The Official 2015-2016 NBA Regular Season Thread

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by Logan

McHale out in Houston.

Was wondering how long he had left with Lawson coming out saying the players were revolting against plays/def called by McHale in the Mavs game.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

Was wondering how long he had left with Lawson coming out saying the players were revolting against plays/def called by McHale in the Mavs game.

McHale has a quick trigger when players get off to sluggish starts. I am sure that didnt help. Also, I just get the impression when watching Harden play that he really isnt a team first guy. I would be shocked if he ever wins a NBA Championship as good as he is.

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

McHale has a quick trigger when players get off to sluggish starts. I am sure that didnt help. Also, I just get the impression when watching Harden play that he really isnt a team first guy. I would be shocked if he ever wins a NBA Championship as good as he is.

Is there a coach out there they want or just giving Bickerstaff the chance? I'm sure Scott Brooks isn't doing anything right now if that's the offense you want to run.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Logan

McHale out in Houston.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

Was wondering how long he had left with Lawson coming out saying the players were revolting against plays/def called by McHale in the Mavs game.

McHale may have lost the team but how the hell is Ty Lawson the guy who gives voice to the players revolting? He just got there.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

Was wondering how long he had left with Lawson coming out saying the players were revolting against plays/def called by McHale in the Mavs game.

Did he say anything about them revolting in the Celtics game too? Or is James Harden just back to not trying on D? Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones and Montrezl looked like the only 3 players who gave a damn.

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Did he say anything about them revolting in the Celtics game too? Or is James Harden just back to not trying on D? Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones and Montrezl looked like the only 3 players who gave a damn.

Calvin Watkins on Twitter: "Ty Lawson said Kevin McHale would make a defensive call and the team would run something else. He said meeting should fix the problem."

Didn't mention which game it was but I think it is safe to assume all of them.

Personally I don't think Harden's head is there right now but it has more to do with his GF leaving him for a coked up... I mean natural viagra former NBA player that she left to rush by his side. There are reports out there that he's just getting smashed after games and clubbing all night. Read one abut Miami with Meek Mill and saw another one about him getting back with Khloe and clubbing when they went to LA.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

There are reports out there that he's just getting smashed after games and clubbing all night. Read one abut Miami with Meek Mill and saw another one about him getting back with Khloe and clubbing when they went to LA.

I hope that not's true. He's a grown man, and he can live his life however he wants. But to see someone with a great gift for something run it into the ground with a destructive lifestyle makes me sad.

If God/the Universe/fate/whatever blesses you with the ability to do something at the highest possible level--be it athletics, or art, or music, or whatever--then you do all of us a disservice by taking that gift and squandering it with destructive lifestyle choices.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

Calvin Watkins on Twitter: "Ty Lawson said Kevin McHale would make a defensive call and the team would run something else. He said meeting should fix the problem."

Didn't mention which game it was but I think it is safe to assume all of them.

Personally I don't think Harden's head is there right now but it has more to do with his GF leaving him for a coked up... I mean natural viagra former NBA player that she left to rush by his side. There are reports out there that he's just getting smashed after games and clubbing all night. Read one abut Miami with Meek Mill and saw another one about him getting back with Khloe and clubbing when they went to LA.

It wasn't defensive confusion, it was effort (most noticeably atrocious transition D by the Rockets.) Blame it on tuning out the coach if you want, but I thought this quote was telling "We play hard," Jae Crowder told reporters after Monday's win in Houston. "Guys don't like that in this league. Guys want an easy, flowing game. But we play hard, and a lot of guys don't like it."

Still loving this Celtics team, and their outperforming even my expectations defensively. 3rd in dRtg, easy #1 in steals, and it's mostly just effort. Evan Turner, Kelly Olynyk and freaking Isaiah Thomas rank in the 94th percentile or higher in individual dRtg. The shooting is still hit or miss (no way we should be top 3 in 3-pt attempts considering we shoot 30% on them), and the rebounding gets a little scary when Sully isn't playing, so I don't expect to be a real threat barring a blockbuster for DMC, but I'm sure I can talk myself into it if we keep having stretches like this with 13+ point wins vs Atlanta, @OKC, @Houston in a 4-day span.

Btw, Zach Lowe finally posted a column on regular ESPN, for those wondering where he would show up post-Grantland.

Also, am I crazy in saying the two conferences are almost equal at this point? Of course it's still a little early, and the West still has an edge at the top with GS/SA, but with OKC & LAC scuffling and Memphis/Houston/New Orleans drastically underperforming expectations the wide imbalance in terms of depth is no longer there.

[Kodos]

Are the Sixers still in tank mode?

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Are the Sixers still in tank mode?

Yes. And based off how frequently they're brought up apparently they're the 2nd most interesting NBA team after Golden State.

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Also, am I crazy in saying the two conferences are almost equal at this point? Of course it's still a little early, and the West still has an edge at the top with GS/SA, but with OKC & LAC scuffling and Memphis/Houston/New Orleans drastically underperforming expectations the wide imbalance in terms of depth is no longer there.
-----

I don't think it's balanced yet but all the teams in the East seem to be shooting horribly so far. Only 5 teams from the east are above the league average. ATL, CLE, WSH, MIA, CHA. I guess that you could say it's all the great DEF in the East but if the league is suppose to all be moving to this GSW style of offense, they don't show it yet in their shooting.

The Celtics are interesting as they seem to want to get the offense in place and then find the missing piece to make the offense work better. Are they going to move Turner for a shooter if they can, possibly package with Young?

[miami_fan]

Damn I forgot Thibs is out there for the hiring. Thibs and Dwight Howard on the same team. Please make this happen!

[nol]

Everyone assumed Thibodeau would have his pick of whichever job opened up first, but I think the Rockets do want to stick with Bickerstaff for the year at least as he's a pretty highly-regarded assistant coach. As for other teams with upcoming vacancies, I don't think a team like the Timberwolves would want Thibs running Towns, Wiggins, and Rubio into the ground 40 minutes a night, so it could be quite a while before the right fit comes up for him.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Yes. And based off how frequently they're brought up apparently they're the 2nd most interesting NBA team after Golden State.

Probably an uncomfortable amount of truth in that.

[Groundhog]

Harden with maybe the ugliest 45 point game ever. 11-29 shooting, 4-15 3s, 19-20 FTs.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

The Celtics are interesting as they seem to want to get the offense in place and then find the missing piece to make the offense work better. Are they going to move Turner for a shooter if they can, possibly package with Young?

Who are we getting for Evan Turner and/or James Young? Tyler Zeller's probably our best expendable part, but even if it worked to get us a "shooter" like James Jones or Steve Novak no thanks. The thing is you need a shooter in that sense when your spacing sucks, especially if it helps your star players get easier looks. We have great spacing and get decent looks... it's just that every guy is an average or worse shooter for their position. Detroit needs shooters to put around the Reggie Jackson/Drummond P&R, Sacramento needs someone other than Belinelli to increase space for Boogie to work, etc, but in our case adding a one-dimensional shooter would just weaken our strengths more than adding to our offense.

So imo, unless a big star (a.k.a. Boogie) shows up on the market, or another above-average player like IT falls into our laps near the deadline, just ride it out for now. Hope RJ Hunter turns in to that "shooter", incremental improvements like Marcus Smart learning better shot selection/Kelly Olynyk getting more confidence occur, or Terry Rozier develops enough into the attacking PG I think he'll be that Smart can be moved off-ball into the Bradley role where he should be. Then see where we're at in June.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by nol

Everyone assumed Thibodeau would have his pick of whichever job opened up first, but I think the Rockets do want to stick with Bickerstaff for the year at least as he's a pretty highly-regarded assistant coach. As for other teams with upcoming vacancies, I don't think a team like the Timberwolves would want Thibs running Towns, Wiggins, and Rubio into the ground 40 minutes a night, so it could be quite a while before the right fit comes up for him.

I think he'd be a great fit in Minnesota. They'd have a top 5 defense almost immediately with that talent.

[nol]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I think he'd be a great fit in Minnesota. They'd have a top 5 defense almost immediately with that talent.

The Wolves' starting lineup already is the top defense out of any 5-man group that has played over 50 minutes together (77 points/100 possessions in 85 minutes; next-best is the Jazz starters at 85), and the lineup with Bjelica in Garnett's place has played 38 minutes and has a better defensive rating than that. So their being a top 5 defense just depends on Rubio being healthy and the eventual coach just being more intelligent with rotations than Sam Mitchell is (or you could even have the natural improvement from Towns and Wiggins make up for poor lineup choices).

No need to give Towns and Wiggins the Derrick Rose treatment just to guarantee a playoff appearance in the next couple seasons when those guys are poised to be All-Stars 10+ years down the line.

"Terrible" trades update: Evan Fournier is averaging 18 a game for the Magic and is doing much better than some late first-round wing from the last couple drafts (P.J. Hairston? C.J. Wilcox?). K.J. McDaniels has played 16 minutes over 4 games for a Rockets team that presumably would have been willing to try all sorts of things to reverse its poor start. Brandon Knight is averaging 20-5-4 and coexisting pretty well with Bledsoe. Michael Carter-Williams' overall numbers are down across the board, except for three-point shooting, where he is shooting better but still not a threat, and turnovers - he somehow turns the ball over on a higher percentage of plays than he did in Philadelphia.

[nol]

The Clippers are playing out of their minds and are up 41-25 after the first quarter. Think Chris Paul was geared up for this one? He has 18 points and 4 assists on 7-7 shooting. Klay Thompson is having his first really good game of the year and is the only player really keeping Golden State in the game.

Curry got two fouls relatively early and didn't immediately go out, but I'm glad the Clippers got Paul out somewhat earlier than usual as well to minimize the amount of time Steph is going against bench lineups.

[Groundhog]

Now a 1pt game with 9 mins left because, well, Golden State.

[nol]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Now a 1pt game with 9 mins left because, well, Golden State.

It has been shades of the Houston game where the Clippers had opportunities to turn the game into an absolute rout but role players like Crawford missed so many wide open shots to let them hang around.

[kingfc22]

Warriors get "lucky" again. STFU Clippers

[bhlloy]

Damn, the warriors are ridiculous. Although that was some seriously awful defense down the stretch by the Clippers

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Warriors get "lucky" again. STFU Clippers

Stay classy, winner.

[Chief Rum]

That game is typical Clippers and is why they won't win a damn thing until they get their shit together when they have a lead. Until they learn to cut their opponents' throats, they will always fall apart against the best teams.

I gave up hope they would figure this out last year.

[wustin]

On the bright side, it looks like Blake Griffin can shoot 20 footers off the dribble now.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Things I noticed watching the game:

-Damn Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are freaking good. Blake with that 20 footer and the smooth bank off the turnaround...just amazing. Paul, when he's on, is absurd.
-Warriors really need to stop with the lazy turnovers. They're somehow getting it done despite that, but jeez...-19 tonight on points off turnovers.
-Maureese Speights is having a terrible, terrible season so far. The Warriors' bench is crazy thin with Livingston and Barbosa out; combine that with Speights and Thompson playing like crap and the team is a lot weaker than it would normally be.
-Klay with his best game of the season so far, kept the Warriors in the game early when it could have gotten out of hand quickly.
-Harrison Barnes was phenomenal during long stretches tonight, and honestly may have had the biggest impact on the entire game.

Heck of a game, surprised the Warriors were able to pull it off in the end.

[whomario]

Curry averaging 34 in 52/45/93 shooting. Holy ...

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

That game is typical Clippers and is why they won't win a damn thing until they get their shit together when they have a lead. Until they learn to cut their opponents' throats, they will always fall apart against the best teams.

I gave up hope they would figure this out last year.

The Clippers had some defensive lapses late mainly the wide open 3 at the end of the 3rd to Green and the 2 3 pointers to Iggy. However, I thought the gameplan they had on Curry was excellent. Curry is just in such a zone right now he cant be stopped. I think Golden State just came and took that game from them more so than the Clippers giving it away. Golden State is just an excellent team. Very versatile and great shooting. With Barnes now a legitimate threat each game they are just that much better.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

The Clippers had some defensive lapses late mainly the wide open 3 at the end of the 3rd to Green and the 2 3 pointers to Iggy. However, I thought the gameplan they had on Curry was excellent. Curry is just in such a zone right now he cant be stopped. I think Golden State just came and took that game from them more so than the Clippers giving it away. Golden State is just an excellent team. Very versatile and great shooting. With Barnes now a legitimate threat each game they are just that much better.

Agreed. The Warriors were terrific, especially Curry. I don't want to take anything away from what they were doing. They earned it.

But I am annoyed at the lapses the Clippers suffer. Even if it's understandable against a team like Golden State, it's still frustrating. They had a chance to step on the Warriors' throats and blow them out, and they utterly failed to do it.

Doc needed to take DJ out when the Warriors went small. He can't make them pay with DJ in there, because the way to punish a small lineup is to pound the ball inside with your bigs, and you can't do that with a center with no post moves and who will be fouled the instant he touches the ball (with missed free throws to follow). Even defensively, he isn't the same value because Golden State is content to just pepper you with jump shots.

[JPhillips]

Lineups featuring Noel and Okafor are a full 7 points per 100 possessions worse than the worst offense of all time.

It's things like this that make me believe the process won't ever come to fruition. One of these two likely needs to go and the two other players the 76ers are banking on play the same two positions. None of them are going to fetch picks better than where they were selected, either. Perhaps they'll find the next LeBron this summer, but barring that, they aren't a contender for several more years.

[RainMaker]

I understand what Philly is doing. They are trying to increase their odds of getting a superstar in the draft which you can build a team around for a decade. It will eventually work but it's just a matter of how long it takes. Is it worth waiting 10 years of being terrible for that one superstar? Maybe, but as a fan I wouldn't be happy.

You also look at a team like Boston which is in a much better position rebuilding and didn't need to be abysmal each year to make it happen.

[JPhillips]

My point is a strategy of we'll get the first pick until we get LeBron isn't genius.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

It's things like this that make me believe the process won't ever come to fruition. One of these two likely needs to go and the two other players the 76ers are banking on play the same two positions. None of them are going to fetch picks better than where they were selected, either.

It's been 10 games, without a real NBA perimeter player (unless you're sold on TJ McConnell). I hate defending the 76ers, but there's no way you can say Okafor/Noel can't work together at this point.

Nerlens should be a pick and dive to the rim guy, scoring off those and putbacks, with the hope that he develops a mid-range jumper. Even in the most optimistic predictions no one thinks he should be an initiator, yet the one game I saw Philly watch he's trying dream shake's, and putting the ball on the floor at the 3-pt line because nobody else is there to help him (and nobody cares if they win or lose). Freaking Jakarr Sampson is out there trying to go coast to coast with behind the back and between the leg dribbles.

Jahlil Okafor has looked great. I'm still skeptical of his long-term potential - I have the same rebounding/defensive concerns - but he's a 19 y/o averaging 19ppg on 48% shooting without any offensive help.

Saric might be able to play SF. And Saric/Noel/Okafor all look like fine picks at their draft spot. Embiid is looking unlikely to pan out with the reports about his immaturity, but I'll still defend that risk, and either way who they've picked has not been the problem at all. It's who they've chosen to surround those players with (i.e. chasing cheap UFAs, hoping to hit on another one with a 4-year minsal deal like Covington instead of signing legit NBA rotation guys for $2-$5 million contracts) that's turned them into a joke.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

It's who they've chosen to surround those players with (i.e. chasing cheap UFAs, hoping to hit on another one with a 4-year minsal deal like Covington instead of signing legit NBA rotation guys for $2-$5 million contracts) that's turned them into a joke.

Isn't this a mandatory party of the process though? I thought the idea was not to sign any legit rotation guys in order to get those high draft picks because the legit rotation won't be there when the team was good enough to win anyway so why spend money on them?

[nol]

To add to that, they started off even worse last season and somehow finished with a better record than two teams. Even without counting Embiid, they've had 3 rotation players injured most/all of the season. I mean, if they spent $20 million more on some 'veteran leadership', they could probably have 2 wins like the Nets or Lakers at this point.

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Isn't this a mandatory party of the process though? I thought the idea was not to sign any legit rotation guys in order to get those high draft picks because the legit rotation won't be there when the team was good enough to win anyway so why spend money on them?

No, it's mostly to have cap space during the season because inevitably a handful of those teams that were all 'doing the right thing' by signing 'impact free agents' unlike the 76ers will end up being not competitive and therefore willing to give away draft picks just to be able to get rid of the dead salary.

[JPhillips]

Or they could be the Celtics with the possibility of a playoff spot and a shit ton of draft picks. There are other choices besides tank for years or spend on washed up free agents.

If you're content with year after year of 20 win seasons, the process will eventually work. I just wouldn't be happy rooting for a team that is actively trying to lose year in and year out until the next LeBron happens.

[nol]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Or they could be the Celtics with the possibility of a playoff spot and a shit ton of draft picks. There are other choices besides tank for years or spend on washed up free agents.

If you're content with year after year of 20 win seasons, the process will eventually work. I just wouldn't be happy rooting for a team that is actively trying to lose year in and year out until the next LeBron happens.

You could go back to before LeBron James entered the league and not find a more lopsided trade than the one the Celtics benefited from (and the Garnett one that got them in that position was the result of the two teams' GMs being buddies), so as far as possibilities to rely on, you picked one that was even more unlikely (and this is even when playing along with the assumption that the 76ers will just discard every player of theirs who ends up being good until they get some clear superstar, even though every player they've traded away has since shown to be worse than initially assumed; why can't they just be a really good team by having a handful of very good players?). The last time a playoff team drafted no. 1, the NBA made a rule specifically to prevent crappy GMs/owners from trading first round picks every year, which tells you how regularly you can count on that.

[JPhillips]

How many top ten picks do the 76ers need before expectations for something more than a 20 win season are reasonable?

[whomario]

42

[Vince, Pt. II]

Not sure where these stats came from, so I can't be certain of their validity. But I read that the Warriors' small ball lineup has the following per 100 possession numbers:

Points scored: 157.0
Points allowed: 88.9

Luke Walton, asked about the lineup, said the following: "We know what that lineup does, the whole league knows what that lineup does. In all honesty, we want to limit that lineup. It is very taxing guarding guys bigger than you, and it is very early in the season. Our goal is to limit that lineup at this point in the season."

[whomario]

nba.com lineup numbers has a lineup matching those numbers (some are even more absurd, but those are ones that were on the court only a few minutes total), Curry/Klay/Igoudala/Barnes/Green. But even that played only 54 minutes stretched over 11 games, so i am always a little sceptical as to the sample size with 5-man unit anlysis (even the starting lineup of most teams sometimes plays less than 10 Minutes together per game).

Still, thats obviously as close to a workable super-small lineup you can come with guys like Igoudala, Green and Barnes were 3 (heck, adding Klay as well i guess) can switch everything.

In any case, with Speights playing like 10 minutes a game, they play without a conventional 2nd big most of the game, so even their "big" lineups are sorta small ball(ish).

[nol]

Originally Posted by whomario

What is "The Warriors Small Ball Lineup" ? Or did they mean a composite of lineups featuring neither Bogut nor Ezeli ? nba.com lineup numbers don´t show any lineup matching those numbers (some are even more absurd, but those are ones that were on the court only a few minutes total)

In any case, with Speights playing like 10 minutes a game, they play without a conventional 2nd big most of the game, so even their "big" lineups are sorta small ball(ish).

Iguodala in for the center and Green plays center. Same lineup that changed the Finals.

[whomario]

yeah, just figured it out myself. Was wondering whether they were referring to sth different, maybe due to Bogut missing some games early.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Yeah, you got it. Outside of Ezeli and Bogut (who will never see the floor at the same time), there really isn't a 'conventional big' on the roster. Speights is probably the closest.

[BillyMadison]

PORZINGIS line tonight: 24, 14, 7 blks. Last rook to do that was a guy named Shaq. Jeez, this kid went from reach, to maybe he'll be something in 2-3 years, to he looked OK but overmatched in summer league, to possibly " a Shawn Bradley type" (Phil Jackson's words...), to wow this kid may be ready to be a role player, to he is the MVP of the Knicks including Melo, and legit ROY candidate this year in basically the last 6 months/3 weeks of regular season . If I had the #1 pick id still take KAT, but Porzingis is clearly establishing himself as 1b in this draft and looks like a legit perennial all-star if he can stay healthy. Wow is he impressive. Crazy thing is, is unexpectedly, with Melo and now him surging, all of a sudden, with one added max-piece the Knicks look like contenders next off season as "winners" and not rebuilding and they have a ton of money to spend...

[Atocep]

I think the only people that considered him a reach were Knick fans at the draft. He was a consensus top 4 prospect and some had him 2nd to KAT.

[nol]

Yeah, the Knicks organization is more of a pleasant surprise than Porzingis at this point; the best teams in the Spanish league are better than the bottom-feeders of the NBA so it's not like he was a total unknown. He just somehow went from being a Bargnani-esque rebounder against European competition to being a very good rebounder at the NBA level, but everything else is as expected (and some of that could be due to playing alongside a guy like Robin Lopez who is known for being very good at boxing out but content to let teammates grab rebounds). Fisher is not yanking him just for missing a few shots or getting beat on defense and is also not running the triangle nearly as often as last season.

I wouldn't even go so far as to say he's clearly 1b when if he'd been drafted 2nd by the Lakers, Byron Scott would probably be playing Julius Randle and Ryan Kelly in front of him and saying Porzingis needed to "earn his minutes" regardless of how he actually produced while on the floor (just look at D'Angelo Russell's advanced stats compared to how terribly Scott and Lakers fans think he's doing). And of course if he'd been drafted 3rd by the 76ers the chorus would be 'durrr they're not trying to win ever so they drafted a European instead of a one-and-done All-American/NCAA champion.'

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by nol

I wouldn't even go so far as to say he's clearly 1b when if he'd been drafted 2nd by the Lakers, Byron Scott would probably be playing Julius Randle and Ryan Kelly in front of him and saying Porzingis needed to "earn his minutes" regardless of how he actually produced while on the floor (just look at D'Angelo Russell's advanced stats compared to how terribly Scott and Lakers fans think he's doing).

That probably undersells it.

Byron Scott defended Kobe Bryant's poor shooting and aggressive -- if questionable -- shot selection Monday by telling reporters the 37-year-old shooting guard's lengthy NBA career has earned him "that privilege, basically."

Bryant, who is in his 20th NBA season, is shooting a career-worst 33.1 percent from the field, including 20 percent from 3-point range. He is 1-of-14 from 3-point range in his past three games. Bryant shot 6-of-22 from the field Sunday in the team's 107-93 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and missed all five of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Scott said prior to Sunday's game that he wanted Bryant to be more of a facilitator, yet Bryant took 12 shots in the first 10 minutes and later said he was "just trying to get us off to a good start."

Btw, Ben Simmons had his first game vs a big team tonight. Granted, they lost to Marquette by 1, but he put up 21/20/7. Season stat line 19/15/5 plus 1 block, 2 steals, 1.5 turnovers per game and 60% shooting.