2017 NBA Offseason

[dfwabel]

13 minutes ago, HedleyLamarr said:

So Houston extends Harden, with the last year being something like $47 million.  That's got to be a team option.  My goodness.

 

On the Atlanta front, the team says "Enjoy!" to the Knicks and their new $17 million-a-year guy, Tim Hardaway Jr.  That now makes 9 of the 15 players that were on the Hawks roster back in April gone.  I was a part-timer with the team when they won all of 13 games....now they may not be that bad, but I don't see how this team gets 20 wins.

Harden (and Westbrook) earned their "SuperMax" contracts last year and the NBA fathered both of them in.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources-new-cba-grandfathers-harden-westbrook-into-super-max-contracts-015209385.html

[dfwabel]

Trust the EMTs, ER docs and Xrays, right?

 

[rams80]

30 games total for Fultz's rookie campaign?  Sounds about right.

[BBTV]

All part of the process. It's absolutely delightful. 

[KittSmith_95]

Carroll's off to Brooklyn.... I wonder what Masai is brewing. 

[JayMac]

7 hours ago, dfwabel said:

Trust the EMTs, ER docs and Xrays, right?

 

Sprained ankle...just like Ben Simmons' "rolled ankle" in September that kept him out all season. Everyone in this area is planning the parade down Broad Street once LeBron chose to come here as a free agent. TRUST THE PROCESS...if you ever get to see the process play out.

[Digby]

Seems like the Sixers training staff has been tanking the last few years, too.

[BBTV]

18 minutes ago, Digby said:

Seems like the Sixers training staff has been tanking the last few years, too.

 

Not sure how you can blame an injury to a guy that was just drafted as the fault of the training staff.  

 

He'll be out for the season, because of course he will be.  I think the whole thing is a work - wrestling style.  They're just trolling the fans by sitting out their top picks every season.

 

[rams80]

3 hours ago, jmac11281 said:

Sprained ankle...just like Ben Simmons' "rolled ankle" in September that kept him out all season. Everyone in this area is planning the parade down Broad Street once LeBron chose to come here as a free agent. TRUST THE PROCESS...if you ever get to see the process play out.

 

LeBron wants to win, which means he won't touch Philly with a 10 foot pole.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

Next season predictions? Yes, please.

 

SPOILER ALERT !!!!

 

 

 

West Finals- GS vs. HOU; East Finals- CLE vs. BOS

 

NBA Champion- Golden State Warriors

 

 

 

No, but seriously:

 

WEST

1. Golden State

2. Houston

3. San Antonio

4. Oklahoma City- Westbrook and George should create an interesting duo. Keeping Roberson and getting role players like Tucker and Patterson helps as well. 

5. Minnesota- arguably had the busiest and most impactful offseason, adding Butler, Teague and Gibson to a team whose only problem seemed to be that they were just too young. This team is now capable of competing for the division title. 

6. Denver- adding Millsap to a rising team that just missed the playoffs last year should be enough to finally make the leap

7. Memphis- losing Randolph hurts, but Gasol and Conley should provide enough firepower to keep them competitive- barring injuries of course.

8. Utah- losing Hayward is a HUGE blow, but essentially replacing Hill with Rubio, plus the development of guys like Hood, Exum, Gobert and Favors among others should be enough to make them a playoff team. That defense is stingy. 

9. Portland- one of the best back courts in the league, but no front court depth whatsoever. Lillard is capable of carrying the team on his own, but their division (and conference) has gotten a whole lot better. They're a bubble playoff team. 

10. LA Clippers- Griffin's out til December. There's no way they stay afloat until then with this thin roster.

11. New Orleans- A scary front court, but not much happening in the back court. 

12. Dallas- With essentially the same roster as last year, the Mavs' back court is both weak and thin. Rookie Dennis Smith Jr. might create a spark, but this isn't a playoff team. 

13. Sacramento- they look good on paper, but there's been a definite chemistry problem the past few seasons. Additions Randolph, Hill and Carter should provide a nice counterbalance to all the youngsters and De'Aaron Fox looks like he's going to be a stud. They could surprise a lot of folks and make a playoff push, but I'll keep them in their likely landing spot. 

14. LA Lakers

15. Phoenix

 

EAST

1. Cleveland

2. Boston

3. Toronto

4. Washington

5. Milwaukee

6. Charlotte- It remains to be seen, but Dwight Howard feels like a fit, which is rare. Kemba Walker, Kidd-Gilchrist and Carter-Williams should keep them 

7. Miami- The Heat finished last season on a bit of a tear and should keep the momentum rolling with a very similar roster. Adding Olynyk and Waiters gives some nice depth.

8. Philadelphia- Making the playoffs so soon might be a tall order, but if everyone stays relatively healthy, this is a scary team. 

9. Detroit- Adding Avery Bradley will help their defensive woes, but the Pistons still lack a play maker, as well as a bench.  

10. Chicago- Anytime you lose a top 10 player, it's going to hurt. Wade is no longer capable of carrying a team by himself.

11. Indiana- They've got decent depth, but no one really capable of bringing the Pacers back to the playoffs.

12. Orlando- A young team who could surprise, but I don't think they do anything this year. 

13. Atlanta- went from a perennial conference title contender to a team whose best player is Dennis Schroder. 

14. New York- I'm sure Melo will be gone, which is good for both the short and long term, but it also equates to a lot less points scored. Adding Hardway and not trading Porzingis are both smart choices, but the Knicks are in for another long season.

15. Brooklyn

[Rockstar Matt]

I was about to reply saying I think the Lakers can finish higher than 14th, but then I remembered how ridiculously stacked the West is.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

So I went to Summer League over the weekend. I booked a flight, hotel, and paid $30 (plus about $12 in fees) for a day entry. Here are my observations:

 

1. Vegas loves the Lakers. This was already obvious, but there were a ton of Lakers (and Lonzo Ball) fans in the audience. Lots of them obnoxious, but that's to be expected.
2. $30 (plus fees) is an incredible value for what you get: Access to 8 well-paced games (10-minute quarters, 10-minute half), ability to sit wherever you want, and you can rub elbows with former players, current executives, and NBA journalists. I sat behind former lottery pick Shelden Williams to watch the Wizards and Grizzlies. Floyd Mayweather and Magic Johnson were courtside for the Lakers. I sat across a gym from James Harden and Chris Paul. It was cool.
3. There's no way it's $30/day next year. They sold out at that price this year (at least for the first Saturday) so there's clearly opportunity to make more. TBH, it'd still be a good value at $100, though you'd lost families completely.
4. Vegas shouldn't exist. 116 degrees!
5. I can see why an NBA or NHL team wouldn't have chosen Thomas & Mack center. It's fine for what it is, but is on the Key Arena level of venues. Really nice for college ball though.
6. If they sold Summer League jerseys people would buy them. The NBA needs to up its merchandising game. 
7. I saw one (and only one) dude wearing a BBB hat.
8. However, I bet a BBB merchandise table would have cleaned up. Especially if you could pay for photos and autographs with LaVar. The man is a star.
9. You could watch games in the big Thomas & Mack arena or the much much smaller Cox Pavilion, which was about the size of a high school gym. Seeing NBA players playing in a venue the size of your YMCA is a pretty awesome experience. You already know this, but the guys are super fast and really, really good.
10. I'd go again. Vegas sucks, but Summer League is a great value and probably on its way to becoming An Event.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

15 hours ago, Rockstar Matt said:

I was about to reply saying I think the Lakers can finish higher than 14th, but then I remembered how ridiculously stacked the West is.

 

Ya- I'm thinking Phoenix dwells in the cellar, at about 25 wins tops. Then, Lakers, Dallas and Sacramento are all probably in that 30-35 win area.

[FinsUp1214]

I think very very very very best case scenario, Utah can get the 8 seed. And the good thing is they do have the talent to do that, so I don't think it to be totally out of the realm of possibility. There's a good chance Rubio can make everyone better offensively with his playmaking, so it could make a little bit up from Hayward and the defense is still going to be just as great as last year.

 

Most likely, though, I think it'll be 9-10 or even 11. At least, that's what I'm preparing myself for and am not getting my hopes terribly up. I'm looking at this year not so much as a rebuild, but just a "build". Rudy's extension kicks in this year, so he'll still be very much around and there's still hope that in two years we can climb right back up after some backs-against-the-wall development this year.

 

They really have to hurry and get a small forward, though. Not even for any skillset; they literally need to fill a roster spot there. I don't care if they just sign a guy with a pulse who can take minutes off of Ingles' load or trade for a vet, but they've just got to bite the bullet and do something. No one left in free agency nor anyone you can realistically trade for is going to score 21 a night, so they need to just pull the trigger on the best move they've got left, whatever that is. I've just come to accept at this point that someone is better than no one right now.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

On 7/11/2017 at 11:33 AM, FinsUp1214 said:

I think very very very very best case scenario, Utah can get the 8 seed. And the good thing is they do have the talent to do that, so I don't think it to be totally out of the realm of possibility. There's a good chance Rubio can make everyone better offensively with his playmaking, so it could make a little bit up from Hayward and the defense is still going to be just as great as last year.

 

Most likely, though, I think it'll be 9-10 or even 11. At least, that's what I'm preparing myself for and am not getting my hopes terribly up. I'm looking at this year not so much as a rebuild, but just a "build". Rudy's extension kicks in this year, so he'll still be very much around and there's still hope that in two years we can climb right back up after some backs-against-the-wall development this year.

 

They really have to hurry and get a small forward, though. Not even for any skillset; they literally need to fill a roster spot there. I don't care if they just sign a guy with a pulse who can take minutes off of Ingles' load or trade for a vet, but they've just got to bite the bullet and do something. No one left in free agency nor anyone you can realistically trade for is going to score 21 a night, so they need to just pull the trigger on the best move they've got left, whatever that is. I've just come to accept at this point that someone is better than no one right now.

 

First thought is "They lost Hayward, they're lottery bound for sure", but then you look at their depth chart. They've still got Gobert, Favors, Exum, Hood, Ingles, all of which will be one year better and more developed. Plus Rubio will be feeding them passes. And that defense is ridiculous.

 

I agree, a lot has to go right for them to reach the playoffs, but I think it's more likely than not. After GS, SA, HOU, OKC and MIN, there's no playoff locks. There's about 6 fringe playoff teams DEN, MEM, LAC, POR, UTAH and possibly NO. I think Utah has a better range of talent than most of those teams.  

[BBTV]

The Sixers are charging to get a priority spot on the season ticket waitlist.  There's three tiers - 1 free, 2 paid.  Unreal that a team that won 10 games two years ago is sold out of season tickets and people are (presumably) paying just to get in line.

 

http://www.crossingbroad.com/2017/07/the-sixers-are-now-charging-fans-to-get-on-a-waitlist-for-season-tickets.html

 

 

Also, more from The Process:

 

 

[The_Admiral]

I used to admire Philadelphia for seeming to care more about its hockey team devoted to winning than its basketball team devoted to losing. Never mind.

[BBTV]

Philadelphia hockey fans are weird.  Since I've been alive, there's been only one move that I can remember that the fans didn't think was the greatest thing ever (acquiring Billy Tibbets, who couldn't even play in canada due to a statutory rape conviction.)  If someone in the Flyers organization were to proclaim that the earth was flat, there'd be a million dufuses from Delco putting on their counterfeit jerseys to drive to the edge and take photos, and then blaming the referees when they make it right back to where they started.  The referees have not only screwed the Flyers out of the cup for the last 42 years, and now have altered the curvature (or lack thereof) of the planet.

[The_Admiral]

15 minutes ago, BringBackTheVet said:

(acquiring Billy Tibbets, who couldn't even play in canada due to a statutory rape conviction.)

 

An NHLer getting busted for statch is like a 15-year-old getting busted for smoking pot: what could you have possibly done to be the one scalp on the wall?

[BBTV]

honestly a lot of the controversy was that they gave him Brind'Amour's number, and every white suburban basic female with a stupid shamrock tattoo on their foot had a 17 jersey. If they had issued him 88 everything would have been fine.