AROUND the NBA: Lakers Fire Darvin Ham

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Awesome self alley oop by Embiid…and of course hurt on the play.  That series might have just ended.

Why in the hell would he do that, just coming back off injury? Awesome play, but not very smart.

[Chicagojk]

I can’t believe Stephen A makes millions of dollars a year. I do my best to ignore gas bags any time I can. I am pretty good with it to.

But hearing him on a national tv halftime show with an injured arm it hooting and hollering about the Knicks is pretty sickening.

Luckily the only time I see him is during these short halftime clips when I am actually watching.

[Chicagojk]

Internal player evaluation is so important. Knicks knew they had players blocking McBride so made a move to free up playing time for him and the 23 year old has stepped up big time

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Internal player evaluation is so important.  Knicks knew they had players blocking McBride so made a move to free up playing time for him and the 23 year old has stepped up big time

Yes. He moved into Quickley's spot seamlessly.

[MaxiThreeba]

Why in the hell would he do that, just coming back off injury? Awesome play, but not very smart.

Imagine he was thinking the same thing as he was coming down!  Didn’t expect to see him back out there.  

Butler came back the other night too and then was done.  Hopefully Embiid is really okay.

[Chicagojk]

Crazy how they said Embid has only 18 dunk all season. Would never have guessed that. Amazing.

Funny we spent a lot of the summer taking about guys like Jones jr and Oubre. Both of these guys produced much better than guys who signed huge dollar multi year contracts.

I really hope Embid can stay healthy, this series has a chance to be great with the fanbases rising the temp even more.

[Knutsen]

Crazy how they said Embid has only 18 dunk all season.  Would never have guessed that.  Amazing.

Funny we spent a lot of the summer taking about guys like Jones jr and Oubre.  Both of these guys produced much better than guys who signed huge dollar multi year contracts.

I really hope Embid can stay healthy, this series has a chance to be great with the fanbases rising the temp even more.

I do like Oubre. Didn’t think he‘d be this capable on the defensive end on a good team - basically the same like with PJ Washington.

[dirkfansince1998]

Knicks outhustled the 76ers. 76ers had to make it through the play-in tournament but it's not a good look when a team isn't bringing the necessary hustle and energy in the first game of a playoff series.

[dirkfansince1998]

Lakers gamble is working. Nuggets are missing wide open 3s and aren't getting beat in transition after long rebounds.

[Chicagojk]

My Josh Hart loves goes back years. He would have been a priority trade target going back years. Love most of those Jay Wright Villanova guys.

Probably not fair to judge Embid who is battling and not a 100 % but they went down to him 3-4 times late and he didn’t deliver.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

My Josh Hart loves goes back years.  He would have been a priority trade target going back years.  Love most of those Jay Wright Villanova guys.

Probably not fair to judge Embid who is battling and not a 100 % but they went down to him 3-4 times late and he didn’t deliver.

Because he settled taking 3's instead of working the post. He's not in game shape it's obviously clear.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Lakers put up a fight early, leading most of the game until Denver got the offense going, and turned the screws up on D. Davis and LBJ got their's, but they shut down Reeves, Russell and the rest of the roster. 8 straight wins over the Lakers. That's why Denver will be hard to beat.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

My Josh Hart loves goes back years.  He would have been a priority trade target going back years.  Love most of those Jay Wright Villanova guys.

Probably not fair to judge Embid who is battling and not a 100 % but they went down to him 3-4 times late and he didn’t deliver.

I didn't see the big deal about Hart in LAL and NOP.  Damn, was I wrong.  Could you imagine grooming him to be a SG next to Luka?  They'd break every backcourt rebounding record by 5X.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

Russel reminds me of JET. One game he looks all nba. Next game he shouldn't be starting. You truly never know what you're going to get from him.

[surfpuckmd]

Lakers put up a fight early, leading most of the game until Denver got the offense going, and turned the screws up on D. Davis and LBJ got their's, but they shut down Reeves, Russell and the rest of the roster.  8 straight wins over the Lakers. That's why Denver will be hard to beat.

The officiating bias was absurd and I hope some of the national guys like Zach Lowe and Bill Simmons will mention it.  The Nuggets shot 6 free throws the entire game.  Jokic was grabbed and hugged and pushed throughout the game all in the act of shooting.  Somehow, only 6 free throws.  The Lakers shot free throws on multiple occasions on questionable touch fouls.  Fortunately, the Nuggets won anyway due their vastly superior talent. 

I really hope the Lakers lose this series so I don't have to see this crap anymore this season.

[Chicagojk]

The nuggets are a joy to watch, but a bitch to play against. They get good shots on every possession. Layups, open threes or the indefensible paint touch shot by Jokic. Lakers played well but they had a cold spell and some of their support players did not play well. Not sure if they can get a Lebron and AD game like that again. They played big minutes.

Denver may be DLo cryptonite. He was bad last night.

Jokic is 4 year older than Luka right? Jokic is just a few steps ahead of Luka in having complete mastery of the game. Not a slight on Luka but jokic has mastered it.

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/HarrisonWind/status/...5774890272

What a fun sequence if you're a Nuggets fan. AD looks destroyed. Lebron couldn't move. Jokic shows why being chubby is really the key to being in shape!

[Knutsen]

The nuggets are a joy to watch, but a bitch to play against.  They get good shots on every possession.  Layups, open threes or the indefensible paint touch shot by Jokic.  Lakers played well but they had a cold spell and some of their support players did not play well.  Not sure if they can get a Lebron and AD game like that again.  They played big minutes. 

Denver may be DLo cryptonite.  He was bad last night.

Jokic is 4 year older than Luka right?  Jokic is just a few steps ahead of Luka in having complete mastery of the game.  Not a slight on Luka but jokic has mastered it.

I was really struggling to decide who I should root for watching that game. I have always disliked the Lakers from the bottom of my heart, but them somehow beating the Nuggets and then breaking down towards a possible matchup with us in the Western conference finals would help us out big time. On the other hand the Nuggets sweeping the Lakers again could lead to the end of the partnership of LeBron and AD, which can‘t come soon enough for me. But then the Nuggets would get rolling and could be too much to handle for us.

[khaled1987]

On the other hand the Nuggets sweeping the Lakers again could lead to the end of the partnership of LeBron and AD, which can‘t come soon enough for me. 

I can't see it tbh, they are stuch where they are.
They have a championship and a conference final along two playoff appearances to show for in 5 years stint together. That is actually great return for the partnership considering Lebron age and AD injury history and how brutal the West is. 
I doubt either one can find a better situation tbh, and there is no better return for Lakers for either of them.

[Knutsen]

I can't see it tbh, they are stuch where they are.
They have a championship and a conference final along two playoff appearances to show for in 5 years stint together. That is actually great return for the partnership considering Lebron age and AD injury history and how brutal the West is. 
I doubt either one can find a better situation tbh, and there is no better return for Lakers for either of them.

I’m with you that they are stuck and won’t have many options to improve the team in a significant way. And that’s exactly the reason why I think LeBron could opt out and join another team if they don‘t stand a chance and lose 4-0 or 4-1 against the Nuggets. Not probable that he bolts, but not impossibly either.