Russell Westbrook. What a man.
Hes going to put up some insane numbers next season
NBA 2016-17
- Thread starter ArmchairCritic
- Start date
Hes going to put up some insane numbers next season
Definitely. Despite our title hopes leaving with Durant, I want to see Russ go hard for the MVP trophy. Gives me a reason to be interested in the season
Gonna be hysterical following that trainwreck chase the average triple double while missing the playoffs. That's not MVP material, but his marketing team can magically spin it for him.
It won't matter. A couple of snapchats from Draymond and he'll be a traumatized wreck.
They'll just about make the playoffs IMO. Still not a bad team with Westbrook, Oladipo, Kanter and Adams and possibly better than half of their conference.
Warriors, Clippers and Spurs are locked in to make the playoffs. Out of the chasing pack Blazers and Grizzlies should make it comfortably and I expect Jazz to finally make it too, their team is very good. Then you have teams like Mavericks, Timberwolves, Thunder and Rockets who aspire to be there, Pelicans should be doing much better than last season too. Suns and Nuggets are interesting teams but not yet good enough to make playoffs in my opinion (depends on how their young talent develops - Booker, Chriss and Bender could be important for Suns pretty soon, likewise Mudiay, Murray and Jokic at Nuggets). Same goes for Timberwolves really, a young team but I think the talent of Towns, Wiggins and possibly Dunn will show this time, of all Nuggets and Suns players only Booker has shown enough to be held in the same regard as Wiggins or close and nobody is even close to Towns potential.
2017
Curry: 29 (age for 2017 FA)
CP3: 32
Lowry: 31
Blake: 28
Millsap: 32
Holiday: 27
Gallinari: 28
Hayward: 27
Reddick: 33
Taj: 32
Gay: 30
Ibaka: 27
Livingston: 31
Iggy: 33
Korver: 36
2018
Russell Westbrook: 29
Boogie: 27
LMA: 32
B.Lopez: 30
Favors: 26
George: 28
D.Jordan: 29
Melo: 34
Still a really solid team with Westbrook, Oladipo, Adams and Kanter. Definitely expect to make the playoffs.
I'm not sure about that, Oladipo would really need to step up his game and they still haven't replaced Durant at SF. Their team actually looks pretty terrible without Durant.
The spacing is going to be terrible, that is a given. Probably will be the worst 3-point shooting team in the league. But it is going to be a tough, physical, athletic team who dominate the boards. Similar to the ground-and-pound style of Memphis I think. He has re-signed too. He won't be walking next summer.
Really? Adams became a star in the playoffs. Westbrook is still a top five player. Kanter could average 20/10 if he played enough minutes. Oladipo is no scrub either. There is a hole at SF though, but nothing can be done about that. Aside from Golden State, Spurs and the Clippers who is better than the Thunder? It will be a battle but I see them on par with Portland, Utah, Memphis and maybe Houston in that next bracket.
I think you have to add Dallas, New Orleans and Denver in the mix as well, OKC could easily end up outside of the play offs. Adams is a good player but he's not a scorer. Hard to see where the scoring will come from aside from Westbrook.
I still think OKC are better than those teams. Oladipo and Kanter will both contribute offensively and I expect Adams to improve in that regard too. It is still a bit of an unknown, but I think we'll be okay.
On opening night:
Spurs@Warriors
Knicks@Cavs
Spurs@Warriors
Knicks@Cavs
And Warriors @ Cavs on Christmas
Clippers-Lakers as well, nice.Pringles vs Luke (Houston @ Lakers) Opening night as well...
(Not sure if I should post this in the Olympics thread) but, it is nice to see Team USA getting tested again in international basketball. Klay and Durant have struggled shooting, Draymond does not seem suited for this team at all and USA's defense has been ball watching these last two games. Nice to see Teodosic competing against NBA players and Jokic was dominant might be a breakout year in the NBA for him.
Jokic was excellent for Nuggets last season too. He's got future in the league, very physical and a good shooter.
What is Steph Curry's ethnicity?
Thanks. It actually seems a matter of debate on the internet.
http://www.interbasket.net/news/18864/2015/11/stephen-curry-race-mixed/
“I told Steph this… I was about 10 years old, and our AAU team drove down to Charlotte to play. And there was this… one, like, I thought (Curry) was white but he was this yellow kid, right? I’m just being real now, right? Where I come from, in the hood, we don’t see that. We don’t see the light-skinned guys around. It was all guys like me.” - KD
Steph's dad is Dell Curry a former NBA player of African-American descent. Dell played 15 years in the NBA with the Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors. As far as Curry’s mother and grandparents are concerned; according to NBAfamily Wikia: “(Sonya) Curry is an African American Creole and Haitian ethnic background from both her parents side” and Ethnicelebs mention "his grandparents (on both sides) are all African-American."
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Shaq's a hall of famer now.
Where do you rank him among the all time great centers?
Where do you rank him among the all time great centers?
Got tickets to NYN v Houston in early November, it will be my first NBA game experience... Cannot wait.
Does anyone have any recommendations as to what to do before or after the game? Should we get their early, etc?
Does anyone have any recommendations as to what to do before or after the game? Should we get their early, etc?
Eat and drink before the game. Don't pay $15 for a hot dog and a bud light. There isn't much to do early except watch the shootaround.
I'm not a real fan of hotdogs anyway so that suits me just fine.
There's a Nathan's right across...oh, wait...
I don't know what this means, but I'm sure it's funny?
Hot dogs...they have good hot dogs. Nathan's hot dogs.
Not funny at all, I know. Apologies...
Are you a Knicks fan? I've just got tickets to the Knicks vs Hawks game on 20th November. It's a mid afternoon game on a Sunday aswell which i'm happy about.
Nah, I'm just going to be in NY at the time so this was the best game available. Don't get me wrong though, it will be great to see the beard and Rose.
Season is coming close, there haven't been too many rumours on trade front for the near future, so what are people thinking about coming season?
Warriors are obvious favourites and if nothing extra-ordinary happens injury wise, they will win the title and possibly even get close to their 73-game record. It's sort of boring following them now so I'll focus on everything that happens outside of Golden State.
My prime interest is of course in Portland. Blazers have not got any potential All-Stars in, despite strong rumours linking them with Whiteside during free agency but I happen to think they'll be better off with the moves they made, i.e. signing Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli plus re-signing all of their free agents (Crabbe, Harkless, Leonard).
The backcourt is of course fantastic, both Lillard and McCollum are extra-ordinary shooters with large upside. CJ was most improved player in the league last year and is already a top 10 shooting guard, he'll only get better, and Lillard is certain quality and a top 3-5 point guard (behind Curry and Westbrook, on par with Paul and Irving). The rotation in the backcourt is also fantastic, Crabbe is a great shooter and a better defender than Lillard and McCollum, he can also be used at small forward with Turner covering PG position. There'll be enough minutes to share between the four of them, plus Harkless will also be used a lot in the rotation at small forward. Turner will be first choice at small forward and I reckon if Stotts could teach Aminu how to shoot 3s, he can turn Turner into a 35%+ shooter from the range as well (he's already a very good mid-range shooter so there's no reason he couldn't develop a three pointer).
Aminu I don't expect to play much at small forward anymore, Stotts have indicated he'll be playing at power forward and as a stretch four he's a good option. The frontcourt has quietly got a great boost, I have huge expectations for Ed Davis who has apparently bulked up over Summer and was already quite dominant rebounder last year. If he can play consistently at power forward and center, he'll be great for us. Ezeli is a good defender, his post up play is not that good but with his strength and height he'll get us points from the rebounds. For Plumlee this could be his last season as there will likely be no money to re-sign him next year, unless someone goes, and he'll likely play around 20 minutes a game when all are fit. Leonard I'm on the fence with, he's a bit clumsy from what I've seen, can shoot threes but it's not that important for a center. He might be a good extra option but will he ever develop into a first five player? I'm not sure. I won't be surprised if we decide to consolidate Plumlee and Leonard plus picks for a quality center/power forward when someone becomes available, even in a three-team trade. Cousins have been linked for ages but to get him we'll have to part with some of the more expensive assets - perhaps even CJ, but at least Harkless and Crabbe, and I don't want that. The culture within the team is fantastic, the atmosphere from what I have seen on social media is absolutely top notch so there's no reason to mess with that, especially as there aren't any obvious deficiencies within the team.
Warriors are obvious favourites and if nothing extra-ordinary happens injury wise, they will win the title and possibly even get close to their 73-game record. It's sort of boring following them now so I'll focus on everything that happens outside of Golden State.
My prime interest is of course in Portland. Blazers have not got any potential All-Stars in, despite strong rumours linking them with Whiteside during free agency but I happen to think they'll be better off with the moves they made, i.e. signing Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli plus re-signing all of their free agents (Crabbe, Harkless, Leonard).
The backcourt is of course fantastic, both Lillard and McCollum are extra-ordinary shooters with large upside. CJ was most improved player in the league last year and is already a top 10 shooting guard, he'll only get better, and Lillard is certain quality and a top 3-5 point guard (behind Curry and Westbrook, on par with Paul and Irving). The rotation in the backcourt is also fantastic, Crabbe is a great shooter and a better defender than Lillard and McCollum, he can also be used at small forward with Turner covering PG position. There'll be enough minutes to share between the four of them, plus Harkless will also be used a lot in the rotation at small forward. Turner will be first choice at small forward and I reckon if Stotts could teach Aminu how to shoot 3s, he can turn Turner into a 35%+ shooter from the range as well (he's already a very good mid-range shooter so there's no reason he couldn't develop a three pointer).
Aminu I don't expect to play much at small forward anymore, Stotts have indicated he'll be playing at power forward and as a stretch four he's a good option. The frontcourt has quietly got a great boost, I have huge expectations for Ed Davis who has apparently bulked up over Summer and was already quite dominant rebounder last year. If he can play consistently at power forward and center, he'll be great for us. Ezeli is a good defender, his post up play is not that good but with his strength and height he'll get us points from the rebounds. For Plumlee this could be his last season as there will likely be no money to re-sign him next year, unless someone goes, and he'll likely play around 20 minutes a game when all are fit. Leonard I'm on the fence with, he's a bit clumsy from what I've seen, can shoot threes but it's not that important for a center. He might be a good extra option but will he ever develop into a first five player? I'm not sure. I won't be surprised if we decide to consolidate Plumlee and Leonard plus picks for a quality center/power forward when someone becomes available, even in a three-team trade. Cousins have been linked for ages but to get him we'll have to part with some of the more expensive assets - perhaps even CJ, but at least Harkless and Crabbe, and I don't want that. The culture within the team is fantastic, the atmosphere from what I have seen on social media is absolutely top notch so there's no reason to mess with that, especially as there aren't any obvious deficiencies within the team.
Looking forward to seeing how my Knicks do, for the first time in years i'm kind of excited going in to the season. Will be happy with a Second round playoff position. Going to MSG for the first time in November to watch us against the Hawks so that is adding to the excitement.
In regards to other teams, I expect the Warriors to take a while to adjust with KD, But come through and probably win the Championship come June / July. I'm intrigued to see how the Bulls do with Wade, Thunder now it is Westbrook's team and the Jazz who are another young team with potential.
In regards to other teams, I expect the Warriors to take a while to adjust with KD, But come through and probably win the Championship come June / July. I'm intrigued to see how the Bulls do with Wade, Thunder now it is Westbrook's team and the Jazz who are another young team with potential.
Obviously with Durant leaving OKC so did the hope of a title. Still really interested to see how the team goes this season though. Would like to see Oladipo become better, Russ to go for the MVP, and Adams to continue his improvement and become one of the best big men in the game.
I'm obviously biased since I follow the Dubs, but I would have thought even for the neutral Golden State will be the team to watch. This team could go from one of the best to ever play the game to an absolute car crash where everything falls apart. My money is obviously on the former, but there is still a faint tickle at the back of my mind that says it may all end in tears. Can't wait!
Of course, they could be fun to watch but I don't expect too many tight games including them next season. Watching these 20-point wins every other night will be boring.
At media Nerlens Noel made it an easy decision for the 76ers. Expect him to be the young center to get traded out of the three.
Will the Lakers ever be good again?
Also Raptors seem decent too these days?
Also Raptors seem decent too these days?
I'd love him at Portland. We don't have the assets to make that deal work currently as none of Crabbe, Harkless and Leonard can be traded yet and there's no reason for them to take Plumlee when the goal is to reduce the logjam at center. Crabbe for Noel would be a great trade for both teams, 76ers would get a shooting guard who's a good perimeter shooter and has significant upside while Portland would finally get the rim protection they badly need. Ezeli could play that role but will he realistically be fit to play 25+ minutes a game on a regular basis?
I'd still prefer Vucevic though and he's even doable for Plumlee plus pick. Orlando have got Biyombo on a huge contract, they lack playmaking which they could get through unlikely asset in Plumlee, and Plumlee is still on a friendly contract. Then again I don't think it works from total salary cap perspective as Portland are already quite high in that regard, we'd have to dump one of Crabbe, Turner, Harkless or Meyers.
One of Vucevic or Noel and current Portland team would be just
Will the Lakers ever be good again?
Also Raptors seem decent too these days?
Not very fast if they keep spending $15m a year on players like Mozgov.
Raptors are good but they're sort of screwed by the fact that Cleveland are pretty great.
Who knows what may happen with injuries. Plus it seems that Gilbert is finally clamping down on spending (they are so deep into the luxury tax), and I don't see how they keep their team together for much longer.