Around the NBA 2024-25

Connelly getting off the KAT contract is looking better and better to me.  It looks like the book is out on how to defend KAT.  Just guard him with a smaller guy to limit his 3s and stay in front of his drives.  If he gets inside, just bring help and KAT won't be able to make you pay enough as his passing isn't great.  That supermax deal would have sunk the Wolves during Ant's prime.    I've read/heard that the deal hurt the Wolves playoff ceiling this year, but I don't know if KAT is that good anymore offensively to put him in the class of player that elevates a team's ceiling that much.  Playoff basketball is all about specific matchups and adjustments and it looks like those adjustments are likely to hurt KAT more than he can elevate a ceiling.

KAT has taken 28 total shots and only six 3s in his 3 games.

Kat’s played well, but if the measure is shots and points than I guess that’s a different goal.

The main thing is they don’t think Kat is a point guard, but fans should watch the games versus count how many three’s a player shoots. It’s also why he doesn’t get enough credit for last years playoff run.

It should look more like Boston and Porzingis.

Are you saying the Indy game?

Kat just put up 44 and 13 in the Knicks  win over Miami.

Good for him still rooting for the guy.

Absolutely.  I want to see him succeed there.  Even if his coach is Thibs. 

I really have no concerns about Mike Conley.  He'll be fine. 

Who’s is better Franz + Black, Mark, Naz, or Randle?

There is always more pressure on the original team to pay market value.

Someone remind Pat Bev he’s out of the league. One of the reasons Jazz has trouble with quick scoring guards is Gordon Hayward was a guard trying to defend on those teams. He left btw when they added Rubio, could have had he Mitchell, Gobert and Favors though obviously beantown injury hobbled his career.

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The Timberwolves’ defense is anchored by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Recently, retired NBA guard Gordon Hayward, who played alongside Gobert for several seasons with the Utah Jazz, broke down the one key weakness that Gobert has on that side of the floor during a visit to the Pat Bev Podcast with Rone. “He always had problems guarding around the perimeter and that was something anytime we played like a quick guard that can also shoot it was going to be tough for us,” said Hayward. “We had really tough times against Boston when they had IT (Isiah Thomas). We had really tough times against Kemba, we had really tough times against Dame. Guards that if he came out too far they go right around him, and if he’s back at all they’re just shooting.” – via Clutch Points

Some guys are just snakebit. Really bites his career’s been so mangled by injuries.

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K.C. Johnson: Bulls list Zach LaVine questionable vs. Jazz with new injury, a right adductor strain. Jalen Smith and Patrick Williams are probable. – via Twitter KCJHoop

With the Save Our Steph committee doing everything they can to net Steph Giannis or Jimmy, it reminds me how much FOM jacked with team decisions.

Specifically Jimmy, where Holiday is forced to back pedal, or stay to the side of him as he plows to the rim, and then at the rim, you could not touch him, he would create the contact, and get free throws, as well as one of the teams best defenders picking up a foul.

Or like how Grant Williams, and Marcus Smart would just plant their heads in Giannis's armpit/turn radius and draw the offensive foul. That and most of the NBA intellectual Dark Web, specifically Vecna and Bontemps would crush Bud when the reality is they were more injured than their opponents since the title year. The narrative wars have put so much pressure on them, they make the Dame trade, based on Holiday not being able to guard Jimmy (under FOM), and it was just a bs league.

As to whether or not Giannis should ask to leave now, it all depends on what intel they have on Middleton, they seemed to bet on him when they resigned him effectively over Holiday, so they must have had some belief he could come back, and maybe odds were he would, still doesn't mean it's going to. If Middleton's health is looking bad Giannis may ask out, and they could blow it up get in the Flagg sweepstakes, but they could also hit a pocket of ten games in the East, right the ship, and Middleton's healthy.

Like how they talked us into moving Towns, versus Naz for say a young guard, breaking up a team that was very good in the playoffs last year, they are working the market to help their boys again.

Btw if we had done that we would have had Black (who could be awesome defensively), Conley, NAW, Ant, McD, Slo-Mo, Gobert, Minott, Miller, and possibly Rob Dillingham and Shannon Jr. We reset the deck, and already Randle is starting to receive heat when we lose. In the who deserves to get paid contract watch Randle or Naz, it's interesting Randle bought a house, and quickly got his kids into a Minnesota school, seems to indicate he things he's staying. Also who makes more sense given Minott, and Miller on deck.

Still could use a back up center, beyond Garza, although he might be solid enough in second groups with defensive minded lineups around him. I will never understand why coming out of that Mav's series the takeaway for Wolves brass, and the official narrative wars was Wolves can't win with Kat, versus why aren't we just getting are guards downhill as playmakers more, implementing more high screening actions (especially given the two bigs we had), and more pin downs to get into flow. It's hard to not see that as another narrative wars loss for Minny.

During that Spurs game I was also thinking should we pluck Mitch Johnson? I would also be curious as to what a Micah Nori offense might look like? He seemed to be more of a fan of getting Ant downhill in space. The other thing is Ant is taking more catch and shoot three's, which is fine, especially early in the season, but then that generating is going elsewhere right? If Ant is driving less than say Donte, I assume Donte's three percentage would dip, no? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he'll have a hot month or two here in the season, but Ant doesn't get to have Ant tee himself up, unless he's doing those iso step backs. Also true of Randle if he is a primary creator it likely would lead to a dip in his percentages as well, same with Rubes for example, Kyle (in those Kat and Naz minutes) however he is not the savant passer putting it right in the shot pocket, he's more like Haliburton where he barrels into defenders, and throws it behind him, which is what every one can do post FOM, and why traditional point guards really don't turn the ball over anymore.