Looks like Clippers got worried and needed their Melli Stopper. They are signing DeMarcus Cousins.
(03-31-2021, 10:56 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: [ -> ]Looks like Clippers got worried and needed their Melli Stopper. They are signing DeMarcus Cousins.
The circus just got circusier, imo. One bad move after another for them.
(03-31-2021, 10:56 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: [ -> ]Looks like Clippers got worried and needed their Melli Stopper. They are signing DeMarcus Cousins.
Or is this more properly the ghost of DMC?
Lakers were reportedly working the phones really hard for Lowry at the last minute but ultimately wouldn't give up Talen Horton Tucker, so wonder if Schroder rejecting the extension had something to do with that.
IMHO, this is hitting crisis level emergency for the NBA. I know we're not ever supposed to say anything negative about "player empowerment", and fans just compulsively following player movement transactions is great for social media and podcast traffic, but perhaps New York and LA markets stockpiling mercenary superstars is actually really, really, really horrible for the future of the league as an on court product? The small and mid market teams are really going to have to stand up for themselves in the next CBA. This league is going to be nothing more than Twitter and Podcast fodder if the other teams in the league are nothing more than feeder systems for the LA and NY markets.
Quote:Quote:For starters, a game between the Lakers and Pelicans on TNT last week averaged a measly 920,000 viewers, down a whopping 35% from a Rockets-Bucks matchup on a comparable night in 2019. That Lakers-Pelicans game was also the least-watched Lakers game on ABC, ESPN or TNT since LeBron James signed on in 2018.
.....
In other recent NBA action, ESPN drew a 0.7 rating (-26%) and 1.15 million viewers (-17%) for Clippers-Mavericks and a 0.6 (-41%) and 931,000 (-37%) for Bucks-Sixers last Wednesday,” Lewis wrote. “TNT the previous night had a 0.6 and 1.03 million for Jazz-Celtics and a 0.6 and 983,000 for Pelicans-Blazers. Preceding the aforementioned Lakers-Warriors game on March 15, ESPN drew a 0.7 (-35%) and 1.13 million (-36%) for Knicks-Nets. Finally, Clippers-Pelicans had a 0.6 (-34%) and 1.01 million (-24%) on ESPN March 14. All comparisons are to 2019.”
Overall, NBA playoff ratings were down 27% last season when compared to 2019, and down 40% compared to the year before that, as OutKick’s Bobby Burack wrote.
The first round of the playoffs were an extension of the declining ratings prior to the NBA hiatus in March.
According to a report from Sports Business Daily in February, national television viewership for regular season games fell 12 percent compared to 2018-19. Again, those were the league’s pre-hiatus numbers.
“The NBA has growing concern. This goes beyond TV ratings,” an industry insider told SI.com last year. “The league does remain a popular brand overseas. But it has hit hard times among sports fans here (in the United States).”
https://www.outkick.com/nba-ratings-cont...-nosedive/
^^ The civil unrest during the summer last year, and the NBA more or less supporting the players has a lot to do with the ratings decline in viewership. BLM turned off a lot of fans, I presume.
(03-31-2021, 04:55 PM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: [ -> ]^^ The civil unrest during the summer last year, and the NBA more or less supporting the players has a lot to do with the ratings decline in viewership. BLM turned off a lot of fans, I presume.
NBA got so "woke" that they drove a lot of longtime fans away. NFL did too, but they're doing better than the NBA.
Hey guys, we have a whole separate board called “Rest of the World” where you can discuss politics as much as you want. Knowing, as we do, how quickly these topics can spiral out of control, let’s go ahead and nip this in the bud here.
(03-31-2021, 03:37 PM)HanspardShowerVoice Wrote: [ -> ]....but perhaps New York and LA markets stockpiling mercenary superstars is actually really, really, really horrible for the future of the league as an on court product?
It just turns a hopeless situation for fans into...what is worse than hopeless? Also, if I'm a team in the 7-10 spot right now, maybe I think about tanking the rest of the season for draft position which again has a negative impact on the fans.
The modern NBA Athlete is just built different than those in the past. With how early scouting works these days and AAU ball, everyone seems to know each other and are at the very least friendly, which makes it hard to rivals anymore. And I can completely understand wanting to work with your friends (it's what I did when I started my company) but I'm not in a field that is a spectator sport.
And with the modern NBA Athlete being so much more skilled on average, came a new era of basketball which is honestly not a lot of fun to watch especially if you aren't invested in a team or a more casual viewer Watching GSW throw up threes was fun because you had two-to-three of the best shooters to ever lace them up playing in that offense. It's less fun to watch when a team that wins 15 games a year utilizes the same tactics.
I'm not sure how you stop superstar teams and if you have those, talent in the buyout market is always going to gravitate to the chance at a ring to close out a career or rehab a career to help bolster their next potential contract. Maybe you could have a rule that only allows one buyout waiver claim every so many years.
To prevent super teams, maybe you allow one player to take up half of the salary cap and no other player on the team can make more than 50% of that contract number. So for the Mavs and using fictional numbers:
-20XX CAP is 120M
-Luka is 60M
-KP is 30M at most.
*shrug*
(03-31-2021, 02:11 PM)HanspardShowerVoice Wrote: [ -> ]Lakers were reportedly working the phones really hard for Lowry at the last minute but ultimately wouldn't give up Talen Horton Tucker, so wonder if Schroder rejecting the extension had something to do with that.
Look at what JR Smith and Tristan Thompson got paid.
Lakers have no way to replace Schroeder. His agent has them over a barrel.
(03-31-2021, 04:55 PM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: [ -> ]^^ The civil unrest during the summer last year, and the NBA more or less supporting the players has a lot to do with the ratings decline in viewership. BLM turned off a lot of fans, I presume.
No chance.
The type of people that would be turned off by BLM protests already dont watch the NBA.
(03-31-2021, 06:15 PM)cow Wrote: [ -> ]It just turns a hopeless situation for fans into...what is worse than hopeless? Also, if I'm a team in the 7-10 spot right now, maybe I think about tanking the rest of the season for draft position which again has a negative impact on the fans.
The modern NBA Athlete is just built different than those in the past. With how early scouting works these days and AAU ball, everyone seems to know each other and are at the very least friendly, which makes it hard to rivals anymore. And I can completely understand wanting to work with your friends (it's what I did when I started my company) but I'm not in a field that is a spectator sport.
And with the modern NBA Athlete being so much more skilled on average, came a new era of basketball which is honestly not a lot of fun to watch especially if you aren't invested in a team or a more casual viewer Watching GSW throw up threes was fun because you had two-to-three of the best shooters to ever lace them up playing in that offense. It's less fun to watch when a team that wins 15 games a year utilizes the same tactics.
I'm not sure how you stop superstar teams and if you have those, talent in the buyout market is always going to gravitate to the chance at a ring to close out a career or rehab a career to help bolster their next potential contract. Maybe you could have a rule that only allows one buyout waiver claim every so many years.
To prevent super teams, maybe you allow one player to take up half of the salary cap and no other player on the team can make more than 50% of that contract number. So for the Mavs and using fictional numbers:
-20XX CAP is 120M
-Luka is 60M
-KP is 30M at most.
*shrug*
I agree with a lot of what you point out here. I think sometimes the science of the analytics eclipses the art. This has happened to baseball, where the most efficient way to win baseball games (lots of pitching changes, large defensive shifts, very little tactical baserunning) is also a very unappealing entertaining product at an aethetic level. Like are we ever going to see a signature move around a mid range 2 point shot like Dirk's 1 legged fall away or Hakeem's Dream Shake, or are the modern versions of young Dirk and Hakeem going to be coached out of developing those moves to just focus on 3 point shooting and rim diving?
I think as far as keeping players from just creating mercenary super star teams in the NY/LA markets the league is just going to have to change up the incentive structures and allow small market teams to overpay to retain their homegrown talent without it being punitive on the cap. Like if you are Minnesota and you draft and develop Andrew Wiggins and have to offer him a max extension at the first available moment to make him happy and keep him in the franchise it shouldn't just absolutely kill you against the cap if he never reaches the next level. Small market teams now have no path other than to try to load up on multiple high draft picks and try to "grow their own food", but a lot of times these home grown talents are punitive from a salary cap standpoint by the time they get to their 2nd or 3rd contracts.
Drummond lost a big toenail tonight. Ouch.
(03-31-2021, 03:37 PM)HanspardShowerVoice Wrote: [ -> ] This league is going to be nothing more than Twitter and Podcast fodder if the other teams in the league are nothing more than feeder systems for the LA and NY markets.
Strongly agree. However the NBA tends to promote their "star" teams more, which obviously even works on players looking for a home. Even the merch commercials during the game either start or end with LA or NY teams. As a result, there is as much (more?) interest in the "star" teams as there is in your local regional team.
After three quarters. James Johnson with 15/2/2, 2blks. 3/4 from 3. In his first game for the Pelicans.
(04-01-2021, 08:45 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: [ -> ]After three quarters. James Johnson with 15/2/2, 2blks. 3/4 from 3. In his first game for the Pelicans.
And a starter's worst.....-8.
Typical JJ fool's gold.
League really needs to fix the buyout market. Griffin and Aldridge looked ready to retire just a few month (in Aldridges case weeks) ago. Look like legit starters for the Nets. Turns out that they just played with zero effort. Easier to get a buyout if you look like one of the worst players in the league.
Griffin averages 9/4/2 in 19 minutes. 66% FG, 55% from 3.
Aldridge dropped 11/9/6 2stls, 1blk in his first game for the Nets. Started and played 30 minutes.
All of a sudden Griffin can dunk again and Aldridge rebounds + protects the rim. I guess it is a easter miracle...
(04-01-2021, 08:57 PM)Kammrath Wrote: [ -> ]And a starter's worst.....-8.
Typical JJ fool's gold.
Single game +/-
.
Watching the game. He is the 1st or 2nd option on offense. Zion and Ingram are both out. Not really his fault that the entire team is just throwing the ball away (21tov, Johnson has 1). Biggest takeway. Really happy that Iwundu is gone. Turnover waiting to happen whenever he puts the ball on the floor.
Also won´t miss Johnson. Just a bad fit in Dallas (to be honest on most teams). I think his skill set would be really valuable for a team like the Warriors. Basically a way worse version of Draymond of the bench.