The NBA

[LexieLily]

If Kyrie is traded, surely KD will ask out again, no?

[Marley]

They may as well trade him if he wants out and is going to be a free agent anyways. I don’t get why they would wanna do it with the Lakers or why he would wanna go to the Lakers at this point but who knows with him lol.

[twoods]

Probably because Lebron is there. I don’t want Mr. Flat Earther on the Lakers but this season has been a dumpster fire yet again so just add fuel to it at this point. 

[Marley]

I get the Lebron connection but Lebron is getting up there in basketball years I just can’t see a-lot of success but who knows. Who would they trade for Kyrie tho?

[Lady Whistleup]

2 hours ago, Marley said:

I get the Lebron connection but Lebron is getting up there in basketball years I just can’t see a-lot of success but who knows. Who would they trade for Kyrie tho?

Russell Westbrook? That way we can see KD and Russ screaming at each other on the sidelines again, OKC style.

[AimingforYoko]

Kyrie is just helping out the league by making sure people are talking about the NBA instead of the Super Bowl or Tom Brady.

[Carey]

On 2/1/2023 at 6:20 AM, cambridgeguy said:

Yes, because obviously when you want to drive interest in your sport the best result is to not televise one of your all-time greats breaking a record that likely will not be broken again for a long time, if ever. 

I guess ESPN or whomever will be gearing up for Aaron Judge style break ins!

[Magog]

14 hours ago, Carey said:

On 2/1/2023 at 6:20 AM, cambridgeguy said:

Yes, because obviously when you want to drive interest in your sport the best result is to not televise one of your all-time greats breaking a record that likely will not be broken again for a long time, if ever. 

I guess ESPN or whomever will be gearing up for Aaron Judge style break ins!

Well, we won't have to worry about that now because TNT is now going to air that Tuesday Night game against OKC. It was previously going to be Timberwolves at Nuggets.

And for some reason, ESPN2 is going to air Lakers at Pelicans tonight. There is no way that LeBron is going to score 63 points on the Pelicans. Though, you never know because the Pelicans are crashing & burning right now (on a 10 game losing streak & Zion can't seem to stay healthy).

[DrSpaceman73]

Thinking about the victor wembanyama sweepstakes and draft lottery, while there is no way to prevent tanking, you could limit repeated tanking and year after year tanking.  Limit top 3 draft picks to say only one every 3 years or 5 years.  If you tank one year and end up top 3 you have to wait to Have a chance again.  

Three years is probably a good rule. Five would be too long.  You'd get more rotation at the top of the draft and spread around top picks more. 

[Magog]

LeBron got 27 last night as the Lakers lost to the Pelicans 131-126. He only needs 36 points to catch Kareem & he should have no problem getting it against the  OKC Thunder on Tuesday Night. 

Even though the Lakers suck & in 13th place in the West, they're still in Playoff contention. I wonder how Jeanne, Magic, & Rob Pelinka are going to try to pry Kyrie Irving off of Brooklyn's hands since Kyrie wants out now & we all know where he really wants to go next.

[DrSpaceman73]

Up to $100k for tickets to the game to see lebron break the record. 

Crazy

[Lady Whistleup]

Steph out for the time being with a knee injury. Season likely over for the Warriors.

[twoods]

Irving to the Mavs. Will be interesting to see how him and Luka mesh.

On the Lakers website upper deck tickets 200 bucks, which isn’t that bad.

Edited February 5, 2023 by twoods

[Lady Whistleup]

Just now, twoods said:

Irving to the Mavs. Will be interesting to see how him and Luka mesh.

Both have a reputation of being extremely difficult and moody in the locker room. Jason Kidd will have his hands full, that's for sure.

[AimingforYoko]

The Mavs are going for it, that's for sure.

[Crashcourse]

4 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Up to $100k for tickets to the game to see lebron break the record. 

Crazy

I hope he scores 35 on Tuesday. 🤣

[cambridgeguy]

57 minutes ago, twoods said:

Irving to the Mavs. Will be interesting to see how him and Luka mesh.

Makes you wonder if (when?) KD is going to demand a trade.  He's entering his mid-30s, has an injury history, and is looking up at Boston, Milwaukee, and Philly.  Does he really want to spend his time toiling away on teams with no hopes of getting a title? 

[DrSpaceman73]

Ja morants family keeps it up they are all going to be banned across the league. 

https://hoopshype.com/rumor/nba-investigated-incident-involving-ja-morants-acquaintances-and-pacers-traveling-party-members/

 

Now threatened Pacers staff after a game and reportedly pointed a gun at the bus though that part could not be verified. 

[Black Knight]

2 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

Makes you wonder if (when?) KD is going to demand a trade.  He's entering his mid-30s, has an injury history, and is looking up at Boston, Milwaukee, and Philly.  Does he really want to spend his time toiling away on teams with no hopes of getting a title? 

He already tried that. I wouldn't put it past him to try again, but there's still the same issue of Marks being perfectly content to sit and wait until the right offer comes along, if ever, as he did with Harden and the first KD trade request.

Teams were already not really stepping up to the plate, given KD's age and injury history, and now KD's both older and currently out due to injury. What can the Nets really get back for him that is better than just having KD play whenever he's not injured? He's not the kind of dude to half-ass it on the court and the Nets know that, and a team with KD on it will always be a draw for fans as well as in contention. Ben Simmons is not going to sell tickets by himself.

[Crashcourse]

I don't watch much NBA anymore, but I just tuned in to see the 76ers playing the Knicks.  Sometimes there's loud organ music playing and it's annoying as hell.  Is that normal in other NBA games?  

[mojoween]

LeBron tweets “Maybe It’s Me”, gets interviewed about it, and says “oh I’m over it”.  But he still had to make it about him, knowing he would get the attention, even though it didn’t have anything to do with him.  Gah he is so annoying.

[Magog]

10 hours ago, mojoween said:

LeBron tweets “Maybe It’s Me”, gets interviewed about it, and says “oh I’m over it”.  But he still had to make it about him, knowing he would get the attention, even though it didn’t have anything to do with him.  Gah he is so annoying.

Well, you probably shouldn't watch tonight's game against the OKC Thunder where there is a very good chance that he will pass Kareem to be #1 NBA Scoring Leader. 

Even though the Lakers (except for LeBron) can get bent all day every day, I will be very happy when LeBron finally passes Kareem either tonight or Thursday night. 

Frankly, I will only be happy for LeBron & Kareem when that moment happens. They're both great (both on & off the court) & I'm sure that Kareem is happy that someone like LeBron overtakes him in the scoring list. All that other stuff, especially that very tiring GOAT debate, that Laker mystique, & doing it in a Laker uniform is not worth a damn to me.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Magog

[LexieLily]

Since Kyrie was traded East to West, what does that mean for his starting spot in the All-Star game?

[cambridgeguy]

Reports are that the Suns new owner is hiring Isiah Thomas for a prominent front office position.   He must not have talked to any Knicks fans.

[Lady Whistleup]

Lebron broke the scoring record.

[Marley]

I was watching good for him. It kind of made me laugh the game was just stopped but it makes sense. For some reason I was crying but I’m a sucker lol. I think he says fuck on live tv too which cracked me up.

[twoods]

Congrats to Lebron! Perfect shot to break the record.
Wondering if we will see this record be broken in our lifetime. He’s still averaging 30 a game so will continue to pile the points on this season, even if he ends up retiring.

Edited February 8, 2023 by twoods

[mojoween]

Tony Kornheiser said “The Decision” and “not 1, not 2, etc.” were fun.

That is … not AT ALL how any of that went over at the time.  In fact, that is when a lot of people turned on LeBron and his arrogance.  Interesting that we’re changing the narrative already.

[cambridgeguy]

Just now, mojoween said:

Tony Kornheiser said “The Decision” and “not 1, not 2, etc.” were fun.

That is … not AT ALL how any of that went over at the time.  In fact, that is when a lot of people turned on LeBron and his arrogance.  Interesting that we’re changing the narrative already.

Changing the narrative (or just flat out ignoring stuff) happens all the time.  Remember when Kobe was a selfish ball hog and horrible teammate?  A far cry from the great leader and role model he's considered to be now.  Or how MJ was a psychotic prick, but it's all OK because he won and he had the good fortune of not playing during the social media era?

Plus all haters should be thanking Lebron for the stupidity of the not 1, not 2 thing.  It'll be there forever as something to mock.

[Lady Whistleup]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

Tony Kornheiser said “The Decision” and “not 1, not 2, etc.” were fun.

That is … not AT ALL how any of that went over at the time.  In fact, that is when a lot of people turned on LeBron and his arrogance.  Interesting that we’re changing the narrative already.

Well my freshest memory from The Decision was Bill Simmons' rather racist column:

http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100709

Quote

I blame the people around him. I blame the lack of a father figure in his life. I blame us for feeding his narcissism to the point that he referred to himself in the third person five times in 45 minutes. I blame local and national writers (including myself) for apparently not doing a good enough job explaining to athletes like LeBron what sports mean to us, and how it IS a marriage, for better and worse, and that we're much more attached to these players and teams than they realize. I blame David Stern for not throwing his body in front of that show. I blame everyone.

 

[Magog]

Who gives a damn about Bill Simmons thinks?1 I'm very certain that he is very salty right now that LeBron passes Kareem to be #1 on the Scoring List. 

Speaking of the Scoring List, I was very happy that LeBron got the record. I'm also happy that the Thunder found a way to beat the Lakers 133-130 after LeBron got the record.Overall, it was a great night for the NBA. 

BTW, the Lakers are now 25-30 & still in 13th place.

[Crashcourse]

So LeWhine got the numbers.  🙄

I did like how gracious Kareem was though.

[twoods]

I can’t believe he’s 75- he looks fantastic, and truly thrilled for Lebron. What a classy guy.

[Lady Whistleup]

He wrote a wonderful article congratulating Lebron:

https://kareem.substack.com/p/what-i-think-about-lebron-breaking?publication_id=482856

[Lady Whistleup]

Big trade going down:

 

[twoods]

Lakers don’t have a first round draft pick until 2029. Longer to rebuild with young talent.

[LexieLily]

@Lady Whistleup I see your big trade announcement and I will raise you this one :)

 

[Carey]

And?  Then there were none.  But? Then there was Simmons, who a year ago was in a situation where I didn't know he would even play a game for Brooklyn.  Despite that, he was a player in the aftermath of the break between the trio of Irving, Harden, and Durant.  They are now all gone!

Edited February 9, 2023 by Carey
Edited because all sentences begin with a capital letter

[Lamb18]

Now Lakers have four former Timberwolves on their team. Utah traded to Lakers players they got from the Wolves for Gobert. Who hasn't done much. I wonder if the new guy will do anything.

[Carey]

 

[Lady Whistleup]

RW was never going to be a game that aged well. A point guard that can't shoot. I feel like Ja will be like RW too.

[twoods]

The Suns are freaking stacked and didn’t have to give up any of their top players for KD. Should be fun to watch.

[Carey]

I never got around to posting/commenting on LeBron maybe trying to go to Phoenix in the next two years.  Or anywhere but LA.  He might be stuck with the Lakers, but I think it's a waste to stay there.  Despite the year he won the title, there's nothing for him for prove anymore.

Not sure whether KD and James together will happen; if not, I guess I can forget LBJ as a Sun.

Having said that, I sorta will be okay with Phoenix winning outright.  Especially with a new ownership group.  We'll see

[cambridgeguy]

11 minutes ago, Carey said:

I never got around to posting/commenting on LeBron maybe trying to go to Phoenix in the next two years.  Or anywhere but LA.  He might be stuck with the Lakers, but I think it's a waste to stay there.  Despite the year he won the title, there's nothing for him for prove anymore.

Not sure whether KD and James together will happen; if not, I guess I can forget LBJ as a Sun.

Having said that, I sorta will be okay with Phoenix winning outright.  Especially with a new ownership group.  We'll see

Kind of depends on what matters most to him. 

Legacy?  Then he needs to move on, but he's also partially responsible for the dumpster fire that is the Lakers roster, too.  Fair or not, ending with 4 rings will be a pretty significant disadvantage when it comes to talk about being the greatest. 

Playing with his son?  Kind of depends on how much leverage he has with the Lakers versus some other team.  He's a decent enough prospect, but also limited, and if his name was Joe Smith then he'd be just another guy.

The perks of living in LA as a super wealthy celebrity?  Yeah, that's hard to replicate outside of maybe NYC.

[Black Knight]

The "my last year will be played with my son" thing just seems so narcissistic to me. I'm sure it's already tough enough to be playing basketball as LBJ's son when he's not a great player, and he'll have to live with knowing that whichever team ends up with him did so because they wanted his father, and then of course having to play on the court at the same time as his more talented father, with all the fights about his playing time and role on the team you can imagine his father starting with whatever poor coach ends up with this duo. And then when his father retires, the team will demote or drop him.

He was already going to be overshadowed by his father as it is, but this is like the black hole of overshadowing or something.

Hopefully I'm wrong and Bronny actually loves the idea of playing a season with his dad and doesn't mind all the negative baggage that will come with it, but...man, that just seems like a lot to put on a son's shoulders.

[Carey]

I personally would love to see LBJ play against his son, to be honest.

Not father vs son as the top story of the season, but the two on different teams that get to face each other as much as possible (maybe in the playoffs/finals)

[isalicat]

7 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

RW was never going to be a game that aged well. A point guard that can't shoot. I feel like Ja will be like RW too.

If he (Ja) stays out of jail 😸

[Lady Whistleup]

7 hours ago, Black Knight said:

The "my last year will be played with my son" thing just seems so narcissistic to me. I'm sure it's already tough enough to be playing basketball as LBJ's son when he's not a great player, and he'll have to live with knowing that whichever team ends up with him did so because they wanted his father, and then of course having to play on the court at the same time as his more talented father, with all the fights about his playing time and role on the team you can imagine his father starting with whatever poor coach ends up with this duo. And then when his father retires, the team will demote or drop him.

He was already going to be overshadowed by his father as it is, but this is like the black hole of overshadowing or something.

Hopefully I'm wrong and Bronny actually loves the idea of playing a season with his dad and doesn't mind all the negative baggage that will come with it, but...man, that just seems like a lot to put on a son's shoulders.

I feel this way too. I also notice that Lebron always says he wants to play alongside his son, but never says what Bronny wants. Most young people Bronny's age love their parents, but also want a life and identity apart from them. There will be absolutely no space between father and son on a team. 

A dizzying afternoon of trades. Can't keep up anymore.

[morriss]

Just imagine how many more points Kareem could have scored if he had been allowed to run half the court carrying the ball like players nowadays are allowed to do.    🏀

[Lady Whistleup]

So the Nets made a nice tribute video to KD this afternoon but not to Kyrie. I think this speaks to how much the team was sick of Kyrie's shit by the time he finally left. Whereas I think with KD they just realized it was time to move on.