The NBA

[emma675]

When do the players for Team USA get together and start practicing? Now that both of my teams are out of the playoffs, I'm turning my focus to the Olympics (yay!). It's pretty much a month away now so I would imagine they would start practicing soon and I'm guessing there are some travel and quarantine rules all of the athletes must follow for the Games. 

[Lady Whistleup]

24 minutes ago, emma675 said:

When do the players for Team USA get together and start practicing? Now that both of my teams are out of the playoffs, I'm turning my focus to the Olympics (yay!). It's pretty much a month away now so I would imagine they would start practicing soon and I'm guessing there are some travel and quarantine rules all of the athletes must follow for the Games. 

July 6 in Vegas. Booker will obviously arrive later if he's still in the playoffs.

But I think all the players on the team are vaccinated, which makes the quarantining/travel process less of a hassle.

Team Canada has several NBA players:  RJ Barrett, Andrew Wiggins. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Lu Dort, Cory Joseph, Trey Lyles, Mychal Mulder and Dwight Powell.

Team Australia will have Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle reuniting. Considering the ice cold body language between them during the playoffs that will be ... interesting.

[emma675]

11 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Team Australia will have Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle reuniting. Considering the ice cold body language between them during the playoffs that will be ... interesting.

It's more like ice cold body language between Simmons and all of the 76ers, not just him and Matisse. I think Simmons is gone from the 76ers after this season, I just don't know how or where he would go (his contract is fairly large and his value dropped considerably after his playoff disaster <which is all on him>). I'm going to be interested to watch how he and Matisse interact on the Australian team and how the rest of the team treats Simmons (assuming they watched him in the NBA playoffs). Simmons is a landmine right now. 

I think the off season deals and moves are going to be interesting this summer. So many players want to move, so many teams want to unload big contracts, and very few seem to have options like Harden did earlier this season with his personal walk out.

[emmawoodhouse]

@Magog will be pleased to know that Steph is sitting this Olympics out. 

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by emmawoodhouse
Clarity

[Lady Whistleup]

9 minutes ago, emma675 said:

It's more like ice cold body language between Simmons and all of the 76ers, not just him and Matisse. I think Simmons is gone from the 76ers after this season, I just don't know how or where he would go (his contract is fairly large and his value dropped considerably after his playoff disaster <which is all on him>). I'm going to be interested to watch how he and Matisse interact on the Australian team and how the rest of the team treats Simmons (assuming they watched him in the NBA playoffs). Simmons is a landmine right now. 

I think the off season deals and moves are going to be interesting this summer. So many players want to move, so many teams want to unload big contracts, and very few seem to have options like Harden did earlier this season with his personal walk out.

I don't know who would take Ben Simmons. He has a huge supermax contract. Maybe Utah as they have a lot of strong offensive pieces but are weak defensively? MAYBE Mavericks as they too have a strong offensive piece in Luka but have holes in their defense?

Philly really wants the Damian Lillard trade to happen but I don't see it happening. Dame does want to leave Portland but I don;t see Portland's FO taking Simmons in a trade.

Here by the way is the now-famous pass on a dunk to double-teamed Thybulle. You can see the frustration in both Thybulle and Embiid after the play.

 

[Lady Whistleup]

39 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

@Magog will be pleased to know that Steph is sitting this Olympics out. 

And that's obviously because he's wanted in Tokyo for murdering little kids and drowning puppies. 

[emma675]

One of ESPN's reporters is tweeting that Ben Simmons is unlikely to play in Tokyo for Australia and is choosing to stay in the US to work on his shot. It's probably best that he lie low for a while and I think we can all agree that working on his shot is the least he can be doing right now, lol. Apparently Australia's team starts practice this week in LA. Link here.

Edited June 21, 2021 by emma675d

[Lady Whistleup]

10 minutes ago, emma675 said:

One of ESPN's reporters is tweeting that Ben Simmons is unlikely to play in Tokyo for Australia and is choosing to stay in the US to work on his shot. It's probably best that he lie low for a while and I think we can all agree that working on his shot is the least he can be doing right now, lol. Apparently Australia's team starts practice this week in LA. Link here.

I don't really feel comfortable repeating the allegations because they have nothing to do with Ben personally but apparently there's a lot of family turmoil (like the legal kind) happening with Ben Simmons' family and Doc Rivers was asked about it. 

Edited June 21, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[crimsongrl]

I thought James Harden was "playing on one leg." Why is he going to Tokyo?

[Lady Whistleup]

16 minutes ago, crimsongrl said:

I thought James Harden was "playing on one leg." Why is he going to Tokyo?

It's like a vacation for them. They only play a few minutes per game, they're feted everywhere they go, the press and spectators and other teams go crazy for them, and the style of international play isn't very physical.

[NUguy514]

3 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

It's like a vacation for them. They only play a few minutes per game, they're feted everywhere they go, the press and spectators and other teams go crazy for them, and the style of international play isn't very physical.

Well, there won't be any spectators to fete them this time, so...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ETA: Welp, I just saw that Japan might allow 10,000 Japanese spectators to attend events at various venues, so maybe they will be feted after all.  But in an intimate kind of way.  Like a small birthday party or wedding, but the entire team is the birthday boy or bride or whatever.

Edited June 22, 2021 by NUguy514

[emma675]

Apparently Japan is allowing 50% capacity at events, despite the continued high Covid numbers there. Link.

[Lady Whistleup]

9 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

Well, there won't be any spectators to fete them this time, so...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ETA: Welp, I just saw that Japan might allow 10,000 Japanese spectators to attend events at various venues, so maybe they will be feted after all.  But in an intimate kind of way.  Like a small birthday party or wedding, but the entire team is the birthday boy or bride or whatever.

Have you ever seen Japanese audiences at sporting events? They are the absolute best. They cheer for everyone and are very warm and welcoming. The stadiums are at 50% capacity which can be pretty loud. The male gymnastics crowd will be CRAZY.

Anyway some more rumors about team USA: Donovan Mitchell and Anthony Davis turned it down. Not a surprise. Chris Paul is rumored to want to go. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard also want to go, although Kawhi's injury might take him out of contention. I would love it if they gave the last spot to someone younger like Ja Morant or Zion Williamson.

[Carey]

4 hours ago, crimsongrl said:

I thought James Harden was "playing on one leg." Why is he going to Tokyo?

Meh.  Harden on one leg is better than several people playing on two legs

[Lady Whistleup]

For Ben Simmons, he can take consolation that several offensively weaker players have started over and found redemption on a different team.

Maybe the best example is Ron Artest/Metta World Peace. After the infamous Malice in the Palace, Metta bounced around. He finally found his niche with the Lakers where he thrived in a role player position. On the Lakers the pressure was off him to be a scorer (Kobe had that role on lock).

Why the Metta analogy might not work: Metta was never a great FT shooter or good at 3's, but his stats are still better than Ben's. Metta's FT% was 71%. Not good but not hack-a-Metta. His 3pt % was 33% -- again, not elite but not at Ben's 14.7%. He could nail a jumper as he famously did in Game 7 of the 2010 finals. So while he wasn't known as an offensive force he wasn't an offensive liability. 

Also, Metta was actually known in the NBA as a nice guy when he wasn't fighting fans. He got along with Kobe, one of the most difficult teammates of all time. The chemistry issues between Ben and the rest of the Sixers have been talked about for years now. 

Another example is Dennis Rodman. Dennis Rodman was considered uncoachable after his short, unhappy stint with the Spurs. Again, in the Bulls he found his groove as a rebounder and defensive heavy because you had Jordan running the offense and plenty of other scoring options (Pippen, Kukoc, rotation players like Steve Kerr).

Why the Rodman analogy might not work: Dennis was a power forward. Ben is a point guard. Point guards are expected to be better shooters than power forwards. Also, it's a different game now. The extremely physical style of play during the 90s has been replaced with a game that places a premium on efficient scoring. 

[Magog]

19 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

@Magog will be pleased to know that Steph is sitting this Olympics out.

I am kind of pleased about that. We won't get to see him in Tokyo hitting 3 pointers & half-court shots like its nothing & mocking his opponents while doing it in the Olympics. And we won't have to deal with his usual Gallant-like smugness & his aw-shucks demeanor while NBC & ESPN are doing their usual Steph being Steph worshipping in Tokyo. Why is he sitting out anyway?

The rest of Team USA is just meh... & couple of them (looking at you KD) are just downright loathsome. At least Draymond will be there, so that puts a little smile on my face.

Tonight is the NBA Draft Lottery. I don't know where the Cavaliers are going to land tonight (hopefully in the top 6), but I'm really hoping that those Warriors do not end up in the top 6 in the Draft tonight. 

Edited June 22, 2021 by Magog

[LexieLily]

6 minutes ago, Magog said:

Tonight is the NBA Draft Lottery. I don't know where the Cavaliers are going to land tonight (hopefully in the top 6), but I'm really hoping that those Warriors do not end up in the top 6 in the Draft tonight. 

I hate to break it to you but GSW has Minnesota's 2021 pick (top-three protected).

The Rockets, on the other hand, with the worst record still somehow only have a 50% chance of their pick staying in the top 4 (5 and it conveys to OKC). How does that work? Ha.

[Carey]

It's amazing that the Warriors were a couple wins away from being one of 16 teams playing for 2021 NBA title (their 4th in 7 years), and I guess they could draft first overall.  It's a really big deal if Thompson returns and stays healthy.

Speaking of Golden State, who "changed" the "culture" of the NBA with their scoring and whatnot, I guess I'm not a fan of how the league moved from defense to more offense.  I guess scoring is what people want, but it's annoying that there's a limit to that.  It's similar to my criticism toward the NFL; I don't think it's a big deal, but I'd love to see how high a team can go.  In all fairness, I guess I have to respect it that they don't want too much scoring, mainly in terms of a one-sided game

[emmawoodhouse]

CP3 has announced his intention to play at the Olympics.

[Lady Whistleup]

1 hour ago, Magog said:

I am kind of pleased about that. We won't get to see him in Tokyo hitting 3 pointers & half-court shots like its nothing & mocking his opponents while doing it in the Olympics. And we won't have to deal with his usual Gallant-like smugness & his aw-shucks demeanor while NBC & ESPN are doing their usual Steph being Steph worshipping in Tokyo. Why is he sitting out anyway?

The rest of Team USA is just meh... & couple of them (looking at you KD) are just downright loathsome. At least Draymond will be there, so that puts a little smile on my face.

Tonight is the NBA Draft Lottery. I don't know where the Cavaliers are going to land tonight (hopefully in the top 6), but I'm really hoping that those Warriors do not end up in the top 6 in the Draft tonight. 

Warriors have Minnesota's pick. 

And I really don't recall Steph ever "mocking his opponents" but I also don't remember him doing anything "loathsome." I don't recall KD doing anything "loathsome" either. But then again I reserve "loathsome" for people who actually do truly "loathsome" things like rape (Kobe Bryant or Karl Malone) or appearing in wacky Plandemic-type docs (John Stockton). IMO elite athletes wanting to win and being competitive and feisty on the court is not "loathsome." 

Anyway, more team USA signups: Chris Paul, Kevin Love and Khris Middleton.

Edited June 22, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[Lady Whistleup]

CP3 changed his mind. He's not playing.

Jrue Holiday will take his place.

So the roster is now:

1. Bradley Beal

2. Damian Lillard

3. Bam Adebayo

4. Jayson Tatum

5. Kevin Durant

6. James Harden

7. Draymond Green

8. Devin Booker

9. Jrue Holiday

10. Khris Middleton

11. Kevin Love

[AimingforYoko]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

11. Kevin Love

And the last piece of the puzzle falls into place!

[Lady Whistleup]

1 minute ago, AimingforYoko said:

And the last piece of the puzzle falls into place!

But ... why Kevin Love? He hasn't been having good seasons. I mean, he's still real pretty but not sure what value he adds to the team other than eye candy.

[AimingforYoko]

2 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

But ... why Kevin Love? He hasn't been having good seasons. I mean, he's still real pretty but not sure what value he adds to the team other than eye candy.

Once again, no sarcasm font on the internet leads to misunderstandings.

[Lady Whistleup]

4 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Once again, no sarcasm font on the internet leads to misunderstandings.

No I get it now. I wish they'd give it to someone younger like Zion, Ja or Trae Young.

[cambridgeguy]

51 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

But ... why Kevin Love? He hasn't been having good seasons. I mean, he's still real pretty but not sure what value he adds to the team other than eye candy.

Token white guy?

[Lady Whistleup]

11 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

Token white guy?

Uh I didn't want to say that but ... The 2016 team didn't have a token white guy though.

[NUguy514]

5 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

And I really don't recall Steph ever "mocking his opponents" but I also don't remember him doing anything "loathsome." I don't recall KD doing anything "loathsome" either. But then again I reserve "loathsome" for people who actually do truly "loathsome" things like rape (Kobe Bryant or Karl Malone) or appearing in wacky Plandemic-type docs (John Stockton). IMO elite athletes wanting to win and being competitive and feisty on the court is not "loathsome." 

Steph and the Warriors are loathsome because they whipped the asses of Bron-bron and the Cavs so many times, and Bron-bron and the Cavs are the only opponents who exist, so annihilating them so many times is basically mocking their opponents.

[Lady Whistleup]

Brook Lopez is the last team USA member. It's a real Bucks reunion with Jrue, Brook and Kris.

[xaxat]

Still trying to figure out Swinn Cash's body language after the Pelican reveal.

ETA Ben Wallace be lookin' like a character from Power behind that desk.

Edited June 23, 2021 by xaxat

[Lady Whistleup]

17 minutes ago, xaxat said:

Still trying to figure out Swinn Cash's body language after the Pelican reveal.

ETA Ben Wallace be lookin' like a character from Power behind that desk.

Pistons won the "Fade for Cade" campaign.

And Hakeem Olajuwon still looks good.

[LexieLily]

Rockets get to keep their pick! Once we got into the top four I told myself I wasn't going to be greedy; two is still good.

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

Still trying to figure out Swinn Cash's body language after the Pelican reveal.

ETA Ben Wallace be lookin' like a character from Power behind that desk.

 

[Lady Whistleup]

Alex Caruso got arrested for weed possession. Which I honestly did not know was still a thing (it's legalized in NY and NJ now).

 

[LexieLily]

Holy shit: that last inbound play (Crowder to Ayton) for a dunk for the win!!

Scott Foster tried so hard to give this to the Clips. How are you going to have 0.7 left on the clock for the Clippers after the Phoenix inbound pass and shot started at 0.9?

Edited June 23, 2021 by LexieLily

[Lady Whistleup]

2 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Holy shit: that last inbound play (Crowder to Ayton) for a dunk for the win!!

Wild wild game. Reminded me of the 90s with the really physical defense that included stitches for both Booker and Beverley.

[Maximum Taco]

What a finish. Just UNREAL. 

Can't make it up that PG bricks two free throws and then Ayton slams it down on the in bounds play. 

[Lady Whistleup]

The 2018 draft class already looking legendary. 

Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, Michael Porter Jr., plus role players like Mikai Bridges, Bruce Brown, Landry Shamet, Shake Milton. 

[cambridgeguy]

The Clippers really are committed to going down 2-0 before trying to win the series, aren't they?  And looks like Playoff P still has a few kinks to work out.

[Maximum Taco]

1 hour ago, cambridgeguy said:

The Clippers really are committed to going down 2-0 before trying to win the series, aren't they?  And looks like Playoff P still has a few kinks to work out.

I wonder if they can do it without Kawhi though. They closed out the Jazz without him to be sure. The Suns feel like a different animal.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

On 6/21/2021 at 1:30 PM, Magog said:

Or, there is a pretty good possibility that Ben Simmons flat out sucks. I knew that Ben Simmons will find a way to mess it up for the Sixers in Game 7 & he most certainly didn't disappoint in that part. He did absolutely nothing in the 4th Quarter in that entire series. I can't stand James Harden & I still haven't forgiven him for his former team (Rockets) choking against those Warriors on a few occasions in the Playoffs. But, he tried to his damnest to help Brooklyn come very close to winning that series against the Bucks with basically one leg. James Harden showed more heart & energy in that series with one leg than Ben Simmons did in the entire Playoffs. I'm hope that Markelle Fultz is smiling & laughing somewhere right now. He may have bad luck & injuries during his time with the Sixers. But, I'm certain he would of been more of a help to the Sixers right now than Ben Simmons. 

Yeah.  This right here.  Simmons is an entitled asshole who'd rather be famous for who he's dating rather than being a game-changing player.  He's content with thinking that defense is enough.  It's not.

Markelle Fultz was another headcase and I'm honestly not sorry that he's gone either.  But I'd love to hear what Jimmy Butler thinks about this latest turn of events.  We have Jimmy and Philly is in the Finals.  (And why did I just see a Fultz Sixers jersey on the Clearance rack in Burlington just the other day?  Who wants that shit even for a mere 5.99?  LOL)

On 6/21/2021 at 5:50 PM, emma675 said:

One of ESPN's reporters is tweeting that Ben Simmons is unlikely to play in Tokyo for Australia and is choosing to stay in the US to work on his shot.

Oh, NOW he wants to work on his shot?  FOH.  "You ain't got to lie, Craig.  You ain't got to lie."

[emma675]

4 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Simmons is an entitled asshole who'd rather be famous for who he's dating rather than being a game-changing player.  He's content with thinking that defense is enough.  It's not.

I go back and forth thinking Simmons is just an entitled ass and also thinking he's a complete introvert who can't handle the fame/pressure/expectations that come with being an NBA star and shuts down. Either way, he's brought 99% of things on himself by not working to get better, by isolating himself from teammates and coaches, by allowing his family to dictate his career and work offseason, and by not accepting that he was the major part of Philly falling apart in the playoffs. I do not agree with the fans online posting death threats and horrible things about his mental state; that is something no one should have to deal with. At the end of the day, it's just a stupid game and this is a 24 year old real person. But it's going to be up to him to decide if he's willing to put in the work and improve, no one else can do anything for Simmons anymore except Simmons. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by emma675d

[LexieLily]

2 hours ago, emma675 said:

I go back and forth thinking Simmons is just an entitled ass and also thinking he's a complete introvert who can't handle the fame/pressure/expectations that come with being an NBA star and shuts down. Either way, he's brought 99% of things on himself by not working to get better, by isolating himself from teammates and coaches, but allowing his family to dictate his career and work offseason, and by not accepting that he was the major part of Philly falling apart in the playoffs. I do not agree with the fans online posting death threats and horrible things about his mental state; that is something no one should have to deal with. At the end of the day, it's just a stupid game and this is a 24 year old real person. But it's going to be up to him to decide if he's willing to put in the work and improve, no one else can do anything for Simmons anymore except Simmons. 

I've heard about the not working to get better but hadn't heard about these things. What happened?

[emmawoodhouse]

Final Olympics roster.

Harden out, LaVine in.

[emma675]

1 hour ago, LexieLily said:

I've heard about the not working to get better but hadn't heard about these things. What happened?

If you google it, you can get a better picture, but basically after 2019 he told then coach Brett Brown that he agreed to work on his shot during the offseason with a coach the 76ers had recommended. When Simmons came back from the offseason, Brown learned not only had Simmons not worked with the coach at all, he instead worked with his brother, who is an assistant coach at some private college and not a shooting coach. Apparently his family is also heavily involved in his career decisions, his other brother Sean is his manager.

The 76ers are pretty good about keeping team discussions and disputes out of the media, but I have a feeling that might change if Simmons stays and doesn't show improvement. Even Matisse Thybulle, who is basically sunshine in a bottle, was visibly angry with Simmons after the last playoff loss. 

[Crashcourse]

Why was Ben Simmons drafted if he can't shoot?  Yes, I know how important defensive skills are but aren't you supposed to know how to, uhhhh...shoot? 

[Lady Whistleup]

2 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Final Olympics roster.

Harden out, LaVine in.

Also Jerami Grant is in. He is the son of Harvey Grant and nephew of Horace Grant.

[Lady Whistleup]

5 hours ago, emma675 said:

I go back and forth thinking Simmons is just an entitled ass and also thinking he's a complete introvert who can't handle the fame/pressure/expectations that come with being an NBA star and shuts down. Either way, he's brought 99% of things on himself by not working to get better, by isolating himself from teammates and coaches, by allowing his family to dictate his career and work offseason, and by not accepting that he was the major part of Philly falling apart in the playoffs. I do not agree with the fans online posting death threats and horrible things about his mental state; that is something no one should have to deal with. At the end of the day, it's just a stupid game and this is a 24 year old real person. But it's going to be up to him to decide if he's willing to put in the work and improve, no one else can do anything for Simmons anymore except Simmons. 

Introversion is actually kind of common among sports stars. Not everyone is like Giannis or Zion -- friendly and gregarious. Many sports stars excel so much at sports that their social skills are a bit stunted.

Among the current crop of stars, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, K. Porzingis et al are known as introverted. Klay Thompson spends most of his time alone in a boat with his dog.

I think Ben Simmons' issue is he has severe chemistry problems with the Sixers. That's obvious from the body language between him and the rest of the team -- even the friendly ones like Seth Curry or Matisse Thybulle seem to avoid him. 

Doc Rivers has a very poor history handling chemistry issues in the locker room. He wasn't able to handle the chemistry problems between the Clippers, and he also wasn't able to handle the issues between Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on the Celtics. 

[emma675]

Does anyone know if we'll be getting a special Olympics section or should we be talking about Olympics' basketball in here? @emmawoodhouse's link had interesting info about the exhibition games in Vegas that start soon and I found a schedule online of the Olympic games. We're getting close!

[Lady Whistleup]

8 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Does anyone know if we'll be getting a special Olympics section or should we be talking about Olympics' basketball in here? @emmawoodhouse's link had interesting info about the exhibition games in Vegas that start soon and I found a schedule online of the Olympic games. We're getting close!

I think we'll get an Olympics section once the Olympics start. Color me excited to see Durant, Lillard, Booker and Tatum on one team. It will RAIN baskets. All of them have this capability of dropping 40, 50 a game.