2021 NBA Offseason Thread

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Not this year. I'd comfortably take either LA team over the Bucks.

How can you say that when the Clippers just git demolished. You would bet big money on the Clippers against the Bucks after that game? That's nuts.

 

[JMoneyYourHoney]

How can you say that when the Clippers just git demolished. You would bet big money on the Clippers against the Bucks after that game? That's nuts.

"Nuts" is putting regular stock in meaningless December games. I recall the Warriors blowing us out by 30 in January the year we won the title. I recall the Hawks putting the fear of God in everybody the year they won 60 games. Just last year I remember the Bucks torching the league only to get backdoor swept in the ECF.

These games mean nothing to the likes of LeBron and Kawhi...their season starts in April. I'll gladly let Giannis pile up regular season victories, I've seen this record spin too many times. The Bucks with no legit 2nd star aren't doing shit on the big stage.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

"Nuts" is putting regular stock in meaningless December games. I recall the Warriors blowing us out by 30 in January the year we won the title. I recall the Hawks putting the fear of God in everybody the year they won 60 games. Just last year I remember the Bucks torching the league only to get backdoor swept in the ECF.

These games mean nothing to the likes of LeBron and Kawhi...their season starts in April. I'll gladly let Giannis pile up regular season victories, I've seen this record spin too many times. The Bucks with no legit 2nd star aren't doing shit on the big stage.

So hypothetically you would bet big money on the Clippers right now?
Hawks didn't have 1 true star -- Bucks have the MVP.
Warriors is not a good example either.

Clippers are not proven. Kawhi and George are not a good fit offensively. They both need shots to get going and they have the same skillset almost.
Kawhi isn't healthy. Way worse shape than last year.

Again, crowning the Clippers is totally premature, especially when they look unimpressive.

 

[JMoneyYourHoney]

So hypothetically you would bet big money on the Clippers right now?

No, because I don't bet on sports (or anything for that matter.)

Hawks didn't have 1 true star -- Bucks have the MVP.

They had the MVP last year, on a team that was arguably better...made no difference. They got their asses beat by a Kawhi-led team that was able to exploit Giannis' weaknesses.

Warriors is not a good example either.

It's a perfect example because it bolsters my overall point...a team blowing one out in the doldrums of the season has zero bearing on the outcome in the playoffs. We can cherry-pick all day if it makes you feel better...how much did the Raptors beating us by 33 matter when we went on to sweep them in the playoffs? Any person with half a brain knows not to deduce too much from a regular season blowout.

Clippers are not proven

Neither are the Bucks. Budenholzer is the D'Antonio of the East...great regular season performances followed by playoff failures.

Again, crowning the Clippers is totally premature

I'll agree with that; crowning anybody this early in the season is premature. But, assuming everybody is at full health come playoff time, I would choose either L.A. team over the Bucks. The Lakers are my current pick to win it, and in a hypothetical Lakers/Bucks Finals, no way do I see a LeBron/AD tandem losing to a one-man Milwaukee team.

 

[Pioneer10]

Mavs got this in the bag tbh

Only problem is Carlisle which would be easily solved if they just hired a Euro coach

 

[Pioneer10]

The narrative that the Lakers are a superteam is really amusing. All summer everyone laughed at Rob Pelinka, Lakers missing out on kawhi, Lakers overpaying for AD, Lakers hiring Vogel, etc. And now faced with the possibility that they might actually be good, the response is to either trivialize their competition or to paint the Lakers as some sort of stacked superteam.

The Lakers are far from a superteam and even further from the sort of inevitable champion posters in this thread have implied them to be. They have obvious weaknesses. Their roster lacks playmakers and wing defenders. They have two guys on the entire team capable of dribbling the ball past half court without turning it over against any kind of pressure - one of them is LeBron, who the Lakers need to do so many other things as well, and the other is Rondo, who ruins their defense. They have nobody to guard the Giannis, Kawhi, PG types unless they use LeBron or AD on them, which is a tough ask given their offensive burdens. They are of course still capable of winning it all. But only if their best two players play really well in the playoffs. And if a lot of things break their way (health, Kuzma becoming a reliable third scorer, AD actually being willing to play the five which he has barely done this season, Rondo’s miraculous good shooting continuing, etc). And even then the Clippers will be a tough out in a seven game series.

This isn’t like the Warriors with KD where Curry or Durant could suck for a game, and they would still win. If LeBron doesn’t play well, the Lakers will absolutely lose - same with AD. When the Warriors had Durant they were Vegas favorites to win over the entire field combined. On the other hand, the Lakers are not even the clear favorites, and anyone would be wise to take the field over them. Their best players are going to have to carry them through four rounds of the playoffs; they will have to beat multiple 50 plus win western conference teams just to make the Finals. It won’t be easy for them to win it all. I still suspect they ultimately won’t. If they do, it will be well-earned by LeBron and AD.

I would say it's a 3 team race and would be surprised if any team other then the top 3 win it all

What the Lakers have going for them is incredible chemistry: reminds me of the Cavs in Lebron's return year after the NYK trade.
A very unselfish team and on defense this is an elite team. They could use an another big wing defender for sure but this season AD is easily the DPOY for the year and then they have a ton of guys who will get votes for All Defense after him (Dwight, Bradley, Lebron, Caruso). Fun team to watch.

OTOH Giannis is looking like a cross between a prime Lebron and Shaq so anyone would be foolish to knock them out or the Clippers.
Clippers are the closest to GS: 3 guys who can create on their own or finish and then a guy in Harrell who plays that Draymond role for them.

 

[SK808]

They're steamrolling everyone while also having the toughest schedule in the whole league. Yeah, I'd say the Bucks are the favorites if I had to pick one.

I'm curious if everyone here thinks that the Bucks stand pat with the team as is or try to make a significant move before the deadline? Seems crazy for them to not go all in this year considering how good they've been, but it does feel like they are a one star team in a league of great duos.

 

[ACisKING]

I'm curious if everyone here thinks that the Bucks stand pat with the team as is or try to make a significant move before the deadline? Seems crazy for them to not go all in this year considering how good they've been, but it does feel like they are a one star team in a league of great duos.

They absolutely should do whatever they can to improve their roster this season. We don’t even know how many more years Giannis is even going to play for the Bucks. And they aren’t quite good enough to win it all as currently constructed IMO. I think they are going to need another creator against the best defensive teams in the league. They really do remind me of the 2009 and 2010 Cavs teams. Teams that dependent on one player are going to be vulnerable in the playoffs no matter how great that player is. I can’t get the strategy the Raptors used against the Bucks last season out of my mind.

 

[Rich]

Look, people can talk about the issues the 2008-2009 Cavs had, but luck matters. And Michael Pietrus and Rafer Alston not missing for a series was simply bad fucking luck. The end.

 

[Stark]

Regular season means next to nothing. Good teams just need to play for a decent seed and stay healthy.

I've barely watched any basketball this year because the regular season is just boring. Only thing that has legitimately excited me a bit is Luka.

College has been far more fun to watch thus far.

 

[Pioneer10]

Look, people can talk about the issues the 2008-2009 Cavs had, but luck matters. And Michael Pietrus and Rafer Alston not missing for a series was simply bad fucking luck. The end.

Maybe not having Delonte West being your second best player would have helped with that as well?
Sure some players got hot but they got hot in large part because of the mismatches created by Dwight and juiced Lewis and Turkoglu at the 4 going inside/out against the Cavs.

Last year TO got Giannis stuck at the FT line and no other players could take it home. It's got to be a concern for them

 

[Rich]

Maybe not having Delonte West being your second best player would have helped with that as well?
Sure some players got hot but they got hot in large part because of the mismatches created by Dwight and juiced Lewis and Turkoglu at the 4 going inside/out against the Cavs.

Last year TO got Giannis stuck at the FT line and no other players could take it home. It's got to be a concern for them

Michael Pietrus and Rafer Alston never shot like that again the rest of their careers.

That was their first deep playoff run and they learned some stuff.

Let's let teams naturally grow a little, I think. Cavs had a team in 2008 that they greatly tinkered with due to that series and came out worse for it with the Shaq and Jamison additions.

 

[Pioneer10]

Michael Pietrus and Rafer Alston never shot like that again the rest of their careers.

That was their first deep playoff run and they learned some stuff.

Let's let teams naturally grow a little, I think. Cavs had a team in 2008 that they greatly tinkered with due to that series and came out worse for it with the Shaq and Jamison additions.

I agree with you going after shaq instead of adding a defender like Sheed who could handle Dwight one on one was stupid.

However, it doesn't change that having only elite player and your second best player being Delonte West is not conducive to surviving some roleplayers doing better then their average. Both Pietrus and Alston averaged less then 10 ppg for the series: you've got a problem if you can't survive that.

 

[PIP]

Kawhi is not gonna lose to the Lakers in a 7 game series

 

[JMoneyYourHoney]

Kawhi is not gonna lose to the Lakers in a 7 game series

I for one would love to see the Kawhi myth abolished this postseason... one of the most fortunate superstars of all time.