2016-2017 NBA Season!

This is the forum to discuss non-footbag movies, TV, music, videogames, and art.
User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 25 Oct 2016 07:07

The 2016-2017 NBA season kicks off tonight! NBA.com is even streaming 2 games tonight on TNT Overtime, so if you have an internet connection you can check them out for free. Knicks vs. Cavs, and San Antonio vs. Warriors. I definitely want to check out the Warriors one to see Durant, but the Knicks could be fun too to see Porzingis.

Here are some predictions from me for the NBA season:

:arrow: Durant will integrate seamlessly into the Warriors system. He's basically doing the exact same stuff Harrison Barnes was doing, but with better defense. He'll get more touches than Barnes, likely at Klay and Draymond's expense, but those guys will get better looks even if they get fewer looks.
:arrow: I think the Warriors won't chase 70+ wins this year, and I think they'll rest players a lot more. But I also think they'll stumble into 60+ wins just because they have so much talent. And if they blow out a lot of teams in 3 quarters, their guys will be getting rest that way too.
:arrow: Finals has to be Warriors Cleveland. Only way that doesn't happen is if Boston somehow upsets Cleveland, which I could see happening if JR Smith doesn't resolve his contract with them, and they get some other injuries. But yeah, before the first game of the season is even played, I'm calling it Warriors-Cavs final, with the Warriors winning.
:arrow: Who will win rookie of the year? Simmons is pretty exciting with his passing, but he's also injured. He may have the best career, but I wouldn't be surprised if Dunn, Ingram or Saric end up having a better rookie campaign.
:arrow: The Rockets should be significantly better this year than last year.

In other news, I'm doing Fantasy NBA again this year. But that's another post.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 25 Oct 2016 08:30

I'm doing fantasy NBA again this year, again it's a 9 cat auction draft, $200 budget for 13 players. Last year I spent the most on any single player in the league on Anthony Davis, and it bit me in the butt. This year I took a different strategy, where I basically sat out the first 5 good players to hit the auction block. My thinking was, rather than spend the bulk of my money on 2 great guys, I'd spend my money on 5 really good guys who are a tier below or so. This is a tough strategy to pull off, cause when those first 5 good players come up and you see them leave the pool, you can't help but wish you bid on them. Of course, in the middle of the draft when the other owners have very little money, it feels good that you can outbid them on players who aren't superstars, but are 80% as good as them. Overall I feel I executed my strategy well, though I did leave $5 unspent at the end of the draft. My biggest problem at the end of the day is that I drafted a lot of point guards, centers and power forwards, so I'm really thin on the wing. I may need to do a trade to remedy this at some point, but even if I don't the positions I overdrafted give me stats in hard to fill categories like blocks, steals, and assists.

Here's my team, from most expensive to least, with some quick thoughts.

1. Karl Anthony Towns -$47- 23.5% of my budget for one player is nothing to sneeze at, but look at what some other owners paid for their top picks: Westbrook at $64, Durant at $62, Harden at $58,Curry at $60, LeBron at $58, Kawhi at $59. I'm expecting KAT will be better than a couple of those guys, and probably 90% as good as the rest, so the fact that I got him for 22% cheaper than that crop is pretty great. It also made me feel good, since players like Cousins, Paul George, and Giannis all went for about $46 in my league, and they are all generally considered worse prospects than KAT. In fantasy rankings I had been seeing KAT ranked between 3-6, so I was thrilled to get him for $47.

2. Chris Paul- $36- Here is where my strategy started to pay off. Whenever it was my turn to nominate players early on, I picked ones that I thought had inflated prices that I didn't want. The idea being that it'd encourage other people to spend money on players I didn't want, so halfway through the draft I'd have less competition to get guys I wanted. I didn't have specific players picked out, but rather a list of 10 or so that I would be aggressive if they remained unpicked by the middle of the draft. Chris Paul was one of the last first round talents to come up, and by the time he did many of the other owners had spent so much they needed to spread their remaining cash to fill out their rosters. That's how I got Paul for so cheap. Elite assists and steals, with a good health track record...definitely a top 10 player, and at a bargain price.

3. Hassan Whiteside - $33- Another potential top 10 player! Not sure how he slipped to me at this price...maybe name recognition is low? Just based on the fact that Wade and Bosh are gone, and they gave Whiteside a max contract, I figure he's a lock to get a ton of minutes. Between him and KAT I should have blocks category on lockdown for the season. I wouldn't be surprised if Whiteside ended the season with top 5 value, so to get him for half the price of what Westbrook went for felt great.

4. John Wall- $31- Another elite point guard. Between him and CP3, I should be set for assists and steals for the year. I probably would have been happy if Wall was the second best player on my team, so the fact that he's my fourth best made me feel great.

5. Victor Oladipo- $16- This felt like a bit of a gamble, but I was happy to take it. At this point in the draft I was pretty heavy at the point guard and center positions, and literally didn't have any shooting guards. Most of the SGs I liked were taken at prices I didn't want to touch, so when Oladipo came up I made the decision to bid high to ensure I have at least one solid player at that position. I'm excited for him too. With no Durant in OKC, somebody has to pick up the scoring load to help Westbrook, and Oladipo is the only one that makes sense. He should start and get a ton of minutes, so I'm optimistic I'll feel good about this pick at this price.

6. Nikola Jokic -$10- Another gamble, since I'm hoping he gets more minutes than last year and produces at similar per-minute levels. If he does though, he should help me a lot with rebounds, and give me some other stats you wouldn't expect from a center. Also nice to have a Nugget, so if I go to a home game I can root for him.

7. Goran Dragic -$8- Didn't feel awesome getting a 3rd point guard when I was still so thin on the wing, but the price was right. Looking at his stats last year when Wade didn't play was encouraging, and I fully expect he'll get the bulk of the guard minutes in Miami since his only real competition is Tyler Johnson. This felt like a good price to pay for above average assist stats, peppered with some other decent stats.

8. Zach LaVine-$6- I was definitely getting desperate to get some wings at this stage, and LaVine was probably my best option at 2 guard that was still on the table. I'm mostly expecting scoring with this pick, hopefully with some 3s, but not a lot of other great stats. But hey, he's my 8th best guy and he fills a position that I was very thin at. If he gets a few 30 point games over the season and doesn't kill me on TOs, I'll be happy.

9. Tristan Thompson -$3- Reliable rebounding for $3. Would have been nice to get a small forward here, but I'll take 10 rebounds a game this late in a draft at this cheap a price.

10. Aaron Gordon -$2- Didn't love this pick, since the forward positions in Orlando are going to be pretty crowded this year. I have a bad feeling Gordon won't get a ton of minutes, but I needed small forwards desperately, and he had the most upside. If he gives me average value and I can slot him in a slot I'm thin at, then this is great for $2.

11. Myles Turner -$1- Another forward who might be fighting for minutes at his position. I think he was my final pick though, and had the best projected stats by far. If this was a whiff, I don't feel too bad about it considering how strong the top half of my team is.

12. Josef Nurkic- $1- Another eastern euro nugget. He's going to start alongside Jokic, so hopefully that combo benefits both of them. If not, Nurk is good insurance if Jokic gets injured, and he was on my sleepers list. Stoked I got him for a buck.

13. Andre Iguodala -$1- I was certain somebody would bid on him, but nobody did, so I got him for a buck. I had 0 small forwards at the time I made this pick, so I was happy to get somebody this cheap. I think Iggy won't play as much as last year, and his stats will probably go down, but if he handles the ball in the second unit, then I might get some nice boosts in assists. But yeah, for $1 I thought this was a steal.

So how do I think I'll do? To be honest, I'd feel better if I had better wing depth. But in a 9 cat league I was excited to assemble a team with good FT shooting even at the big man positions, and I feel very good about my assists/steals/blocks categories. So assuming I have an advantage in those 4 categories, I only need to win one more cat each week to win.

The other owners were hit and miss with their choices. The team I'm most worried about drafted Steph, LeBron and Anthony Davis. But given that Steph has to share the ball with Durant, LeBron will likely sit out some games in the East, and Davis gets injured a lot....hopefully that makes his team less of a threat. And of course he spent $166 to get those 3 guys, so not a lot of depth beyond them on his team. The other team that's scary has Harden and Durant, so pretty much 2 of the 5 best players on one team. But again, $120 to get those 2. I'm hoping that between my top 5 guys I have more total talent, and have reduced the injury risk by getting more players, so hopefully I'll have a chance to win this year.

User avatar
Asmus
Ass Moose
Posts: 3773
Joined: 13 Jun 2004 08:18
Location: Copenhagen
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by Asmus » 25 Oct 2016 12:05

I am in the same fantasy league as Ken. My draft wen't horribly. Because of the time difference I obviously couldn't attend the draft. I tried to set it up beforehand but I have never done an auction draft and ended up setting my bids way too low. This resulted in me not spending $116 of my money. That is exactly what Ken spent on his top three players *sigh*.
This already feels like a lost cause.
Next year I will probably get up at 3 in the morning and do the draft..

I am still very excited for this NBA season.

Image

User avatar
Asmus
Ass Moose
Posts: 3773
Joined: 13 Jun 2004 08:18
Location: Copenhagen
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by Asmus » 25 Oct 2016 12:41

:arrow: Durant will integrate seamlessly into the Warriors system. (...) likely at Klay and Draymond's expense, but those guys will get better looks even if they get fewer looks.
I heard on some podcast that the Warriors should not take a shot all season that isn't completely open. Kinda crazy but also makes sense.
:arrow: I think the Warriors won't chase 70+ wins this year, and I think they'll rest players a lot more. But I also think they'll stumble into 60+ wins just because they have so much talent.
Definitely won't go for 70. Might do it anyways.
:arrow: Finals has to be Warriors Cleveland.
For sure. It gives me my money again 1.20 again to bet that Cavs wins over Knicks tonight. It gives me my money again 1.25 to bet that either Cavs or Warriors win the final. That is crazy but also makes sense.
(And yes you can gamble on NBA in Denmark legally)
:arrow: Who will win rookie of the year? Simmons is pretty exciting with his passing, but he's also injured.
Can Embiid win since he hasn't played a game yet? I think he could, even though not playing enough minutes could come into play.
:arrow: The Rockets should be significantly better this year than last year.
Yes.

I think PG13 will win MVP with Dame Dolla as a dark horse.

I hope that Boogie gets traded I would like to see him on a franchise that doesn't always act batshit crazy.

I think we should try to limit talking about Warriors and Cavs in here, since there will be so much talk about them anyways. I will only write about them if I have watched a game with one of the teams.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 27 Oct 2016 06:45

Asmus wrote:
:arrow: Who will win rookie of the year? Simmons is pretty exciting with his passing, but he's also injured.
Can Embiid win since he hasn't played a game yet?
He definitely qualifies. Blake Griffin won ROY in his second season, since he didn't play at all his rookie year.

As for MVP, I half wonder if LeBron could win one last one. I think Durant and Curry are unlikely since they have to split the load and consequently the vote, but if LBJ puts up a standard-for-him season and the Cavs cruise to the 1 seed in the East, he could get one last one for the road.

Our ESPN fantasy league is weird. Normally an 8 or 9 cat league pits owners against each other in each category, so if your team had more blocks in a week for example, you'd win that category, and then whoever won more categories for the week wins the week. I don't understand our current system, but it looks more like they tally points for each player for each game, and then at the end of the week the winning owner is picked by whoever has more points? That kinda defeats my whole strategy of drafting multiple people to ensure victory in certain categories. I wish I had known this before the draft began. Also, it looks like our league doesn't count 3 pointers made as a category? If that's true, then the owners who got Curry, Klay, and Durant definitely overpaid for those guys.

Speaking of prices, here's an update on how my $1 guys did in the first 2 nights of the season:
C-Fan wrote: 13. Andre Iguodala -$1- I was certain somebody would bid on him, but nobody did, so I got him for a buck. I had 0 small forwards at the time I made this pick, so I was happy to get somebody this cheap. I think Iggy won't play as much as last year, and his stats will probably go down, but if he handles the ball in the second unit, then I might get some nice boosts in assists. But yeah, for $1 I thought this was a steal.
I didn't realize how low his stats were last year, and I think I'm right that they will decline even more this year. He played opening night, and I dropped him the next night (we get 6 moves a week). I flipped him for Luol Deng, which I feel better about. I set my lineups for the next 2 months, and the lack of small forwards hasn't significantly messed me up, so I'm not too worried about it. But yeah, dropping Iggy for Luol felt fine since he was only a buck, and I got one more game in my pocket for the week by doing this.
C-Fan wrote: 11. Myles Turner -$1- Another forward who might be fighting for minutes at his position. I think he was my final pick though, and had the best projected stats by far.
I had him valued at like $7 before the draft, and while the minutes fight was a legit concern, I also recognized upside here. That said, I was still surprised when last night he put up 30 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. 8O That should help him get minutes I'd expect.
C-Fan wrote: 12. Josef Nurkic- $1- He's going to start alongside Jokic, so hopefully that combo benefits both of them. If not, Nurk is good insurance if Jokic gets injured, and he was on my sleepers list. Stoked I got him for a buck..
Nurk was supposed to be Jokic insurance, so I was surprised when last night Nurk put up 23/9/3 while Jokic had a meager 5/7/2. As long as one of them plays well each night and the other gives me something, I can't complain.

Overall not bad for my $1 guys.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 01 Nov 2016 07:26

I won my first week of Fantasy, despite the weird scoring system. I definitely wish I had known about the points system before I drafted, but overall I still think my team is pretty strong even with half the strategy going out the window. The Nurkic-Jokic handcuff had worked out pretty well, where usually their performances balance out into an overall decent line. Considering I paid $11 total for them, definitely happy with their production...though it's weird that Jokic cost me $10 and Nurk was $1, and yet Nurkic is the one averaging 16.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks through three games.

Nobody drafted Chandler Parsons in my league, probably because he is starting this season off injured, and likely will have a minutes cap when he gets back. I get that. But I've been seeing updates this week that he's been practicing with the team, and could be back in the next week. I decided to roll the dice, and dropped my current waiver wire SF to pick him up. I know this will cost me in the short term, but hopefully it pays off in the long run. Small forward was by far the weakest position on my team coming out of the draft, so if I can fill it with Chandler Parsons off the waiver wire, that feels like a strong move. Of course, this presumes a few things, including:

1. He actually starts playing in the next week. If he doesn't come back for a month, I'll definitely regret this move. But if he only is dead weight on my roster for a week, then this should pay off.
2. He picks up as much of the scoring load for the Grizzlies as I presume he will. Looking at the Grizz, their only real scoring options are Conley, Gasol, and ZBo. They're all getting older, and it sounds like they got Parsons in the off season to be the focal point of their offense. If that happens, I'm hoping he can end up close to 20 points per game.
3. The rest of my roster can keep me afloat until he starts playing. This may require some roster juggling on my part, but so far my big-money guys have been carrying the team OK. KAT has been a bit quiet, but I expect he will get better as the season progresses.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 05 Nov 2016 11:44

I've watched parts of a few games on TNT Overtime, like I do every year. This year for some reason though, they changed the layout of the screen so now 1/4 of it is covered by a menu bar that you cannot minimize. It drives me crazy, cause they're not even monetizing the space...its just eating into the screen for no reason. They also no longer show the score on screen, which makes no sense at all. If you're going to eat up screen space, at least use that space to show the fucking score.

In good news for my Fantasy team, Chandler Parsons is coming back from injury a lot earlier than expected. He makes his season debut tomorrow, and I added him on Oct 31, so he was deadweight on my roster for less than 1 week. I expect he'll start slow given he's coming back from injury, and may even have a minutes cap. But given his upside, I'm hopeful he'll be a pillar of my team for most of the season along with KAT, Wall, Paul, and Whiteside.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 06 Nov 2016 19:56

C-Fan wrote: In good news for my Fantasy team, Chandler Parsons is coming back from injury a lot earlier than expected. He makes his season debut tomorrow,.
Well that was a horrible jinx. Parsons DID come back early, and did play for me today. He got a block and 3 rebounds...good right? Wrong. The crazy scoring system in my league somehow allows players to give you NEGATIVE points, so he ended up giving me negative six points tonight. Did I mention that it was the last night of the week for my matchup? Or that I lost by 4 points? For the math majors out there, that means if I hadn't played Parsons, or if he didn't come back early, I actually would have won this week even with him as injury deadweight. But because of the crazy ass scoring system in my league, his early return cost me the week's matchup. Wow.

User avatar
Asmus
Ass Moose
Posts: 3773
Joined: 13 Jun 2004 08:18
Location: Copenhagen
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by Asmus » 07 Nov 2016 01:06

Watched my Knicks lose in a close game to Jazz yesterday. Porzingis started as the true Porsingod. I wish they would go to him more later, but I understand that Rose also wants to and needs to get his. I still haven’t lost fate in Rapedini. Speaking of losing faith - Joakim Noah has completely lost faith in himself offensively and so have I. I think he should come on from the bench, but I am not sure if he would like that. Courtney Lee is a good player. Melo is Melo. They need to fix the deffense, but overall I feel better after this game, than I did before.

Here is a new amazing Porzingis song: What teams are you rooting for this year Ken and how do you feel about hteir start?

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 14 Nov 2016 09:05

If I ran the Knicks, I'd make it a rule that the only people allowed to shoot the ball are Porzingis and Melo, and the only people allowed to touch the ball are them plus Rose and Noah...and those two only so they could pass the ball to Zinger and Melo.

Knicks defense is killing them this season. Of course Phil Jackson is saying they need to run the triangle more, but their offense is average. It's their defense that's losing them games.

As for me? I'm not sure I've identified any teams specifically to root for. Out East I find the Sixers intriguing in theory. If Simmons gets back soon and continues passing the way he did in preseason, and Embiid continues developing the way he has, that team could be a lot of fun to watch. Out West I'm going to try and tune in to Warriors games, as well as James Harden featuring the Rockettes. But I don't feel super invested in any of the teams.

I'm half toying with the idea of catching a Nuggets game in the next few weeks. I figure I won't be able to do stuff like that once the baby comes, so maybe sneak in one look at Nurkic/Jokic before then. We'll see what's available and realistic.

On the Fantasy side, week 3 just ended and I won my matchup. I'm 2-1 now, and still can't believe that single Parsons game made me lose that entire week. Parsons is still on a bit of a minutes restriction, but he's been getting better, and I'm optimistic he'll end up close to being a 20-5-5 kind of guy by the end of the season.

Right now my biggest concerns on my fantasy roster are Jokic and John Wall. Jokic clearly isn't thriving playing in a big-big lineup. The two things that make me feel a bit more optimistic are that I own Nurkic as a handcuff, and that the coach still believes in him so he has to improve. Wall has been good statwise (22/4/8/2) but has been sitting out the 2nd game of back to backs as a health precaution, and also has a couple game ejections under him. The Wiz are playing badly, so I worry he may disengage at some point. Still, if my point guard rotation is Paul/Wall/Dragic, I feel I'm in pretty good shape.

In good Fantasy news, Chris Paul has been amazing, far exceeding my expectations for him. Some sites have him as the 3rd best fantasy player so far this year and he's leading the league in PER. On draft night I had him pegged as a top 10 guy, but in the second tier of those guys. I didn't target him specifically, rather my strategy was to sit out the bidding wars for the top 6 guys or so, then try and nab 2 guys in the 7-12 range at discounts, then fill out the roster with medium priced guys. When I got Paul on draft night, I figured he'd be my 3rd best guy behind KAT and Whiteside. While those two have been excellent, Paul has been better.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 22 Nov 2016 08:01

Haven't been watching many games. With the baby due in January I've stopped traveling for work, so not seeing games in hotels, and at home the only games I can watch are online on TNT. But for some reason this year they've crowded the screen with all these useless menus you cannot minimize, which really hurts the viewing experience.

Fantasy continues to be frustrating. I'm now at 2-2, and my 2 losses are pretty much directly attributable to Chandler Parsons. He got injured again this week, so my patience has officially run out. I cut him and replaced him with some waiver wired scrub, cause even marginal production is better than zero (or even negative) with him. If he gets healthy in a few weeks I may consider re-adding him if he's available, but my experience so far has left a bad taste in my mouth.

The other surprising cut I made was Aaron Gordon. He's got the physical skills to put up good numbers, but his coach doesn't play him enough minutes, and looking at the raw numbers he's put up for the past 10 games or so, there's just better options on the waiver wires. Definitely a big disappointment. I guess he only cost me $2, so not the biggest disaster.

My top 4 players have been carrying me pretty well (CP3, KAT, Whiteside, Wall), but I need to do better on the back end of my rotation.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 06 Dec 2016 08:43

Haven't watched many games this season, for a variety of reasons. This season definitely has the feel of "wake me up in June when the Warriors-Cavs finals start."

Some random observations:

:arrow: Klay dropped a career high 60 point last night, in under 30 minutes. I love it when he catches fire, like that game last year when he had like 34 in a quarter with no misses.
:arrow: Oladipo has been a bit of a letdown for me from a Fantasy standpoint, but this dunk made my day: :arrow: Speaking of Oladipo, here is the list of people picked ahead of Greek Freak in 2013:
1 CLE Anthony Bennett
2 ORL Victor Oladipo
3 WAS Otto Porter
4 CHA Cody Zeller
5 PHO Alex Len
6 NOH Nerlens Noel
7 SAC Ben McLemore
8 DET Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
9 MIN Trey Burke
10 POR C.J. McCollum
11 PHI Michael Carter-Williams
12 OKC Steven Adams
13 DAL Kelly Olynyk
14 UTA Shabazz Muhammad

Ouch.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 15 Dec 2016 09:23

This dunk is worth sharing. Look where he takes of from. Also its one of those dunks where it looks like the body contact in the air actually propels him higher, a la Tom Chambers over Mark Jackson. Nutty.
On the Fantasy front, not much new to report. I'm still looking for solid players at the shooting guard and small forward slots. I think right now I have Eric Gordon and Wesley Matthews as my primaries there, which isn't great. The hope with Matthews is that the Mavs go into full on tanking mode without Dirk, and on a team with no options he defaults into 20 ppg. But yeah, I'm keeping my eyes open to see if somebody better comes available in either of those slots.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 16 Dec 2016 12:51

Tried to watch some Knicks-Warriors last night online on the TNT site. Man, its like they're actively trying to make it an awful viewing experience. If you go full screen mode, there's a menu on the upper 20% of the screen that you cannot minimize. It also gives you no information (like, I dunno, the fucking SCORE of the game), so its just eating space and obstructing your view. Then periodically they'll eat up even more of the screen with useless graphics (TNT Overtime logo, etc.) so you're only getting about 60% of the screen to see actual game. Just ugh.

Anyway, it was nice to see a little game footage of Porzingis. He didn't do anything that blew my mind, but his sheer size combined with his shooting stroke is indeed something special. I wonder what kind of player would be the ideal complement for him and his game?

I checked the NBA standings today. I knew the Warriors and Cavs would be on top of the West and East, but there were some things that kind of surprised me. Take this little trivia game with me and lets see if you're as surprised as I was:

1. Philly and Brooklyn are unsurprisingly the worst 2 teams in the East. What team has the 3rd worst record in the East?
2. How many sub-500 teams would make the playoffs in the East, if the playoffs started today?
3. How many sub-500 teams would make the playoffs in the West, if the playoffs started today?
4. Philly is tied for the worst record in the NBA with which Western team?
5. What team has the longest active win streak right now?

Answers below:























1. It surprised me, but Miami has the third worst record in the East. And they're only a couple losses away from joining Philly and Brooklyn. Part of my surprise comes from the fact that I have 2 Heat guys on my fantasy team, and they put up great numbers. But apparently nobody else on the Heat are doing anything.
2. Zero. The 8th best team in the East is the Bucks, and they are at 500 now.
3.One; Portland is at 13-15 now. Surprising to me, since usually the East is notorious for having weaker playoff teams at the bottom seeds.
4. The Mavs! I know they've had injuries, but this still is a bit of a shocker. Their coach is great, their culture is good, they have some good players....I would have bet that the Kings or New Orleans would be doing worse but no, the Mavs are at the bottom.
5. The Rockets have won 8 straight. I still wouldn't put them in the top tier of the West though with the Clippers/Warriors/Spurs. But if they get the 4 seed going into the Playoffs, I could see them making a surprise appearance in the Western Finals.

User avatar
Asmus
Ass Moose
Posts: 3773
Joined: 13 Jun 2004 08:18
Location: Copenhagen
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by Asmus » 19 Dec 2016 00:05

C-Fan wrote:Anyway, it was nice to see a little game footage of Porzingis. He didn't do anything that blew my mind, but his sheer size combined with his shooting stroke is indeed something special.
I think another thing worth noticing when looking at Porzingis is how good he moves for a man his size. He doesn't look like he is freakish tall when he moves laterally - that is usually a good sign of longevity.

I also like to see this: THE LATVIAN GANGBANGER!
C-Fan wrote:I wonder what kind of player would be the ideal complement for him and his game?
I am not sure what the question is? Players who could be on the market? Type of player in general? Big man combo? Guard? I think the Knicks should make a move for Nerlens Noel - I think that would be a dope big man combo.

Miami doesn't really surprise me. Just look at their players. Weak. I still have faith in Justice Winslow though.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 19 Dec 2016 10:38

Asmus wrote: Porzingis is how good he moves for a man his size. He doesn't look like he is freakish tall when he moves laterally -.
Yeah, you can tell a lot by watching how a big man runs. Hakeem moved smoother than most centers, and I see some of that with Porzingis. I also see some of that with Embiid too.
Asmus wrote:
C-Fan wrote:I wonder what kind of player would be the ideal complement for him and his game?
I am not sure what the question is? Players who could be on the market? Type of player in general? Big man combo? Guard?.
.
I'm just wondering in the abstract what kind of player would maximize Porzingis' talents playing with him. Like, most bigs who can shoot can't block shots, so you want to pair them with a shotblocker/rebounder type. On the flip side, most bigs who block shots and board aren't shooters who can stretch the floor, so you pair them with a stretch 4. But Porzingis is a rim protector on D who can stretch the floor on O; something we've never seen before. So what maximizes his skill set? You wouldn't need shooting necessarily...maybe a 4 who is an above average passer? Or a 4 who can set screens to free up KP's shooting?
Asmus wrote:
I think the Knicks should make a move for Nerlens Noel - I think that would be a dope big man combo..
I dunno. Noel's main strength is his shot blocking, but you don't really need that with Porzingis since he blocks so well. I also think Noel is too skinny to do grunt work like screening and rebounding, which would be nice to have so KP doesn't get too tired in a game. I half wonder if you could use KP's strengths to balance out the weaknesses of some flawed players like MKG and Justise, guys who can't shoot for their position but do a lot of other things well.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 29 Dec 2016 08:36

On Christmas I finally got to watch a proper game on TV. Cavs Warriors was on ABC, so no cable needed. When the game started Haley asked me who I was rooting for. My answer was: "If I had to choose, slight preference for Warriors. But really, I want a close entertaining game more than anything. I'd prefer a narrow Cavs win over a Warriors blowout." Happily enough, I got exactly what I wished for. Close throughout, super close in the 4th, and it came down to an epic Kyrie shot over impeccable defense from Klay. Just awesome. Can't wait to see these teams match up in the Finals again in June.

Staying on the Warriors topic, I was most impressed by Durant in that game. He's still a shark on offense, but his defense really stood out to me. Its borderline unfair to have a player who can shoot so well from range, score in the post, AND defend at a high level. I know he won't get MVP because he isn't the only all star on his team and it wouldn't be a popular narrative, but I do kind of wonder if he is the real MVP. If they win 70+ games and the title, I think you could credibly argue that. Right now he's averaging 26/9/4 with over a block and a steal a night. Damn.

On the fantasy side, I've had a rash of injuries to my players. Paul was out a few games, but has bounced back. Dragic missed some time, and I worry about his durability. I also worry the Heat may trade him now that the new CBA gives them more incentive than ever to tank this season. And Oladipo has missed something like 10 games in a row. I really don't know what to do about him. In happier news, Jokic is finally turning around his season, and the Eric Gordon pickup looks like a keeper. I'd still like to get in better shape at the SF position.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 09 Jan 2017 08:54

Trades.

The trade deadline isn't until the end of next month (Feb 23), but I expect we'll see some pretty big trades in the next few weeks. Some teams know they don't have enough to go all the way yet (Raptors), while other teams understand their chances for the playoffs are dim enough they should head the other direction (Miami), so this all points towards some players changing teams soon. Here are some thoughts.

:arrow: Atlanta just traded Korver to the Cavs for a 1st round pick in 2019. I really liked this trade for both teams, since the Cavs want to win now while Atlanta is thinking long term. Korver can still shoot 3s, and now gives the Cavs the ability to slot 4 credible 3 point shooters around LeBron. The Hawks get a draft asset (albeit a low one) for an expiring contract of a 35 year old player who likely wasn't re-signing anyway. I'm a little surprised frankly they got as much back as they did. This is a win-win in my book.

:arrow: Korver's trade indicates the Hawks are blowing it up, so the natural question that follows is: what happens to Millsap? The main rumored frontrunners are the Raptors, Celtics, and Nuggets. The first two teams know they don't have enough to beat the Cavs, so this would be an "all chips in" move to give themselves a chance at making the Finals. I always think teams need to do this when they can. The Nuggets are in it since they can offer more pieces to Atlanta, and Denver traditionally has trouble signing free agents. I would worry though about their ability to re-sign Millsap once he's a free agent though. I'm hoping he goes to the Raps, since that'd make for the most interesting playoffs. I'd still favor the Cavs over them though.

:arrow: In light of the new CBA, the Heat have a ton of incentive to tank this season. They keep their pick from this year, but the next couple years after that are owed to the Suns due to the Dragic trade. The new CBA now incentivizes high draft picks to stay long term with the team that drafted them, and this upcoming draft is suppposed to be loaded. Add all this up, and if you're the Heat you have to be thinking your best move is trading either Dragic or Whiteside (or both) for draft picks. Doing so would cost you wins this season (good move when tanking) and also give you more shots at moving up in the draft if you collect assets. I'd be shocked if both Dragic and Whiteside aren't moved in the next month.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by C-Fan » 12 Jan 2017 14:32

Curious to hear your thoughts on the Knicks Asmus. I feel like their season began with some promise (14-10 at one point, KP making the leap, Rose looking spry) but the past 10 games have been abysmal (1 win, 9 losses). Rose went AWOL for a game and doesn't seem happy, Melo has been ejected 3 times, and they just lost a game at the buzzer to the lowly 76ers. At this stage, I'd probably be pretty pessimistic as a fan. If I were management, I'd let Rose walk next year, trade Melo for younger players or picks, and rebuild around Kristaps. But that's hard to do, since Melo has the no-trade clause to veto any trades to destinations he dislikes. I'm not sure I see a great path forward for the Knicks.

User avatar
Asmus
Ass Moose
Posts: 3773
Joined: 13 Jun 2004 08:18
Location: Copenhagen
Contact:

Re: 2016-2017 NBA Season!

Post by Asmus » 13 Jan 2017 04:34

Lots of stuff to address.
Our biggest problem is the defense. Noah needs to be more a leader there - he is the defensive anchor and have previously been defensive player of the year. He needs to show up more on that end.

I would not be surprised if Rose retires after this season honestly. I do think he has been playing well though, he just needs to have way more assists with his ability to penetrate and being surrounded by great shooters.

I think it’s great that Melo has been ejected 3 times. It shows he actually wants it. What is not great is that he is having his worst shooting season since his rookie year. I agree that he should be traded and I don’t think the problem is that HE has a no trade clause, I think the real problem is that the trade clause is also his wife’s. If I were Phil I would be calling up La La everyday.

I am not super pessimistic, but I am also used to everything being shit all the time by now. Hehe.

Post Reply