NBA 2016-17: The Season After the Warriors Blew a 3-1 Lead

[Headache in a Suitcase]

And here everyone thought Phil Jackson was the problem

 

[gump]

Holy shit, the Knicks are so fucking stupid.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Nothing says committing to the future like signing an average 2 guard to 20% of your cap space (with a 15% trade kicker to boot, making his trade value nil)

 

[iron yuppie]

So the Celtics trade Avery Bradley, their only guy who bothered to show up for the ECF and their only legit two-way player, to make cap space. Just how much of a game changer are they expecting Gordon Hayward to be?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

So the Celtics trade Avery Bradley, their only guy who bothered to show up for the ECF and their only legit two-way player, to make cap space. Just how much of a game changer are they expecting Gordon Hayward to be?

Well... he's now there best player. So probably expecting him to be fairly useful.

 

[Hewson]

So the Celtics trade Avery Bradley, their only guy who bothered to show up for the ECF and their only legit two-way player, to make cap space. Just how much of a game changer are they expecting Gordon Hayward to be?

Bradley is a free agent after next season, was going to be too expensive to re-sign (this has been well known before all the current machinations this off season).

Crowder and Smart were the other 2 players in likely cap space moves. Crowder has what many consider to be the most team friendly contract in the NBA ( 3 more years at 6.7M, 7.3M and 7.8M), and Smart has one year left on his rookie deal at 4.5M and they can tender him an offer after that and he'll be a RFA.
Bradley made the most sense to move as he wouldn't be back in 2018-19, and they got a player back in Morris who has 2 years on his deal at short dollars (5M and 5.3M).

Very well maneuvered cap work by Ainge and crew. Bradley will be missed, but Hayward will be in his spot (the 2)and is a massive upgrade.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

TheNew York Knickswere en route to their fifth straight loss last week against Brooklyn when a frustratedTim Hardaway Jr.screamed angrily, "Get the rebound!''

Certain his second-year teammate was speaking to him,Carmelo Anthonyapproached Hardaway on the way down the court and used an expletive to ask Hardaway who in the world he thought he was talking to.

Anthony, according to sources, then used another expletive in telling Hardaway he was going to beat him up when they got into the locker room after the game.

While the two players never wound up fighting, the episode was emblematic of the volatile state of the Knicks. Off to their worst start in franchise history at 4-19, the Knicks are a team full of discord, defiance and doubt, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

"Nobody's taken a swing at anybody, but there's a lot of arguing and cursing each other out after games,'' one source said.

…

Several Knicks, in addition to Hardaway, are at odds with Anthony and believe he's not playing team basketball. Sources said players voiced their displeasure with Anthony this past weekend, telling him he shoots too much, doesn't move or pass the ball, and only plays defense when he feels like it.

Sources said the most tension exists between Anthony and Hardaway as they haven't cared for one another almost since Hardaway joined the team last season, with each player believing the other shoots too much and doesn't care about defense. Sources said Hardaway was also bothered by the favorable treatment Anthony received under last year's coach, Mike Woodson.

So let's sign him to an offer sheet before we've been able to trade Melo!

Good thing I'm a Wizards fan now.

 

[Hewson]

Nobody beats The Wiz!

 

[iron yuppie]

And as a Celtics fan, do you think that Hayward is the big missing piece that all the media seems to be presenting him as? It puzzles me that nobody ever talked about this guy before this free agency period, and now all of a sudden he's a giant prize. Maybe that's a function of being buried in Utah or whatever, but the hype seems overblown.

 

[Hewson]

There has been talk of Hayward here for a year now. Knowing he was a UFA and his connection to Stevens, many thought he would land here.
When the Jizz played here last January, the crowd gave Hayward a standing O.
Jae Crowder got upset and posted something on Twitter and ESPN decided to use it as proof Boston is racist. We cheered a white guy, not a good basketball player. Just ask Bomani Jones.

So is Hayward the final piece...probably not for a title, possibly to get past the Cavs. But remember Celts still have Brooklyn's pick next year and the Lakers pick if its between 2 and 5. So possibly two top 5 picks in a loaded draft class. Hayward is a big piece of a nearly complete puzzle, in a couple of years, Brown and Tatum will presumably blossom and you'll have 2 other gifted young players, possibly Michael Porter Jr. as one.

Future is bright. So is the present.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

And as a Celtics fan, do you think that Hayward is the big missing piece that all the media seems to be presenting him as? It puzzles me that nobody ever talked about this guy before this free agency period, and now all of a sudden he's a giant prize. Maybe that's a function of being buried in Utah or whatever, but the hype seems overblown.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...eams-better-eastern-conference-tom-haberstroh

This ESPN rating has him as the 25th best player in the league, which makes him instantly Boston's best all around player. Plus he's moving into a system and a coach that know his strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else, so it's a good bet he'll continue to flourish.

It's not that nobody's talked about him, it's that he's in Utah and the league has been a two pony race for the last two years. He's quietly built himself into a very good player and borderline all NBA (third team). As Hewson said; enough to put Boston over the top? Barring injury problems and/or Draymond Green meltdown, no. Enough to give them the east? Maybe. At least gets them closer.

 

[namkcuR]

Hawks could save the Knicks from that if they match the offer.

BTW, I always felt that the derision that Phil got for his performance as GM was not entirely fair, because a lot of those moves struck me as classic Dolan moves - giving Melo every single penny in 2014, giving Noah that awful contract last summer, etc. My gut says Dolan sabotaged Phil by not letting him let Melo go in 2014, just like he sabotaged Donnie Walsh when he forced the initial trade for Melo.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Maybe... but Phil's insistence on the triangle, and on keeping guys like Rambis around, and his public feuds grew tiresome.

End of the day Knicks will always suck as long as Dolan's involved, but Jackson didn't exactly light the world on fire

 

[iron yuppie]

Whatever the case with Hayward, I think Bradley is being underappreciated here. Strong defender with a lot of guts who can get to the rim and shoot the 3. Boston is going to miss him a lot.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I don't think he's underappreciated... It's just a case of a move had to be made, and from s financial standpoint it makes the most sense

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Lonz-oh-no

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Death, taxes, Cal Ripken Jr, and the 76ers first round pick being carried off the court.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Lonz-oh-no

Triple double, though.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Lonz-oh-no

36, 11, 8, and 5 though.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

K tho

 

[Hewson]

36, 11, 8, and 5 though.

He was wearing Nike sneakers, not Big Balled Lavar Ball Big Baller Brand sneakers...coincidence?

 

[BoMac]

Kyrie Irving asks for a trade to San Antonio, among other places.

What a crazy offseason so far.

 

[iron yuppie]

Kyrie Irving asks for a trade to San Antonio, among other places.

What a crazy offseason so far.

I hate this. 1 because he's my favorite player, and 2 because why the hell did he wait until now to make this request. Do it a little while earlier while George and Butler are still available and maybe things end up okay. Instead now we're probably stuck with the dregs of Carmelo. FML.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

At this point why would Melo waive his no trade to go to Cleveland for two years when LeBron's gonna leave after one?

 

[BoMac]

The fact that a player of Irving's pedigree put Minnesota on his list of preferred destinations is incredible to me.

Apparently Butler and Towns are recruiting him hard.

So I have a question: are there no tampering rules in the NBA? The other day Damian Lillard was openly musing about getting Melo to go to Portland. Last I checked Melo is still under contract with the Knicks.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I think it's only tampering if the owners do it, which is kinda bullshit

 

[BoMac]

Yeah it's ridiculous. Either the rules apply to all or to none. I mean, what's stopping an owner from going to a player and telling him to try to recruit another player already under contract?

Draymond Green openly talked about sending Kevin Durant a text from the Oracle Arena parking lot immediately after Game 7 last year.

 

[iron yuppie]

The fact that a player of Irving's pedigree put Minnesota on his list of preferred destinations is incredible to me.

He says he wants to be the luminary on whatever team he goes to. But he wouldn't be that in San Antonio, and he arguably wouldn't be that in Minnesota either with Butler there. I don't know what the hell is going through his head.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Apparently he told Cavs management before the draft and has only made it public because they were ignoring his requests.

And shockingly enough, it does appear that LeBron rubs some people the wrong way.

I know I know, I'm surprised, too.

 

[iron yuppie]

Everything I'm reading says he made the request last week.