LeBron's been conserving a bit more energy this year and protecting his body more than with the Heat, but he sent a message to Golden State and the rest of the league with a 42-11-5 line. I think he heard a lot about Curry's MVP candidacy and wanted to remind everyone who the top dog was. It's also the reason why I can't take Atlanta seriously as a title threat because they have to beat LeBron 4 times in a 7 game series, and playoff basketball is a totally different game
The Cavs rocky start kind of reminds me of the Heat's first year. I think they hovered around .500 for a while before turning it on.
The Cavs rocky start kind of reminds me of the Heat's first year. I think they hovered around .500 for a while before turning it on.
I was one of those pooping on them. At the time the pieces didn't fit but give credit to the Cavs front office for getting Mozgov more than anything. Mozgov is a solid and very underrated player who helps define Love's role as a stretch 4. JR Smith has two duties; hustle on defense and sit on the 3 point line and shoot only when open. Shump adds to Cleveland's perimeter defense significantly, which is necessary because of how horrid a defender Love is.
If the Cavs only had a different Kevin (Garnett instead of Love, even at KGs advanced age) they'd romp to the title
Also, Lebron showed that he is still the best player on the planet.
They gave up 2 first round picks for Mozgov, and the Knicks were desperate to dump JR Smith's salary
LeBron's the best player in the world and the Cavs added some depth and defense with those trades.
This was definitely a statement game for them. They've been dominant ever since LeBron came back.
Phil Jackson is playing zen checkers.
LeBron's the best player in the world and the Cavs added some depth and defense with those trades.
This was definitely a statement game for them. They've been dominant ever since LeBron came back.
They got a legit starting center for two late first round protected picks. That's a bad trade for Denver.
They got a sixth man of the year candidate, a great rotational defensive guard and a first round pick for a draft bust with a sub 10 PER, two ten day contract caliber players and a 2nd round pick. That's an absolute ridiculously and suspiciously good trade for Cleveland.
Its as bad as Pau to the Lakers way back when.
Why did Denver make the trade? Nurkic. Simple answer. Made too much sense for them.
Why did the Knicks make the trade? They shopped JR Smith all year and he had piss poor trade value because of the contract/shenanigans and Shump was playing a JAG in his contract year.
You making those moves out to be ridiculously one-sided and unfair is probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard you post on this site.
Outside the Grizzlies pick, that's nothing of value. In return they got three rotation players including a legit 7 foot young starting center. How does that happen?
You're the only one on the planet who valued JR Smith when he was traded. No one wanted him.
Why would Phil do that?
He's a chucker but his energy levels are insane.
Why would Phil do that?
Because he's not very good at his job.
Do you realize how fucking stupid you sound every time you talk about anything involving LeBron?
I don't get why all basketball fans don't hate LeBron. He's horrible for the sport. Like a lot of other great players he's an ego maniac (the decision, calling himself the King, SI piece) but instead of being super competitive and wanting to prove he's the best by taking on the best on the court (MJ, Kobe), he wants to game the system to make it as easy as possible for himself to pick up trophies. In the process he blatantly disrespects his coaches (bumping, tepid public support), his GM (trade demands), his owner (entourage requirements), the opposition (dancing mid game), fans (bailing on teams when things aren't easy) and the league (see previous - terrible precedent set by best player). The sooner he retires the better.
The diarrhea that comes out of your mouth when it comes to LeBron is always a hoot.
Do you realize how fucking stupid you sound every time you talk about anything involving LeBron?
Doesn't sound like they were trying too hard. Discussing the idea internally?
Ian Begley
@IanBegley
Regarding the idea of moving J.R. Smith, the #Knicks have continued to discuss internally their options to deal him. Have done so since July
But LeBron is the best player since Jordan and of the great athletes any of us will ever see in our lifetimes. I'm enjoying the hell out of watching him right now and I'll enjoy the hell out of watching him the rest of his career.
You think since July they only discussed it internally and never tried to see what his value was before they traded him to cleveland? They were trying to dump him over the summer, they couldn't. The Cavs didn't even want him unless Shumpert got thrown in. They had to use Shumpert to get rid of him.
From a january 2014 article. Fast forward another year and you think teams all of a sudden wanted JR?
The executive responded, Is it April Fools Day? They continued, Of course [they want to trade him], but only an idiot would take him. Can Steve Mills trade him to himself?
He was definitely valued highly around the league!
It's been clear as day that Lebron as been in cruise control for the majority of the year, and last night you saw what you are going to see in the playoffs. They got some real nice pieces, especially Mozgov who really solidifies there interior. Love is going to be shooting wide open 3s all postseason. Kyrie has been incredible. And they have some better perimeter defending in Smith and Shump. Atlanta is a nice story, but Cleveland should be able to handle them. Toronto and Washington are nice teams, but I never saw them as contenders. No Rose, no shot for the Bulls.
And right now they are the NBA favorites, and to me its quite a distant 2nd. The way you bat Lebron is that you have someone who can defend him and make things hard for him all game. The reason SA was successful the last two years was because Leonard is one of the few guys who can check him without help. No one in the west aside from SA has that guy to stop him. And SA is playing like crud right now.
John Middlekauf loves Steph Curry and just tweeted last night that LeBron is better then any NBA player by a mile. He doesn't need to put up a ton of points for his team to win like a KD or Carmelo. He is great at every aspect of basketball.
Also, if you're going to use PER to disparage Waiters, then why not do the same for Shump (career PER of 10.7) and JR (11.6 with Knicks this season).
people are so obsessed with Durant and have spent years on a crusade saying trade russ to help Durant... blah blah... that they refuse to compliment Westbrook as much as he deserves. his run is legendary right now... and they are in the playoffs now because of him...and him alone.
people are so obsessed with Durant and have spent years on a crusade saying trade russ to help Durant... blah blah... that they refuse to compliment Westbrook as much as he deserves. his run is legendary right now... and they are in the playoffs now because of him...and him alone.
They are 10-7 when Westbrook plays without Durant. Dont know how they are in the playoffs with him alone?
I think Rose will be back a week or so before the playoffs. I just have zero confidence that he'll be anywhere near all-star level, let alone his MVP year level.
ex LeBron not a player I would prefer...
He still went out and got 38/14/11 because he's a freak athlete who has more energy than anyone I've ever seen. But he's not the best player in the league right now. He can't carry an offense the same way Harden or Curry do because of his inefficiency as a scorer. He's not remotely close to KD as a scorer yet he decides to take more shots than KD.
He's awesome and is absolutely player of the month in February. But I still rank him behind LeBron, Davis, Durant, Curry, and Harden. You could def argue him over Harden/Curry but I would prefer the other 2.
But I still think their future is bleak, as their future is more in the hands of their Minnie Mouse management staff than LeBron James.
The Warriors seem to have shed a lot of problems from their DNA: bad rebounding, bad defense, bad play in crunch time, too many turnovers. But one thing they've yet to eliminate is the disparity in foul shots between them and their opponent.
Whoa, whoa, ease up on the hyperbole here.
Westbrook is the man and I love watching him play. There's no one else like him.
But shot selection and decision making are huge flaws in his game. That's not arguable.
Quote:
doesn't warrant proper bbi appreciation.
Westbrook is the man and I love watching him play. There's no one else like him.
But shot selection and decision making are huge flaws in his game. That's not arguable.
I agree they are flaws he needs to work on... but I find it undeniable that he is a top 5 nba player right now--- regardless of flaws. and he doesn't get some of the love because people have heavy Durant bias with regards to that team... and everything he does always has to have some Durant factor to it... but the bottom line for me is, last year they lose first round without him... they wont only because of him. and this year hes putting on a show again. the rockets are built for harden... GS built for curry... the thunder are not built for Russ... big difference with that dynamic.
Well, that's mostly true. But we need to remain cognizant of just how bad their management truly can be. The team around LeBron can very quickly become a complete non-factor.
But Westbrook is an undeniable talent. He's averaging 30/10/9 this month!!! I've always said that Westbrook is the guy that reminds me the most of Jordan from a physical standpoint. He's so much fun and is just one of those guys you can't take your eyes off. I call him out on his poor shooting efficiency, but I know he impacts the game in so many different ways that he's still a mega-star.
I consider him the 6th best player in the league but I could see an argument for up to 4th, you say he's Top 5. We're not really that far off hitdog.
But when healthy, its pretty clear that Lebron is number 1 and KD is number 2. Thats not a knock on Westbrook.
Durant
Davis (still young and needs to stay healthy, but he's the next overlord of the league after LeBron)
Curry/Harden/Westbrook (I'd rank them like this, but all roughly equal for me)
Paul
Knicks Midwest with Smith/Shump and Mozgov.
Durant
Davis (still young and needs to stay healthy, but he's the next overlord of the league after LeBron)
Curry/Harden/Westbrook (I'd rank them like this, but all roughly equal for me)
Paul
Serious question. I know you are really high on Harden, but where would you rank Jimmy Butler. Obviously, offensivley he is no Harden. But he is still getting over 20 a game. Rebounds at roughly the same rate, and is the superior defender. You think he has cracked top 15? top 20? Or does he need another year to prove it?
JB'15: 20/6/3 on .460/.350/.840 shooting in 39 MPG
Both elite wing defenders.
I don't really know how to rank 8-25 in this league. So much of where those guys rank has to do with "fit". Love was Top 10 last year, he's not Top 25 this year because of fit.
I think Butler is a very good player. I love two-way players and he's a guy who never takes a play off. NBA tracking data shows that he runs around on the court more than anyone.
He's in that All-Star tier somewhere. Paul George was Top 10 last year playing a similar style. He's a really good player. Sure I'd love to see another year but he's pretty legit in my eyes.