The Official 2015-2016 NBA Regular Season Thread

[Groundhog]

So happy to have drafted both Curry and KAT in my fantasy league.......

[whomario]

Sooooo, the Rockets might be a train wreck. They look terrible so far.

Towns looked positively impressive. A little too herky-jerky, but the potential for offensive moves is definitely considereable.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I think the only team I'd rather see implode more than the Rockets is the Clippers.

I find their train-wreck-ness odd though - they seem too talented to really be this bad.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I think the only team I'd rather see implode more than the Rockets is the Clippers.

Feeling is mutual, turd-burglar.

[nol]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I think the only team I'd rather see implode more than the Rockets is the Clippers.

I find their train-wreck-ness odd though - they seem too talented to really be this bad.

There wasn't too much more to it than their two frontcourt starters being injured and Harden missing a lot of open looks he normally makes. Looked much better tonight. I still think the best teams will be able to exploit a Lawson/Harden backcourt in the playoffs, and no, "make Steph Curry have to play defense" doesn't actually address that issue. Westbrook was torching them until he had to sit out due to some foul trouble.

Warriors are dominant at the half against the Grizzlies, and they haven't even needed to bust out the scheme where their center sags off of Tony Allen.

The Timberwolves' home opener had a really nice tribute to Flip; if KG had been involved I'd probably have been bawling, but there's no way he'd have been able to get through it either. Minnesota would honestly be a pretty competitive team this year if Sam Mitchell were to stagger the rotations to avoid having 5 bench players in the game at the same time. Wiggins is clearly hobbled with some back issues, which would free up some minutes, but having both Prince and Garnett as token starters who play 15 mpg is throwing things off as well.

Unless Anthony Davis counts as a center this year, someone between Davis, Durant, LeBron, Blake Griffin, and Leonard is going to be stuck on 3rd team all NBA, which is insane.

[kingfc22]

In case there was any doubt, the Warriors are still really, really good.

Currently 88-44 against Memphis without Bogut to matchup with their bigs.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Yeah, that was amazing. Curry is averaging more than a point per minute.

[RainMaker]

I noticed Curry had a PER of 52 going into tonight's game.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I noticed Curry had a PER of 52 going into tonight's game.

The NBA better patch that, totally unrealistic gameplay

[jbergey22]

Timberwolves had 3 50/50 calls go against them in the final minute last night. Kind of a frustrating game to watch as Timberwolves seemed to be the better team and playing better but Portland just got hot from 3 and the wolves could just never get the momentum back. KAT was kind of a forgotten man after the first few minutes. Hard to understand that as well.

[spleen1015]

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Yeah, that was amazing. Curry is averaging more than a point per minute.

Are we sure that Curry will be playing more 4th quarters this season than he did last season?

[Groundhog]

0-3 Hornets putting the hurt on 3-1 Bulls.

[Atocep]

Drummond is a monster.

[nol]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Drummond is a monster.

He's almost going to have to play all 48 minutes for them. The bench bigs have been awful. The Pelicans and the Pistons combined have the best big guys from the 2012 draft and about 6 other clear-cut NBA players after that.

Warriors stat of the day: they have played more minutes this season with a lead of 16 or more than each of the 5 worst teams last year did over the entire season.

The Lakers' defense is so, so bad. How could anyone have thought they were going to contend for the playoffs?

[Groundhog]

29 rebounds for Drummond...

[RainMaker]

Derrick Rose is really bad.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Derrick Rose is really bad.

He's Kemba Walker with a $21 million contract.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

He's Kemba Walker with a $21 million contract.

And bad eyes.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Feeling is mutual, turd-burglar.

Haha, don't know how I missed this the first time around. I find it so hard to imagine people hating on the Warriors...

...and then I remember that most people hate Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Really wish the refs would make up their minds as to whether they're going to call everything or nothing in the Clippers / Warriors game. Clippers have been absolutely hosed on several calls.

[Vince, Pt. II]

So what's the point of taking Paul out for the last possession, other than completely pissing him off?

(Was watching without sound, so I have no idea if the broadcast covered this)

[wustin]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

So what's the point of taking Paul out for the last possession, other than completely pissing him off?

(Was watching without sound, so I have no idea if the broadcast covered this)

Missed two straight critical free throws near the end of the game

Somehow missed a wide open Blake Griffin cutting to the basket to tie the game at 108

Tried to be too much of a hero so Doc probably told him to sit on the bench. That last play was a mess, it looked like Doc or Crawford didn't know what play to run and it ended up being 15 seconds of iso for Crawford. Should've drawn up a play for Redick for a quick catch and shoot.

[BishopMVP]

Damn, 2017 uber-prospect Harry Giles tore his other ACL. He'll be an interesting draft case - how much do NBA teams trust current medical science, especially considering he'll have both knees operated on by non-NBA/high D1 doctors*. There's also an interesting discussion to be had at some point about whether injuries to higher end teenagers are becoming more frequent (almost everyone I know thinks they are, but there aren't really definitive statistics) due to kids specializing in one sport or training with professional trainers earlier these days.

I love that Laker fans are already turning on D'Angelo Russell. I'm sure there are some rational ones out there but every Laker fan I hear still thinks they can build a title winning team around Kobe and his $30m/y contract. Not to mention calling Jordan Clarkson a franchise player.

* - I guess he moved up his college announcement, so if he signs an NLI this period he can get that school to help with the surgery and recovery.

[Groundhog]

The sole Lakers game I've seen so far this year he wasn't even handling the ball, which seems strange to me considering his best talents right now seem to be his playmaking ability.

[heybrad]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

The sole Lakers game I've seen so far this year he wasn't even handling the ball, which seems strange to me considering his best talents right now seem to be his playmaking ability.

Yea... that's the stupidity of Byron Scott. He has specifically told Russell he doesn't want him bringing the ball up yet. He's said he needs to earn that by playing some defense first.

[MrBug708]

The Lakers problem is that Scott said he's trying to win games, developing talent is secondary

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

The Lakers problem is that Scott said he's trying to win games, developing talent is secondary

If he's playing to win games Kobe should be coming off the bench. But that whole organization is just in shambles, led by another trust fund kid who never earned his power (and somehow won the power struggle with the seemingly much smarter sibling.)

Btw, that's 2 nights in a row with ridiculous shots that don't count at halftime. Jae Crowder banking in his fullcourt out of bounds pass last night, and now Jeff Green swishing the most casual and highest arc'ing mid-court shot ever just after the buzzer. (Then again, absurd athletic feats combined with being so slow to react when he gets the ball in his hands that he doesn't actually help the team is the motto of Jeff Green's NBA career.)

I'm liking this Portland team so far, they might be able to stay around that 8th spot race. Forget CJ McCollum's breakout, the big guys are looking good too. Meyers Leonard, one of the Plumlee's, even Al-Farouq Aminu and Moe Harkless are bouncy enough to look good and feast on cuts/offensive boards off Lillard/McCollum's dribble penetration and spacing.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

I love that Laker fans are already turning on D'Angelo Russell. I'm sure there are some rational ones out there but every Laker fan I hear still thinks they can build a title winning team around Kobe and his $30m/y contract. Not to mention calling Jordan Clarkson a franchise player.

I haven't given up on Russell. And fuck Kobe. He needed to be gone like 2-3 years ago.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

The Lakers problem is that Scott said he's trying to win games, developing talent is secondary

Lol. Like BishopMVP said, if that's true, Kobe needs to come off the bench. I do really like Hibbert so far though.

[nol]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Damn, 2017 uber-prospect Harry Giles tore his other ACL. He'll be an interesting draft case - how much do NBA teams trust current medical science, especially considering he'll have both knees operated on by non-NBA/high D1 doctors*. There's also an interesting discussion to be had at some point about whether injuries to higher end teenagers are becoming more frequent (almost everyone I know thinks they are, but there aren't really definitive statistics) due to kids specializing in one sport or training with professional trainers earlier these days.

The first injury occurred while playing for team USA, so I'm sure he was well-known enough that good doctors were taking care of it (Duke University Hospital, incidentally, which probably clinches where he's going). I'd be more worried about the rehab since tearing the other ACL could clearly be a sign of overcompensating for the weaker knee the first time around, and now there will be a conflict between his long-term health and his college wanting him ready to go for his one year. That's the kind of thing that makes you wish for a minor league or other option because Giles could spend the whole year rehabbing and still be a top 3 pick, if not first overall.

I watched what replay I could of Clippers-Warriors. It was a better showing than I thought it would be going in - slowing down Curry requires some out-of-the-box defensive tactics, and game 4 of the regular season is not the time to reveal those. Given that, losing a close game at Oracle because he goes off late is about as good a result as you can hope for.

Derrick Rose is good again! Actually he's in the D-Wade zone where he can be good 1 out of every X games, and you just have to count on X not getting too much bigger than 2 or 3.

[Groundhog]

Assuming the Pelicans own their 2016 draft pick, sucking this year could end up being the best thing for them... Get a guy to play next to AD.

Porzingis has been waaaay more solid as a rookie than I expected from him.

[kingfc22]

Warriors continue to roll. Already up by 28 points with 3 minutes left in the first half.

[nol]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Assuming the Pelicans own their 2016 draft pick, sucking this year could end up being the best thing for them... Get a guy to play next to AD.

Offensively, these first few games are mostly showing that Tyreke Evans was in fact pretty good when it came to playing next to AD and making things easier for him. As far as anyone coming through the pipeline who could help the Pelicans' defense, well, Nerlens Noel would be a college senior this year.

Barnes and Ezeli will be receiving max or near-max offers this offseason, so the Warriors will get expensive very quickly.

[Sublime 2]

CTLiFvrUYAEICq_.jpg

Obviously way too early to really look at this, but having Brooklyn tank for the C's is kind of nice.

[wustin]

Sixers are gonna be so stacked in a few years, they only need a PG and a wingman who can stretch the floor. I'm still not sold on McConnell yet though, he's probably going to get replaced by Kendall Marshall soon.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Damn, Boston has 4 first rounders next year?

[Sublime 2]

Dallas and Minny are both protected, currently they would be sent to Boston though.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by wustin

Sixers are gonna be so stacked in a few years, they only need a PG and a wingman who can stretch the floor. I'm still not sold on McConnell yet though, he's probably going to get replaced by Kendall Marshall soon.

Saric has stated he's coming over next season too. Between him and the draft picks in 2016 next year's roster should begin to get interesting.

[nol]

It looks like McConnell is another rotation-level player the Sixers got for nothing. Seeing him rack up assists in Philadelphia's system makes you realize just how terribly misused Russell is on the Lakers; he and Randle have played literally 3 minutes this season without Kobe on the floor.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is another guy from last year's Arizona team who can make an impact by doing everything but shooting; he's maybe the lone bright spot on the Nets so far.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Warriors continue to roll. Already up by 28 points with 3 minutes left in the first half.

Curry has now hit 36-60 from 3 in his first 6 games. That is far beyond ridiculous.

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Assuming the Pelicans own their 2016 draft pick, sucking this year could end up being the best thing for them... Get a guy to play next to AD.

Porzingis has been waaaay more solid as a rookie than I expected from him.

They actually have a decent chance of loosing it to the Rockets, Top 1-3 and 25-30 protected.

[whomario]

Nice win for the Wolves in Chicago, impressive defense down the stretch (although the Bulls offense is very unbalanced on its own ...). Wiggins with signs of life, Towns impressive on both ends and Rubio with a great game as well. Yes, he still can´t shoot. No, it does not hurt the Wolves Coaching seems shaky at best, some really bad set plays and some really weird strategic choices ...

Oh, and Bjelica was terrific as well in a matchup of former Euroleague stars. Good to see he is getting good minutes immediately. Prince does not look terrible ... Need some more consistency on that bench, other than that the start has been encouraging.

[nol]

Originally Posted by whomario

They actually have a decent chance of loosing it to the Rockets, Top 1-3 and 25-30 protected.

No, that already happened last draft and ended up being Sam Dekker.

All Draft Picks Owed

I can tell there is a critical mass of people who have learned how to use basketball-reference by all the tweets along the lines of "_____ is only the 3rd player to start out with 56 points, 34 assists, and 12 rebounds in the first 5 games since _____."

The Clippers-Rockets game is very well-played so far despite no Chris Paul for LA.

[wustin]

Originally Posted by nol

It looks like McConnell is another rotation-level player the Sixers got for nothing. Seeing him rack up assists in Philadelphia's system makes you realize just how terribly misused Russell is on the Lakers; he and Randle have played literally 3 minutes this season without Kobe on the floor.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is another guy from last year's Arizona team who can make an impact by doing everything but shooting; he's maybe the lone bright spot on the Nets so far.

Kobe should be coming off the bench, at least for now.

[Brian Swartz]

Five teams have lost less than two games. Four are in the Leastern Conference. Don't imagine that'll last, but it's a nice development if it does.

[nol]

29 and 27 for Drummond tonight. He's averaging a 20-20 along with 2 blocks and 1.8 steals over the last five games. In the era of players' high school highlights and mixtapes being readily available on YouTube, Drummond's still stands out to me as the one that left no doubt he'd continue to be uniquely athletically talented even at the NBA level (2nd place being John Wall. 3rd place being Andrew Wiggins). Unfortunately he's 3-19 from the free throw line the past two games, so expect Pistons games to become much less fun soon.

Whiteside played really well tonight and will have to have at least somebody gamble on him with a max contract.

Here's all you need to see from the Lakers' season:

It's a toss-up as to whether Clarkson or Russell has a better reaction.

[Groundhog]

Sorry Kobe, those jumpers only worked when the defender had to respect your drive. Vujacic is playing him like he's Matt Bonner.

[Groundhog]

One of Love's first 'Minnesota-era' type of games for the Cavs today vs Pacers.

[jbergey22]

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by nol

Offensively, these first few games are mostly showing that Tyreke Evans was in fact pretty good when it came to playing next to AD and making things easier for him. As far as anyone coming through the pipeline who could help the Pelicans' defense, well, Nerlens Noel would be a college senior this year.

I understood the thought process behind doing anything possible to make Anthony Davis want to stay, but I was arguing they were rushing it at the time and it just looks brutal now. Jrue Holiday and Omer Asik effectively for Nerlens Noel, Elfrid Payton, and Sam Dekker (or Jerian Grant/Bobby Portis/RHJ). I know the Durant (or Love/Deron Williams/Carmelo) situation scares them, but umder the current CBA it makes wsy too much sense for a star to re-sign for his 2nd contract that AD was never in danger if leaving until 2021. I'm still not writing off NO completely yet - didn't think it would be this bad but everyone who looked at the roster knew they'd struggle until they got healthier. It does kind of show that coaching only goes so far. Alvin Gentry wasn't as smart as be looked when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were shooting for him, but he's also not as bad as he looks right now with those bricklayers. Ryan Anderson's shooting decline over the last two years is also very curious and starting to look worrisome instead of just a fluke season.

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Damn, Boston has 4 first rounders next year?

Dallas is top 7 protected or rolls over to next year, so I'd put it at like 70% we get it. The Minnesota pick is top-12 protected or turns into 2 2nd-rounders, so everyone had written it off, but now its looking possible we might actually get it. I think Ainge might actually prefer two high 2nd rounders we could draft and stash over a mid-teens pick considering our roster crunch. Brooklyn's pick this year... and their 2018 pick... are completely unprotected. But Billy King didn't get totally fleeced - its "only" a pick swap in 2017

(I also still aren't getting my hopes up for the Nets staying top 5 bad. A bunch of other teams will start increasing young players minutes/milking injuries while BK will be scratching and clawing for every win in March/April. But I'll love it if I'm wrong!)