The NBA

[Jx223]

Shams Charania from the Vertical is reporting that the Cavs have agreed to trade Kyrie Irving to the Celtics. They have decided to trade him for a group of players that includes Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and a 2018 Nets pick.

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-cavs-celtics-seriously-discussing-deal-swap-kyrie-irving-isaiah-thomas-223024513.html

Edited August 23, 2017 by Jx223

[Fukui San]

Goodbye Isaiah! Goodbye Jae! Goodbye Ante! And I’m going to miss you most of all, Brooklyn's 2018 1st round pick!

[Magog]

Thankfully, Adrian Wojnarowski didn't break the news big trade on ESPN because he was getting on my nerves. 

 

Kyrie Irving has been traded to the Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, some nobody name Ante Zizic, & their 2018 first round pick (from the sucky Nets). I'm forever indebted to Kyrie Irving for that shot in bringing down those Warriors & for that, I thank him. The Cavaliers will still be a dumpster fire after next season, but there might be a little bit of hope because of that upcoming pick. 

Those Warriors are out there laughing somewhere. 

[twoods]

All for one player? Are the Celtics insane?

[mojoween]

I'm just amused that Brian Windhorst tweeted that he's in Rome so someone else will need to break down the trade or he will be divorced.

Otherwise I'm kind of getting bored with the constant turnover in the NBA.  Talk about rooting for laundry and not people.

[Jx223]

31 minutes ago, twoods said:

All for one player? Are the Celtics insane?

I wonder if one reason the Celtics traded for Kyrie is because they felt his contract situation is more favorable right now than Isaiah Thomas's is. Maybe they preferred for trading for Kyrie who has two more years on his contract than offering Isaiah a max contract. They have lost another good defensive player in Jae Crowder (in addition to already losing Avery Bradley), but maybe they feel that their group of Kyrie+Gordon Hayward, Rookie Jayson Tatum, etc will work out. Within the next couple of years they might be able to make it back to the NBA finals, especially if LeBron leaves Cleveland after the upcoming season is over with. 

On the flipside for Cleveland, at least they got some help defensively in acquiring Jae Crowder, and they could get a high draft pick next year with the Nets pick. I think this trade could end up benefiting both sides in some ways.

I look forward to watching the opening night of the Cavs/Celtics matchup.

Edited August 23, 2017 by Jx223

[Fukui San]

Let's break down Cleveland's haul:

Isaiah Thomas. Most lovable player in the league by far. Mr. Irrelevant who bounced around teams because no one could believe a plucky 5'9" guy with a chip on his shoulder could be an elite player. Has excelled in Boston, bleeds green, plays an amazing, acrobatic brand of offensive basketball. He believes that he should get a max contract. I do too. I'm just glad it's not my team that's going to give it to him. He's a 28 year old, 5'9" guy with a history of hip problems. I don't see him getting a lot better than he's shown this year, and I just hope for his sake his game doesn't significantly deteriorate. He'll never not be a defensive liability. Trading him is like clubbing a baby seal, but making him a max guy and team centerpiece going forward right now would be madness.

Jae Crowder: Justaguy McJustaguyversion. Honorable player, plays good D, not afraid to take a shot, is replaceable.

Ante Zizic: Large fellow drafted 23rd last year, played in Europe. You hope he gets to the point where you can play him 10-15 minutes/night without embarrassment.

2018 Brooklyn's #1 pick.  The biggest trump card in Ainge's pocket. Brooklyn will probably suck next year too. It might be a very high pick, and the holder may be able to draft a high quality big man with that pick, which the Celtics could have used if they remained in its current configuration. It hurts more to give up this asset than it hurts to give up Thomas, on a pure basketball basis.  However, the Celtics also hold the Lakers' pick next year if it falls in the #2-5 window. If it doesn't, it becomes the 2019 Kings pick. (Don't you love how convoluted NBA trades are?) It may be they can draft near the top of next year's draft once again.

And now Kyrie Irving. 25 years old, four time all star. No known health issues. On contract for two more seasons. If you can get him to re-sign for the long term, then that makes Boston's return seem a lot better. He isn't much better than Thomas defensively, but maybe he can be coached up since he doesn't have the size disadvantage. Wants to be the undisputed man and Boston will allow him to be that. Horford seems to like being a good sidekick, and I think Heyward signed with that mentality as well. Young guys Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum are just starting out. He doesn't have to be in anyone's shadow. I trust Brad Stevens as a coach will be able to integrate him into a system rather than him going all Kobe Bryant on the team. Allocating shots among Irving, Horford, and Heyward will be a challenge. Proximity to world class colleges may be able to convince him Earth is not flat.

The elephant in the room: The Celtics and Cavs are not rivals. After next year, LeBron is going to be a Los Angeles Something or Other most likely, and the Cavs will be rebuilding again. The Celtics are set to be good and deep for the foreseeable future. The two best teams in a conference rarely trade with one another, but these teams could because both sides understood that reality. I think when we look back at this trade, it'll look very lopsided based on whether the Celtics can win the championship and whether the Cavs can draft a superstar. At the moment I can't say with any certainty which side I think will have won the trade.

[roamyn]

We just threw away our future.  For what?  An older Isaiah, an unknown draft, and a bunch of who?????

[xaxat]

8 hours ago, roamyn said:

We just threw away our future.  For what?  An older Isaiah, an unknown draft, and a bunch of who?????

Given how Kyrie forced their hand, I think the Cavs made out really well.

Just ask Pacer fans.

[Kip Hackman]

3 hours ago, xaxat said:

Given how Kyrie forced their hand, I think the Cavs made out really well.

Just ask Pacer fans.

Agreed. If Isaiah is healthy, Cleveland are still favorites to win the East this year. If LeBron bolts for LA at the end of the year, the Cavs will have a high lottery pick and a bunch of cap space. If you're a Cavs fan, what more could you ask for?

[roamyn]

11 hours ago, Kip Hackman said:

Agreed. If Isaiah is healthy, Cleveland are still favorites to win the East this year. If LeBron bolts for LA at the end of the year, the Cavs will have a high lottery pick and a bunch of cap space. If you're a Cavs fan, what more could you ask for?

That's a big if.

And I know Kyrie wanted to prove himself outside of LeBron.  But he coulda waited one year, when LeBron goes elsewhere.

IT4 is sooo much worse on defense, tho he's better on the perimeter.

Edited August 24, 2017 by roamyn

[mojoween]

Fans burning Isaiah's jersey is the dumbest thing I have ever seen.  He was TRADED.  Not his choice to go.  Idiots.

Also his sister died and he played a game for you the NEXT DAY.  But yeah, burn his jersey because he somehow betrayed YOU.

[AimingforYoko]

Cavs-Celtics trade not quite done yet.

[Fukui San]

75% of the talking heads declare the Cavs won the trade, and yet they want A LOT more because the guy who had to leave the playoffs because of hip problems... has hip problems.

[roamyn]

28 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

75% of the talking heads declare the Cavs won the trade, and yet they want A LOT more because the guy who had to leave the playoffs because of hip problems... has hip problems.

Yeah, you'd think they'd do their homework before breaking news of the big trade.

I'm sure they did some due diligence or wouldn't have even considered it w/o some doctor reassurance and this is more in-depth.  

[DrSpaceman73]

I wouldn't budge if I were the Celtics. 

 

Cavs got more than enough in return and won't do better in a trade for Kyrie, a good guard to replace him AND a #1 pick next year AND other players.  I would stick to it and say nothing else, make them void the deal if they wish.  Hip problems or not, its a good deal for them.

 

How awkward would that be if the deal is voided, especially for IT going back to the Celtics? 

[Jx223]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I wouldn't budge if I were the Celtics. 

 

Cavs got more than enough in return and won't do better in a trade for Kyrie, a good guard to replace him AND a #1 pick next year AND other players.  I would stick to it and say nothing else, make them void the deal if they wish.  Hip problems or not, its a good deal for them.

 

How awkward would that be if the deal is voided, especially for IT going back to the Celtics? 

I think it's going to be the most awkward for Kyrie. While there were people that burned IT"s jersey I do believe that most Boston fans appreciated him. I think there were only a few people that were burning his jersey. Kyrie is the one that I think that things are going to be really awkward for (and maybe LeBron as well.) I think that the Cavs got a nice return in this trade, hopefully IT will get healthy. If they aren't able to finalize this deal, I wonder who they will end up trading Kyrie to and who they will get in return for him. 

Edited August 28, 2017 by Jx223

[DrSpaceman73]

2 hours ago, Jx223 said:

I think it's going to be the most awkward for Kyrie. While there were people that burned IT"s jersey I do believe that most Boston fans appreciated him. I think there were only a few people that were burning his jersey. Kyrie is the one that I think that things are going to be really awkward for (and maybe LeBron as well.) I think that the Cavs got a nice return in this trade, hopefully IT will get healthy. If they aren't able to finalize this deal, I wonder who they will end up trading Kyrie to and who they will get in return for him. 

I say IT would have a harder time because the trade seemed to surprise him and there are reports he was "hurt" by the trade. 

http://www.weei.com/blogs/ty-anderson/isaiah-thomas-has-been-left-scrambling-after-hurtful-trade-celtics

 

There was also one report, though the Celtics organization denied it afterwards, that IT was not well liked by other players in Boston.  This came out after the trade

 

http://www.weei.com/blogs/ty-anderson/nba-insider-says-isaiah-thomas-was-not-liked-teammates

 

 

Kyrie had made it clear he wanted to leave and it was expected, so no surprises, just status quo as before for him if he has to go back

For IT, its hard to go back and pretend they didn't try to get rid of him unexpectedly after this if the trade falls through

[roamyn]

The Cavs/Celtics/Nets trade is official.

Good bye Kyrie!  Good luck (except when playing the Cavs), and thank you for helping Cleveland get over that hump!

[xaxat]

Remember back when Kevin Durant gave his MVP speech an everybody was praising him for being so humble?

I give you the new KD shoe. 

[topanga]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

Remember back when Kevin Durant gave his MVP speech an everybody was praising him for being so humble?

I give you the new KD shoe. 

I don't think he was NOT being humble--necessarily. I think KD is saying with his shoe that he's heard all of the fan talk but (ultimately) doesn't care what criticism he received for trying to reach his basketball goals. Because he reached them. 

I'm not a fan of ring shopping, but KD wasn't the first and certainly won't be the last.

But, yeah, he won't win back any former fans with that shoe. But honestly, was he ever going to get them back? 

[Jx223]

According to ESPN and other sources Carmelo Anthony will be traded to OKC. He will be traded for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and the 2nd round pick that OKC got from the Bulls last year.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20793120/new-york-knicks-agree-trade-carmelo-anthony-oklahoma-city-thunder

[twoods]

Don't Anthony and George play the same position? This can either work out well, or be a complete mess.

Newfound respect for the Warriors and their statement after the usual dumpster fire tweet from the Orange Menace. Even more for Lebron. 

[Jx223]

26 minutes ago, twoods said:

Don't Anthony and George play the same position? This can either work out well, or be a complete mess.

Newfound respect for the Warriors and their statement after the usual dumpster fire tweet from the Orange Menace. Even more for Lebron. 

Both Paul and Melo play small forward right now. But Paul George did play as a shooting guard in his first couple of years with the Pacers. He switched to small forward after Danny Granger got injured. Maybe the Thunder will have Paul go back to playing Shooting Guard and Melo could stay at the small forward.  Maybe they will move Andre Roberson to the bench to make this happen. 

I'm glad that the Thunder is getting some more offensive help. Last year they really struggled to score when Russ was on the bench. Now when he takes a break, Paul/Melo can help the team score. 

[AimingforYoko]

Damn, Sam Presti is a sneaky SOB. I didn't see them getting George and I didn't see them getting 'Melo.

Here's a question: I wonder how LaLa is going to like OKC? I'm sure it'll be fine, she seems like a simple, down-to-earth girl.

[FuriousStyles]

Melo has always played better at the 4 position with his range and skill on the blocks.  They have a month or so to get things right and really the first half of the season. If they all stay healthy they should be top 4 seed.

As a Knicks fan I have mixed emotions. On the one hand i'm glad the Melo era is finally over.  As someone who likens himself as an elite player in the league...he woefully underachieved.  I think maybe 2 or 3 playoff appearances....and never made it out of the 2nd round. And this is in the East.  On the other hand unless KP has improved there's no reason to watch the Knicks.  I told someone with the Giants, Jets, Knicks and Nets, this is going to be one sad winter for NY sports.

Steph has been critical of Trump for months.  I loved him when put the CEO of UnderArmour on notice when the guy said some positive things about Trump.  Im loving Steph, and Lebron and all athletes using their voices to critize the Idiot in chief.

Edited September 24, 2017 by FuriousStyles

[DrSpaceman73]

2 hours ago, Jx223 said:

Both Paul and Melo play small forward right now. But Paul George did play as a shooting guard in his first couple of years with the Pacers. He switched to small forward after Danny Granger got injured. Maybe the Thunder will have Paul go back to playing Shooting Guard and Melo could stay at the small forward.  Maybe they will move Andre Roberson to the bench to make this happen. 

I'm glad that the Thunder is getting some more offensive help. Last year they really struggled to score when Russ was on the bench. Now when he takes a break, Paul/Melo can help the team score. 

Pacers tried to get George to change positions and roles in the last few years and he basically told them "no".

They will probably make them SF/PF though. 

Bigger problem for George is he may have to steal the ball from CArmelo or westbrook to get any shots himself.  Now he is on a team with not one but two ball hogs.

Plus George is there for just a year, lets not kids ourselves.  This is not convincing him to stay on OKC. 

[Jx223]

2 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Damn, Sam Presti is a sneaky SOB. I didn't see them getting George and I didn't see them getting 'Melo.

Here's a question: I wonder how LaLa is going to like OKC? I'm sure it'll be fine, she seems like a simple, down-to-earth girl.

Sam has done a great job this offseason. He made out like a bandit with the types of players he flipped for Paul George/Melo. He really is doing all that he can to try and help OKC contend. I think they could be very entertaining to watch next season. They already had good defenders, and now they get another one in Paul George and better offensive players.

42 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Pacers tried to get George to change positions and roles in the last few years and he basically told them "no".

They will probably make them SF/PF though. 

Bigger problem for George is he may have to steal the ball from CArmelo or westbrook to get any shots himself.  Now he is on a team with not one but two ball hogs.

Plus George is there for just a year, lets not kids ourselves.  This is not convincing him to stay on OKC. 

Russell averaged like 10 assists last year and I wouldn't be surprised if that number goes up with the addition of Paul George and Melo. Now he can kick the ball out to them and they won't be afraid to take shots. Last year some of his teammates were hesitant to take shots and passed the ball right back to him, and he ended up taking those shots. He won't have to worry about that with Paul George/Melo. Now he can rest and won't have to worry as much about the team falling behind a lot when he's not on the floor. 

I am interested in seeing what positions Melo/Paul George end up playing. I wonder if they will be SG/SF or SF/PF. The Thunder also have Patrick Patterson and could potentially start him at PF as well.  Maybe they will experiment with a few different lineups to see what works best.

Also as far as Paul George going to the Lakers,  I think that may depend on how well the Lakers perform. I don't think they are making the playoffs. The West is very stacked and I think that several teams will be ranked above them. If they don't fare too well this upcoming season, Paul may stay in OKC longer.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Jx223

[xaxat]

Dallas Maverick and Puerto Rico native JJ Barea sent a single text to Mark Cuban asking to use his plane in order to fly supplies to the island. Without asking any further questions Cuban gave him permission.

Good people, both of them.

[roamyn]

Wade is close to signing w/Cleveland.

And Bill Russell is 10,000x awesome for tweeting a pic of himself kneeling while wearing his Medal of Freedom!

[Jx223]

Russell Westbrook has signed his 5 year/205 million extension:

http://www.espn.http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20862559/oklahoma-city-thunder-star-russell-westbrook-agrees-5-year-205m-extensioncom/nba/story/_/id/20862559/oklahoma-city-thunder-star-russell-westbrook-agrees-5-year-205m-extension

Also, the NBA preseason begins tomorrow. The Lakers/Timberwolves will be shown on NBA TV at 10pm EST. I am looking forward to seeing the first look at the new roster of several teams including Minnesota, OKC, Cleveland, etc... It looks like the Lakers may end up having the most televised preseason games. I saw at least three on the schedule. 

Here is a link to the preseason schedule (starting tomorrow and ending on October 13). 

http://www.espn.com/nba/schedule/_/date/20171012

Edited September 29, 2017 by Jx223

[mojoween]

If the rumors are true, Russ signed his deal on Durant's birthday.

[Ohwell]

Magic and Isaiah used to kiss, so I don't understand why Kevin and Russell can't just kiss and make up.

[DrSpaceman73]

On ‎9‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 5:11 PM, roamyn said:

Wade is close to signing w/Cleveland.

And Bill Russell is 10,000x awesome for tweeting a pic of himself kneeling while wearing his Medal of Freedom!

Oh dear god, please don't let this spread to the NBA as well. 

Its such an overblown topic.  I was sick of it last year. 

I really don't care what they do during the anthem.  I just don't need to hear about it 24 hours a day, before the game, after the game, all over the internet, everywhere.

And a more pertinent note, the NBA changed the draft lottery rules and also put in place rules to punish teams for resting players

http://www.nba.com/article/2017/09/28/nba-board-governors-approves-changes-draft-lottery-system#/

I like the draft lottery changes.  The "top" (or bottom) 3 teams will now all have the same odds. 

I don't like punishing teams for resting players.  Teams should be able to handle that however they please. 

I suspect teams will be around it by trotting players out there for a few minutes to start or for 5-10 minutes a game and sit then the rest of the time, rather than resting them a whole game

Edited September 30, 2017 by DrSpaceman73

[Jx223]

32 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Oh dear god, please don't let this spread to the NBA as well. 

Its such an overblown topic.  I was sick of it last year. 

I really don't care what they do during the anthem.  I just don't need to hear about it 24 hours a day, before the game, after the game, all over the internet, everywhere.

And a more pertinent note, the NBA changed the draft lottery rules and also put in place rules to punish teams for resting players

http://www.nba.com/article/2017/09/28/nba-board-governors-approves-changes-draft-lottery-system#/

I like the draft lottery changes.  The "top" (or bottom) 3 teams will now all have the same odds. 

I don't like punishing teams for resting players.  Teams should be able to handle that however they please. 

I suspect teams will be around it by trotting players out there for a few minutes to start or for 5-10 minutes a game and sit then the rest of the time, rather than resting them a whole game

I can understand why they made the rules for resting players. I think this is largely because players were doing it during nationally televised games and that wasn't a good look for the league. Especially given how much the networks have shelled out to televise games (and also making it possible for the players to get these very lucrative contracts).  Plus now the NBA has eliminated some team's back to backs to make it easier for them to get rest. Maybe we will see more teams learn how to manage players minutes.

I don't mind the lottery changes either. I heard some analysts state that they believe the league is hurting bad teams by doing this, but bad teams are still going to finish towards the bottom even if they win more games. At least these changes may stop some of them from completely tanking and help put out a better product for the fans.

Also, the league sent out a memo saying they want players to stand for the anthem. I actually don't think we are going to really see many (if really any) NBA players kneeling or protesting on the court. 

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20864858/nba-memo-reinforces-rule-players-coaches-stand-national-anthem

Edited September 30, 2017 by Jx223

[Jx223]

The NBA has decided to change the way that All-Star teams are created this season. It will no longer be the East vs. West. This season they will let a captain from each conference pick who they want on their team (regardless of what conference the other players are in). Fans, media, other players and coaches will still select a pool of starters and reserves that the captains will choose from. The All-Star game this year will also be played for charity.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20905491/nba-all-star-game-switch-formats-captains-pick-team-conference-affiliations

[Silver Raven]

23 minutes ago, Jx223 said:

The NBA has decided to change the way that All-Star teams are created this season. It will no longer be the East vs. West. This season they will let a captain from each conference pick who they want on their team (regardless of what conference the other players are in). Fans, media, other players and coaches will still select a pool of starters and reserves that the captains will choose from. The All-Star game this year will also be played for charity.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20905491/nba-all-star-game-switch-formats-captains-pick-team-conference-affiliations

That sounds horrible.

[mojoween]

The NFL did that for two Pro Bowls and then dumped it because it sucked.

[xaxat]

I think it's smart marketing move for the NBA because the bulk of the "star" (not necessarily the best) players are now in the West. 

For the casual fan the East has LeBron and . . . ? Kyrie Irving? Kevin Love? Kristaps Porzingis?

[mojoween]

Hey add John Wall and you have the starting five for the East!

[xaxat]

I started this thread when the Sixers were in the middle of The Process had just ended a twenty game losing streak.

This season, we learn if it was worth it. I.can't.wait.

[ketchuplover]

Rest in peace Connie Hawkins

[mojoween]

Oh my god Gordon Hayward

It’s gruesome.  Less than seven minutes in to the season.  How sad.

[Fukui San]

I haven't seen it but based on what people said I'll be avoiding all footage of this if I can. 

Really tough. I hope he can recover. 

[DrSpaceman73]

Fractured ankle is the report for Hayward.  It was an awful injury. 

[Calvada]

Seeing the headline on CNN "Celtic Gordon Hayward Suffers Gruesome Ankle Injury" means I'll be avoiding sports TV for a few days.  I can't imagine sitting courtside and seeing something like that happen.  

[twoods]

There are clips of the Cavs bench literally jumping up and covering their faces. All of the players, including the Cavs, looked devastated. I bit and watched the clip and it was terrible to see. What was amazing to watch was how calm Gordon seemed during everything, including when they reset his ankle.  I hope he comes back as strong as Shaun and Paul did. Just heartbreaking.

[diet7up]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

Oh my god Gordon Hayward

It’s gruesome.  Less than seven minutes in to the season.  How sad.

Have been hearing and reading about it so my curiosity got the better of me so I clicked the link to watch.  Now I wish I hadn't.  Gruesome indeed.  I feel so bad for him as well as the team.

[Jx223]

I am sorry about Gordon Hayward's injury. That was a brutal injury and when it happened it sucked the life out of the room for a few minutes. Everyone from both teams and the fans definitely were shaken up and concerned about him after it happened. I hope he has a healthy recovery. Paul George came back from a brutal injury, I hope Gordon can come back too. 

I think that the Celtics could still end up doing well in his absence. They have a lot of talent on that team. They were fighting against the Cavs tonight but ultimately the Cavs did enough to get the win. I thought that Kryie and LeBron shared a nice moment at the end of that game.

In regards to the Warriors/Rockets game tonight, the Rockets did a nice job of stealing the win from the Warriors. The Warriors were hitting them with their usual flurry of 3s, (including several from Nick Young off the bench) but the Rockets withstood them and made enough 3s of their own to get the win. I had thought for a moment that KD's shot had went down in time at the end, but fortunately for the Rockets it didn't. That was a good win for them and a good way to start the season. 

Edited October 18, 2017 by Jx223

[Jx223]

NBA League Pass is currently free until October 24. If you don't have access to the channels on your tv you can go to NBA.com and sign up for the free trial. You have to have or create an NBA account on the site to do this. (And I also believe it's free to create an NBA account)