[trelos6Participant]

So, what a whirlwind opening 2 days, and we’re all glad that the NBA is finally back on.  So let’s get some overreations going to the early season.

1. Steph Curry is a beast, will win MVP again this year.

2. Beal is looking good already for MIP.

3. Okafor is in a 2 way battle for ROY, with Mudiay.  Both looked great on offense.

4. Chicago is a legit East contender.  Mirotic provides a huge boost in the starting lineup.

5. Winslow makes all first team rookies. Wade and Bosh lead Heat to a top 4 seed in East.

6. Billy Donovan is real.  Wins COY.  Thunder will win 60+.  Kawhi DPOY.

7. Spurs will play Parker only 20mpg.

8. Derrick Williams runs 2nd in 6MOY, behind IT4.  Knicks make playoffs.

9. Suns end up bottom 5, record wise. Trade Markieff.

10. DMC dominates, but Kings suck and have no one else to help.  Forces his way out.

11. Russell dissapoints as a #2 pick.  Towns has a solid year averaging 12/8.  Shows plenty of promise.

[festar35Participant]

CJ McCollum for MIP is another good one.

[festar35Participant]

CJ McCollum for MIP is another good one.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

how about this statline for cj’s last 4 games including playoffs..65% on 3 pointers & 61%fg…boy bad!!

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

how about this statline for cj’s last 4 games including playoffs..65% on 3 pointers & 61%fg…boy bad!!

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

 I don’t see why Towns is out of the running 14pts, 12rbs, 60% fg. 

[WinterSoldierParticipant]

 I don’t see why Towns is out of the running 14pts, 12rbs, 60% fg. 

[trelos6Participant]

Okafor looking strong.  Maybe 20ppg, 8 rpg. 

Mudiay also looking at 16ppg, 8apg, 4 rpg  (with a lot of TO’s)

 

[trelos6Participant]

Okafor looking strong.  Maybe 20ppg, 8 rpg. 

Mudiay also looking at 16ppg, 8apg, 4 rpg  (with a lot of TO’s)

 

[whiteflashParticipant]

 You obviously didn’t watch that Rockets game. Mudiay didn’t look that good, airballed a few shots, had trouble getting to the rim, had eleven turnovers and got dusted every time he was put against Lawson 1-on-1. The Rockets just happened to play literally the worst basketball I’ve ever seen and Mudiay capitalized on that during garbage time. Said it before the draft and I maintain that Mudiay is gonna struggle this year.

[whiteflashParticipant]

 You obviously didn’t watch that Rockets game. Mudiay didn’t look that good, airballed a few shots, had trouble getting to the rim, had eleven turnovers and got dusted every time he was put against Lawson 1-on-1. The Rockets just happened to play literally the worst basketball I’ve ever seen and Mudiay capitalized on that during garbage time. Said it before the draft and I maintain that Mudiay is gonna struggle this year.

[Rip256]

Patty Mills quietly firing on all cylinders.

[Rip256]

Patty Mills quietly firing on all cylinders.

[ExumInfernoParticipant]

 3.5 points and 4 fouls a game, maybe Cleveland are overpaying T Thompson.  50% on free throws too.

Marcus Smart and I Thomas are All-Stars.

Harrison Barnes wants max-money, but is shooting 25%.

J Okafor is unstoppable on offense, N Noel is great at defense.

OKC will win it all this season, their new coach has never lost an NBA game.

Rubio can actually shoot well.

Derrick Williams is the best player from his draft, and the Knicks’ best player too.  Porzingas is second.

Mirotic is an All-Star.

John Wall will lead the NBA in blocks, he is at 5 per game at the moment.

Mudiay will set the record for turnovers in a season, at 11 per game right now, but Denver will make the playoffs.

This one may not be a silly one, Hezonja is the new Reggie Miller for outside shooting and attitude in the NBA.

It has been an exciting start to the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ExumInfernoParticipant]

 3.5 points and 4 fouls a game, maybe Cleveland are overpaying T Thompson.  50% on free throws too.

Marcus Smart and I Thomas are All-Stars.

Harrison Barnes wants max-money, but is shooting 25%.

J Okafor is unstoppable on offense, N Noel is great at defense.

OKC will win it all this season, their new coach has never lost an NBA game.

Rubio can actually shoot well.

Derrick Williams is the best player from his draft, and the Knicks’ best player too.  Porzingas is second.

Mirotic is an All-Star.

John Wall will lead the NBA in blocks, he is at 5 per game at the moment.

Mudiay will set the record for turnovers in a season, at 11 per game right now, but Denver will make the playoffs.

This one may not be a silly one, Hezonja is the new Reggie Miller for outside shooting and attitude in the NBA.

It has been an exciting start to the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[XYRYXParticipant]

I really like that you took the over-reaction by word with your comments but there is a lot of truth behind some of this first day basketball. 

Another thing is I don’t think the Pelicans will be good at all this year. They are already banged up and the season has just started. Many believe and expect AD to make another step this year and rightfully so but this might actually not be due to another growth to his game but more to the fact his team is lacking options on offense. It doesn’t help that they look terrible on defense too and I don’t really know if this whole mega deal for him (which he probably deserves if he stays relatively healthy) can help his team build a decent team around him. I don’t see much progress on this roster aside from him and Evans, EG and Jrue don’t seem to be healthy ever. 

I know many on here are VERY HIGH on Marcus Smart but he just doesn’t strike me. He is just not passing my eye test and even though this is just my very subjective view I think he really needs to drop 15 to 20 pounds, he could be so much more explosive and I doubt he will be amongst Wall, Kyrie and he needs to be much better than Lowry, Teague to be an All Star not to mention guys like MCW or Payton are in the east too. 

Hezonja will be a stud in the very near future. He and his teammates have the swagger to grow into a very good team in my opinion. Dipo, Payton, Gordon, Hezonja and Harris play with a lot of heart and Vucevic somehow is always left out of the conversation of the leagues best centers. Then you have guys like Nicholson, Fournier and even Dedmon who show me they are not done growing yet. Orlando might be the team to beat in 3 years in the east.

[XYRYXParticipant]

I really like that you took the over-reaction by word with your comments but there is a lot of truth behind some of this first day basketball. 

Another thing is I don’t think the Pelicans will be good at all this year. They are already banged up and the season has just started. Many believe and expect AD to make another step this year and rightfully so but this might actually not be due to another growth to his game but more to the fact his team is lacking options on offense. It doesn’t help that they look terrible on defense too and I don’t really know if this whole mega deal for him (which he probably deserves if he stays relatively healthy) can help his team build a decent team around him. I don’t see much progress on this roster aside from him and Evans, EG and Jrue don’t seem to be healthy ever. 

I know many on here are VERY HIGH on Marcus Smart but he just doesn’t strike me. He is just not passing my eye test and even though this is just my very subjective view I think he really needs to drop 15 to 20 pounds, he could be so much more explosive and I doubt he will be amongst Wall, Kyrie and he needs to be much better than Lowry, Teague to be an All Star not to mention guys like MCW or Payton are in the east too. 

Hezonja will be a stud in the very near future. He and his teammates have the swagger to grow into a very good team in my opinion. Dipo, Payton, Gordon, Hezonja and Harris play with a lot of heart and Vucevic somehow is always left out of the conversation of the leagues best centers. Then you have guys like Nicholson, Fournier and even Dedmon who show me they are not done growing yet. Orlando might be the team to beat in 3 years in the east.

[BEARDED-DRAGONParticipant]

 i know these are over-reactions. but did anyone watch the t-wolves game? i couldnt. and yeah yeah, rubio shot well for once (actually shot with confidence), we’ll see if thats a thing this year, i hope it is… but watching the highlights, what grabbed me was how fast he looked. he looked twice as fast as he did the last few seasons while hes been battling injuries, but also faster than he ever looked in euro or international too. rubio always looked like he was just going at the speed he needed to move the other players around the court like pawns, but in the (admittedly only 5 min of) highlights i saw, he looked very quick.

[BEARDED-DRAGONParticipant]

 i know these are over-reactions. but did anyone watch the t-wolves game? i couldnt. and yeah yeah, rubio shot well for once (actually shot with confidence), we’ll see if thats a thing this year, i hope it is… but watching the highlights, what grabbed me was how fast he looked. he looked twice as fast as he did the last few seasons while hes been battling injuries, but also faster than he ever looked in euro or international too. rubio always looked like he was just going at the speed he needed to move the other players around the court like pawns, but in the (admittedly only 5 min of) highlights i saw, he looked very quick.

[BasketBalAllanParticipant]

I thought one of the overreactions would be that Cousins would lead the league in 3pfg%

[BasketBalAllanParticipant]

I thought one of the overreactions would be that Cousins would lead the league in 3pfg%

[TWILL123Participant]

 Montrezl Harrell takes the starting PF spot in Houston by the All-Star break. 

[TWILL123Participant]

 Montrezl Harrell takes the starting PF spot in Houston by the All-Star break. 

[B-dizzle97Participant]

Ricky Rubio had a great opening night. Obviously he isn’t going to continue to average 28 points and 14 assist, but anyone who watched the game saw how great he played. Whoever was guarding him was going under the screen on the pick and roll and he hit some good looking 15-18 foot jump shots. He also shot well around the rim, which is something he did not do last year. Like I said, I do not expect him to average 28 and 14 over the course of the season, but I think he could realistically average 15-17 and 10 assist.

[B-dizzle97Participant]

Ricky Rubio had a great opening night. Obviously he isn’t going to continue to average 28 points and 14 assist, but anyone who watched the game saw how great he played. Whoever was guarding him was going under the screen on the pick and roll and he hit some good looking 15-18 foot jump shots. He also shot well around the rim, which is something he did not do last year. Like I said, I do not expect him to average 28 and 14 over the course of the season, but I think he could realistically average 15-17 and 10 assist.

[tuck243Participant]

Ok… I’m no longer taking a player from the Big Ten conference.   I don’t know why players from the conference is SLOWER than any other conference players in the NBA, but they are (outside a Victor, think about it who has came from that conference the last 5 years and been athletic?).   Or it might just be Ohio State the past 5 years, but D’Angelo Russell is slow as hell..   I’ve been a big supporter of his the past 2 years.  Since I’ve seen him at the Elite 24 and he was the best player on the floor IMO.  Then he had an excellant year at Ohio State… I just didn’t realize he was that damn slow.

His handle isn’t that nice…  He’s good, not great mid range shooter…  He has no real moves to create space for himself…  He’s not strong enough to get all the way to the basket with someone on his hip ala James Harden or Manu…   He can’t finish like those guys either…   The Lakers didn’t even allow him to bring the ball up because he was struggling to beat his man up the court in the preseason…    He’s a decent on ball defender and he has great vision…   I’m totally not sure if this guy will have success in this league.   He’s really raw and what sucks is that he doesn’t have the athletic ability to wait on until he gets "it"…   He has a lot of work to do in the offseason and his handles need to be next to CP3, Kyrie, and Steph next year.   Because he needs it more than any of those guys did.  

[tuck243Participant]

Ok… I’m no longer taking a player from the Big Ten conference.   I don’t know why players from the conference is SLOWER than any other conference players in the NBA, but they are (outside a Victor, think about it who has came from that conference the last 5 years and been athletic?).   Or it might just be Ohio State the past 5 years, but D’Angelo Russell is slow as hell..   I’ve been a big supporter of his the past 2 years.  Since I’ve seen him at the Elite 24 and he was the best player on the floor IMO.  Then he had an excellant year at Ohio State… I just didn’t realize he was that damn slow.

His handle isn’t that nice…  He’s good, not great mid range shooter…  He has no real moves to create space for himself…  He’s not strong enough to get all the way to the basket with someone on his hip ala James Harden or Manu…   He can’t finish like those guys either…   The Lakers didn’t even allow him to bring the ball up because he was struggling to beat his man up the court in the preseason…    He’s a decent on ball defender and he has great vision…   I’m totally not sure if this guy will have success in this league.   He’s really raw and what sucks is that he doesn’t have the athletic ability to wait on until he gets "it"…   He has a lot of work to do in the offseason and his handles need to be next to CP3, Kyrie, and Steph next year.   Because he needs it more than any of those guys did.  

[NBAjunkie81Participant]

 into his game… I know he wanted to go to the Lakers & lobbied hard to go there – but it’s a tough situation for him b/c Jahlil Okafor isthe real deal & every time he puts up #’s Russell is going to be dogged all over social media… People comparing him to Steph Curry & or James Harden were crazy – 

since Harden went to Houston he averages getting to the free throw line for about 9 Free Throws a game that is 4th in HISTORY! behind only Wilt, Shaq & Iverson (think about that Iverson has the 3rd highest FTA’s per game in NBA history)… Anyway, Harden is a Very rare talent getting to the Rim & Russell showed No ability to match that… First, he doesn’t have a great handle (as u mentioned), he lacks an explosive 1st step so he can’t get by anyone & even when there is a lane he seems to have coordination issues b/c he stumbles b/c his feet get tangled…

Steph Curry can shoot from 25 feet & in – he strecthes the whole defense… he has a crazy handle & can create his own shot when ever he wants – he can drive to the cup but his 3 point shooting is so on point you can’t give him an inch – he must be gaurded from 30 ft & in… Russell isn’t a great shooter – no where near Curry… I think eventually Russell could grow into a 42 or 43% shooter & knock down a 3pointer here & there to keep the Def honest…

I see Russell as more of a patient cerbral player & he will find his niche – but he Needs the ball in his hands to develop… & he’s a guy who will get his points within the flow of the offense – probably a 15 & 10 guy but you have your PG & the guy who will run your offense for a decade… But Not a single scout I read EVER said he was going to be a scorer… And In L.A. he’s never going to see the ball… & I worry that he’s going to languish out there… I just do Not understand why L.A. drafted Russell – Clarkson has worked out great but even his development is slowed w/ Bryant handling the ball so much… Now they have two prospects who won’t develop….

 

 

 

[NBAjunkie81Participant]

 into his game… I know he wanted to go to the Lakers & lobbied hard to go there – but it’s a tough situation for him b/c Jahlil Okafor isthe real deal & every time he puts up #’s Russell is going to be dogged all over social media… People comparing him to Steph Curry & or James Harden were crazy – 

since Harden went to Houston he averages getting to the free throw line for about 9 Free Throws a game that is 4th in HISTORY! behind only Wilt, Shaq & Iverson (think about that Iverson has the 3rd highest FTA’s per game in NBA history)… Anyway, Harden is a Very rare talent getting to the Rim & Russell showed No ability to match that… First, he doesn’t have a great handle (as u mentioned), he lacks an explosive 1st step so he can’t get by anyone & even when there is a lane he seems to have coordination issues b/c he stumbles b/c his feet get tangled…

Steph Curry can shoot from 25 feet & in – he strecthes the whole defense… he has a crazy handle & can create his own shot when ever he wants – he can drive to the cup but his 3 point shooting is so on point you can’t give him an inch – he must be gaurded from 30 ft & in… Russell isn’t a great shooter – no where near Curry… I think eventually Russell could grow into a 42 or 43% shooter & knock down a 3pointer here & there to keep the Def honest…

I see Russell as more of a patient cerbral player & he will find his niche – but he Needs the ball in his hands to develop… & he’s a guy who will get his points within the flow of the offense – probably a 15 & 10 guy but you have your PG & the guy who will run your offense for a decade… But Not a single scout I read EVER said he was going to be a scorer… And In L.A. he’s never going to see the ball… & I worry that he’s going to languish out there… I just do Not understand why L.A. drafted Russell – Clarkson has worked out great but even his development is slowed w/ Bryant handling the ball so much… Now they have two prospects who won’t develop….

 

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

The other day I picked Billy Donovan for NBA MVP (Most Valuable PERSON).  Sure, I will stick with that.

I still like the Warriors.  Steph is flamable.  They have an IDEAL Big Three.  Some big three’s aren’t that special.  Like the Grizzlies.  With Memphis, you need ALL of the Big Three to play well to have a shot.  With the Warriors sometimes you only need ONE of those guys (if Steph or Klay is going off).  If you get TWO of those guys in the zone, well, it’s over.  If you get ALL THREE guys going video game at the same time then they will be rewriting records.

LMAO or whatever his name is had a weak stat line.  Didn’t think it was a huge get for the Spurs.  Still don’t think so.  Still, Scottie Pippen 2.0 without the dribbling/passing skills had a great night.

The Knicks won. The Zing Meister didn’t shoot to well but Derrick Williams scored a bunch off the bench.  That team has a Moneyball team full of overpaid guys?  Is that possible?  Anything is possible in NYC, and so, far it looks like it could work…

I will stay with my rookie comparisons.  Jahlil Okafor is the next George Mikan.  Karl Anthony Towns is the next Sam Perkins, and D’Angelo Russell is the next Brian Shaw.  Kristaps Porzingas is Ralph Sampson-ish.

Didn’t watch the Grizz/Cavs game for which I am eternally thankful, but I watched Cavs-Bulls and LeBron is in Early Season Vintage Nearly Done Larry Bird Mode.  He even has the back issues too, but not Bird’s feathery jumper to rely on.  If I were him/them I would get Kevin Love going big time — every game.  They need a GREAT year from Kevin Love.

The Bulls might not have D Rose all the way back, but the team is slowly morphing into an ensemble juggernaut, decently balanced between offense and defense.  Rose, Pau, Butler, and Mirotic are all guys you have to game plan for.  They get bonus points for bringing Noah off the bench, who is their best rebounder, defender, leader, and intangibles guy.  Taj Gibson gives them another luxury of an above average 4 they can bring off the bench.  I even liked Doug McDermott and his outside shooting/floor spacing.  HATED Aaron Brooks gumming everything up and destroying the team’s rhythm.  If Hinrich is done, then the Bullies need a legit backup point guard who can run the offense.  You figure they can go 8 deep with Rose, Butler, Pau, Mirotic, Snell, Noah, Gibson, and McDermott but they still need another guard off the bench.  Bobby Portis has promise and did well in summer league so they will have to find a way to shoehorn him into some rotations, too.  I like this Bulls team.

Detroit is the feel good team.  At no point did I see this coming.

The Pelicans look bad and could really be in some trouble soon.  

My sleeper team is Portland and they won.  I like their young bigs to go with Lillard.  And McCollum was on fire.  Sometimes all you need is some youth, a top dog, and a few really good guys who just fit.  

The Clippers are good.

Again, the Kings could go either way.

I guess that leaves the Nets as the true sad sack team in the NBA, to the surprise of nearly no one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

The other day I picked Billy Donovan for NBA MVP (Most Valuable PERSON).  Sure, I will stick with that.

I still like the Warriors.  Steph is flamable.  They have an IDEAL Big Three.  Some big three’s aren’t that special.  Like the Grizzlies.  With Memphis, you need ALL of the Big Three to play well to have a shot.  With the Warriors sometimes you only need ONE of those guys (if Steph or Klay is going off).  If you get TWO of those guys in the zone, well, it’s over.  If you get ALL THREE guys going video game at the same time then they will be rewriting records.

LMAO or whatever his name is had a weak stat line.  Didn’t think it was a huge get for the Spurs.  Still don’t think so.  Still, Scottie Pippen 2.0 without the dribbling/passing skills had a great night.

The Knicks won. The Zing Meister didn’t shoot to well but Derrick Williams scored a bunch off the bench.  That team has a Moneyball team full of overpaid guys?  Is that possible?  Anything is possible in NYC, and so, far it looks like it could work…

I will stay with my rookie comparisons.  Jahlil Okafor is the next George Mikan.  Karl Anthony Towns is the next Sam Perkins, and D’Angelo Russell is the next Brian Shaw.  Kristaps Porzingas is Ralph Sampson-ish.

Didn’t watch the Grizz/Cavs game for which I am eternally thankful, but I watched Cavs-Bulls and LeBron is in Early Season Vintage Nearly Done Larry Bird Mode.  He even has the back issues too, but not Bird’s feathery jumper to rely on.  If I were him/them I would get Kevin Love going big time — every game.  They need a GREAT year from Kevin Love.

The Bulls might not have D Rose all the way back, but the team is slowly morphing into an ensemble juggernaut, decently balanced between offense and defense.  Rose, Pau, Butler, and Mirotic are all guys you have to game plan for.  They get bonus points for bringing Noah off the bench, who is their best rebounder, defender, leader, and intangibles guy.  Taj Gibson gives them another luxury of an above average 4 they can bring off the bench.  I even liked Doug McDermott and his outside shooting/floor spacing.  HATED Aaron Brooks gumming everything up and destroying the team’s rhythm.  If Hinrich is done, then the Bullies need a legit backup point guard who can run the offense.  You figure they can go 8 deep with Rose, Butler, Pau, Mirotic, Snell, Noah, Gibson, and McDermott but they still need another guard off the bench.  Bobby Portis has promise and did well in summer league so they will have to find a way to shoehorn him into some rotations, too.  I like this Bulls team.

Detroit is the feel good team.  At no point did I see this coming.

The Pelicans look bad and could really be in some trouble soon.  

My sleeper team is Portland and they won.  I like their young bigs to go with Lillard.  And McCollum was on fire.  Sometimes all you need is some youth, a top dog, and a few really good guys who just fit.  

The Clippers are good.

Again, the Kings could go either way.

I guess that leaves the Nets as the true sad sack team in the NBA, to the surprise of nearly no one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shonu44Participant]

Bird has revamped the Pacers this off season. Two games in and they are 0 and 2! I know it’s still early but I have to say the Monte Ellis signing is looking like a big mistake. Good thing the cap go’s up next year. Bird should have got rid of George Hill this off season but since he’s from Indy I guess Bird felt he had to keep him. You have a line up of

G Hill 6’4

M. Ellis 6’3

Cj Miles 6’6

PG 6’9

Mahimi 6’10 

This lineup won’t win 40 games to small and only PG and Mahimi plays D

[shonu44Participant]

Bird has revamped the Pacers this off season. Two games in and they are 0 and 2! I know it’s still early but I have to say the Monte Ellis signing is looking like a big mistake. Good thing the cap go’s up next year. Bird should have got rid of George Hill this off season but since he’s from Indy I guess Bird felt he had to keep him. You have a line up of

G Hill 6’4

M. Ellis 6’3

Cj Miles 6’6

PG 6’9

Mahimi 6’10 

This lineup won’t win 40 games to small and only PG and Mahimi plays D

[Author]

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