NBA Season 2017/18

[Captain Apollo]

You reap what you sow. If you are upset because of the Warriors having such a stockpile of talent, you should look at Lebron James for this. He started all this when he went to the Miami Heat the way he did in 2010, convincing Chris Bosh to sign along with him and Dwayne Wayde. Other clubs have just followed suit.

As to Lebron James, he'd be crazy to go to the Knicks. Off court they are a cluster F@#$ of an organisation which any player would be wise to avoid. I doubt the Celtics would have cap room to sign him, let alone whether they could intergrate him into the side. Rockets? Possible.

That said I think the Lakers would be the strongest possibility. They have a good group of young talented players, have plenty of cap room, and are also one of the big media markets in the US.

 

[BuderusIsaBeast]

I would be stunned if he goes anywhere but the 76ers. Great relationship with Ben and they have Joel. They have enough cap space to sign another max FA (Paul George for example) or the assets to trade for another star (Kawhi Leonard).

As for a smokey the Spurs could be a suprise pick. LeBron loves Pop and he could team up with Kawhi. However they would have to shed a number of large contracts. Clippers could also be a smokey. Jerry West is a brilliant GM. He gets to live in LA without being the bad guy (if he joined the Lakers). Clippers have a number of assets (2 picks, decent players) and can create cap space relatively easily

 

[Captain Apollo]

Dunno about the Clippers. Lebron I dare say wants ti join a team ready to contend and I don't know the the Clippers are there yet. Might have draft picks, but it is rare to see teams go from having multiple draft picks onme yeaf to the NBA Finals the next.

 

[Barkley]

These next few months are going to be painful waiting for Lebrons latest “Decision”. I would imagine most teams and players will wait to see what he does before making their moves this off season.

I previously though that there was zero chance of Lebron leaving the east but it actually doesn’t seem out of the question. There are not many great options in the east that he could join to be a title contender...Philly, Toronto and Boston seems to be it.

Where ever he goes he’ll be chasing a ring which means Lakers, Clippers and Miami are not options.

 

[Rod]

LeBron didn't start the superteam era (WTF is a superteam anyway?).

The Decision is not equitable to Durant's decision in any way. They are completely different.

These lazy comparisons need to die.

 

[T-Boon]

These lazy comparisons need to die.

Agreed. And Steph Curry as well.

 

[Choppy182]

I would be stunned if he goes anywhere but the 76ers. Great relationship with Ben and they have Joel. They have enough cap space to sign another max FA (Paul George for example) or the assets to trade for another star (Kawhi Leonard).

As for a smokey the Spurs could be a suprise pick. LeBron loves Pop and he could team up with Kawhi. However they would have to shed a number of large contracts. Clippers could also be a smokey. Jerry West is a brilliant GM. He gets to live in LA without being the bad guy (if he joined the Lakers). Clippers have a number of assets (2 picks, decent players) and can create cap space relatively easily

Kawhi not on great terms with Spurs at the moment. They would have to resolve that issue first. However I could see Lebron teaming up with Pop thats for sure. I hope he doesn't go to 76ers, he would ruin Simmons' development short term.

 

[Captain Apollo]

LeBron didn't start the superteam era (WTF is a superteam anyway?).

The Decision is not equitable to Durant's decision in any way. They are completely different.

These lazy comparisons need to die.

What planet are you on?! Go and have a look at the formation of the 2010 Miami Heat. Dwayne Wade was there, bit Lebron was in Cleveland and Chris Bosh as was at Toronto. The three of them got together and talked about playing together. Pat Riley, who was President of the Miami Heat was the one who sold them on that idea and they bought in.

 

[T-Boon]

What planet are you on?! Go and have a look at the formation of the 2010 Miami Heat. Dwayne Wade was there, bit Lebron was in Cleveland and Chris Bosh as was at Toronto. The three of them got together and talked about playing together. Pat Riley, who was President of the Miami Heat was the one who sold them on that idea and they bought in.

I think he means super teams were around before that. Celtic bringing in Garnett and Allen, I think the Lakers did something similar in the late 70s with Chamberlain. Jordan with Pippen and then Rodman.

Warriors were the first to make it 4 superstars and steal the best play from their closest rival. Horrid. Warrior can die.

 

[Rod]

What planet are you on?! Go and have a look at the formation of the 2010 Miami Heat. Dwayne Wade was there, bit Lebron was in Cleveland and Chris Bosh as was at Toronto. The three of them got together and talked about playing together. Pat Riley, who was President of the Miami Heat was the one who sold them on that idea and they bought in.

I'm familiar with how the 2010 Heat were formed.

 

[edabomb]

The interview with Brian Windhorst after the game was priceless. "LeBron has been injured, not looking to use that as an excuse etc...". If that was the case then why did he show up with the soft cast and make such a point of showing it off, it clearly wasn't medically needed as he had played with the injury for over a week.

The LeBron and Durant move are both in the same ball park. Durant's was even more of an easy ride to a championship, I certainly agree on that.

 

[Captain Apollo]

I think he means super teams were around before that. Celtic bringing in Garnett and Allen, I think the Lakers did something similar in the late 70s with Chamberlain. Jordan with Pippen and then Rodman.

Warriors were the first to make it 4 superstars and steal the best play from their closest rival. Horrid. Warrior can die.

I get what you are getting at, so now I see where he is coming from.

Couple of small points though.

Wilt Chamberlkain came to the Lakers in 1968 and not the late 70s. He played for the Lakers until 1973.

Michael Jordan's team is not quite the same. The first title winning team the three key players - Jordan, Pippen and Grant had all been drafted by the Bulls. The only free agents in the starting 5 were Paxson (who the Bulls signed in 1985) and Bill Cartwright. They only went after Rodman fo0r the 1996-97 season as they needed a power forward after Grant signed with the Orlanmdo Magic after the 1993-94 season.

Otherwise thats for clearing that up for me.

 

[Choppy182]

Anthony Davis to GSW rumours are starting to hit full swing.

 

[T-Boon]

Anthony Davis to GSW rumours are starting to hit full swing.

WTF? Let me guess they will lose Iguadala and some other back up.

 

[edabomb]

I get what you are getting at, so now I see where he is coming from.

Couple of small points though.

Wilt Chamberlkain came to the Lakers in 1968 and not the late 70s. He played for the Lakers until 1973.

Michael Jordan's team is not quite the same. The first title winning team the three key players - Jordan, Pippen and Grant had all been drafted by the Bulls. The only free agents in the starting 5 were Paxson (who the Bulls signed in 1985) and Bill Cartwright. They only went after Rodman fo0r the 1996-97 season as they needed a power forward after Grant signed with the Orlanmdo Magic after the 1993-94 season.

Otherwise thats for clearing that up for me.

Yeah completely different in the 70s too. You only had about 15 teams so the concentration of talent on particular teams was always going to be high on the top contenders. That wasn't so much the case through the 90s and the early 00s with 30 teams spreading the talent, you could contend with Allen Iverson or Steve Nash as the best player on your team.

Now with the super team/30 team league error we see 25 teams entering the season with absolutely no hope of winning a Championship, all things being equal. It's a very strange league - give me the 90s any day, when the stars were relatively evenly dispersed.

 

[Barkley]

Yeah completely different in the 70s too. You only had about 15 teams so the concentration of talent on particular teams was always going to be high on the top contenders. That wasn't so much the case through the 90s and the early 00s with 30 teams spreading the talent, you could contend with Allen Iverson or Steve Nash as the best player on your team.

Now with the super team/30 team league error we see 25 teams entering the season with absolutely no hope of winning a Championship, all things being equal. It's a very strange league - give me the 90s any day, when the stars were relatively evenly dispersed.

Yep I’d have to agree. The NBA over the last couple of seasons has to be the least competitive comp in the world. Saying that 5 teams have a chance at winning the title was probably a tad generous.

I will always prefer 90s-00s ball over today but I can appreciate how every sport changes through different eras.

I wouldn’t say that the NBA is in trouble but they certainly have some issues they need to address before fans get bored and stop caring. Talent needs to be spread to create more competition by having a stricter cap and the game needs to be officiated better.

 

[abpanther]

WTF? Let me guess they will lose Iguadala and some other back up.

I think the word is Davis for Klay and Draymond

 

[Rod]

Yep I’d have to agree. The NBA over the last couple of seasons has to be the least competitive comp in the world. Saying that 5 teams have a chance at winning the title was probably a tad generous.

I will always prefer 90s-00s ball over today but I can appreciate how every sport changes through different eras.

I wouldn’t say that the NBA is in trouble but they certainly have some issues they need to address before fans get bored and stop caring. Talent needs to be spread to create more competition by having a stricter cap and the game needs to be officiated better.

I've thought about this a lot and have been observed this closely because I find it pretty interesting, especially since the cap spike in 2016 where the league temporarily lost its collective mind. Ironically, the spike in the cap and lack of competitive balance due to the KD decision (among other factors) has run alongside the league being basically as popular as it has ever been, and showing few signs of slowing down.

There are a few things at play here. Firstly, the popularity of the league is obviously not solely dependent on competitiveness or perceived parity. The league has always been pretty top-heavy. The other strengths of the league are only exacerbated by the way society has gone (social media, social activism, the focus on individual stars/celebrity etc). The league under Silver has done a great job of recognizing and playing to these strengths while the league itself is as top-heavy and ultimately predictable as it has ever been (LeBron 8 straight finals, Warriors 4 straight finals etc).

The question is, as you say, how much non-competitiveness fans are willing to put up with. Despite the KD decision and what the Warriors are currently doing, I'd hazard a guess that we actually are already on the downward slope as far as this is concerned. It may have turned some casual fans off short-term, but one of the consequences of the cap going haywire in 2016 is that we are still seeing the consequences now and that can be pretty entertaining. This off-season is going to be madness with all the stars off contract and teams jostling to compete (there are just enough young, up-and-coming teams to make this interesting - 76ers, Celtics etc), and that's without the circus that will be the LeBron decision 3.0.

My other prediction is that we are (hopefully) seeing the slow death of RINGZ culture, and people are starting to view these things with a bit more nuance and context. Ironically, this KD decision has helped this argument if anything. If someone attempted to compare KD's 2 rings and Finals MVPs as being close to LeBron's 3 they would get laughed out of the building. MVPs and Finals MVPs and Championships are not all created equal and these last 2 years have really highlighted that. Whether that has an influence on the decisions of future big name free agents I'm not sure, that remains to be seen.

 

[edabomb]

I've thought about this a lot and have been observed this closely because I find it pretty interesting, especially since the cap spike in 2016 where the league temporarily lost its collective mind. Ironically, the spike in the cap and lack of competitive balance due to the KD decision (among other factors) has run alongside the league being basically as popular as it has ever been, and showing few signs of slowing down.

There are a few things at play here. Firstly, the popularity of the league is obviously not solely dependent on competitiveness or perceived parity. The league has always been pretty top-heavy. The other strengths of the league are only exacerbated by the way society has gone (social media, social activism, the focus on individual stars/celebrity etc). The league under Silver has done a great job of recognizing and playing to these strengths while the league itself is as top-heavy and ultimately predictable as it has ever been (LeBron 8 straight finals, Warriors 4 straight finals etc).

The question is, as you say, how much non-competitiveness fans are willing to put up with. Despite the KD decision and what the Warriors are currently doing, I'd hazard a guess that we actually are already on the downward slope as far as this is concerned. It may have turned some casual fans off short-term, but one of the consequences of the cap going haywire in 2016 is that we are still seeing the consequences now and that can be pretty entertaining. This off-season is going to be madness with all the stars off contract and teams jostling to compete (there are just enough young, up-and-coming teams to make this interesting - 76ers, Celtics etc), and that's without the circus that will be the LeBron decision 3.0.

My other prediction is that we are (hopefully) seeing the slow death of RINGZ culture, and people are starting to view these things with a bit more nuance and context. Ironically, this KD decision has helped this argument if anything. If someone attempted to compare KD's 2 rings and Finals MVPs as being close to LeBron's 3 they would get laughed out of the building. MVPs and Finals MVPs and Championships are not all created equal and these last 2 years have really highlighted that. Whether that has an influence on the decisions of future big name free agents I'm not sure, that remains to be seen.

I don't see LeBrons 2 rings from the Heat as meaning that much more legacy wise than KD's.

His Cavs championship means much more though. Even then he left and needed them to pile up 3 Number 1 picks before he came back.

If he had of just stayed at the Cavs and won one or two his legacy would have been cemented much more IMO. Ring chasing through his prime and only returning three is really a par.

 

[Rod]

In his first stint he gave the Cavs more than enough opportunity and for 8 seasons they continuously failed to put any discernible talent around him. If you want to classify the Heat years as 'ring-chasing', sure but you can hardly blame him for doing what he did.