one of the only ones having a decent game, or he's too injured to really play. I think you could win a title with him as a main guy, Harden maybe not

― frogbs, Wednesday, March 1, 2023 1:42 PM (forty-two minutes ago)

i don't think embiid is a choker... he's never "choked" in the way we use that phrase. but he has escaped criticism for the entirety of his career despite being an undisputed top 5 player in the league who has never played in a conference finals.

personally i think you can win one 7 game series against any team in the NBA w/ embiid as your best player. but can you win four straight 7 game series w/ him as your best player? that is what i'm skeptical of

one of the great nba what-ifs: if kawhi's shot rimmed out

― avatár the way of watár (voodoo chili), Wednesday, March 1, 2023 1:16 PM (sixteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Giannis 2x NBA MVP

sorry I meant NBA Finals MVP

ja seems to make really dumb decisions