(09-25-2025, 12:34 PM)RoyTarpleysGhost Wrote: ESPN has it's player rankings out for this upcoming season.  This is a predictive ranking of next season and not necessarily a past resume ranking.

1. Jokic
2. SGA
3. Luka
4. Giannis
5. Wemby
6. Anthony Edwards
7. Steph
8. Lebron
9. Durant
10. Brunson
11. Jalen Williams
12. Cade Cunningham
13. Evan Mobley
14. Anthony Davis
15. Donovan Mitchell
16. Devin Booker

(09-25-2025, 05:51 PM)Knutsen Wrote: Lakers should win with 2 top 8 players… I don’t see LeBron that high.

(09-25-2025, 06:08 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I think both LeBron and Luka are ranked appropriately...when they're at their best. In my opinion, the problem with both players, albeit for different reasons, is that they're not at their best as consistently as some of the other players on that list.

(10-03-2025, 02:28 PM)michaeltex Wrote: Luka is scheduled out the first two pre-season games as a caution following his busy summer playing with the Slovenian national team. Last game was September 10th.  A little over 3 weeks ago. The NBA schedule is 3-5 games a week for 6 months. Plus playoff games.

I get that LA doesn't want to expose him to wear and tear from meaningless games, but he's supposedly in the best shape ever, so I was wondering how much recovery does a world class athlete really need.

(10-04-2025, 09:33 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: Well this is terrifying


https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/uocpumnap1

(10-07-2025, 08:51 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: I have trouble thinking the Knicks have the assets to get Giannis.   The lack draft assets.  They have good players but I am not sure any would be very attractive to me as a centerpiece of a Giannis trade.

(10-07-2025, 10:15 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: ...they might come out of said deal with an Eastern Conference playoff team, and if it's true that he'd want to go only there, I think they'd kind of have to make it work.

(10-07-2025, 10:59 AM)F Gump Wrote: I think being an EC playoff team (but clearly nowhere close to a contender) is not something they would see as a desirable path. 

" if it's true that he'd want to go only there, I think they'd kind of have to make it work" -- I don't see this at all. If he truly demanded a trade, I think it would be like the KD situations (going to PHX, then to HOU) where there are several suitors that emerge who have the suitable type of package to offer, and GA preference comes into play only after the non-desirables (from MIL's pov) get weeded out.

But overall, I think GA is not that likely to be traded. He wants better players around him - but they all do - but I think the idea of him pushing his way out has always been more fantasy-fueled speculation than substance. He wants to win in MIL, first and foremost. 

I do think MIL is being selective with its spending this year (when the FA crop sucked) with a goal of landing someone good as a FA next summer (they should have a good chunk of cap room), and are doing so not merely to satisfy GA but also because that's the next step in them getting much better (assuming GA remains a part of the mix). GA plus a few good players is a formula for a strong EC team who is a serious threat to get to the Finals. They added Turner this year. Next year, they have opportunity for a free agent PLUS a room-MLE free agent plus a FRP. Adding that onto GA + MT should be enough - if they land the right players - to fuel another multi-year window of opportunity for them.

(10-07-2025, 11:04 AM)omahen Wrote: I don't think Milwaukee has any cap space next season. Unless of course they trade some of the existing players for expiring deals. 

(10-07-2025, 10:15 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: Sure, they lack draft capital, but they definitely have tons of good players on a variety of contract sizes, including several on the high side. Milwaukee wouldn't be able to "blow it up" by trading Giannis to NY, but they might come out of said deal with an Eastern Conference playoff team, and if it's true that he'd want to go only there, I think they'd kind of have to make it work.

• Billups said he usually stuck with a nine-man regular rotation in previous seasons, but this year that will go up to 10 or 11 players: “This will be a little different for me, how we’re going to play this year. Because I’ll play more guys this year based on how we want to play.”
  

(10-08-2025, 08:19 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: This offseason we saw teams beef up on size in the front court by looking to have two playable centers.   Sometimes they play together.    I still think it is a skill based game so going big is not always going to work, but it is a clear focus around the league.  I thought that was going to be one of the changes moving forward.

I was thinking another one could be playing rotations.    Looking at the good west teams, most of the teams are very deep.   Injuries will cover some of this, but I wonder if teams will look to have bigger rotations with their teams this year.   Otherwise there are going to be several really good players catching cobwebs on the bench.   Here is a quote from Chauncey Billups recently:

• Billups said he usually stuck with a nine-man regular rotation in previous seasons, but this year that will go up to 10 or 11 players: “This will be a little different for me, how we’re going to play this year. Because I’ll play more guys this year based on how we want to play.”
  

I wonder if other teams are thinking the same?