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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2020 7:58:42 GMT
Your bit in brackets is the key bit. $17mill p/a is a lot for a guy who won't play for you. I like the bloke but this isn't how NBA contracts work, and they get paid huge sums to risk being shipped around.
I see he's negotiated a two year extension. Nice work if you can get it
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Post by connors on Feb 6, 2020 10:20:52 GMT
I read an interesting article (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28633740/how-andre-iguodala-handled-rare-nba-sabbatical) where he basically said that Memphis knew he would not play for them and they traded for him specifically to use as a trade chip down the line.
It was very much from his point of view and there was not corroboration from Memphis.
Personally I cannot see what possible downside there would be for them had he played. So they were just paying him for nothing whilst shipping him around. Odd business.
Looking back at recent seasons he rarely played much in the early part of the season and that seemed to suit the Warriors. He is older than average player at 36 but as you say they get handsomely rewarded for playing in the NBA and part of the deal is that you can be traded. To refuse to play for a certain team because you don't want to live there or play on a "weaker" team is not meant to be part of the arrangement.
I've always admired the way he plays but not this.
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Post by connors on Feb 6, 2020 15:36:55 GMT
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Post by bagger on Feb 6, 2020 22:34:23 GMT
Why have a team like the Suns not traded.. The team needs help and they have done nothing.. I fear they will lose Booker.
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Post by connors on Feb 7, 2020 8:57:31 GMT
I think the answer Bagger is that the way the NBA is set up now promotes a culture of tanking in the NBA.
The draft, salary cap and various other rules to do with trades and free agency etc are meant to ensure parity.
In theory this should work but it clearly isn't. Player power, the lure of certain big market/desirable destination teams have tipped things to the point where there are a lot of "bad" teams.
I've always been a massive NBA fan - over any other form of basketball. However I am struggling to watch a game these days. Too many stoppages and not enough variety. If the rules were changed to FIBA then I think more teams could compete using strategy, tactics, different defensive formations. It would not just come down to who can accumulate the most stud players.
Look at how Giannis was contained in the recent World Cup.
So Phoenix do nothing because they probably believe doing nothing is all they can do. They cannot buy what they need. They cannot trade for what they need. They cannot compete to win the only trophy on offer. They will lose Booker sooner or later probably unless he happens to love living in Phoenix!
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Post by connors on Feb 7, 2020 12:49:01 GMT
ASG Draft for those interested
Team LeBron
Pick 1 Anthony Davis
Pick 3 Kawhi Leonard
Pick 5 Luka Doncic
Pick 7 James Harden
Pick 10 Damian Lillard
Pick 12 Ben Simmons
Pick 14 Nikola Jokic
Pick 16 Jayson Tatum
Pick 18 Chris Paul
Pick 20 Russell Westbrook
Pick 22 Domantas Sabonis
Team Giannis
Pick 2 Joel Embiid
Pick 4 Pascal Siakam
Pick 6 Kemba Walker
Pick 8 Trae Young
Pick 9 Khris Middleton
Pick 11 Bam Adebayo
Pick 13 Rudy Gobert
Pick 15 Jimmy Butler
Pick 17 Kyle Lowry
Pick 19 Brandon Ingram
Pick 21 Donovan Mitchell
East v West in the starters and I suspect that was (for whatever reason) pre-agreed between the Captains.
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Post by bagger on Feb 7, 2020 15:31:14 GMT
Thanks Connors, I think it did not work great for the Suns. The Tanking is talked a lot in the USA. Under the old system they would have has 1st pick.
They seem to be playing a 7 man rotation and that will not work in the NBA. Sad for the fans.I guess 30 wins this season will be progress of some sort.
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Post by SamH on Feb 8, 2020 2:36:34 GMT
Yeah seems to me the Suns are winning a lot more than last season and are competitive more consistently too but still a long way from being a playoff contender.
I think guys with the years and accolades like Iggy has do have a certain say and I can understand a veteran not wanting to go to a rebuilding team they won't be part of for long. Some are more willing (VC). But yeah to get all that money for sitting at home, I'm surprised there aren't clauses that allow teams to not pay players who don't show up.
Of course it's not just veterans. Remember Steve Francis refusing to go to the then Vancouver Grizzlies on draft night? That took some cajones! "Thanks for drafting me and giving me millions of dollars but I won't be coming!" Wow. I'm sure redneck Texas was a far better place to live though!
Anyway I liked the paper clips acquiring the decent Morris twin. What a result for him, getting out of New York AND landing on a contender! One of the few enforcer types left in the game these days, I think he'll be an asset come playoff time.
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Post by SamH on Feb 13, 2020 21:14:27 GMT
Devin Booker in for Lillard for the all star game and 3 point shootout. I was surprised to read it's the Sun's first all star since Steve Nash in 2012! Shows how long they've sucked for. I wonder if Ayton can get to that next level as it would give Phoenix a great 1-2 punch. He's averaging 19 and 12 this season, if he could do 24 and 14 he'd be up there with the top big men. Don't see much of him but he's developing nicely I think.
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Post by SamH on Feb 16, 2020 14:57:32 GMT
Every 2 or 3 years we get reminded why they still have the dunk contest. Last night was just such an occasion. What a classic final! Aaron Gordon got robbed but any other year Jones would have won anyway. Absolutely superb from both.
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Post by interestedridersfan on Feb 17, 2020 12:13:44 GMT
That's what you call a pre-game intro!!
Joe Pinchin follow that!!
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Post by SamH on Feb 17, 2020 20:09:48 GMT
Wow, what a great game! So much drama in the 4th, you couldn't have scripted it any better, except maybe someone hitting a big shot to win it, but even the free throw was nail biting after AD missed the first one.
Love the format and it was a proper game played hard, at least in the 4th which is what we all wanted to see from the all-star game.
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Post by connors on Mar 11, 2020 20:27:05 GMT
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Post by SamH on Mar 13, 2020 8:15:08 GMT
Was the game played then? ESPN scoreboard still shows it as postponed.
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Post by SamH on Mar 31, 2020 21:12:10 GMT
www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28974799/michael-jordan-series-espn-moved-aprilFinally some good news! This should be a great watch. It's always good to remember how great MJ was. For me, there's still no one better. Kobe didn't match his skill; LeBron and KD don't have his competitiveness; Duncan and Leonard dont have his flare/charisma; Harden and Curry can't play defense....and more importantly none of them have 6 rings or 10 scoring titles. What was MJ's weakness? Going to play baseball instead of sticking with it perhaps. Some people think he did that because he was bored and needed a challenge. It's been said he played in the NBA only because there was no higher level available. It wasn't that many years back he was still beating his own Hornets players in one on ones. He stays away from the practice areas most of the time so as not to demoralise them! And don't forget the Jordan Rules. When all else fails, repeatedly knock him on his ass to intimidate him. Even that didn't really work in the end!
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Post by SamH on Apr 7, 2020 1:12:33 GMT
Well you learn something new every day. Am I the only one who didn't know Steph is not Steph Curry's real name? Cant believe I never heard this over the years but as they say, Wiki don't lie! en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Curry😮 |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2020 7:20:39 GMT
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Post by SamH on Apr 7, 2020 11:34:38 GMT
I have twigged that but just never heard Steph being referred to as Wardell, or even Dell before. Very surreal
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Post by connors on Apr 7, 2020 14:23:04 GMT
When I first read your post Sam I thought you meant his name was Stephen :-)
Was news to me too that he was named after his Dad. Should not be a massive surprise though as seems very common among NBA players.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2020 10:45:09 GMT
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Post by connors on Apr 9, 2020 15:22:15 GMT
NBA players doing HORSE......I think if they say no dunks then maybe a one off might be amusing.
Sadly I would see it going the way of the dunk contest though....lots of crazy shots being missed under the glare of live TV and a potentially large audience.
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Post by connors on Apr 13, 2020 14:36:51 GMT
NBA Horse.....
Gotta say I thought it was horse **** to be honest.
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Post by SamH on Apr 14, 2020 19:04:53 GMT
At quiet times you can't beat the good old, GOAT debate! www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29021691/nba-goat-debate-big-questions-michael-jordan-greatest-players-everYou always think in basketball it's not much of a debate but there are still people out there, including one of the experts in that link, who will pick someone other than MJ. I'm not convinced by his case for Magic though. What I do find interesting is who else people put in the mix and whether there is a strong case to make for someone eclipsing Mike. Wilt seems the obvious choice, his numbers were more ridiculous than James Hardens have been lately. But he wasn't a team player - he didn't take people with him like Mike did and subsequently only got 2 rings. I watched a discussion between Russell, West, Kareem and a couple of others recently. Russell insisted he would have matched MJ. He kept laughing but you could tell he meant it, it was great to see the competitiveness still there even in his old age. But the fact is he just wasn't anything special offensively. How about Timmy? His only area of weakness was he lacked pzazz, but do you need to be flashy to be the GOAT? Arguably though, he wasn't finals MVP on the last 2 rings he won, and his stats overall weren't up there with Mike's so while he might be top 5, I don't think he could be first. And I just can't put LeBron there. Over his career I just don't think he's anywhere near matching MJ's competitiveness, his desire to win no matter what. We've seen it in patches but at other times hardly at all. I think that's an attribute that's really important and also perhaps something Wilt lacked a bit? Not too sure as never saw him but just sounds like he was more about making himself look good than actually winning stuff at all cost. So for me it's still an easy choice but I do enjoy seeing the debate unfold every once in a while! |
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Post by connors on Apr 15, 2020 7:29:12 GMT
Its an interesting debate but I think it is really hard to properly consider players who had their best days before the 80s. The stat keeping and TV coverage improved dramatically.
Bill Russell was clearly an exceptional leader and competitor. From what limited footage I have seen and what I had read he looks to have been a superb defender too. However he played on a stacked team in an era where the athleticism and size of NBA players was not the same as it was even 20 years later. On the other hand his stats are not properly maintained either. Same for Wilt. I used to always put Magic as second on my list. Begrudgingly I might consider Lebron for that position now.
Giannis/Kwahi were not good enough quick enough for me to be GOAT. The defining thing about most people on the ESPN debate is they would great from the get go. Dominant. Team changers. Winners.
The answer of course is Jordan. There is so much available footage of him in the 80s and 90s for those that did not watch at the time. He was dominant in an era where there was a lot of talent, many superb teams and a level of defensive intensity and physicality that is no longer allowed in the game. The stats, the game winners, the defence, the highlights, the MVPs, the ASGs, the ALL NBAs......THE GOAT.
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Post by SamH on Apr 15, 2020 14:52:24 GMT
I like to think if you were creating a set of Top Trump cards for great NBA players, then with MJ it doesn't matter what categories you included on the card, he would score very highly every time. There just isn't a weakness. His only weakness was going off to play baseball for 2 years which opened the door for Hakeem to snag a couple of rings, he being the only other elite player in the 90s to take advantage of MJ's down time. (I'm still gutted we missed out on a Rockets and Bulls final!)
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