Boy, does the NBA stink right now or is just me? The talent level in the league may be at an all time high but it's about as noncompetitive as it can get.
Had draymond green not been suspended a few years back the warriors would be hoisting their 4th straight title next month. They'll be heavy favorites to win the title again next year.
This is, at max, a 2-3 team league. Everyone else is just playing for revenue. With the ability to go over the cap, 7 game series in each round, there is no chance for upsets or Cinderella stories. Our 07 run would never occur in the NBA.
There is some great basketball being played but it's just not compelling at all.
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1. 5 second call with or without dribbling. No more of the James harden holding it for 15 seconds than driving. More ball movement means better basketball.
2. Hard cap. 19 teams over the salary cap. Just asinine how Lebron and CP3 screwed over quality to ensure their pockets and super teams.
3. Trades have to be equal as far as $$$$ are concerned. Set values of first round picks to be included in trades.
I don't get #2. Having a hard cap and nixing the max contract would double Lebron's salary so how does having it this way deepen it?
I don’t care what individuals make. But it prevents super teams. If the cap this year is 100 million and you want to pay Lebron 40... good luck spending 60 on 14 other guys. This luxury tax is bullshit.
Michael Jordan killed the NBA imo. He was such a mega-star (rightfully so) and the league thought it was best to promote their stars. They began allowing him to travel. Before long he was able to push off, including and especially in the most critical moments (in the NBA finals at the buzzer). It was obvious to me for a long time and wasn't just Jordan who got special treatment, but when Jordan was in his hey-day the league gave up on trying to enforce consistent rules.
The style of play has changed over the years, but it’s almost always been dominated by 1-2 teams.
Thank the modern CBA(s) for it.
Michael Jordan killed the NBA imo. He was such a mega-star (rightfully so) and the league thought it was best to promote their stars. They began allowing him to travel. Before long he was able to push off, including and especially in the most critical moments (in the NBA finals at the buzzer). It was obvious to me for a long time and wasn't just Jordan who got special treatment, but when Jordan was in his hey-day the league gave up on trying to enforce consistent rules.
The idea that the NBA allowed Jordan to travel is one of the dumbest things I've ever read about the NBA.
So, it's no surprise that now the league has a situation where a handful of teams have a real chance every year. The other teams just don't have the same kind of advantages.
Michael Jordan killed the NBA imo. He was such a mega-star (rightfully so) and the league thought it was best to promote their stars. They began allowing him to travel. Before long he was able to push off, including and especially in the most critical moments (in the NBA finals at the buzzer). It was obvious to me for a long time and wasn't just Jordan who got special treatment, but when Jordan was in his hey-day the league gave up on trying to enforce consistent rules.
The most overstated thing is Jordan push off in the finals. If a left handed “push” on a guys ass while he is crossing over is enough to force him out of the play... then your just making excuses. Seriously, try to push someone in the back let alone in the ass while crossing over and see how far they go.
And Patrick Ewing walked more than anybody probably in the history of the NBA.
Your never going to have parity in the NBA because having one of the top players in the world means way more then it does in any other sport. Lebron can carry pretty much any nba team to 50 wins, there isnt another athlete in any sport who can make that kind of difference to the other teams in the league.
The NBA already restricts player movement so much, so im not sure that is the fix. Its not like GSW pulled a heat and signed all those guys together. They made great draft picks and then played the cap to get KD. Yes KD is the move that made them borderline unbeatable. Both the GSW and the Heat moves are outliers, they dont happen often. Nobody else has signed 3 max players together. OKC would have been close to following the GSW model, but they blew the Harden trade and then obviously lost KD.
Again KD is really what threw off the league balance. Put him back in OKC and you could have been looking at a West group that had HOU, OKC, and GSW battling it out. Sure the East is a mess but with up and coming teams like MIL/PHI combined with a healthy BOS squad and wherever Lebron ends up the East could be a lot more interesting next playoffs.
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In comment 13969692 QB Snacks said:
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I hate arguments like this. So because the NBA is making $ their product cant improve? No shit the league makes money hand over fist but that doesnt mean it's a compelling product. It can make more if the league had more drama and intrigue.
Why do you hate arguments like that? What do you do for a living? If the number of people that kept using your product/service increased every year would you panic and think about ways to restructure it in its entirety?
Obviously you never want to stop improving, the NBA included. My point is what real reason exists to completely overhaul the league's structure right now? The NBA is trying to implement minor tweaks to the draft each year to discourage tanking. Im sure in the next CBA there will be additional tweaks to salary cap and contracts.
That was great when Jordan, Magic, Ewing, Hakeem, Isaiah, Bird, etc were there, but once those guys left, there was a void that was taken either by people never living up to the star potential, or by players who weren't liked. Iverson was one who stands out.
Then you had Tim Duncan. A quiet mega-star. Perfect for a team-marketed league. Not great for a player-marketed one.
The most overstated thing is Jordan push off in the finals. If a left handed “push” on a guys ass while he is crossing over is enough to force him out of the play... then your just making excuses. Seriously, try to push someone in the back let alone in the ass while crossing over and see how far they go.
And Patrick Ewing walked more than anybody probably in the history of the NBA.
Right - I mentioned that it wasn't just Jordan, that the league changed to allow its stars to travel, or push off, etc.
When Jordan pushed off he did it so inconspicuously that they never called it. However sometimes it was glaringly obvious. It's seared into my brain the discussion about Jordan pushing off while the clock was running down - literally the analyst said "that would normally be pushing but you cannot make that call on Michael Jordan in this moment".
The NBA lost me there. I'm happy for all the fans who still love it. Just not for me.
The league has stuck with the star focus since then. It was rough for several years, then the stars came back in teh fold and delivered.
And many of the things fans said about the favorable treatment Jordan got is extended to the Stars of today. Most fans feel there is favortism, even as certain teams are about as top heavy as possible.
Lebron started the trend. Everyone else is a follower. Wait until Lebron does it for a 3rd time if they lose this year.
No one shoots a mid range jumper any more.
If you want to improve the game move the 3 point shot back 3 ft (yes 3ft) or eliminate it all together.
This would bring back the mid-range game and the big man into the game.
It would also force defense to defend the whole floor
28 ft 3 point line - ( New Window )
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and I'll be saying for the next couple of years, KD ruined the league for 3-5 years by going to GS. His going to a 73 win team was one of the softest/punk moves I've ever seen by a star professional athlete. Houston has no chance. Neither does Boston or Cleveland. Now, if Boston had Kyrie and Gordon, things might be different, so maybe next year they will be. But right now, with all these blowouts, my beloved NBA is borderline unwatchable past halftime. It's a major bummer...
Lebron started the trend. Everyone else is a follower. Wait until Lebron does it for a 3rd time if they lose this year.
Lebron and KD are just wrinkles in an old trend. NBA superstars have often been able to dictate where they play.
Wilt demanded a trade to LA
Kareem demanded a trade to LA or NY
Shaq walked from Orlando to LA
even HS-age Kobe manipulated the process to end up in LA
These moves had as huge an impact on the league as anything Lebron or KD have done. The Lakers would be just another franchise without them.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I understand the disgruntlement when it comes to lack of post or mid-range play, but I think we gloss over how ugly it could get back in the day, too. Only ten years ago we were seeing scores like 75-72 in a finals game, and that wasn't much fun either. Things always evolve. I wouldn't be surprised if we find more of a middle ground between 3s and close-in play in the future. And look what's happening in the Warriors-Rockets series right now. The Rockets are the "new" NBA with their reliance on threes and foul hunting, and yet they're in big trouble because they don't have an answer for Durant's mid-range game.
Anyway, the NBA has always been about the super teams. With Jordan's 90s Bulls teams the championship was pretty much on lockdown every year, yet viewing numbers were at all-time highs. Viewers like competition but they love dynasties even more.
1) He missed 1 game and Cleveland won by 15. He's making a 15 point difference?
2) He played in games 6 and 7 ( he played brilliantly in game 7 which gets overlooked). The Warriors lost 3 games in a row and 2 at home.
3) Look at Lebron's stat lines Games 5-7
Game 5- 41/16/7
Game 6- 41/8/11
Game 7- 27/11/11 in 47 minutes.
The Cavs won that title due to Lebron and Kyries greatness those last 3 games.
4) Lastly, he deserved to be suspended! He'd been kicking guys in the nuts all year and got away with a blatant one on Steven Adams in the WCF. If you act like an idiot, you deserve to be punished. He was mentally weak.
LeBron is constantly compared to Jordan and the argument often boils down to number of rings.
So LeBron is compared to a guy whose front office built him a "super team," gets knocked out of the playoffs by a recently-formed "super team," and is now the one taking the blame for starting the "super team" trend? Someone remind me, what year did Karl Malone and Gary Payton take pay-cuts to go to Los Angeles to join Shaq and Kobe?
Also, I agree that Kevin Durant going to Golden State ruined the balance of the league and put them head and shoulders above every other team and a perennial favorite for as long as they stick together. That's annoying from an intrigue perspective.
But I can't fault Durant for going to Golden State. The Warriors play an awesome style of basketball, they share the ball, they are creative and free-flowing, have a fantastic coach the players love, are in an awesome city. Durant only has one life to live and only so many years of playing professional basketball. Why wouldn't he want to play there? Golden State plays arguably the highest level of basketball that the sport has ever seen. It would probably be a lot of fun to be a part of that culture and environment.
No one shoots a mid range jumper any more.
If you want to improve the game move the 3 point shot back 3 ft (yes 3ft) or eliminate it all together.
This would bring back the mid-range game and the big man into the game.
It would also force defense to defend the whole floor
How would getting rid of the three point shot make teams defend the whole floor? Teams would just give up the long shot. Make sense.
Just a very dull league no matter how many good players are in it. It’s more than just a parody problem, the style of today’s game is just flat out uninteresting for many.
If I'm that talented I want to prove that I can bring my own squad to a championship. I would crave that challenge.That Warriors team will never be his. Bottom line is they don't even need him to win titles. Curry is what makes that offensive system go. He's just a super bonus for them that completely tilted the competitive balance.
I would create a hard cap and if the players dont wanna play, it would take all of 5 years for the college and high schools to bring up enough talent before they are all forgotten.
If I'm that talented I want to prove that I can bring my own squad to a championship. I would crave that challenge.That Warriors team will never be his. Bottom line is they don't even need him to win titles. Curry is what makes that offensive system go. He's just a super bonus for them that completely tilted the competitive balance.
Durant is by FAR their best player on that team. Its not even close. And Durant has become a better defender and passer.
There were two easy reasons why he left OKC.
1. To win titles.
2. To get away from Westbrook.
I would create a hard cap and if the players dont wanna play, it would take all of 5 years for the college and high schools to bring up enough talent before they are all forgotten.
I dont mind a team going over the cap for players they drafted. But this acquiring bird rights shit is nonsense
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My argument against Durant joining GSW is simply about trying to be the best in the world. If you were that talented, wouldn't your pride drive you to want to prove you are the greatest? How is joining GSW doing that? Has he grown as a player? Not in my opinion he just tries harder on defense now.
If I'm that talented I want to prove that I can bring my own squad to a championship. I would crave that challenge.That Warriors team will never be his. Bottom line is they don't even need him to win titles. Curry is what makes that offensive system go. He's just a super bonus for them that completely tilted the competitive balance.
Durant is by FAR their best player on that team. Its not even close. And Durant has become a better defender and passer.
There were two easy reasons why he left OKC.
1. To win titles.
2. To get away from Westbrook.
He's not even being challenged though. I just cannot fathom losing that series when he's with OKC and joining the Warriors. Your one of the most gifted players to ever play the game. You don't want to try to beat that team?? Especially how he played at the end of the series.
He definitely is their best player but I would argue he isn't their most important player. He also gets a ton of wide open looks, doesn't have to guard the best opposing player and doesn't have to play big minutes. He took the easy way out.
Durant's situation was simple to me. He wanted out of OKC. My thoughts and feelings on Westbrook are well advertised. I think he is very selfish and a me-type player. So Durant wanted out. So do you go on a lesser team or do you go to the best team in the league whose offense situates you better?
Washington would have been an interesting place for him with Wall, Beal, and Porter and that is his hometown. But the chance to win a ring was too good to pass up.
I hate KD and GS but I can't sit here and pretend that I wouldn't have wanted the Knicks to do the same exact thing.
1) He missed 1 game and Cleveland won by 15. He's making a 15 point difference?
2) He played in games 6 and 7 ( he played brilliantly in game 7 which gets overlooked). The Warriors lost 3 games in a row and 2 at home.
3) Look at Lebron's stat lines Games 5-7
Game 5- 41/16/7
Game 6- 41/8/11
Game 7- 27/11/11 in 47 minutes.
The Cavs won that title due to Lebron and Kyries greatness those last 3 games.
4) Lastly, he deserved to be suspended! He'd been kicking guys in the nuts all year and got away with a blatant one on Steven Adams in the WCF. If you act like an idiot, you deserve to be punished. He was mentally weak.
You're forgetting that both Bogut and Iguodala got injured in Game 5 of that series. So yes, Draymond came back for Games 6 and 7, but without Bogut and with Iguodala hobbled, of course Lebron and Kyrie went off. Whether you like it or not, that suspension completely changed the series and tipped the scales Cleveland's way. (And that, by the way, also paved the way for Durant to go to Golden State; I don't believe he would have done so if GS had won the championship that year.)
And I disagree that Draymond deserved to be suspended. Lebron completely instigated the scuffle at the end of Game 4, and then called for the suspension (along with Brian Windhorst, I believe) after the game. The NBA gave him what he wanted, and the rest is history. It was the worst rigging of a series since Sacramento-LA in 2002.
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Can people please stop saying that Draymond Green's suspension cost them the title?
1) He missed 1 game and Cleveland won by 15. He's making a 15 point difference?
2) He played in games 6 and 7 ( he played brilliantly in game 7 which gets overlooked). The Warriors lost 3 games in a row and 2 at home.
3) Look at Lebron's stat lines Games 5-7
Game 5- 41/16/7
Game 6- 41/8/11
Game 7- 27/11/11 in 47 minutes.
The Cavs won that title due to Lebron and Kyries greatness those last 3 games.
4) Lastly, he deserved to be suspended! He'd been kicking guys in the nuts all year and got away with a blatant one on Steven Adams in the WCF. If you act like an idiot, you deserve to be punished. He was mentally weak.
You're forgetting that both Bogut and Iguodala got injured in Game 5 of that series. So yes, Draymond came back for Games 6 and 7, but without Bogut and with Iguodala hobbled, of course Lebron and Kyrie went off. Whether you like it or not, that suspension completely changed the series and tipped the scales Cleveland's way. (And that, by the way, also paved the way for Durant to go to Golden State; I don't believe he would have done so if GS had won the championship that year.)
And I disagree that Draymond deserved to be suspended. Lebron completely instigated the scuffle at the end of Game 4, and then called for the suspension (along with Brian Windhorst, I believe) after the game. The NBA gave him what he wanted, and the rest is history. It was the worst rigging of a series since Sacramento-LA in 2002.
Iggy averaged 36 mins a game from games 5-7.But I guess thats part of the Warriors mantra. When things don't go well blame injuries. When they do play well they are healthy.
Bogut did go down in Game 5 but I'm sorry he's not tipping the series balance. He also wasn't even playing big minutes down the stretch of games at that point.
The Green suspension definitely contributed to them losing. I just hate how people blame it 100% on the loss. I think the James averaging 40 points and a triple double was what did it. And if you watched game 5, Lebron and Kyrie were possessed and no way were they losing.
The Green suspension definitely contributed to them losing. I just hate how people blame it 100% on the loss. I think the James averaging 40 points and a triple double was what did it. And if you watched game 5, Lebron and Kyrie were possessed and no way were they losing.
I agree playing the what if game is silly. Cleveland could have easily won the game with or without Green. But the only thing I would disagree with is since they lost by 15 - could he have made a difference of that? The answer is yes, no, maybe so? No one can ever know for sure. I believe the game was tied at half. Maybe with Green they areup 10 or down 10. But his absence was huge and one will always wonder if he had him....
Along the lines with agreeing with you.... what if Kyrie and Love werent hurt for the first go round? It could always go both ways.
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The Green suspension definitely contributed to them losing. I just hate how people blame it 100% on the loss. I think the James averaging 40 points and a triple double was what did it. And if you watched game 5, Lebron and Kyrie were possessed and no way were they losing.
I agree playing the what if game is silly. Cleveland could have easily won the game with or without Green. But the only thing I would disagree with is since they lost by 15 - could he have made a difference of that? The answer is yes, no, maybe so? No one can ever know for sure. I believe the game was tied at half. Maybe with Green they areup 10 or down 10. But his absence was huge and one will always wonder if he had him....
Along the lines with agreeing with you.... what if Kyrie and Love werent hurt for the first go round? It could always go both ways.
I think the Cavs win the series in 6 if both those guys are healthy and probably even just with Kyrie healthy.
They lost game 1 in OT after Kyrie got hurt I believe. They won games 2 and 3 but just ran out of gas and scoring. Delly was the 2nd offensive option and had to be hospitalized for exhaustion. James Jones was getting big minutes.
What Lebron did that series is what of the most impressive feats I've ever seen from an athlete. He 100% deserved the MVP, regardless of them losing.
What Lebron did that series is what of the most impressive feats I've ever seen from an athlete. He 100% deserved the MVP, regardless of them losing.
Tough to give someone the MVP shooting less than 40% from the floor. I understand he had to do what he had to do, but his shooting was a big reason why they lost a few of those games.
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What Lebron did that series is what of the most impressive feats I've ever seen from an athlete. He 100% deserved the MVP, regardless of them losing.
Tough to give someone the MVP shooting less than 40% from the floor. I understand he had to do what he had to do, but his shooting was a big reason why they lost a few of those games.
46 mins a game
35 points a game
13 boards
9 assists
While relying on Delly, Mozgov, and Thompson to create offense.
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In comment 13971239 TyreeHelmet said:
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What Lebron did that series is what of the most impressive feats I've ever seen from an athlete. He 100% deserved the MVP, regardless of them losing.
Tough to give someone the MVP shooting less than 40% from the floor. I understand he had to do what he had to do, but his shooting was a big reason why they lost a few of those games.
46 mins a game
35 points a game
13 boards
9 assists
While relying on Delly, Mozgov, and Thompson to create offense.
I am not saying he didnt play well.
But he also shot under 40% from the floor
31% from 3
67% from the foul line
And lets not act like Mozgov/Thoompson combining for 20/20 is something to sneeze at. Lebron had too much responsibility and did amazing in the series. But his shooting was a big reason why they lost. He took more than 20 shots per game than his next closest teammate!!!
Scoring efficiently has increased over the last couple years being that its easier to get to the basket and the 3 point shooting has improved. Long gone are the days of driving the lane and facing two bigs who's job was to clog the lane. Sometimes with smallball lineups there is.... no one there!
Referencing back to Jordan. He would drive the lane and see the likes of Parish/McHale, Barkley/Malone, Rodman/Laimbeer, Ewing/Oakley there. Now, Lebron may see a horford (if he isnt chasing Love on the arc, and possibly Draymond Green in the finals. Crazy.
In other sports you can turn it around fast but not in the NBA. I have no solution for it but it sucks when your team is going on 2 decades of poor ball.
The super dynasty thing has been seen often in the NBA. That’s not the problem now. Have a great team and then others try and knock them off. That’s good stuff.
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4) Lastly, he deserved to be suspended! He'd been kicking guys in the nuts all year and got away with a blatant one on Steven Adams in the WCF. If you act like an idiot, you deserve to be punished. He was mentally weak.
Good post, but this one?:
TyreeHelmet : 5/21/2018 12:27 pm : link : reply
My argument against Durant joining GSW is simply about trying to be the best in the world. If you were that talented, wouldn't your pride drive you to want to prove you are the greatest? How is joining GSW doing that? Has he grown as a player? Not in my opinion he just tries harder on defense now.
If I'm that talented I want to prove that I can bring my own squad to a championship. I would crave that challenge.That Warriors team will never be his. Bottom line is they don't even need him to win titles. Curry is what makes that offensive system go. He's just a super bonus for them that completely tilted the competitive balance.
I completely get the idea of wanting to beat the best, but what should KD have done, stay in OKC? Fuck that, I'm going to San Fran every day and Sunday over OK fucking C.
And it is KD that makes GS go. Whenever they need a bucket, the ball goes through KD.
This and the fact that I started to dislike all of the players - Iverson, Kidd, etc. too many punks.