AROUND the NBA:

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I've been envious of what Houston has been building for a few seasons now.  They are ripe with young talent. Thompson, Sengun, Green all 22 years old. Jabari Smith 21. Then they have 20 yr old Whitmore and 20 yr old Reed Sheppard that barely get minutes.

Their problem is the lack of veteran talent. They have a team option on VanVleet and i wonder what they do with that. Beyond him they have Adams as a free agent. Dillon Brooks is just a distraction at this point.

I wonder if they consolidate a few of their young players and go after a star. Like you said, they have to build around Amen Thompson and Sengun.  

You know who would look good next to Sengun and Thompson? Anthony Davis.

If the Mavs ever wanted to blow it up and start over, that would be the chance.  I'd take Green and Whitmore and a few picks!

At his presser, Udoka said they intend to bring VanVleet back, and FVV said he wants to come back. I assume they'll do just that. He was the only Rocket that could score consistently, especially from the 3-point line, before the Dubs neutralized him in game 7

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6334034...ed_article


The Warriors validated Jimmy Butler's trade with a series win over the Rockets.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://bsky.app/profile/ejelite1.bsky.s...gyemq6w22h

Hunter and Mobley are questionable for game 2 vs the Pacers.

[david75090]

You know who would look good next to Sengun and Thompson? Anthony Davis.

If the Mavs ever wanted to blow it up and start over, that would be the chance.  I'd take Green and Whitmore and a few picks!

AD would look good in Street-Clothes, sitting behind the Rockets' bench.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Boston missed 45 3's in a 108-105 loss to the Knicks. They shot 15 for 60. That's a NBA record for missed 3's in the playoffs. Crazy numbers.

[SwisherPrice]

OKC choked! Not enough experience vs. a very dangerous Nuggets team. They're in trouble in this series

[KillerLeft]

OKC choked! Not enough experience vs. a very dangerous Nuggets team. They're in trouble in this series

Tons of game 1 upsets this round.

[F Gump]

I didn't think DEN would make it out of the 1st round, and when they did, I thought they'd get swept in round 2. Have I learned my lesson? Nope - now I'm betting OKC wins big in g 2.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

OKC choked! Not enough experience vs. a very dangerous Nuggets team. They're in trouble in this series

Hyperbole much? It's the 1st game for crying out loud.

[FireNicoHarrison]

It's just G1 obviously... But when you have a Nikola or a Luka everything is possible.

Fat guys win PO games. Ripped guys watch PO games. In street clothes.

[Chicagojk]

Wow, thrilling games. I didn't get a chance to watch either. I imagine both Boston and OKC win those series but always good to see road teams in Knicks, Denver and Indy all win game ones on the road. Should set up for some entertaining series. Lets see how the GS vs Minny game 1 goes tonight.

Will losing Jalen ever stop hurting. In some ways, this hurt me more than Luka. Although, to be honest I still think I am in the denial stage at times with the Luka trade.

Jokic with a cool 40/20 game and in reading it doesn't even appear he was great in the game. When you have a star like that putting up those numbers in not a great game it can hide a lot of warts.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Wow, thrilling games.    I didn't get a chance to watch either.  I imagine both Boston and OKC win those series but always good to see road teams in Knicks, Denver and Indy all win game ones on the road.  Should set up for some entertaining series.  Lets see how the GS vs Minny game 1 goes tonight.

Will losing Jalen ever stop hurting.  In some ways, this hurt me more than Luka.  Although, to be honest I still think I am in the denial stage at times with the Luka trade. 

Jokic with a cool 40/20 game and in reading it doesn't even appear he was great in the game.    When you have a star like that putting up those numbers in not a great game it can hide a lot of warts.

I think Joker is getting timely help from Westbrook, Braun, and Aaron Gordon, who is a very underrated PF, in my opinion. He may be Denver's 2nd best player currently.  It also appears to me that Michael Malone was part of the problem with Denver's lethargic play the last few weeks of the season before he was fired. They reported in the game; there was a lot of friction in the locker room before his dismissal. They've played with much more energy and purpose under interim coach David Adelman. I also think Brunson's loss was just as important as Luka's, even though Luka is perceived to be the bigger talent. Brunson is carving out his own legacy with his clutch play in NY. He's truly one of the best players currently in the NBA.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Wow, thrilling games.    I didn't get a chance to watch either.  I imagine both Boston and OKC win those series but always good to see road teams in Knicks, Denver and Indy all win game ones on the road.  Should set up for some entertaining series.  Lets see how the GS vs Minny game 1 goes tonight.

Will losing Jalen ever stop hurting.  In some ways, this hurt me more than Luka.  Although, to be honest I still think I am in the denial stage at times with the Luka trade. 

Jokic with a cool 40/20 game and in reading it doesn't even appear he was great in the game.    When you have a star like that putting up those numbers in not a great game it can hide a lot of warts.

I think the Joker made the MVP vote that much harder after last night, even though it's a regular-season award.  He is an outstanding player.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/hoopshype/status/1919735237606515110


Joker with one of the best non-Wilt stat lines in NBA playoff history

[Chicagojk]

I think Joker is getting timely help from Westbrook, Braun, and Aaron Gordon, who is a very underrated PF, in my opinion. He may be Denver's 2nd best player currently.  It also appears to me that Michael Malone was part of the problem with Denver's lethargic play the last few weeks of the season before he was fired. They reported in the game; there was a lot of friction in the locker room before his dismissal. They've played with much more energy and purpose under interim coach David Adelman. I also think Brunson's loss was just as important as Luka's, even though Luka is perceived to be the bigger talent. Brunson is carving out his own legacy with his clutch play in NY. He's truly one of the best players currently in the NBA.

I had hoped PJ would develop in a similar fashion that Gordon has playing off a star.   Gordon was traded for Garry Harris, RJ Hampton and now a late first round pick.   Unfortunately with the moves Nico have made that first he traded for PJ may very well be a good pick.   PJ also has some consitency issues and may be playing out of position. Still a good to really good player...depending when you catch him.  Although his last game was rough.   With a contract coming up, next year will be big for him.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

I think the Joker made the MVP vote that much harder after last night, even though it's a regular-season award.  He is an outstanding player.

I think they vote on it before the playoffs so people aren’t influenced by playoff results. 

Jokic lost an MVP to Embiid he deserved. Might lose another one to Shaun.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I think they vote on it before the playoffs so people aren’t influenced by playoff results. 

Jokic lost an MVP to Embiid he deserved. Might lose another one to Shaun.

Yeah, I had said it's a regular season award so, I believe SGA will win it just because of recency bias against the Joker. Even though he deserves it, because this year he became the 1st center ever, to average a triple-double for a season.

[KillerLeft]

Jokic should have like 5 MVP's, tbh, and in the humble opinion of this anonymous internet opiner he's starting to build a case for top 5 of all time, a list on which I predict he might finish as high as 2nd when the dust has cleared.

[F Gump]

Jokic should have like 5 MVP's, tbh, and in the humble opinion of this anonymous internet opiner he's starting to build a case for top 5 of all time, a list on which I predict he might finish as high as 2nd when the dust has cleared.

IMO no way and not even close. (At least not now.)

As I noted in a diff thread, titles matter more than almost anything, especially in the subjective NBA pantheon rankings, and Jokic only has one, and no other NBA Finals appearances. Based on that, I believe he's actually gotten more MVP wins than a player with that results record actually deserves -- the name of the game is winning. Until (unless) he wins more titles, I think his ceiling will be limited.

Of course, he likely has quite a few more years to change the numbers of Finals appearances.

PS- I don't think I'm alone in that sort of mindset, that sees titles as an indicator of relative greatness and linked to MVPs and a player's standing in the NBA pantheon.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Cleveland is down 0-2 after a unreal 20 pt comeback by the Pacers who won on a Haliburton 3 late, 120-119 inspite of Donovan Mitchell's 48 pts... Hell of a game. Cleveland is in trouble with Mobley, Hunter, and Garland out. They don't play until Friday, they need them back. Who said Haliburton is overrated?