NBA 2020-2021

[altodevil]

Well, the last thread started with the draft so I guess this season's should as well. It's a month away.

Looks like Lamelo is gonna go top-3, not sure there's any way that won't happen. Where will Ingram end up? Less importantly, where will VanVleet/Harrell/Gallinari be? Astonishingly poor free agency this year...

 

[ThierryHenry]

Shouldn't the thread be NBA 2021?

 

[Moby]

Lakers again.

 

[altodevil]

Shouldn't the thread be NBA 2021?

Regular season yes (sadly) - but free agency begins in two days. Hence the thread!

 

[elmo]

Suns will make it into the playoffs this time!

Hopefully.

 

[altodevil]

Suns will make it into the playoffs this time!

Hopefully.

Ayton looked good when he was around.

 

[RobinLFC]

Apparently the Heat will go all-in for Giannis after next season. Which is why them and Dragic wanted to work out a shorter, more flexible contract this offseason.

 

[elmo]

Apparently the Heat will go all-in for Giannis after next season. Which is why them and Dragic wanted to work out a shorter, more flexible contract this offseason.

They'll front load his contract this year and give him smaller ones the year after to make the money fit.

Bigger concern is how Bam's contract fits in all this as he hits FA next year as well.

 

[elmo]

Ayton looked good when he was around.

Yup, his defense looked good. Now he just needs to realise he's one of the strongest guy in the league and the number of people who can actually stop him from dunking in the league can just about be counted on 1 hand.

Once he figures that out, he's gonna be all NBA level sooner or later.

 

[mazhar13]

This jersey looks so good! I'm tempted to buy it now.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

Lakers again.

Easily

 

[AdNani]

Apparently the Heat will go all-in for Giannis after next season. Which is why them and Dragic wanted to work out a shorter, more flexible contract this offseason.

think they’ll go for Jrue/oladipo this year via trade and Giannis next

 

[SinNombre]

I want the Warriors to be competitive again. Like watching Steph and Klay play together.

 

[Sarni]

think they’ll go for Jrue/oladipo this year via trade and Giannis next

It would likely cost them Herro or Adebayo, doubt they will be keen on that. I think they run it back with the same team and maybe pick up Gallinari who’s a free agent for a year. They can always sign Oladipo in free agency next year too.

 

[Slevs]

Knicks will win it this year.

 

[Bubz27]

Knicks will win it this year.

The draft lottery?

 

[ZDwyr]

Oladipo seems like a guy I'd definitely just wait to get in FA. No idea what his value is considering his injuries. Would be disastrous for a team to overpay and he is cooked.

 

[AdNani]

It would likely cost them Herro or Adebayo, doubt they will be keen on that. I think they run it back with the same team and maybe pick up Gallinari who’s a free agent for a year. They can always sign Oladipo in free agency next year too.

I think Nunn, KO and Robinson, no way Adebayo or Herro is traded

 

[Šjor Bepo]

any chance Dallas signs a top player?

 

[RobinLFC]

They’re targeting Dec 22 as a restart date, according to Shams. 72-game regular season and season ending before the Olympics.

 

[neilv93]

Lakers again.

The only correct answer!

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

They’re targeting Dec 22 as a restart date, according to Shams. 72-game regular season and season ending before the Olympics.

Bad news for us (Lakers)

 

[RobinLFC]

Bad news for us (Lakers)

Why’s that?

 

[neilv93]

Why’s that?

Shortest break. I'd expect to see a lot of load management in the first half of the season at least for LeBron and AD.

 

[Zen]

LeBeast doesn't load manage massively - have you not learnt anything about that god yet?

 

[ZDwyr]

Before last season LeBron usually managed his body by playing basically no defense in the regular season. Not sure he can do that with this team as their defensive identity is a lot stronger than the one those Cavs' teams had.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

Why’s that?

Our players need/deserve a break at least until end of November and that would mean that most of the other teams should have a much better preparation than us.

 

[Zen]

Before last season LeBron usually managed his body by playing basically no defense in the regular season. Not sure he can do that with this team as their defensive identity is a lot stronger than the one those Cavs' teams had.

Not sure I overly agree..... he can turn that on when he feels like it, but he's an offensive player, and well at this point, his trajectory towards the #1 spot if primed on offensive numbers - so that's why he continues to plow them numbers in even if his teammates are subpar.

If his teammates are subpar in the defensive, his effort will also be. He tends to be a strong lockdown defender when motivated by his team to do it as a whole unit, basically why his first season as a Laker was a shitshow defensively.... and why it was all over the show with the Cavs second stint.

He's not a massive team leader defensively, he's happy to berate and coast himself... having AD has taken that burden off him a bit, so less berating, more actual defending. Jordan berated too, but rarely would coast defensively.

Either way - his biggest coasting season defensively was the one where he missed the most games. And he's never missed a game when he's at his highest intensity levels - the playoffs. Unless he gets injured, I doubt he sits much next year.... even if they had started earlier, he'd just manage his performance - most certainly against smaller teams, and shut off in the second half.

 

[RobinLFC]

Our players need/deserve a break at least until end of November and that would mean that most of the other teams should have a much better preparation than us.

Yeah good point.

I can’t see LeBron doing load management though. As @Zen says, he’s after GOAT numbers and already has 10 games less for next season now. I think he needs 3/4 more full seasons to get to #1 overall if he wants that record. With talk of him and Bronny wanting to play together, it’s certainly possible if he stays healthy.

 

[Zen]

LeBron will be playing until he's 40 comfortably. Not a question about it. Obviously luck plays a massive part and all, but I've never envisioned him retiring or even thinking about it until then, ditto say, for Ronaldo. To the point that either of them retired next year, I'd be more stunned than Jordan retiring first time at 30 or hell Andrew Luck/Megatron/Sanders retiring..... they'd all shown personality traits of it being a potential thing to do so.

It's a drive and single mindedness in a time when science is flourishing to prolong everything, even father time at the top level. Won't be long until a top sportsmen will do something decent at 50. Though you would of thought it'd come from Baseball when Barroids and Clemens were dominating juiced to the heavens in their early 40's.

 

[ZDwyr]

Not sure I overly agree..... he can turn that on when he feels like it, but he's an offensive player, and well at this point, his trajectory towards the #1 spot if primed on offensive numbers - so that's why he continues to plow them numbers in even if his teammates are subpar.

If his teammates are subpar in the defensive, his effort will also be. He tends to be a strong lockdown defender when motivated by his team to do it as a whole unit, basically why his first season as a Laker was a shitshow defensively.... and why it was all over the show with the Cavs second stint.

He's not a massive team leader defensively, he's happy to berate and coast himself... having AD has taken that burden off him a bit, so less berating, more actual defending. Jordan berated too, but rarely would coast defensively.

Either way - his biggest coasting season defensively was the one where he missed the most games. And he's never missed a game when he's at his highest intensity levels - the playoffs. Unless he gets injured, I doubt he sits much next year.... even if they had started earlier, he'd just manage his performance - most certainly against smaller teams, and shut off in the second half.

I agree. But I think if you do not believe he coasts to preserve energy then you're off base. A lot of players coast defensively and focus their energy on offense. The team situation probably plays into it, but it's a multitude of factors. To be honest, focusing on defense and winning a DPOY would help his GOAT case more than chasing some offensive stats. But he is past his peak defensively now and it wouldn't be possible.

 

[giorno]

Read an article that mentioned how several club's analytics departments rated LeBron as the best defender on the lakers last season, in the rs...

 

[Sarni]

Wow I was treating D'Antoni to Nets rumors as just that, rumors. Now him and Udoka are finalizing deals to be assistants there. Big coup for the Nets.

 

[stepic]

holy downgrade capn

 

[RobinLFC]

Restart on Dec 22 confirmed. Only a good month away

 

[Sarni]

That's excellent news. I've seen some complain that the break is too short but it's only really short for a few teams that went far, anyone except final four teams will have had at least three months off which is enough, and in some cases teams have been off since March. 72 games is probably too much, I'd have preferred to keep it at 58 as proposed before and have each team play others twice but I understand money is the issue here.

Everything going to be very condensed now with Draft coming in two weeks, followed by free agency (which is not particularly strong this year but will still have some good players having to pick their new destination, e.g. VanVleet, Gallinari, Harrell).

 

[RobinLFC]

Hope this meme will stick around.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

Restart on Dec 22 confirmed. Only a good month away

 

[H10]

Chris Paul - where do you think he will end up? Or will he just stay at Oklahoma?

 

[ZDwyr]

The Knicks is my guess