Well Capela just injured himself badly. Threw Mobley to the ground and that somewhat dirty move bit him in the butt as Mobley fell back into his knee. Looked like a bad hyper-extension at the minimum for Capela, something torn at the worst.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/15/damian-l...tToTwitter
Quote:“Everybody is like, ‘He’s going to do this. He’s going to do that,’” Lillard said. “But the game is so watered down, and the game is so fugazi (fake) that people literally won’t believe what you say even if you say it directly to them.”
Though Lillard wants to stay with the Blazers, asked if he would accept a trade, he responded: “If they came to me and they wanted to trade me – I’m not going to fight them on wanting to trade me. I don’t want to be anywhere I’m not wanted. But I don’t think that’s the case.”
Trae Young is an incredibly bad man. Dude is built for the playoffs and thrives off the hate from the crowd. Willing the Hawks to a victory right now.
(04-15-2022, 08:50 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: [ -> ]Trae Young is an incredibly bad man. Dude is built for the playoffs and thrives off the hate from the crowd. Willing the Hawks to a victory right now.
Trae has turned out to be a hell of a player. Luka is better all around, but Trae is great in his own right.
Trae Young was straight fire down the stretch last night. I was rooting for Cleveland just for a reward for a nice season. But as far as interest goes, having Young go against the top seeded Heat is the better story.
Quite a turnaround for the Pelicans. They will probably be quick work for the Suns in round one. I thought a healthy Clippers team would have given the Suns a better series, but man they had a really tough year. Watch out next year though.
The Pelicans may get Zion back next year (if they don't move him) and now have a 1 and 4 chance of a top four pick via the Lakers. Not only teams like the Clippers and Nuggets should be better next year but we also need to watch teams like the Wolves and Pelicans with young a nucleus.
(04-16-2022, 07:24 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: [ -> ]Trae Young was straight fire down the stretch last night. I was rooting for Cleveland just for a reward for a nice season. But as far as interest goes, having Young go against the top seeded Heat is the better story.
Quite a turnaround for the Pelicans. They will probably be quick work for the Suns in round one. I thought a healthy Clippers team would have given the Suns a better series, but man they had a really tough year. Watch out next year though.
The Pelicans may get Zion back next year (if they don't move him) and now have a 1 and 4 chance of a top four pick via the Lakers. Not only teams like the Clippers and Nuggets should be better next year but we also need to watch teams like the Wolves and Pelicans with young a nucleus.
I was watching the Haws game. Trae was horrible for 3 quarters on both sides of the floor. Cleveland kept running/switching at him on offense, and just about every time they could get easy penetration and score. There is no way to hide a player like that on defense against great teams long term. Cleveland was up about 10-15 points most of the game. Only thing that kept Hawks in the game is getting Delon Wright instead of Trae to stop the penetration, which worked and they came back until the 4th quarter mostly due to the bench unit. Yet, Hawks managed to hide Trae in late 3rd and entire 4th quarter to the blind side of the defense, and Cleveland was just not good finding ways to switch to Trae in 4th. Hawks found a way to hide him on defense, and during 4th he had a terrific offensive quarter. Really strange game. Cleveland should have closed the game in 3rd, could have build a large lead.
Cleveland has a lot of potential to build a championship team. The two bigs they have, is the future Allen and Mobley, and Garland as well. They have something to look forward for in the future. The way they play defense, it could translate to a winning franchise. They need more pieces however.
So the Blazers managed to turn 3 first round picks(for Cov and Nance Jr) Gary Trent (for Norm Powell) and CJ McCollum into… Keon Johnson, the ghost of Justice Winslow, Josh Hart, some 2nds and Milwaukee’s 2025 1st?! Are we sure this Cronin character isn’t a saboteur? I know Paul Allen’s sister likely made some $ mandate but is that really the best they could do?
(04-16-2022, 10:53 AM)MarkAguirreWrathofGod Wrote: [ -> ]So the Blazers managed to turn 3 first round picks(for Cov and Nance Jr) Gary Trent (for Norm Powell) and CJ McCollum into… Keon Johnson, the ghost of Justice Winslow, Josh Hart, some 2nds and Milwaukee’s 2025 1st?! Are we sure this Cronin character isn’t a saboteur? I know Paul Allen’s sister likely made some $ mandate but is that really the best they could do?
Seriously the deals looked incredibly light right after they were made and look even worse now that the Pels made the playoffs.
I can't believe the GM felt like pushing all his chips in for this ONE summer was a smart idea. They need at least 2 other stars and a host of role players to be better than they were with CJ and I just don't see it this summer. The loudest rumor was Jerami Grant and if you're thinking you're going to become NBA contenders with Jerami Grant as the number 2 guy the GM has to be institutionalized.
Dame might seriously be traded this summer.
(also welcome to the board!)
Thanks SleepingHero! My best friend lives in Portland so I stay tuned into them. I think Dame is on the move sooner than later. I agree about Jerami Grant; like him well enough as a player but he’s not terribly efficient and his defensive metrics aren’t even all that great (though he seems to pass the eye test in that regard when I focus on him, especially in his Denver days. He’s a great 4th option! I know Dame wanted Kidd as coach before he chose Luka… er, um Dallas. And he has a good relationship with Nico. I just feel like Brunson is younger, healthier and a better defender and gives you 80% of what healthy Dame does at half the cost. It would cost us Din or Brunson and a boatload of picks. I’d guess LA teams, Miami, NY, Boston and GSW might also be in line for his services.
Memphis having problems with the T-Wolves. Antman is 4th youngest rookie with 30 pts or more in his 1st playoff game. KAT has bounced back with 29-11, and Beasley 18 off the bench. Edwards is going to be a multiple all-star.
(04-16-2022, 04:59 PM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: [ -> ]Memphis having problems with the T-Wolves. Antman is 4th youngest rookie with 30 pts or more in his 1st playoff game. KAT has bounced back with 29-11, and Beasley 18 off the bench. Edwards is going to be a multiple all-star.
His body and athleticism reminds me of a smaller and much, much, much more in shape Zion.
Mavs with the closest loss of the day...up 1-0 in the moral victory count
I may be a prisoner of the moment, but Al Horford type would fit in perfect here.
Sure he is overpaid and looked to be close to be past his prime as a good player the last few years, but he really looks good for Boston. He just does a lot of little things while being able to play both PF and C. A player with his smarts and flexibility would just really help...especially one that could be had without giving up a ransom.
So question, are there any other similar players who are past their primes but just need a change of scenery?
The list of quality 3 and D big men are rare...that's why the Mavs still keep relying on Maxi Kleber so much. It's not that he is great or even good but he offers the skillset of defensive versatility and 3-pt range.
Paul Millsap is the only vet I can think of who would be available as a FA but he's had a rough season in a limited role. Not sure how much he has left in the tank. The Mavs need to keep working on finding Kleber's successor via the draft, G-League, etc. Keep throwing darts and hoping one sticks.
I've been on the Horford hype train since they dumped in OKC.
I feel like Maxi is pretty much done as a guy who we want to play 30 good minutes in a big game. His offense just isn't there. I forgot if it was Bob Meyers or Joe Lacob, but one of them said in the playoffs, teams know everything about you. They normally prepare down to what your pre-game routine is. Guys that are one dimensional are exposed and teams hone in on that because it's a massive weakpoint.
We've already seen it with the Jazz sagging off of Green. Maxi was already a one dimensional guy as he literally could only hit a 3. Take that away what else does he bring on offense? Passing? Shot Creation? Any other skills? At least Green can pass. I know Maxi's defense is tremendous, but I'd rather have slightly worse defense and more consistent offense. He's starting to become one of the most frustrating players on the team for me and I'm shocked how far he's fallen off since January.
Marcus Smart has won DPOY. A mild surprise, but he's worthy.
(04-18-2022, 06:19 PM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: [ -> ]What was cool, Gary Payton the last guard to win it in 96, presented him with the award.
Yeah just saw Shams tweet that. Crazy to think about it's been 26 years since then. The mid 2000s DPOY were very weird. Duncan never won one neither did Shawn Marion.