NBA 2021-22: Ben Simmons and Kyrie Walk Into A Bar While Talking About The Lakers

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Headache in a Suitcase said:
You are forgiven ;)

3. Will the Lakers' new supporting cast with Westbrook, Melo, Nunn, etc, be enough to help LeBron and AD get back to the promised land, or will it be a disaster?

we're finally talking Lakers.

Can they? Yes. Will they? Depends on two things. Health, and whether or not LeBron is willing to defer to Russ.

I would guess no to both.

I got to witness Russ up close and personal last season. He's electric. His energy is infectious. His shot selection was better. But he absolutely needs the ball in his hands. For half a season last year Brooks split the primary ball handling duties between Beal and Westbrook. Beal Les the league in scoring - and the Wizards sucked.

After the break he gave Russ full reign, and the team went on a crazy run to sneak into the playoffs.

Russ is not capable of playing off the ball. He can't shoot for shit. He's a dynamic force when he's the primary decision maker - and next to useless when he's off the ball. He also can't guard anyone - which will be a huge problem come spring.

LeBron has shown he can play off the ball when he was with Miami - and he was at his most dominant. How they're able to balance that - and whether LeBron is willing to defer - will decide how good they are.

LeBron is better than Russ, so it seems silly to ask the better player to defer - but Bron is still useful off the ball, Russ is useless. It's going to be fascinating.

One huge red flag about their winless preseason is just how damn slow they looked on defense. I mean they're starting DeAndre Jordan, who couldn't get off the bench for a Brooklyn team riddled with injuries last year.

They could be good, or they could be the Nash/Kobe/Howard Lakers... which is the correct washed Lakers comparison (not the Karl Malone Lakers, who would have won a title if not for Kobe's rape trial season ending with him jacking crazy triple teamed shots when Shaq was destroying "hall of famer" Ben Wallace. But I digress)
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man they were even worse than the Nash Kobe Dwight Pao Meta Lakers. wooooo wee.

but man - how these assholes couldn't see the Russ thing not working out. and how most people still think it's somehow Russ' fault for being Russ. You trade for him, you adjust to him. If you don't want to adjust to him? Don't trade for him.

Westbrook will get the blame, but it's not his fault. Nor is it Vogel's.
 
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I wonder if all the teams should wear Lakers decals during the playoffs this year, much like they would for legends that pass away.
 
Not liking the fact that the Bucks might have to face the Nets in Round 1. The Bucks are better and should win but that still scares the shit out of me and I will be definitely pulling for the Nets not to make it out of the Play In.
 
mikal said:
Not liking the fact that the Bucks might have to face the Nets in Round 1. The Bucks are better and should win but that still scares the shit out of me and I will be definitely pulling for the Nets not to make it out of the Play In.
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You think the Celts sat Tatum last night cause his knee was really too sore to play?
Dummies almost beat your Bucks, had to be told to fold it up over the last few minutes.

I think either of our teams should beat Brooklyn, but why take that chance with Kevin Durant when you can instead play the likes of the Bulls in the first round.
 
Hewson said:
You think the Celts sat Tatum last night cause his knee was really too sore to play?
Dummies almost beat your Bucks, had to be told to fold it up over the last few minutes.

I think either of our teams should beat Brooklyn, but why take that chance with Kevin Durant when you can instead play the likes of the Bulls in the first round.
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The other part of me thinks the Bucks don't care who they play, and I'm also trying to remind myself that the Nets are closer to this year's Lakers than the team that was a shot away from beating the Bucks in Game 7 last year.
 
ok fine since Dave baited me into it...

Headache in a Suitcase said:
You are forgiven ;)



1. Will The Bucks be able to repeat as champions, or will there be too much competition this season? Will they even come out of the East?

Probably not, because it's pretty damn hard to repeat in the NBA. But it's certainly possible - they're very deep, have that title winning swag, and have the best player in basketball.
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TBD but looks about on the money

2. Provided Durant and Harden stay healthy - a considerable if - will the Nets still be a big threat to win it all even if they're without Kyrie all season long? And will the Nets trade Kyrie if he doesn't cave by a certain point?

Without Kyrie and with Harden on one leg they were an inch away from beating the Bucks last year. We'll see what Nash can actually do as a HC without d'Antoni on the bench next to him.

They're also a self combustion candidate - something went on with them and Kyrie beyond what's been reported. The Nets went out and petitioned the city of New York to get Kyrie eligible to practice... and won. Then 5 days later, after a trip to Philly where the team gave a complete non effort (even for a preseason game) they said Kyrie would not practice or play until he's vaccinated. Why persue the right to have the practice facility declared a private offo e building and all the legal fees that went with it if you were never going to have Kyrie practice at all?

I suspect something happened with Kyrie somewhat along the lines of what happened today with Simmons.

And notice - Harden didn't sign his extension. He's eligible to be a free agent at the end of the year now.

I think they have to trade Kyrie - and that they know they have to trade Kyrie - buy also know they'll get .25 on the dollar for him. I think they're hoping Philly gets desperate and is willing to swap him for Simmons.

They have the talent, but the questions about Kyrie every night is going to get real old real fast.
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well shit this was close to being dead on, only i had the wrong guy getting traded.


3. Will the Lakers' new supporting cast with Westbrook, Melo, Nunn, etc, be enough to help LeBron and AD get back to the promised land, or will it be a disaster?

we're finally talking Lakers.

Can they? Yes. Will they? Depends on two things. Health, and whether or not LeBron is willing to defer to Russ.

I would guess no to both.

I got to witness Russ up close and personal last season. He's electric. His energy is infectious. His shot selection was better. But he absolutely needs the ball in his hands. For half a season last year Brooks split the primary ball handling duties between Beal and Westbrook. Beal Les the league in scoring - and the Wizards sucked.

After the break he gave Russ full reign, and the team went on a crazy run to sneak into the playoffs.

Russ is not capable of playing off the ball. He can't shoot for shit. He's a dynamic force when he's the primary decision maker - and next to useless when he's off the ball. He also can't guard anyone - which will be a huge problem come spring.

LeBron has shown he can play off the ball when he was with Miami - and he was at his most dominant. How they're able to balance that - and whether LeBron is willing to defer - will decide how good they are.

LeBron is better than Russ, so it seems silly to ask the better player to defer - but Bron is still useful off the ball, Russ is useless. It's going to be fascinating.

One huge red flag about their winless preseason is just how damn slow they looked on defense. I mean they're starting DeAndre Jordan, who couldn't get off the bench for a Brooklyn team riddled with injuries last year.

They could be good, or they could be the Nash/Kobe/Howard Lakers... which is the correct washed Lakers comparison (not the Karl Malone Lakers, who would have won a title if not for Kobe's rape trial season ending with him jacking crazy triple teamed shots when Shaq was destroying "hall of famer" Ben Wallace. But I digress)
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what a fucking disaster and i'm loving every god damn minute of it.

the lakers and their silent fans AND lebron having to eat a season of shit? what have i done to deserve this? :sad:

4. How will the Ben Simmons situation resolve? Will he play any meaningful minutes for Philly? If they trade him, will they get anything of value back? Will the Sixers be able to find a way, in any scenario, to remain in contention?

he will never play again for Philly.

Morey wants Beal or Dame. It ain't happening. There's rumors of McCollum and Covington - he should jump at that. They're not as good as Simmons - but they fit better. Philly could be a more dangerous team.

But, of course, Embiid could do what he often does and go and get hurt.

James Buckets was right to bounce.
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right that simmons would never play there again. they did end up getting a star, but a washed star that cost them their depth.

embiid didn't really get hurt (yet).

James Buckets was still right to bounce.

5. Will The Clippers be at all relevant without Kawhi this season? Any chance Kawhi makes it back late in the season?

We'll see Kawhi in October 22.

Clippers could be a low seed because the west has gotten a little softer. But they're not contenders without Kawhi, and Kawhi isn't playing.
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ding.

6. With Kyle Lowry in town and Oladipo suiting up on a 'prove it' minimum deal, will the 2020 Finalist Miami Heat be a serious threat to come out of the East again?

7. Were the 2021 Hawks a fluke, or will they be one of the top teams in the East again?

combining these two.

The east is better than it's been in a long long time. I think both teams could be better than last year and still have no chance at coming out of the east. I can't see either of them beating a healthy Bucks team.
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this is pretty accurate, specifically with the Hawks. I underestimated the Heat's bounce back season and how much their physicality will help with the new rules - but i still don't see them coming out of the east (and i know saying this could surely come back to haunt me in about 2 months)

8. With Klay Thompson coming off two straight serious injuries, and having not played in two years, and with a bunch of youngins, will the Warriors be able to find a way to contend?

they have a trade on them. Maybe it's Simmons. Maybe it's Beal at the deadline. Maybe it's someone else. Curry is also still an MVP caliber player. Poole is a sleeper for most improved player.

Contender? If they can swing that trade? Yes. If they can't? Probably not, but nobody will want to play them in the playoffs.
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this appears right... right down to Poole as a MIP candidate.

9. With Jamal Murray hopefully returning sooner rather than later, will the Nuggets be able to return to the WCF as they did in 2020? Will MPJ live up to his big extension?

ehhh... Porter Jr. is the key. If he makes the jump that Denver thinks he can (and he certainly has the talent to) them absolutely yes. They could be a sleeper title contender. But MPJ has rubbed his teammates the wrong way early in his career - so it's not just about his making the jump, but whether he can mature.
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i believe MPJ got hurt a week after i said this... yet Denver is still a good team, because Jokic is again the MVP.

can't see them beating phoenix, though.

10. The Knicks have added Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, and will hopefully get Mitchell Robinson back from injury during the season; have they really improved in any significant way? Will they make it to the second round or further? Or is Kemba's tank close to empty? Is Thibs going to run them down too quickly?

Thibs running players into the ground is the most overrated bullshit storyline in the NBA over the last 10 years.

Derrick Rose had structural issues with his legs. He was a ticking time bomb. It didn't matter what Thibs did.

Kawhi Leonard is the most load managed player in history. Anthony Davis is on the list as well. Yet they both keep getting hurt - because they're injury prone.

Rose, meanwhile, has changed his game to adapt and is look who he's playing for again.

They'll be good. But so is the rest of the east. Can they beat Milwaukee or Brooklyn (if Brooklyn survives Kyrie)? I don't think so.
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meh - i'll take a slight L on this one, only in that they aren't good. i think they're about the same as last year - but the rest of the conference got better. team is still competing hard for Thibs, though. And Anthony Davis is still getting hurt.

11. The Suns and Jazz surprised people last year, finishing with the top two seeds in the West, with Phoenix making it to the Finals. Will these teams still be that good, or were they one-season wonders?

Utah will be right there - but are the heir to the Raptors/Bucks "I'll believe they'll win in the playoffs when I see it" throne.

What Phoenix has done with Ayton is baffling. How he responds will probably decide what they do. He could be angry and have a monster year, or he could play soft, tentative and air out any time he has split ends in order to protect himself for free agency.
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well... utah was right there, but Mitchell and Gobert's inability to get along has caused an implosion. expect spida to be gone next year.

Ayton did have a great year - and while i thought Phoenix would be good again, i didn't think they'd be THIS good

12. The Celtics have a new coach and a new executive, with Brad Stevens replacing Danny Ainge. Still, they didn't do a whole lot with their roster. Will they be able to remain relevant, or could we see a Jayson Tatum trade request on the horizon?

I think you'd say a Jaylen Brown trade request before a Tatum request. I think Boston is a playoff team. But not much more.
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they can't all be winners, folks.

13. The new-look Bulls are perhaps the most made-over team coming into the season - having added Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso, among others to join Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Could they be good enough to be one of the top four seeds in the East? Or will they be an overhyped team that only squeaks into the playoffs, if at all?

they are my favorite sleeper team of the east. I could absolutely see them in the top 4, and could see them make a run at the finals if the top three (Bucks/76ers/Nets) falter, get hurt and/or can't solve their Simmons/Kyrie dilemmas.
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this was looking good until they started dropping like flies. losing Caruso and Lonzo for long stretches killed them.

14. Will the Pacers of Sabonis/Turner/Brogdon/Warren/LaVert et al remain a factor in the East? Or will they be squeezed out by the increased competition?

the repeating theme here - the east is better. I think the east might be better than the west now. At the very least deeper.
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East is absolutely better overall than the west now. Not as big a gap as the west had over the east for much of the last 10-15 years - but it's clear after this year.

Indiana did a good job of seeing that and moved on from a squad that would only be a play-in game type team at best. if only other teams could see the same light...

15. Will Dame make it to the end of the season without Portland trading him?

yes. CJ, however...
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Bang!

16. How will the Raptors fare in the first season of the post-Lowry era? Will Siakam, VanVleet, OG, Boucher, rookie Scottie Barnes, etc miss the playoffs for the second straight season, or will they surprise people?

do they have tanks in Canada?
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clearly just a question about the structure of the canadian military and not anything to do with the raptors - who are a nice, dangerous team, but not a title contender.

17. The Mavs have replaced head coach Rick Carlisle with Jason Kidd, while doing little with their roster. Is there any way this season doesn't end with Luka getting even more frustrated than he is? Will Jason Kidd be able to do any better with this team than Carlisle?

Man... I think they're going to disappoint. I don't think Kidd is a good coach. They absolutely downgraded at that position. But they do have Luka, so there's that.
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welp - they were stuck in the mud until they traded Porzingis away - and now they look like a team nobody wants to play. also helped that Luka got himself into better shape as the season went along.

18. Is Zion finally going show some consistent health this season? Is his attitude going to improve? Or are we on a collision course with him either having his career derailed by injury or demanding out of New Orleans?

he's already hurt.

He may stick around so that he can play for the Las Vegas Pelicans in a few years, though.

I predict that David Griffen will either be fired or quit by season's end.
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David Griffen and Brian Windhorst only have their careers because of lebron james - and lebron being a horrible GM and the lakers being absolutely awful completely saved David Griffen's job in New Orleans this year.

19. Is this going to be Pops' final season? There are some reports that this could be it for him, especially since the Spurs are in a full rebuild now.

yes. coach Manu should make former shit posters happy
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yes to Pop - TBD on Many. U2@NYC still MIA.

20. How will the top rookies perform? Cunningham, Mobley, Suggs, Green? Who has the most immediate impact? Who improves their team the most/quickest?

I think Green will win rookie of the year because he'll put up a ton of shots on that god awful team - but I think Suggs will ultimately be the best player in this class.
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welp - this was really wrong.

21. Will the vaccine mandates become an issue for anyone else besides Kyrie?

it secretly already is.

Ben Simmons (allegedly) isn't vaccinated. That cuts out two potential trade partners in Brooklyn and Golden State.


NBA - we're back, baby!
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it's about to STILL be an issue for Philly and potentially Boston if they get matched up against Toronto in round one - and could still be an issue for Brooklyn in a potential second round matchup against Toronto (depending on how the seeding works out).



so i guess now we need new predictions, eh?

MVP: Jokic
ROY: close battle between Mobley, Barnes and Cunningham but i think Mobley edges them out (barely)
COTY: Taylor Jenkins
MIP: Poole
Finals: repeat... Milwaukee / Phoenix
Champs: Cliff Paul
 
Hewson said:
Sheesh, I'm here. Apologies for the delay, I was doing other things. And you're one of, like, only two or three people that answers the questions every year, so I wasn't even sure anyone would care if I didn't do it. But here you go, twenty-one questions, have fun

1. Will The Bucks be able to repeat as champions, or will there be too much competition this season? Will they even come out of the East?
Probably a 1 or 2 seed in the east, should be in the mix, but as Headache said above, repeating is tough. I think they have the makeup that they won't rest on their laurels though and will be a definite contender.

2. Provided Durant and Harden stay healthy - a considerable if - will the Nets still be a big threat to win it all even if they're without Kyrie all season long? And will the Nets trade Kyrie if he doesn't cave by a certain point?
No Kyrie they are at best an Eastern conference runner up. Trading Kyrie will be difficult.
3. Will the Lakers' new supporting cast with Westbrook, Melo, Nunn, etc, be enough to help LeBron and AD get back to the promised land, or will it be a disaster?
Disaster. No question.

4. How will the Ben Simmons situation resolve? Will he play any meaningful minutes for Philly? If they trade him, will they get anything of value back? Will the Sixers be able to find a way, in any scenario, to remain in contention?
He'll never see the floor again in Philly. If Morey doesn't lower his asking price, this will drag out for a loooong time.

5. Will The Clippers be at all relevant without Kawhi this season? Any chance Kawhi makes it back late in the season?
Probably borderline play-in team unless Kawhi returns early enough.

6. With Kyle Lowry in town and Oladipo suiting up on a 'prove it' minimum deal, will the 2020 Finalist Miami Heat be a serious threat to come out of the East again?
4 or 5 seed. Win one round in playoffs at best.

7. Were the 2021 Hawks a fluke, or will they be one of the top teams in the East again?
Also 4 or 5 seed range, good not yet top of conference.

8. With Klay Thompson coming off two straight serious injuries, and having not played in two years, and with a bunch of youngins, will the Warriors be able to find a way to contend?
Steph Curry, enough said.

9. With Jamal Murray hopefully returning sooner rather than later, will the Nuggets be able to return to the WCF as they did in 2020? Will MPJ live up to his big extension?
Porter's extension was too much, but that's today's NBA. He'll never fully live up to it. Denver will be top half of the bracket, but will need a lot to break right to reach the finals.

10. The Knicks have added Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, and will hopefully get Mitchell Robinson back from injury during the season; have they really improved in any significant way? Will they make it to the second round or further? Or is Kemba's tank close to empty? Is Thibs going to run them down too quickly?
Kemba's knee is shot, tough to witness, cause he was a great talent, but he's lost a lot of his trademark explosiveness and juke-ability. 6-8 seed due to Thibs factor.

11. The Suns and Jazz surprised people last year, finishing with the top two seeds in the West, with Phoenix making it to the Finals. Will these teams still be that good, or were they one-season wonders?
Suns will be the better of the 2, should be a finalist in the west, Jazz will be about a 4 seed.

12. The Celtics have a new coach and a new executive, with Brad Stevens replacing Danny Ainge. Still, they didn't do a whole lot with their roster. Will they be able to remain relevant, or could we see a Jayson Tatum trade request on the horizon?
Banner 18 baby !!!(actually see my post above about the Cs.)

13. The new-look Bulls are perhaps the most made-over team coming into the season - having added Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso, among others to join Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Could they be good enough to be one of the top four seeds in the East? Or will they be an overhyped team that only squeaks into the playoffs, if at all?
Bottom half of bracket, won't gel enough to contend.

14. Will the Pacers of Sabonis/Turner/Brogdon/Warren/LaVert et al remain a factor in the East? Or will they be squeezed out by the increased competition?
Play in team

15. Will Dame make it to the end of the season without Portland trading him?
Yes, but bye bye in the offseason.

16. How will the Raptors fare in the first season of the post-Lowry era? Will Siakam, VanVleet, OG, Boucher, rookie Scottie Barnes, etc miss the playoffs for the second straight season, or will they surprise people?
Play in team.

17. The Mavs have replaced head coach Rick Carlisle with Jason Kidd, while doing little with their roster. Is there any way this season doesn't end with Luka getting even more frustrated than he is? Will Jason Kidd be able to do any better with this team than Carlisle?
Kidd will be canned by January, new coach will take them back to the playoffs.

18. Is Zion finally going show some consistent health this season? Is his attitude going to improve? Or are we on a collision course with him either having his career derailed by injury or demanding out of New Orleans?
He'll miss at least 40 games.

19. Is this going to be Pops' final season? There are some reports that this could be it for him, especially since the Spurs are in a full rebuild now.
Probably

20. How will the top rookies perform? Cunningham, Mobley, Suggs, Green? Who has the most immediate impact? Who improves their team the most/quickest?
None have huge impacts, all need some time to develop.

21. Will the vaccine mandates become an issue for anyone else besides Kyrie?
Nah, just the flat earther..
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won't go item by item like Headache, but I was pretty good overall.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
the cavs have played the way i expected them to over the last month or so tho
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The way you expected them to?
Hewson said:
Our parlay busting Cavs will be in the play in tourney instead of either Toronto or Brooklyn.
If KD remains healthy and NYC lifts the Kyrie mandate soon, Nets will jump both Toronto and Cleveland, if not Toronto will jump Cleveland for sure.
Water is currently seeking its own level in the east.
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Headache in a Suitcase said:
ahhhh i'm not so sure about that.

Toronto has a better shot than Brooklyn. There are only 20 games left for Brooklyn, and they're 5 behind Cleveland. Cleveland would need a 2017 Mets type collapse for Brooklyn to catch them.

you also have ben simmons completley pussing out over the Brooklyn / Philly game next week - which means he'll miss another 4-5 games.

the mandate for private businesses may end - but it's not ending in the next week. time's running out.

If Brooklyn goes 15-5 down the stretch, Cleveland needs to go at worst 11-9 to hold them off. Once Cleveland gets Garland back, which should be soon, they should right the ship. Plus they have a game against the Lakers down the stretch, so there's at least one easy victory.
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Hewson said:
I see Cleveland with likely 10 games as favorites and 10 as dogs rest of the way. Doesn't mean they'll go 10-10, but it's likely in that range.
Nets probably have 3 games where they are dogs out of 20.
Only games (assuming again KD's health) they will be dogs are at Phi, at MEM (and that's iffy, they might be favored) and at MIA.

Cleveland will be your #8 seed in the east. Book it.
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' :wink:
 
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