2024-25 NBA Thread

[WilyWestbrook0]

Thunder with a surprising beatdown of the Cavs last night.

Before IHart got hurt, I figured they'd win at home, but when he was ruled out, I figured the Cavs would feast down low.

I'm absolutely shocked at how much OKC dominated.

Not only did they continue their perimeter lockdown of Donovan Mitchell, they managed to keep the bigs from ever really seeing the ball much. Jarrett Allen made all his shots, but he only shot the ball six times.

I knew OKC could potentially cause about 20 turnovers, but I also figured the Cavs would go to the lob more. OKC has been weak to the lob in the past -- Mavs have spammed it a lot against them -- but the Cavs only lobbed it once to JA early, and I don't think I ever saw it again.

Credit to Coach Daigneault for playing the bigs he did have, too. In the prior stretch where both Chet and IHart were injured, he didn't play Carlson at all, and JayWill was hurt. Tonight, they both played, and Carlson in particular helped put them on their first run in the first quarter with back to back threes. I didn't think he was a legitimate NBA player, but he proved me wrong last night. I wonder if they keep him around; he's on another 10 day contract.

Anyway, a real masterclass by Daigneault, another MVP performance by SGA, great shooting by Dort, and a very impressive performance by the Thunder without their top two bigs. Cavs will need to address their defensive weaknesses as of late and Coach KA is going to need to ensure his bigs aren't frozen out by Mitchell hero ball against the top teams. I like KA and the Cavs, but they've admittedly had the easiest schedule so far. Good for them to get tested now so they can be prepared for a playoff run.

[pwaldo]

The Celtics now only 2 games above the Knicks and the Nuggets are only 1.5 games back of the #2 seed

[WilyWestbrook0]

The Celtics now only 2 games above the Knicks and the Nuggets are only 1.5 games back of the #2 seed

Some of the top teams are starting to struggle (Celtics actually have been struggling for awhile; the Cavs and Thunder are now losing more, too, largely due to injuries to Mobley and IHart). Nuggets are riding a historic season from Jokic.

[pwaldo]

Heat Suspend Jimmy Butler Indefinitely

[WilyWestbrook0]

Heat Suspend Jimmy Butler Indefinitely

Butler always burns his bridges wherever he goes. I love his intensity as a player, but he lacks professionalism.

Meanwhile, All-Star reserves were picked today. Mostly good selections IMO, but Sabonis should've made it over Sengun. I get that the Rockets have a great record, and Sengun is a nice player, but Sabonis' numbers are across the board better. And it's not like the Kings suck. Herro over Young is also kind of iffy, although Young's shooting numbers are admittedly bad. He's leading the L in assists, though.

[pwaldo]

Assist leader and rebounding leader not making the All Star game. When was the last time that happened?

[WilyWestbrook0]

I've noticed Trae has only made the All-Star teams when his 3 point shooting has also been good.

Trade deadline is also coming this week. I've been hearing a lot of stuff about Cam Johnson of the Nets. I used to post on a Cavaliers forum not long ago, and people were very divided about him over there; I got into some strong debates with some of the fans on whether he was worth what the Cavs could theoretically offer. He's been linked to the Thunder, too, and the Pacers and sometimes Kings. The Nets are asking a lot for him though and I'm not convinced he has the health (nagging ankle injury) or all-around game to put the Thunder or Cavs over-the-top for what they're asking. Tall wings are always prioritized, especially come playoff time, but Johnson isn't great defensively. And with his ankle injury, what if he goes down in the playoffs and the Thunder, Cavs, etc. don't have the wing or shooting depth to make up for it? I wouldn't be surprised if the Thunder and Cavs just stay away from him and make smaller deals or get guys on the buyout market instead.

And of course there's Jimmy Butler. Who actually wants to deal with him at this point in his career? I know he wants to go to Phoenix but I read it's almost impossible for them to make a deal that works for him. Golden State has more to offer, but they have reasonable questions about his character; I mean, they already have Draymond Green there lol, could you imagine him and Jimmy together? One disagreement between those guys and we could have an impromptu boxing match ensue.

Finally, De'Aaron Fox wants out of Sacramento despite their improvement under Coach Doug Christie.

There might be some more trade candidates I'm missing out on but it's early morning and we'll see what happens by Feb 6

[pwaldo]

Trae is weird in that he is a polarizing figure among NBA fans for some reason. People either overrate him or they vastly underrate him. There are a couple of guys like that now that I've noticed. Why that is I don't know but I guess all the "analytical" fans are causing the discrepancy now.

[WilyWestbrook0]

Trae is weird in that he is a polarizing figure among NBA fans for some reason. People either overrate him or they vastly underrate him. There are a couple of guys like that now that I've noticed. Why that is I don't know but I guess all the "analytical" fans are causing the discrepancy now.

Yeah, some people really hate Trae's playstyle. He does admittedly chuck a lot of shots from the outside and has an infamous tendency to contort his body in absurd ways to draw foul calls, much like Harden did for years. But he's an outstanding passer, and his biggest critics overlook his high assist numbers.

SGA and Tatum are also polarizing for their tendency to push off on drives and often get the benefit of refs overlooking it. SGA also gets to the line a lot, but that's what happens with guys who drive to the basket. SGA's game is very pretty and he has an outstanding midrange shot, so I still love watching him and am glad he's on my team for sure. I saw he had potential in the playoffs with the Clippers his rookie year and was very excited when OKC acquired him in the George deal.

Finally there's LaMelo Ball and Jordan Poole. I admittedly can't stand the way those guys play. They just throw up slop. Ball shoots almost 13 3 pointers a game but makes less than 34 percent of them. When people complain about the 3 point shooting in today's game, he's got to be the poster child.

[WilyWestbrook0]

I woke up today and had tons of Luka Doncic news stories popping up on my phone. Went to check the NBA news on ESPN and saw Luka had supposedly been dealt to the Lakers for AD. Still wondering if this is somehow a monumental error or joke of some sort, I look at the news stories on my phone, and it's been verified as true from multiple sources, and players have already spoken about it.

This might be the wildest and most unexpected deal I can remember in my 30+ years of following the league. I'm still trying to process it.