2023-24 NBA Thread

[bakemeister52]

Another big move -- Porzingis to Celtics with Marcus Smart going to the Grizzlies:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...es-sources-say

I hope this help the Celtics,! but I hated to give up Smart.

I hope CP3 works with the Warriors, I thinking there will be some changes coming for the team before next season!

You are right about the super tall guys not lasting long in the NBA.

OKC hopefully can get some help and finish above 500!

Phoenix to me is still a big question mark and I hope Durant does better than he did in Brooklyn!

I hope LeBron retires but I am thinking he wants to play with his son in two years!

Bake

[WilyWestbrook0]

I hope this help the Celtics,! but I hated to give up Smart.

I hope CP3 works with the Warriors, I thinking there will be some changes coming for the team before next season!

You are right about the super tall guys not lasting long in the NBA.

OKC hopefully can get some help and finish above 500!

Phoenix to me is still a big question mark and I hope Durant does better than he did in Brooklyn!

I hope LeBron retires but I am thinking he wants to play with his son in two years!

Bake

Smart was a key part of Boston's identity for years. I don't think they can replace his defense and identity, but I see them here trying to diversify the offense and add size. Tatum and Brown can't go one on one all the time, and the fact that the Nuggets beat the Heat well in part because they were so big, makes me think Boston saw a need filled with Porzingis that makes up for the loss of Smart. We'll see if Stevens was right to both stick with Mazzulla as coach and approve this deal.

I know LeBron wanted to play with his son. Draft sites do have Bronny in the 2nd round for next year, so we'll see if LeBron plays well enough to keep it going for another season after next. While I still think MJ is the greatest, LeBron has the edge in longevity with his body. I can see him playing into his 40s.

[WilyWestbrook0]

Big free agency night. Most notable so far is Kyrie stayed with Dallas after all:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ks-3-year-deal

[pwaldo]

Notice how quickly the league and everyone else has gone with the narrative that he is the best and most hyped NBA prospect since Lebron? Anybody else old enough to remember the Zion hype? lol

I don't know if the guy will be good or not since all I've seen of him are clips and videos from an European league and that's not much to go by but he's a twig. A literal twig. So I don't know if he can even survive in the NBA but even if he can is it even possible to top the last big man the Spurs had in Tim Duncan? Duncan is easily 10 top all time so I don't see how this kid can pass him. Heck odds are that he won't even be David Robinson great. And even if he is it isn't like Duncan and Robinson make NBA collectors go nuts. They (outside of Tim Duncan autographs) are relatively cheap for their success on the court. So while flipping stuff during his hype will be profitable anybody holding onto his stuff for long term is going to be in for a world of hurt unless he is 1 in a million.

So about the Wembanyama hype...he certainly looks to be the most versatile and skilled player I've seen at his height. But there's really no precedent in NBA history for a player his size having longevity. The taller a person is, the more injury-prone. I think Rik Smits is the only player 7-4 and taller who had a relatively long and healthy career. Ralph Sampson, a player Wembanyama is often compared to and also similar height, was a great talent, but had just three healthy seasons and was pretty much done by age 30. Yao Ming, a player I remember well from the 2000s, was 7-6 and also didn't have a long career -- only four fully healthy seasons, and seven statistically significant ones at 40 games or more. Sampson and Ming were both pretty much done by 30. Most players of more typical height (6-7 or so) can play well into their 30s -- look at LeBron. Almost all the all-time greats were still very good and relatively healthy at 30-35, but no player of Wembanyama's height has ever had a dominant career lasting that long. If he were more of Kareem's height (7-2), I'd have less concern, but I really question whether he can play great for an extended number of years at 7-5. If he does, it will be unprecedented in league history.

[WilyWestbrook0]

Notice how quickly the league and everyone else has gone with the narrative that he is the best and most hyped NBA prospect since Lebron? Anybody else old enough to remember the Zion hype? lol

I don't know if the guy will be good or not since all I've seen of him are clips and videos from an European league and that's not much to go by but he's a twig. A literal twig. So I don't know if he can even survive in the NBA but even if he can is it even possible to top the last big man the Spurs had in Tim Duncan? Duncan is easily 10 top all time so I don't see how this kid can pass him. Heck odds are that he won't even be David Robinson great. And even if he is it isn't like Duncan and Robinson make NBA collectors go nuts. They (outside of Tim Duncan autographs) are relatively cheap for their success on the court. So while flipping stuff during his hype will be profitable anybody holding onto his stuff for long term is going to be in for a world of hurt unless he is 1 in a million.

Duncan never got much hobby love because he had a very introverted personality. Robinson had the iconic 1989-90 Hoops RC at least, but after Hakeem dominated him in the playoffs, it was never the same for him.

Supposedly Wembanyama was officially measured at just under 7'4" without shoes. Not that long ago, they used to measure everyone in shoes. And since he's still young, I think he eventually hits 7'5" in shoes. It's such a big-if with him. It's just good for him he's in San Antonio and not with a cesspool organization like Houston. He'll have every opportunity to reach his potential with the Spurs.

[bakemeister52]

Yes the Spurs will be a good place for the kid from France! Hakeem was a dominating player of big men and Robinson did seem to use his love for the game after the playoff loss!

Bake

[Devlin]

Not much of a basketball fan here. Marginally follow the Celtics. I cant believe all the $ thrown at these players, especially those that attain the super max contracts.
Can't fathom it at all.

[WilyWestbrook0]

Not much of a basketball fan here. Marginally follow the Celtics. I cant believe all the $ thrown at these players, especially those that attain the super max contracts.
Can't fathom it at all.

Yeah it's crazy to see numbers like 250 million. As a girl in the 1990s, I remember people were shocked when Derrick Coleman got like 80 million.

[WilyWestbrook0]

So Wemby is off to a rocky early start. The whole weird thing with his security team and Britney Spears wasn't his fault whatsoever, and apparently Spears accidentally hit herself, but it was still embarrassing PR for him, kind of like when LeBron's mom got him a hummer when he was 18. And his summer league debut was mostly awful, with terrible shooting and poor conditioning.

He's still a teen, has plenty of time to get into shape and bounce back, and it's just the summer league. But he's already had his reality checks on and off the court. We'll see how he does from here. Hopefully stay away from the celebs and just work on his game and conditioning, get away from the limelight a bit and get focused.

[pwaldo]

It wasn't his fault that the media proclaimed him possibly the greatest prospect of all time in any sport. That dooms him for nothing but failure since there is no where to go but down.