8 Deadly Thoughts

amazingly kidd have the bucks playing good defense,they’ve held opponents under 100 pts in 5 straight games…

never pity the lakers, unlike other teams in the league, they have never stayed down long..with their rich tradition,huge media market area,free agent money and their own pick next year if its in the top 5..maybe it’ll be in the top 3 and they land okafor,mudiay or townes all 3 players in my opinion have the talent to make a much quicker impact then this year’s more hyped rookies…..

i live in orlando but over the years i only attended a hand full of their games ,even when dwight was here..unless a big name player came to town….but payton,gordon,oladipo,the much improved harris and another high pick next year…im super excited about this team….

amazingly kidd have the bucks playing good defense,they’ve held opponents under 100 pts in 5 straight games…

never pity the lakers, unlike other teams in the league, they have never stayed down long..with their rich tradition,huge media market area,free agent money and their own pick next year if its in the top 5..maybe it’ll be in the top 3 and they land okafor,mudiay or townes all 3 players in my opinion have the talent to make a much quicker impact then this year’s more hyped rookies…..

i live in orlando but over the years i only attended a hand full of their games ,even when dwight was here..unless a big name player came to town….but payton,gordon,oladipo,the much improved harris and another high pick next year…im super excited about this team….

 Steph Curry is putting up Pistol Pete type numbers.  Anthony Davis might not be on the MVP front line but Steph looks like he is there.

Hope for LeBron: 12th year Ohio State product John Havlicek led the 1973-1974 Boston Celtics to a title.  Maybe not one of the most famous teams ever, or the most dominant team ever, but they still came away with a title.  C’s Big Three of Hondo, Dave Cowens, and JoJo White did most of the damage.  Paul Silas gave them an extra rebounder inside.  Looks like Don Chaney was their second guard.  

Anthony Davis can reach his upside as a 6’10 Kareem.  Numbers look great so far.  Don’t rule him out for the MVP award, especially if the Pelicans hang in there, and if the Cavs continue to disappoint some what.

Speaking of Anthony Davis, he needs to be the Lakers Number One Long Term Option.  The Lakers NEED superstars.  Davis might be the only guy who can help them out.  To get back to prominence, the Lakers should persue Operation Get Anthony Davis.  No backup plans.

Thanks to the Bulls for keeping things interesting.  If D Rose can hold it together the entire year, he could be on the short list of guys to have a regular season MVP award, a Finals MVP, and a Final Four joining Jordan, Bird, Magic, Kareem, Wilt, and Hakeem.  Might be others too…  Oh, and Bill Walton.

The LA Lakers are the only Western Conference team in league history to get to 3 straight NBA Finals.  Can the Spurs be the second?

What’s with the rookies?  Some of the guys have decent stat lines, but wasn’t this suppposed to be the best rookie class since LeBron/Melo/Wade/Bosh?

The Grizzlies are on a roll.  The only question march is the bench.  We do miss athletic guys like James Johnson and Ed Davis.  If we get the bench thing resolved, then watch out.  What is the over/under on Vince Carter dunks this year?  He isn’t exactly getting any younger.

 Steph Curry is putting up Pistol Pete type numbers.  Anthony Davis might not be on the MVP front line but Steph looks like he is there.

Hope for LeBron: 12th year Ohio State product John Havlicek led the 1973-1974 Boston Celtics to a title.  Maybe not one of the most famous teams ever, or the most dominant team ever, but they still came away with a title.  C’s Big Three of Hondo, Dave Cowens, and JoJo White did most of the damage.  Paul Silas gave them an extra rebounder inside.  Looks like Don Chaney was their second guard.  

Anthony Davis can reach his upside as a 6’10 Kareem.  Numbers look great so far.  Don’t rule him out for the MVP award, especially if the Pelicans hang in there, and if the Cavs continue to disappoint some what.

Speaking of Anthony Davis, he needs to be the Lakers Number One Long Term Option.  The Lakers NEED superstars.  Davis might be the only guy who can help them out.  To get back to prominence, the Lakers should persue Operation Get Anthony Davis.  No backup plans.

Thanks to the Bulls for keeping things interesting.  If D Rose can hold it together the entire year, he could be on the short list of guys to have a regular season MVP award, a Finals MVP, and a Final Four joining Jordan, Bird, Magic, Kareem, Wilt, and Hakeem.  Might be others too…  Oh, and Bill Walton.

The LA Lakers are the only Western Conference team in league history to get to 3 straight NBA Finals.  Can the Spurs be the second?

What’s with the rookies?  Some of the guys have decent stat lines, but wasn’t this suppposed to be the best rookie class since LeBron/Melo/Wade/Bosh?

The Grizzlies are on a roll.  The only question march is the bench.  We do miss athletic guys like James Johnson and Ed Davis.  If we get the bench thing resolved, then watch out.  What is the over/under on Vince Carter dunks this year?  He isn’t exactly getting any younger.

 8th, I gotta chime in on the WVU, as I know there aren’t a lot of guys on the forum that follow them.

I think they’re going to be really hard pressed to find scoring outside of Staten. Their guard trio was like 77% of their scoring last year with Dibo chipping in virtually the rest.

I think Devin Williams is a nice piece, and I’m excited to see Macon in action. They’re going to be able to control the glass and have good post depth, but they could get into real trouble when teams start scheming to take Staten out of games. Holton should be good from an experience standpoint, he’s produced in the past, and having a grown man on a college squad never hurts.

What’s your input on their new faces? I’d think Miles is going to get some real burn, but what’s the word on him so far in practice and exhibitions?

 8th, I gotta chime in on the WVU, as I know there aren’t a lot of guys on the forum that follow them.

I think they’re going to be really hard pressed to find scoring outside of Staten. Their guard trio was like 77% of their scoring last year with Dibo chipping in virtually the rest.

I think Devin Williams is a nice piece, and I’m excited to see Macon in action. They’re going to be able to control the glass and have good post depth, but they could get into real trouble when teams start scheming to take Staten out of games. Holton should be good from an experience standpoint, he’s produced in the past, and having a grown man on a college squad never hurts.

What’s your input on their new faces? I’d think Miles is going to get some real burn, but what’s the word on him so far in practice and exhibitions?

 While I agree the Bucks starters are terrible, I completely disagree with your proposed solution.  The Bucks’ bench has outscored their opponents’ benches 371-214 on the season.  They have no reason to change up their bench unit, as the past five games have seen the team develop a more consistent rotation, with some juggling of Middleton, Marshall and Wolters in and out of the lineup. 

I think Wolters should start for the Bucks at SG instead of Dudley, not necessarily because he is the best SG on the team, but because the starting lineup needs another ball handler, as Knight has been dominating the ball at the start of games, which hurts the team.  

But Giannis needs to stay at PF.  He was played primarily at SF for the preseason and the first three games of the regular season and he kinda struggled.  But he has been fantastic at PF.  12 points and 1 assist in the 4th quarter vs. Memphis and he basically singelhandedly kept the Bucks in that game on offense, when the Bucks called four consecutive clear outs for Giannis down the stretch, resulting in 9 points.  He had 14-9 yesterday all at PF.  And Giannis isn’t just beasting on bench players.  He was matched up with Z-Bo down the stretch vs. the Grizzlies and outplayed him.  He matched up solidly with Serge Ibaka yesterday.  He looked solid vs. Monroe when he had to defend him, although the Bucks actually overhelped when Giannis could have handled Monroe 1-on-1.  He had some trouble vs. Taj Gibson, but nothing that can’t be improved. Giannis lacks bulk, but he is way stronger than he was last season and is a dramatically improved defender, being much more disciplined and skilled at help defense now. 

Plus, the Bucks are best spacing the floor and playing with tempo.  Going with a giant starting lineup will hurt them.  Henson and Sanders can’t play together on offense and will clog up the lane for Jabari and Giannis, who are both at their best going to the rim.  Jabari is in the midst of a huge shooting slump, but is having some success going to the rim, as he is fifth in the NBA in dunks this season, after Jordan, Chandler, AD and Howard, with 13.  Giannis is tied for 7th with 10 dunks, despite playing under 24 MPG (a number which will certainly increase).

I do think Kidd should play the young guys, particularly Giannis and Wolters, more, but I think Giannis is earning a boost in his minutes, so his minutes won’t be a problem.  But I think Kidd and the Bucks’ coaching staff should get a lot of credit for having the Bucks playing defense at a top-5 level in the NBA despite playing a couple teenagers big minutes and having a rotation that was super inconsistent during the first week of the season.  The Bucks have played a lot of bad defensive teams, but I do think it is clear the Bucks’ current staff can coach winning basketball.

 While I agree the Bucks starters are terrible, I completely disagree with your proposed solution.  The Bucks’ bench has outscored their opponents’ benches 371-214 on the season.  They have no reason to change up their bench unit, as the past five games have seen the team develop a more consistent rotation, with some juggling of Middleton, Marshall and Wolters in and out of the lineup. 

I think Wolters should start for the Bucks at SG instead of Dudley, not necessarily because he is the best SG on the team, but because the starting lineup needs another ball handler, as Knight has been dominating the ball at the start of games, which hurts the team.  

But Giannis needs to stay at PF.  He was played primarily at SF for the preseason and the first three games of the regular season and he kinda struggled.  But he has been fantastic at PF.  12 points and 1 assist in the 4th quarter vs. Memphis and he basically singelhandedly kept the Bucks in that game on offense, when the Bucks called four consecutive clear outs for Giannis down the stretch, resulting in 9 points.  He had 14-9 yesterday all at PF.  And Giannis isn’t just beasting on bench players.  He was matched up with Z-Bo down the stretch vs. the Grizzlies and outplayed him.  He matched up solidly with Serge Ibaka yesterday.  He looked solid vs. Monroe when he had to defend him, although the Bucks actually overhelped when Giannis could have handled Monroe 1-on-1.  He had some trouble vs. Taj Gibson, but nothing that can’t be improved. Giannis lacks bulk, but he is way stronger than he was last season and is a dramatically improved defender, being much more disciplined and skilled at help defense now. 

Plus, the Bucks are best spacing the floor and playing with tempo.  Going with a giant starting lineup will hurt them.  Henson and Sanders can’t play together on offense and will clog up the lane for Jabari and Giannis, who are both at their best going to the rim.  Jabari is in the midst of a huge shooting slump, but is having some success going to the rim, as he is fifth in the NBA in dunks this season, after Jordan, Chandler, AD and Howard, with 13.  Giannis is tied for 7th with 10 dunks, despite playing under 24 MPG (a number which will certainly increase).

I do think Kidd should play the young guys, particularly Giannis and Wolters, more, but I think Giannis is earning a boost in his minutes, so his minutes won’t be a problem.  But I think Kidd and the Bucks’ coaching staff should get a lot of credit for having the Bucks playing defense at a top-5 level in the NBA despite playing a couple teenagers big minutes and having a rotation that was super inconsistent during the first week of the season.  The Bucks have played a lot of bad defensive teams, but I do think it is clear the Bucks’ current staff can coach winning basketball.

Kidd is a head scratcher with his game plan, but I don’t think OJ is the problem…  The issue with the Bucks is Knight…  The Bucks as a whole, play better with him on the bench and the stats prove it…  I think the starting line up should be as such:

PG: Marshall or Wolters

SG: Mayo

SF: Giannis

PF: Jabari

C: Sanders

or you could bring Mayo off the bench and start Henson at 4, Parker at 3, and Giannis at 2…

Doesn’t matter if Marshall start, you can just put the Freak on whomever is the teams best opposing player on the wing or backcourt…

Let Brandon Knight come off the bench and run that pick and roll offense against the second unit…   This team just can’t get nice ball movement when he’s out there…

OJ is averaging over 5 assists a game and trying to be a leader for this team..  I don’t know why everyone think he’s the problem this year… His play literally keep them in games…  

The Hornets are one of my favorite teams to watch on League Pass…  Lance and MKG are monsters with their defense…  Lance shot isn’t falling, but he finds ways to dominate the game..  He’s averaging over 10 boards a game and dishing out 5 assists a game…  That’s crazy for a SG!!! 

Kidd is a head scratcher with his game plan, but I don’t think OJ is the problem…  The issue with the Bucks is Knight…  The Bucks as a whole, play better with him on the bench and the stats prove it…  I think the starting line up should be as such:

PG: Marshall or Wolters

SG: Mayo

SF: Giannis

PF: Jabari

C: Sanders

or you could bring Mayo off the bench and start Henson at 4, Parker at 3, and Giannis at 2…

Doesn’t matter if Marshall start, you can just put the Freak on whomever is the teams best opposing player on the wing or backcourt…

Let Brandon Knight come off the bench and run that pick and roll offense against the second unit…   This team just can’t get nice ball movement when he’s out there…

OJ is averaging over 5 assists a game and trying to be a leader for this team..  I don’t know why everyone think he’s the problem this year… His play literally keep them in games…  

The Hornets are one of my favorite teams to watch on League Pass…  Lance and MKG are monsters with their defense…  Lance shot isn’t falling, but he finds ways to dominate the game..  He’s averaging over 10 boards a game and dishing out 5 assists a game…  That’s crazy for a SG!!! 

 The teams of the 80’s: Lakers, Celtics, Sixers, and Pistons aren’t doing so well.

Ok, well the Celtics are 3-3 but who knows how long that will last?  With the Spurs still not in top shape, if the Bulls don’t win we might get a team that wins the championship that hasn’t won since before 1979 (Sonics-Thunder).

Grizzlies, Cavs, Clippers and Raptors are looking good but have never won a title.  The Warriors ,Blazers, and Washington have good records and haven’t won since the 70’s.  

The Bulls and Rockets are rocking, trying for a first title since the 90’s.  

I guess this is what parity looks like.

 The teams of the 80’s: Lakers, Celtics, Sixers, and Pistons aren’t doing so well.

Ok, well the Celtics are 3-3 but who knows how long that will last?  With the Spurs still not in top shape, if the Bulls don’t win we might get a team that wins the championship that hasn’t won since before 1979 (Sonics-Thunder).

Grizzlies, Cavs, Clippers and Raptors are looking good but have never won a title.  The Warriors ,Blazers, and Washington have good records and haven’t won since the 70’s.  

The Bulls and Rockets are rocking, trying for a first title since the 90’s.  

I guess this is what parity looks like.

Darn, I had no idea Harris was gone. When you said your heart was crushed, the first thing that came to mind was that he got kicked off the squad. Fortunately, he did not and he merely transferred to Michigan State. That’s a huge get. He’s a great shooter.

Darn, I had no idea Harris was gone. When you said your heart was crushed, the first thing that came to mind was that he got kicked off the squad. Fortunately, he did not and he merely transferred to Michigan State. That’s a huge get. He’s a great shooter.