The NBA

[Growsonwalls]

Well even if Klay Thompson never plays again he's had a really good career. 

[cambridgeguy]

On 11/18/2020 at 7:57 PM, Growsonwalls said:

All I know was Kobe Bryant was never remotely the same after he ruptured his Achilles, and it also essentially ended the careers of Isiah Thomas, Elgin Baylor, and Chauncey Billups.

Man this sucks 😞 I love following Klay and his dog Rocco on IG.

Yeah, but those guys were in their mid 30s with a lot of miles on them.  Dominique Wilkins managed to pull off a pretty successful career after his tear but he's the exception.  We'll see what happens with KD.

[xaxat]

 

[Growsonwalls]

13 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

Yeah, but those guys were in their mid 30s with a lot of miles on them.  Dominique Wilkins managed to pull off a pretty successful career after his tear but he's the exception.  We'll see what happens with KD.

Well one thing he has going for him is he plays for the Warriors who have a good track record of bringing back players after serious injuries. Steph Curry has glass ankles but has come back numerous times. Shaun Livingston bounced around from team to team after he completely blew out his kneecap but played several years for the Warriors as a valuable role player. 

I kind of wonder though about Lebron ... how has he been able to play since he was 18 years old, nonstop, without any major injuries? Is he just bionic? 

[DrSpaceman73]

Celtics / ainge were trying to get turner AND Oladipo or warren in the gordon hayward trade and the pacers I'm sure told him to go take a flying green leap.

And so they get nothing.  He goes as a free agent to Charlotte.  Pacers were offering turner / mcdermott which is a reasonable offer that still probably favors the Celtics and he passed.  

Idiot

Hayward and ball with the hornets are good upgrades though. 

[Growsonwalls]

Lot of player movement in the last 24 hours:

Serge Ibaka to the Clippers

Dwight Howard to the Sixers

Avery Bradley to Miami

Jae Crowder to Phoenix

[Medicine Crow]

1 hour ago, Growsonwalls said:

Lot of player movement in the last 24 hours:

Serge Ibaka to the Clippers

Dwight Howard to the Sixers

Avery Bradley to Miami

Jae Crowder to Phoenix

As a Raptors/Ibaka fan, I'm broken-hearted he's going to the Clippers, but it will give me another reason to follow the Clippers (Kwai).

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, Growsonwalls said:

Dwight Howard to the Sixers

Earlier in the day he tweeted,

Then he found out the feeling was not mutual. Gotta think they ran that one past LeBron. 

[Growsonwalls]

1 hour ago, Medicine Crow said:

As a Raptors/Ibaka fan, I'm broken-hearted he's going to the Clippers, but it will give me another reason to follow the Clippers (Kwai).

Marc Gasol also heading to the Lakers. I guess the Raptors are having a rebuilding/tanking year?

In other news there were also some no-brainer extensions: Jayson Tatum extended in Boston and Donovan Mitchell in Utah.

Edited November 23, 2020 by Growsonwalls

[doodlebug]

On 11/20/2020 at 7:57 PM, Growsonwalls said:

 

I kind of wonder though about Lebron ... how has he been able to play since he was 18 years old, nonstop, without any major injuries? Is he just bionic? 

Yep, I think he is.  He is also fanatical about working out and staying in shape; even in the off-season.  He's also got the strong build that a lot of more fragile players don't have.  Part heredity, part outrageous devotion to his work ethic.

[emma675]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

Yep, I think he is.  He is also fanatical about working out and staying in shape; even in the off-season.  He's also got the strong build that a lot of more fragile players don't have.  Part heredity, part outrageous devotion to his work ethic.

Agreed. I think it's a combination of luck, hard work, and his build. He is so much bigger than others his size and I think that helps, somehow. 

[Fukui San]

I think the top players in many sports who buy in to year round wellness routines have the chance to to better longer than previous generations. Diets, exercises, rest regimens, hyperbaric chambers, the works. Tom Brady famously is one, and LeBron, of course. I heard an interview with Russell Wilson and he's doing all these year round body maintenance measures, too. 

Say what you want about LeBron. He's not playing 36 holes of golf the morning of a big game, or gambling in Vegas the night before, as far as I've heard.

[grommit2]

Ouch.  Celtics lost Hayward. 
Too bad. He played well in their system.
Moved well both with and without the ball. Played D.  Rebounded.  Passed to the open man.
Able to get his shot off under pressure.  Did not force it.
Oh well.
 

[Growsonwalls]

Lebron's torso is like the Great Wall of China. I think he's 6'8" and agile but built more like a linebacker than the classic basketball physique of long and lean.  Still, his longevity is remarkable.

Even Tom Brady with that ridiculous workout and diet regimen blew out his knee one season and needed surgery. 

[Crs97]

LeBron also seems to know how to pace himself.  I remember several Januarys when he took a night or two off to rest.  Isn’t he prone to some back issues?  He seems to listen to his body and regulate himself so that he can heal quickly and remain in top form.

[AimingforYoko]

Twitter's got jokes:

 

[emma675]

What's funny is that we've been talking about Lebron's physique and he is back in the gym today. His Instagram feed has him working out with weights and a balance ball (and dancing around to 2Chainz, lol).

[Growsonwalls]

You know I was just thinking -- something even more remarkable about Lebron's longevity is that basketball has pretty much been his full time "job" since he was in middle school. This is true of a lot of other stars as well -- that they played in AAU, summer camps, but for Lebron it's the level of hype that surrounded him since middle school was unprecedented. 

The only other player that had that kind of uninterrupted longevity was Kareem Abdul Jabbar who was also highly touted by the time he was in middle school. 

In other news, another no-brainer extension: Bam Adebayo five year extension with Miami.

[DoctorAtomic]

I read somewhere back at the end of his career that Kobe basically played 3 or 4 extra seasons' worth with playoffs and Olympics just over his pro career. 

[Fukui San]

Taking a look at Basketball reference, Kobe played in 220 playoff games in his career, LeBron 260 so far. Kobe 16 international games, LeBron James 24.

[Growsonwalls]

Michael Jordan donated $2 mil to Feeding America:

 

[isalicat]

 

From above:

Michael Jordan donated $2 mil to Feeding America

I would just like to tell you all what a difference this makes. I work at a local food pantry, where, as you might guess, demand is escalating every day. Until the pandemic started we had to buy our staples (peanut butter, canned tuna, pasta, rice, beans...etc.) from the local food bank and then rely on donations from local grocery stores for fresh fruits and vegies, meat, etc. Because of people like Michael Jordan and other generous souls, Feed America has had enough money to give our local food bank a substantial amount so we are now getting all the staples for free and can spend our cash donation monies on getting stuff like toilet paper, sanitary supplies, diapers and baby food to add to what we are able to give. We are open from 2 to 3:30 PM Monday-Friday and at this point we have about 60 families a day coming in for groceries. Due to the pending expiration of unemployment benefits and the moratorium on evictions, we are anticipating a huge increase in December in terms of hungry families locally.

[emmawoodhouse]

Main bullet points of the league's Covid protocols.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30406725/nba-outlines-covid-19-safety-protocols-134-page-guide

[mojoween]

Eight years ago, with no context, I posted this on Facebook - David Stern has lost his frickin' MIND.  What a ridiculous abuse of power.

I have no idea what my deal was, possibly it was about nixing the Chris Paul trade?  But I can’t imagine it would have been that, because I can’t stand Chris Paul so why would I care?

[Magog]

Does anybody know who will be playing on the first night of the season (DEC 22th)? I know that one of them better be Clippers - Lakers when the Lakers raise their championship banner. The new season starts in about 3 weeks & we still don't have a regular season schedule yet. 

Edit: Still don't know the opening night schedule, but we now know the Christmas Day schedule.

12pm - Pelicans at Heat

2:30pm - Those Warriors at Bucks

5pm - Nets at Celtics

8pm - Mavericks at Lakers

10:30pm - Clippers at Nuggets

Edited December 2, 2020 by Magog

[Maximum Taco]

The Clippers Drama y'all. The DRAMA.

 

 

 

[xaxat]

So Kawhi was pulling a Phillip Rivers?

[Magog]

On 11/23/2020 at 3:03 PM, Growsonwalls said:

Lebron's torso is like the Great Wall of China. I think he's 6'8" and agile but built more like a linebacker than the classic basketball physique of long and lean.  Still, his longevity is remarkable.

Speaking of longevity, LeBron has just signed a 2 yr extension for the Lakers worth $85 Million. The contract will now end at the 2022-2023 season.

[Maximum Taco]

2 hours ago, xaxat said:

So Kawhi was pulling a Phillip Rivers?

Apparently it was truly nuts. 

Like Kawhi and PG could decline or demand playing time IN GAME. Like Doc could be like "Yo we really need you in the 4th" and Kawhi could just be like "Yeah, it's a no from me dawg."

I get a BIT with Kawhi too, like by some reports he's held together with tape, and his knees just aren't there any more. But why PG?

[emmawoodhouse]

NBA Covid testing results and season protocols.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30438683/nba-says-48-positive-covid-19-initial-re-entry-testing

[AimingforYoko]

Russell Westbrook traded to the Wizards for John Wall.

Bad contract for bad contract.

[emmawoodhouse]

1 hour ago, AimingforYoko said:

Russell Westbrook traded to the Wizards for John Wall.

Bad contract for bad contract.

Malcontent for malcontent. Hopefully, they will be happier in their new homes.

[DoctorAtomic]

Odd you wouldn't put Lakers/Clippers for the xmas game. 

[emmawoodhouse]

2 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Odd you wouldn't put Lakers/Clippers for the xmas game. 

I think they set them up for opening night.

[Growsonwalls]

John Wall hasn't played for 2 years with the injuries. I think Houston wanted to unload RW's contract for a first round draft pick. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I would have thought xmas would have a larger viewing draw. 

[Crashcourse]

As a Wizards fan, I won't miss John Wall.  At.All. 

[Growsonwalls]

Here's an article about Russell Westbrook's complex analytics.

[AimingforYoko]

Paul George signs 4-year, $190m extension with Clippers.

Oh well, it's Ballmer's money.

[xaxat]

20 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Paul George signs 4-year, $190m extension with Clippers.

Oh well, it's Ballmer's money.

True, but they are probably going to extend Kawhi's contract next year and those cap taxes are really punitive. (And he's got to pay for his new arena.)

The 2020-2021 preseason has started.

Kyrie is already philosophizing. The Nets are going to be a fascinating dumpster fire.

 

Edited December 12, 2020 by xaxat

[emma675]

Breaking 76ers news, Matisse Thybulle now has braids.

Just kidding, but I was watching videos of the 76ers in practice and I didn't recognize him at first. They have a lot of new players and their practices look great. Simmons and Embiid look healthy and happy and Dwight Howard was laughing, which I feel like I've rarely seen. I'm excited for this season. 

[xaxat]

If the Sixers tell you they would like to draft or trade for you as a rookie, RUN THE OTHER DIRECTION! Since 2014,

Joel Embiid: Missed first two seasons with a broken foot.

Ben Simmons: Missed first season with a broken foot.

Markelle Fultz: Missed most of first two seasons with what was later diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome.

Zhaire Smith: Missed most of first two seasons because a life threatening food allergy

And this week? Tyrese Maxey tested covid positive. Fortunately, he's asymptomatic.

[Growsonwalls]

KD is looking pretty good in his return. I guess time will tell whether he can come back from an Achilles injury (those are the worst). In his prime he's one of the most unguardable players in the NBA.

[mojoween]

The Keyshawn J-Will and Zubin show made me laugh yesterday (and I’m still giggling about it today).

They played a snippet from KD taking after the game and then Zubin said “we also heard from Kyrie” and the producer played crickets.

[AimingforYoko]

Giannis Antetokounmpo signs Supermax extension with the Bucks for 5-years, $228m.

[Magog]

Quote

7 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Giannis Antetokounmpo signs Supermax extension with the Bucks for 5-years, $228m.

 

Somewhere on ESPN, Stephen A Smith is very disappointed by this news. He probably wanted him to go to the Lakers, Clippers, Heat, or the Knicks next season.

Now all the Bucks need to do is deliver a championship.

[emmawoodhouse]

I'm surprised this is allowed. 😂

https://es.pn/2WvZ2PP

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I'm surprised this is allowed. 😂

https://es.pn/2WvZ2PP

It probably isn't. But who would have guessed that someone would do that?

[Growsonwalls]

Russell Westbrook donned a Santa hat and handed out shoes, masks and backpacks in DC:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJFcvfPjzpV/

He does appear to be a very kind, generous person off the court.

[FullCourtPress]

James harden is super ungrateful to the rockets organization and should be traded if you ask me.

#HoustonRockets   Sports Center | James Harden’s on team expectations & Burying the hatchet for 2021