NBA and WNBA thread

Only saw the highlights Vs Denver but he had several nice drives and scores at the hoop, plus that block! This guy is going to be so fun to watch in the years to come!

Holy ****. I'm in shock

Lakers v Flippers is off tomorrow

I dont mind the shot clock tributes, its not about the turnovers but just using that time to reflect and remember him before the game commences proper. I do think tonight's game with the Clippers would have been the perfect first home game for the lakers, an all-LA affair allowing the entire basketball community of LA to remember and celebrate him. Now the first home game will be against just some other random team. However if they don't feel they can do it, put that on, too many employees are still affected too badly to work, etc. then I can understand it. Its not just about the players but all the staff associated with the team who worked with Kobe previously.

All star weekend will be particularly poignant now - the team strips were already going to have a black band across the shoulder to honour Stern, whether they go for 2 now or just use one to honour both of them, we'll have to see. But the atmosphere and the action will be heavily feeding into tributes. Another spooky occurrence - Dwight Howard after 10 years has decided to enter the slam dunk, and expressed that he wanted to reach out to Kobe to help him with it. He was rallying laker fans to get Kobe on board, perhaps making a real effort to bury the hatchet once and for all with him. So there's every chance Kobe would have been in the slam dunk for Dwight to jump over or whatever, so that too is going to be emotional (assuming Howard still takes part). I expect someone will don a Kobe jersey and do the between the legs dunk he won it with - though there'd be great pressure not to screw it up!

Obviously the game is in Chicago so I hope MJ will be on hand too and of course Shaq will be there. Just a lot going to happen over that weekend in tributes and remembrance.

Snowflake Generation.

There was 48 seconds left? Ffs

There are 3 real problems here.
1 payton is a bit of a prick
2 Morris is a massive prick.
3 knicks suck. At least there are some constants in life

www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/28600471/nba-changes-all-star-game-format-adds-kobe-bryant-tribute

Do another attempt to make the ASG more competitive and presumably more watchable. Let’s hope so as it’s been increasingly difficult to get anything from.

Interesting is that the article says the players want it to be more competitive......could’ve fooled me!!!

I thought the last 2 years it was way more competitive than the old format. These changes are a bit complicated but I think it will help again.

What do we think about Bradley Beal being snubbed? Averaging nearly 29ppg and stayed with Washington despite the fact they sucked, he feels like he's being punished for his loyalty now. I kind of agree but maybe he's forgetting one thing - the Wiz seem to score about 130 points every game and still lose. They must have the worst defence in the league by far. So scoring 29ppg sounds good but they are such a high scoring team it rather devalues that because they are all offence and it's not winning them games. Perhaps he'll get in as an injury replacement though. Considering Trae Young is in albeit he got the vote from the fans and media, the Hawks are even worse!

www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28604043/raptors-kyle-lowry-says-was-pushed-fan-diving-stands

Been a strange week in the NBA with emotions running high. Honestly not sure there is anything in this. Fan could just as easily say he was trying to help him get back in the game....either way I think if players are that worried about this stuff the answer is really simple. No more court side seats and that of course is potentially a huge revenue drop for their teams. Maybe it will happen though.

www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/28610559/rockets-beat-mavericks-using-historically-small-lineup

So Hersey....your boys can’t beat the NBA equivalent of the munchkins then? 😂

It’s certainly an interesting way of playing and says a lot about the way NBA play has evolved. As far as I recall the last team to really punish small ball was the last Lakers championship squad who regularly featured Bynum, Gasol and Odom with Kobe as one of the guards. They were almost playing volleyball on the offensive glass.

Ironic as Jackson to some degree played a version of small ball
In the 90s when he would often used Rodman at Centre, Kukoc as a stretch 4 and Pip, MJ and Harper. Although to call them “small”’is taking the mickey a bit.

My failing memory seems to recall something called the World Basketball League for players 6ft 5 and under that Butch Hayes starred in. Here was a player!!

Steve Mills is FINALLY out from the Knicks. However I suspect as long as Dollars Dolan is running that show they'll never turn the proverbial corner...

This is classic D'Antoni though isn't it? He seems to be allergic to shooting later than 7 seconds into possession and to anyone over 6'7 tall. To be fair Houston is 10-1 without Capella in the lineup so they might feel he was expendable. I see Atlanta also acquired Nene, not sure if he can still play these days but he was really good not that long ago so potentially that's 2 quality big men for the Hawks now which should improve them.

Here's a good teaser - which team is better right now, Houston or OKC? Everyone expected so much from the Rockets and little from the Thunder, but its OKC who have been winning more consistently over the last month or so. Westbrook doesn't seem to be making as much of an impact for Houston as we thought he would. Harden is still by far the primary scoring option and ball hogger, it just feels like Westbrook does about the same as what Cp3 was doing last season.

His salery didn't help this trade takes them under the cap, do think it's an odd fit for the hawks on offence as Collins is better around the rim!