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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2024 12:48:32 GMT -6
This was me channeling the Kat injury news into something positive. Attacking the NBA media intellectual Dark Web's bs which we should all be doing everyday. I can't imagine not doing it, and living with the consequences.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2024 12:55:09 GMT -6
Kevin Love broke his hand punching a wall, in a bar, in Minneapolis.
Then he lied about how it happened, and did a hit piece with Woj trashing his teammates. Still trying to narrow down exact restaurant/bar.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2024 12:55:34 GMT -6
Cone of silence must be broken!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2024 13:07:08 GMT -6
This is good, but the fix is simpler.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2024 11:06:07 GMT -6
I can't stop screaming. I was so in shock, I forgot to change the channel after, and didn't realize a literal goose hunt had started. I woke up this morning, looked in the mirror, and said, I'm gonna be like Ant Man. Best end of game play I have ever seen, and possibly last five minutes. His shoulder is hitting the backboard basically! !!! Extremely lucky he didn't get hurt coming down, and would be tempted to give him a night to rest here. If he's banged up come playoffs it's game over. Indy doesn't feel like a real game sometimes, first half just a straight up layup line. Haliburton is the player that would be hurt most if the league gets their nuts together and reverts to pre-FOM and brings back shot clock resetting on O boards. Hyper, hyper inflation there with that dude, and his passes are basic b, over hyped, not even close a Giddey level. He Brunson, Ja, and SGA are guys I'd expect to dip if NBA does the right thing here. And I wouldn't even necessarily want him next to Ant if he leaves Indy. I would target Black, who's not the Giddey level passing savant, but plays great d, and is just a gamer in a true sense of the word. Hali plays less defense than the time D-Lo forgot to check in, which was one of his best defensive possessions. While that was fun, I hope it doesn't take that kind of super human effort from Ant now through playoffs to beat teams like Indy, or tonight's short handed Cav's team. That's the crux missing Kat Man. Ant's got to move the ball, defend, and be a super nova on offense, and while he's young enough he probably can do it to the degree anyone can, it's not something you want to have to rely on if we're going to make a deep playoff run. Having Kat in the second unit at center with Naz, and Kyle was such a luxury, and took a lot pressure of Gob, AND Ant. Cavs missing Mobley and Mitchell, should be a fun game, but could see us being tired coming off that track meet last night.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2024 11:36:18 GMT -6
The continuation Hali gets, on top of carrying all the time is atrocious, and the fact you effectively have to let him drive to the rim untouched all night.
Anyway, back to the narrative wars. A little behind. HTB has been hammering Dame doesn't play d, he's not the same guy, can't do it ever night. This of course mirrors the time he's leveling criticism's at DK, that were exactly what folks were saying about Morey when he first came in. It's not quite the same as I know you are but what am I, but it's a version of that. Accuse someone of something a player you like is also not doing, or struggling with.
The other guy who is no longer able to do it every night, and can't play d is Steph. They've always completely imploded when he's forced to play point. Bucks will be alright if Middleton can get right, that's one thing that surprised me, as I would have been tempted to let him walk, and resign Holiday. They must have had some confidence he is able to get back, hopefully he can. As long as that happens, Dame will be Dame come playoff time. Like Steph when Dray's out, it's not that they aren't similar players to what they always are it's more about they still need teammates to defend, initiate etc.
In the same way you need to surround d, and play-making with scoring, you have to surround those scorer only guys with guys that can defend, and generate good shots. This includes guys that can screen, pass, pressure the rim etc. Zach, Steph, Dame are the same. Give Dame Draymond shoving his man feet out of the play, and clean shots he's doing the same thing. It looks different, as he's not a movement shooter, but forget the aesthetics of it, move him more like a normal shooter/spacer and he's doing the same thing.
It's like watching CP, everyone credits CP with getting to his mid, and taking those clean open looks, but those are all the work of great centers, Chandler, Jordan, Ayton. Conley too. A lot of games he's clicking is more about Gobert freeing him up (screen assist), than anything he's doing. He is making those guys more efficient. If Double R has a center like that at any point with Wolves he is taking clean drives to the rim, or shots as well, which we did see in the 17-18 Utah season still pre-FOM, when both Rudy and Favors are playing inside the arc.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2024 12:08:47 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2024 14:26:35 GMT -6
Wolves looked shot last night. Desperately need a back up center, I would have rested both Ant, and Rudy last night, or at minimum played fewer minutes.
If we're healthy, goal should be top seed, if we're not healthy, need to prioritize that. You also need to use your young games exactly for games last night, when it's second night of a back to back, especially an up and down game like Indy, following all those back to backs we just had at home.
I wouldn't over react to lineups today, however, if this team did not have Towns, and this was just the roster, you'd have to think more about balancing O and d. If Naz is "center" in that second group, I would get McD there, move NAW to first group. If this was what the team was maybe you have Kyle as a small ball center during the regular season, with Morris, McD, Warren or something, but missing Kat is going to allow teams to load up on Ant. A big difference between Pacers and Cavs was it was much harder to penetrate, therefore generate clean three's, so in a way that's still our problem, it just becomes much more difficult if Kat's not a release there. That and we had no ability to stop Garland when Gobert was off the floor.
I play some young guys here even if we drop games. Worst thing we could do is run Rudy and Ant into the ground. I would say it's even worth trying Naz in the starting group, if nothing else to see what it is. Normally I'm not for shuffling the deck, I prefer consistent rotations, a change from when Finch first arrived btw, but I just think you have to throw one of these young guys out there, whether it's Miller at the four next to Kyle, or even Garza and Kyle.
As for the refs, I would say a lot of our early losses, just swing depending on how Rudy, and or Kat were getting called. Same thing here. Have to hope that levels off some in the playoffs.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2024 14:27:33 GMT -6
Once Allen starting picking up all those fouls I just lean into the bench, and try to figure out what if anything we have there. We should lean into load management right now.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2024 15:19:00 GMT -6
Also think if C's don't make the NBA Finals, that's a pretty good indicator of what regular season data means right now, Joe Maz is gone. Unless Porz gets injured, then they'll just say it's because of that.
The East is in shambles right now, and it would be a pretty big egg if they don't at least make ECF, I think they have the most pressure as it stands now.
And Venca's take on Wemby made me laugh because again, Love clearly was not that by any measure, but also he was more than ready to poop on Wolves, and get Ant out of here if this Rudy deal went sideways.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2024 15:27:36 GMT -6
Things Finch has changed, more structure, more pick and roll, more consistent rotations, keeping Kat more in the upper trap, going big.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2024 23:21:23 GMT -6
Good job competing short handed, but is what it is, fine with it.
I thought the Lakers were kind of going through the motions first half, Naz still clicking which is good, but he's getting a lot of clean looks that first half, and they more or less took that away second half, and Davis tore us up on the glass all night.
Had sound on game tonight and JP said Wolves aren't built to be able to withstand losing guys? As if other teams are? There's only one way to win in the high usage era, you lose that driver, and it's over. Even take Mavs or someone, they lose Luka it's not like Ky is taking that team on a deep playoff run on his own suddenly.
Our ceiling is lower minus Kat (as Denver's would be minus Murray or Porter, Suns missing one of Booker, Beal or KD). Even if he returns say second round, it's hard to imagine him picking up where he left off. If this was our personnel, how do you balance o and d, first group second group. How can we generate shots when Ant's off the floor? Could get rocky here, but got to keep our eye on the prize, just get to postseason with Big Rude and Ant.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2024 10:20:57 GMT -6
Is Naz Reid a back up three? Back up four? Starting four?
He doesn't have the handle to be a sf, he's clearly not a center. One of the things Naz is missing with Towns out, is a starting PF, and back up center.
I would consider Mcd, Kyle and Garza in the second group, J-Mac/Morris, and Warren. Starting group go Conley, Ant, NAW, Reid, Gobert, and then last five go Dire with Reid in replace of Kat. Allows Naz to space with that first group, and protects him in that second unit defensively. It's not perfect but I think it's a little more balanced on both sides of the ball.
Game like last night obviously we're screwed either way, but have to get to some semblance of a functioning team, unless there's a random big out there waiting to find a team, maybe we can add with an injury exception. I think we would want that anyway, even if Towns comes back at some point.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2024 15:51:27 GMT -6
Some scuttlebutt the league is re-emphasizing d. Does it appear the league is to everyone else? Hard to tell from just watching Wolves games given Hali got multiple continuation calls from the three point line.
Allowing more contact for d cutting off drives, or not giving offense free throws every play at the rim would be a step in the right direction, this is not the same as undoing FOM, resetting shot clock, the latter they probably won't even consider, but it's hard to imagine them doing without notifying teams.
When they made the change six years ago basketball immediately looked insane, think about the first Prosas year, and we were told everyone's more talented than a year earlier suddenly. This is easily the biggest story in sports, and if this summer, they truly do revert back to FOM it's a miracle, but I don't think it's something they can do in-season. It would completely disrupt teams offense, and how teams were built. Guys relied on as big time initiators are suddenly going to have a hell of a time creating. Including Kat, Naz. Every teams o that's just taking turns driving would completely implode, when defense is allowed most NBA players cannot just drive to the rim all night, which his why basketball always used to include a point guard, and an offense.
This would really be wild. It's more likely they are trying to clean up some things short term, and re-evaluate this off-season, but this is long over due. Started bubbling with Toronto's coach Darko, then Steve Kerr saying it's disgusting we'e legislated defense out of the NBA, that leads to guys like Jim and local broadcasters to say, yeah this is insane up. Refs are getting killed every year, because there's more plays at the rim than ever, and are handicapping d. We have that month where everyone's scoring 60, followed by a 200 point all-star game.
National media barely covered this drastic change, seemed like most were on board actually at least among those closest to Daryl and GS, it was intentionally misframed. The idea that no one could drive to the rim, and then suddenly the whole league could, as if Jaden McDaniels is just more talented than any wing previously is so bonkers. Not too mention the sizeable gap in how physical you could defend in the post, compared to literally having to run away from an offensive player with or without the ball running toward you is such a ridiculous idea, I cannot believe anyone would have supported this, or approved it, league or owners. This would be an amazing documentary on the forces behind this, because it's pretty clear who benefited from it most at the time. Certain things you hear them push, when it's a national pod, when they're really adamant, and repeating particular points they've made, like when someone says, they credit Daryl Morey for going for it when Warriors had KD, there's something off about that comment. Like why wouldn't other teams be trying to win? What did that pod bro know, about what might have changed. Or another repeating "the league is just more talented than ever." I think some of these guys were more privy as to why offense exploded than they would indicate, in part because it was helpful to their teams they were working for. Again this was the year Daryl trades for CP, and says all I need is two initiators, and of course Paul eventually leaves Houston because he's not necessarily taking guys off the dribble in his own right. Antenna's went up fo sho, and there's something up with how and why the league broke then. It shouldn't be hard to confirm a particular egg shaped man was behind this.
It is impossible to overestimate the impact FOM has had on competitive basketball, and inflating the last six years of numbers, much like steroids did for home run records in the late 90's. As far as I'm concerned just put an asterisk on this whole period. Jalen Brunson, or Jimmy Butler for that matter dropping 40 every playoffs is idiotic, as is a league where Tatum, and Brown can initiate to a 50/60 wins every season.
Something to keep an eye on rest of the way. I'd be surprised if it's a drastic change this season, but might be an indication the league is heading in the right direction. There is no world where Tatum is just going off the dribble like he's been if defense is allowed, let alone Jaylen Brown. This would drastically change teams like Orlando, and OKC's current plan of big initiators, and spread the floor, which is ironic, because Presti kind of got bumped once they passed FOM, as he was quite big 15-16 with Adams, Kanter, Ibaka, KD, Roberson, Westbrook. The rule change effectively forced him into his second process, and then obviously getting bailed out by Leonard telling Clips he's only going there if they get George.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2024 16:47:17 GMT -6
Egg should have some picks coming due for tampering. Hopefully that gets announced this summer.
Between that, and the new CBA leveling the playfield a bit, this is a very fine day in America. There may be a light at the end of the tunnel. Happy to consult with Joe D if he needs more suggestions.
PG's and o is back (if true). Get me Josh Giddey, or Anthony Black! Six years too late is better than never.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2024 18:03:06 GMT -6
Katie Britt’s rebuttal the other night is the exact tone and tenor I have when I’m explaining FOM rule changes to friends and family. She gets it. I’m surprised she didn’t mention it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 10:37:19 GMT -6
Naz going up against PG or Leonard tonight at the four, w/Zub in the paint. Does he look more like first half Lakers, or second?
Naz's drives are easily removed with a wing defender, but this would be a great game to see him continue his roll. If he does, and continue his upward trend the Naz heads will explode. That said if his shooting looks more like Kat, that convo becomes more interesting.
Still have to weigh the three trade options, Kat, versus McD, versus Naz, versus maybe Naz and McD? Wolves sitting good, however, pending how Kat looks coming back might change the market a bit. Ideally cuts down on some of Kat's driving, and he's moving the ball a little quicker. Worst case scenario would be to have all our trade assets coming off injury, like we saw with Jefferson/Flynn.
We can't let whether or not one of those guys invites us to a birthday party impact our decision making.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 13:44:46 GMT -6
This is a wild story if true. Was Silver so pissed at that 200 point all-star game they curb o in season? Seems like this should be a much bigger story among those following the league professionally. This would be amazing to do in season. Remarkable story that someone needs to do a deep dive on, I don't get why this wouldn't lead all sportscenter hours. www.houseofstrauss.com/p/general-managers-and-coaches-thinkOn Friday night, eight of 16 teams failed to score over 100 points. Going into the All-Star break, the average points scored by a team was 115.7 (!). If that’s your in season norm, eight teams not exceeding 100 is quite the statistical anomaly. Or it would be, if a sudden scoring drop wasn’t part of a surprising recent trend, noticed and studied on Tom Haberstroh’s Substack, The Finder.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 13:48:30 GMT -6
Apparently Redick did a pod earlier this year saying show me the rule change? Total denial about what the league has turned into since 2018-19, and it is extremely strange the effort to leave that out, when talking bout how talented the league is.
Remarkable and deserves more tracking.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 14:02:35 GMT -6
How would it be possible to be around the league and not cover correctly when the change took place initially (although technically he would have still been playing). Again, what was this push to say the league has never been more talented, it's spacing, it makes more sense to just have five small skilled guys out there suddenly. This was a massive, massive change, NBA as a whole just fell flat on their face on, and some of the more influential voices, doing work to make it seem like overnight, everyone just had such sick handle now no one could stop them, on top of devaluing size, o boards, etc.
JJ would have known this difference at least as a player if he wasn't recognize it watching games. This is my new favorite conspiracy. All these guys telling us the league is way more talented than ever, oppose to just explaining why everyone's scoring like summer league is cray. How a team can go from playing two bigs inside the arc, because it was advantageous against smaller teams, to suddenly everyone's just standing around the arc like morons as Jason Tatum suddenly becomes a point guard? No one was like, wait, what? What is happening?!!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 14:10:26 GMT -6
Is it a conspiracy to say JJ was clearly lying here?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 14:28:24 GMT -6
Boy awfully sus all these national heads that mostly ignored FOM were on this immediately, reporting as if done, very quick to tell us rule change this time?
And they're saying it for sure happened is changed back now. Extremely, extremely weird, and cannot believe teams and owners were not given a heads up. There has to be more here.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 14:42:35 GMT -6
Does Finchy know? Also if it's "clear" they're not going to call anything, maybe call a timeout and reiterate this to the team, bra
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 17:02:39 GMT -6
Before the All-Star break, teams averaged 115.5 points and 22.7 free throws per game leaguewide. The NBA’s composite scoring average hadn’t been that high at the break, according to OptaSTAT, since the 1969-70 season (115.7). Professor Kubatko, not surprisingly, took it a step farther than I even asked him to and found that the drop of 3.88 points per game is the league’s largest dip across the first 19 days’ worth of games post-ASB in NBA history. The previous high per Kubatko’s research: A drop from 110.8 points per game to 107.5 points per game in 1964-65. – via marcstein.substack.com
An NBA spokesman, when I lodged a formal request for comment, told The Stein Line on Monday that there has been no directive from the league office to referees to call games differently. The league’s position, then, is that we have witnessed a statistical anomaly over the past few weeks. – via marcstein.substack.com
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2024 5:43:23 GMT -6
Isaiah Thomas (original) to Draymond Green. Not even mentioning then FOM comes along, it gets them Wiggins, they're vastly outspending teams. That first run every team they hit in the west then Cavs in the finals are dealing with key injuries.
*****
Appearing on Draymond Green’s eponymous podcast, Thomas explained that if Durant had not signed with Golden State and led them to back-to-back NBA championships, the team would have been remembered differently. “Let me make a bold statement here and I hope this doesn’t upset you,” Thomas said. “Before Kevin Durant arrived in Golden State, y’all were on the verge of pshh [going down] and being remembered as the team that went 73-9 and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals.” – via Yahoo! Sports
“You were up 3-1 and probably one of the biggest collapses in NBA Finals history,” Thomas told Green. “Kevin Durant comes that summer and really saves your basketball legacy; you win two championships after that. The Golden State Warriors dynasty that you’re going to go in the Hall of Fame for, everything else, it is cemented because if Durant doesn’t come that summer and you guys are remembered as the 73-9 team, all of your legacies are different.” – via Yahoo! Sports
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