NBA 2019-20 Thread

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namkcuR

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Well, here we are at the beginning of not just another season, but another decade of NBA basketball. Tonight is opening night, but by the time the season is over, the 2020s will have begun. The 2010s were a decade of superteams in Miami, Cleveland, and Golden State but, as we head into this new decade, it seems like we might be starting to move into a new era, as the league is more wide open than it's been in probably 15 years.

LBJ is aging and AD is not signed beyond this season, Durant is rehabbing from a serious injury, Golden State is undermanned, Kawhi left the champion Raptors for LAC, joined by Paul George, the perennial playoff team OKC is now rebuilding, having dealt Westbrook to Houston, Philly has had a facelift, the Bucks, despite having a lot of help around Giannis, are still a one-superstar team, and the most hyped #1 pick since LBJ is already injured(though not seriously). Meanwhile the China controversy hovers over the league.

As some of you might remember(obviously Headache does, judging by his question in the other thread), I usually like to post a series of questions at the beginning of a season, and rarely has a season posed so many. So here they are...

1. Will the LBJ+AD Lakers be a success and compete for a title? Or will they implode? Will AD be thinking about leaving by the all-star break?

2. Will the Kawhi/PG Clippers overtake the Lakers as the best/most popular team in LA? Will Kawhi push to win a title with a third team, or will there be growing pains?

3. Will Zion live up to the hype or be a disappointment? As as secondary question, how will his supporting cast look? Will Ball and Ingram excel away from the bright lights of LA? Will Alexander-Walker and Hayes be legit?

4. Will the Milwaukee Bucks have any competition in the East this season? Is there any reason Giannis shouldn't lead them to the Finals?

5. Will the Sixers, having lost Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick but acquired Josh Richardson and Al Horford, be better or worse? Will they be a factor in the East? Will Embiid be able to stay healthy? Will Simmons finally develop a jump shot/be worth his extension?

6. Will the Kyrie-led Brooklyn Nets be anything special this season without Durant? Any chance Durant makes a late-season return? Whenever he does return, will he be himself? Are these Nets signings overhyped?

7. Will Golden State be at all relevant with Durant and Iggy gone, and without Klay until mid-season? Will D'Angelo be enough to help Steph and Draymond keep it afloat?

8. Will Harden and Westbrook next to each other be as much of a terrible fit as it looks like on paper, or will they find a way to actually compliment each other? Will the Rockets be any better than they were last season with CP3? Worse? About the same?

9. Will the Raptors matter at all without Kawhi? Will they even make the playoffs? Will Siakam take the next step now that he's signed his big extension?

10. How long until CP3 is bought out or traded? Or is his contract so bad that neither will be possible and he'll have to languish in a now-rebuilding OKC for the whole season?

11. Will the Kemba/Tatum/Jaylen/Kanter Celtics be any better than the Kyrie/Tatum/Jaylen/Horford Celtics? Will Hayward bounce back? Or will the Celtics rebuild be deemed a middling failure?

12. Will Jokic, Murray, and the Nuggets continue their upward trajectory? Or have they hit their ceiling already(with MPJ in tow now)? Same question for the Lillard/McCollum Blazers(with Whiteside in tow now)?

13. Will the Doncic/Porzingis duo make some noise in Dallas in their first post-Dirk season? Will Porzingis be back to his pre-ACL form?

14. Will Jimmy Butler be good enough to lead the Heat anywhere, or will he just prove that he's never been a #1 option.

15. Will Utah, having added Conley and Bojan, be any kind of playoff threat?

16. Will Markelle Fultz finally show something this season?

17. Outside of Zion, which high picks will live up their slots? Morant? Barrett? Coby White? Garland? Culver?

18. Which young teams will have breakout years?
Hawks(having added DeAndre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Evan Turner)?
Bulls(having added Satoransky, Thad Young, and Coby White)?
Suns(having finally added a legit PG in Rubio and Dario Saric)?
Kings(having added Ariza and Dedmon and going into their first full season with Barnes)?
Magic(with Bamba and Fultz healthy now)?
Indiana(having added Brogdon and TJ Warren - though still not having Oladipo back)?

19. Any chance of the Knicks roster not being the clusterfuck it looks like on paper with all those PFs?

20. Will this China problem stick to the league all season, or will it fade away?

I know Headache will answer, but I hope others do too. Have fun!
 
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1. Implode
2. If healthy, trip to finals.
3. Disappointment, but due to injury.
4. Bucks will falter. Celts in finals.
5. Sixers can't shoot for their lives. Will be a quick and bitter playoff exit.
6. Nets a 4 or 5 seed, no shot at contending till/if KD returns healthy next year. Kyrie not a leader of men.
7. Klay out all season, middle of the pack, lower playoff seed.
8. Better than with Paul, still flawed and fail in playoffs again.
9. Raptors seeded 4th through 6th in east. Siakam won't have easy looks with no Kawhi.
10. Languish baby languish.
11. EC Champs. Brown and Tatum take huge steps forward. Hayward better than last year, still not old self. Keep an eye on Carsen Edwards.
12. Both teams have good seasons, one loses to Clips in WC finals, other loses in round 2.
13. Lottery team.
14. Not enough supporting cast. Maybe 8 seed at best.
15. Win one round and ousted 2nd round
16. Not a chance.
17. White and Culver.
18. Only Indiana of those will be a 5th seed or higher. Orlando & Sacto might make playoffs, others back in lottery.
19. Is 0-82 possible?
20. If LeBron shuts his yap, its forgotten by Halloween.

Grade my test teach!
 
9. Will the Raptors matter at all without Kawhi? Will they even make the playoffs?

no, the entire roster is nothing but bench scrubs signed from the local ymca, masai ujiri and nick nurse are in fact really awful at their jobs and this team that is on paper even without kawhi pretty comfortably around 4th or 5th in the east is going to fail so hard that they won't even make the playoffs.

in fact they should just skip the ring and banner ceremony tonight and box all that shit up and fed ex it directly to kawhi's house, because he did everything himself, he's the only reason they won, and the raptors don't matter at all without him.
 
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no, the entire roster is nothing but bench scrubs signed from the local ymca, masai ujiri and nick nurse are in fact really awful at their jobs and this team that is on paper even without kawhi pretty comfortably around 4th or 5th in the east is going to fail so hard that they won't even make the playoffs.

in fact they should just skip the ring and banner ceremony tonight and box all that shit up and fed ex it directly to kawhi's house, because he did everything himself, he's the only reason they won, and the raptors don't matter at all without him.

Such anger, eh.

Kawhi isn't the only reason they won, but he was the top reason they won.
If you don't think they take a noticeable step back this year, you're kidding yourself.
There'll be no back to back titles for The Raptors.
 
okay. i literally said in that obviously tongue-in-cheek post that they're around 4th or 5th in the east, but sure i'm angry and kidding myself because i apparently said at some point that they're going to be just as good as last year (even though i certainly never did).

between this thread and the MLB thread the other day you guys really seem to think for some reason that i'm a delusional idiot completely detached from reality when it comes to my sports teams.
 
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Well, here we are at the beginning of not just another season, but another decade of NBA basketball. Tonight is opening night, but by the time the season is over, the 2020s will have begun. The 2010s were a decade of superteams in Miami, Cleveland, and Golden State but, as we head into this new decade, it seems like we might be starting to move into a new era, as the league is more wide open than it's been in probably 15 years.

LBJ is aging and AD is not signed beyond this season, Durant is rehabbing from a serious injury, Golden State is undermanned, Kawhi left the champion Raptors for LAC, joined by Paul George, the perennial playoff team OKC is now rebuilding, having dealt Westbrook to Houston, Philly has had a facelift, the Bucks, despite having a lot of help around Giannis, are still a one-superstar team, and the most hyped #1 pick since LBJ is already injured(though not seriously). Meanwhile the China controversy hovers over the league.

As some of you might remember(obviously Headache does, judging by his question in the other thread), I usually like to post a series of questions at the beginning of a season, and rarely has a season posed so many. So here they are...

Yassssssssssssssssssssss


1. Will the LBJ+AD Lakers be a success and compete for a title? Or will they implode? Will AD be thinking about leaving by the all-star break?

I think they'll be ok, but there is a high potential for implosion. AD's already started chirping a little bit about being "missed" after last night.

2. Will the Kawhi/PG Clippers overtake the Lakers as the best/most popular team in LA? Will Kawhi push to win a title with a third team, or will there be growing pains?

Best team? Yes. Most popular? No.

Title? I'm assuming this question gets asked later so will hold off...

3. Will Zion live up to the hype or be a disappointment? As as secondary question, how will his supporting cast look? Will Ball and Ingram excel away from the bright lights of LA? Will Alexander-Walker and Hayes be legit?

Ball yes, Ingram no. AW and Hayes TBD.

Zion? It's all about his health. If he's healthy, absolutely. But there are huge question marks about wether or not he can stay healthy.

4. Will the Milwaukee Bucks have any competition in the East this season? Is there any reason Giannis shouldn't lead them to the Finals?

I think they could run away with the regular season again, but, and I know this kind of thought upsets some, but they need to prove it in the playoffs before I feel confident in them.

5. Will the Sixers, having lost Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick but acquired Josh Richardson and Al Horford, be better or worse? Will they be a factor in the East? Will Embiid be able to stay healthy? Will Simmons finally develop a jump shot/be worth his extension?

Same? They're a big factor, and have a huge shot at the finals if healthy.

But I think Embiid's health is a ticking time bomb. I also think they'll have at least one major moment of chaos and infighting, and are a sleeper candidate for most team drama (but the Lakers will be hard to top in that category).

If I were allowed to bet on the NBA I'd take the Simmons jumpshot under all day.

6. Will the Kyrie-led Brooklyn Nets be anything special this season without Durant? Any chance Durant makes a late-season return? Whenever he does return, will he be himself? Are these Nets signings overhyped?

Highly unlikely Durant returns this year. Kyrie is nothing if not a better version of Russell, and the Nets style fits him better. Plus KD will be around (on the bench at least) to keep him in check. They were a playoff team last year. They'll be better.

7. Will Golden State be at all relevant with Durant and Iggy gone, and without Klay until mid-season? Will D'Angelo be enough to help Steph and Draymond keep it afloat?

I see them in the 45-50 win range. They're still very good, and people forget how good Steph is.

Problem for them will be that 48 wins might not be good enough in the west, which somehow got better. But nobody wants to see them in the first round.

8. Will Harden and Westbrook next to each other be as much of a terrible fit as it looks like on paper, or will they find a way to actually compliment each other? Will the Rockets be any better than they were last season with CP3? Worse? About the same?

Man. d'Antoni will either win coach of the year or be fired. I see no middle ground.

I'm leaving towards fired.

9. Will the Raptors matter at all without Kawhi? Will they even make the playoffs? Will Siakam take the next step now that he's signed his big extension?

They're a playoff team in the east. Ujiri is a master - so I think there's a chance they sell off their expiring contracts at some point considering how desperate many teams out west will be. If that happens they could end up missing the playoffs - but short of that they're somewhere in the 4 to 6 seed range.

Trade deadline this year should be crazy.

10. How long until CP3 is bought out or traded? Or is his contract so bad that neither will be possible and he'll have to languish in a now-rebuilding OKC for the whole season?

Okc will be better than people think.

Cp3 will probably stay, cause that contract is brutal.

11. Will the Kemba/Tatum/Jaylen/Kanter Celtics be any better than the Kyrie/Tatum/Jaylen/Horford Celtics? Will Hayward bounce back? Or will the Celtics rebuild be deemed a middling failure?

Now or never for Hayward off that injury.

But yes, they'll be better. Addition by subtraction. That locker room HATED Kyrie.

12. Will Jokic, Murray, and the Nuggets continue their upward trajectory? Or have they hit their ceiling already(with MPJ in tow now)? Same question for the Lillard/McCollum Blazers(with Whiteside in tow now)?

Denver will be good as long as Jokic is healthy, and I have zero reason to believe he won't be healthy. MPJ is a sleeper ROY candidate and could be the x factor in the west if he pans out.

I think Portland makes a trade at some point. Probably once Nurkic returns.

13. Will the Doncic/Porzingis duo make some noise in Dallas in their first post-Dirk season? Will Porzingis be back to his pre-ACL form?

God damn the west is loaded

Porzingis looks healthy, and the Knicks are fucking morons.

14. Will Jimmy Butler be good enough to lead the Heat anywhere, or will he just prove that he's never been a #1 option.

It's the east. They'll be a playoff team. Herro is another sleeper ROY candidate (i.e there to hop in if Zion is hurt all year)

15. Will Utah, having added Conley and Bojan, be any kind of playoff threat?

They were my pick in the west before Kawhi signed

16. Will Markelle Fultz finally show something this season?

Nah.

If he does, though, Orlando could make some serious noise.

17. Outside of Zion, which high picks will live up their slots? Morant? Barrett? Coby White? Garland? Culver?

Tyler Herro.

18. Which young teams will have breakout years?
Hawks(having added DeAndre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Evan Turner)?
Bulls(having added Satoransky, Thad Young, and Coby White)?
Suns(having finally added a legit PG in Rubio and Dario Saric)?
Kings(having added Ariza and Dedmon and going into their first full season with Barnes)?
Magic(with Bamba and Fultz healthy now)?
Indiana(having added Brogdon and TJ Warren - though still not having Oladipo back)?

Suns suck.

Hawks will be fun but are a brutal defensive team. Hammer the over.

Bulls might be a playoff team. Sato is very underrated.

Ariza is toast and the west is too good.

Orlando is sneaky good and might crack the top 4 in the east.

Indiana needs a healthy Oladipo.

19. Any chance of the Knicks roster not being the clusterfuck it looks like on paper with all those PFs?

Didn't you hear? They're bring back the 90s Knicks.

Team is trash.

20. Will this China problem stick to the league all season, or will it fade away?

As long as LeBron keeps his mouth shut it'll fade away.

I know Headache will answer, but I hope others do too. Have fun!

Indeed!

Finals: Clippers over... fuck if I know. Milwaukee I guess. The east is trash and hoping that whatever team makes it to the finals gets hit with a rash of debilitating injuries. So more the same, actually.

On paper it's a two team race between Milwaukee and Philly, with Boston a sleeper.
 
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East

1. Milwaukee
2. Philadelphia
3. Boston
4. Miami (someone has to win this dogshit division)
5. Brooklyn
6. Toronto
7. Orlando
8. Chicago

9. Indiana
10. Detroit
11. Atlanta
12. Washington
13. New York
14. Cleveland
15. Charlotte

Brooklyn and Toronto are interchangeable. Toronto is better right now, but I think they'll trade a few expiring contracts and drop down a little - possibly out of the playoffs but I don't think Masai will to all in on the rebuild in season considering as he's playing with house money.

If Oladipo is healthy Indiana moves way up - buti get the sense it's going to be a struggle all year.

12 through 14 are interchangeable. If Beal gets hurt Washington plummets to the bottom - butas long as he's healthy he's by far the best player on those bottom 4 teams so I'll give them the nod over the dumpster fires in New York and Cleveland.

The Knicks btw totally wanted it to be this way and in no way wanted KD, Kyrie or Zion. Just ask them.

The west

Holy fuck

1. Clippers
2. Utah
3. Denver
4. Lakers
5. Portland
6. Golden State
7. Houston
8. Dallas

9. San Antonio
10. OKC
11. Sacramento
12. New Orleans
13. Minnesota
14. Phoenix
15. Memphis


I honestly think every team other than Memphis would make the playoffs in the East, and every team from the 7 seed up could compete for a trip to the finals in the East (and might be favored).

This conference is absolutely loaded. San Antonio is probably the 3rd best team in the East and I have them out of the playoffs. Fucking crazy.


MVP: Steph
ROY: if healthy it's Zion. If not, Herro or Ja.
Defensive: Giannis
Leading scorer: Harden. (Dark horse: Beal)
First coach fired: d'Antoni
First big trade: Kevin Love to Portland
Person to be traded nobody's thinking of: Blake Griffin
First Laker players only meeting: Thanksgiving
 
I'm going to make a concerted effort to follow basketball this year....

.... Aaaaaaand we've already lost.
 
That's right. You and GAF are the resident Bulls fans.

It's been a couple rough years for Chicago. Coby White looks promising though.
 
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