Kings officially miss playoffs, OKC clinches 8 seed

[NKY fan]

I'm still pretty shocked OKC collapsed down the stretch

Yeah, I don't feel like this is really talked about much here, but their collapse makes me feel at least a bit better than our own

No surprise at all.  If anything, it would have been shocking to see them maintain a top 4 seed in the West.  Russell Westbrook has refused to adapt his role and/or improve his game.  I made a thread last season about OKC's failure to move ball.  They have ranked in the bottom two in passes per game for each of the past 4 seasons.  That's not exactly a recipe for success, especially when your highest usage player is extremely inefficient.

It's only going to get worse because Westbrook has started to decline athletically.

Should we try to poach George from OKC then ? 

[jambr380]

Hopefully we find a diamond in the rough with the pick.

You love to do that to people, don't you?

First, the pick is likely going to NOP, but pick #13 is still a lottery pick and even recently produced Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker. I agree it isn't where we all hoped, but it's not like pick #47 or anything. Diamond in the rough...classic LB 

the last 5 drafts these are the players drafted from 12-15

2018 - Miles Bridges, Jerome Robinson, Michael Porter, Troy Brown
2017 - Luke Kennard, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, Justin Jackson
2016 - Taurean Prince, Georgios Papgiannis, Denzel Valentine, Juan Hernangomez
2015 - Trey Lyles, Devin Booker, Cameron Payne, Kelly Oubre
2014 - Dario Saric, Zach LaVine, TJ Warren, Adreian Payne

Aside from Mitchell and Booker, it looks like pretty much a crap shoot.

I’m not sure what list you’re looking at, but that is a list full of quality players. Realistically, there are only 4 or 5 busts in that list.

Yeah, I am not unimpressed at all. Plus, Moranis picked 12-15, when maybe it was more fair to do 11-15 (assuming the pick is #13. If it is #14, then I stand corrected). In those years, the #11 picks were: Doug McDermott, Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, and SGA.

Perhaps, when LB said 'diamond in the rough', he meant it would be lucky to get a perennial all-star, but that isn't my interpretation of the meaning of that phrase - mostly because I don't consider a late lottery pick, 'the rough'. Plus, and this is important, all of those guys are still very young and many have considerable potential.

[Sophomore]

I'm still pretty shocked OKC collapsed down the stretch

Yeah, I don't feel like this is really talked about much here, but their collapse makes me feel at least a bit better than our own

On twitter the other day, someone referred to them as Celtics west for their up and down play.

[Green-18]

I'm still pretty shocked OKC collapsed down the stretch

Yeah, I don't feel like this is really talked about much here, but their collapse makes me feel at least a bit better than our own

No surprise at all.  If anything, it would have been shocking to see them maintain a top 4 seed in the West.  Russell Westbrook has refused to adapt his role and/or improve his game.  I made a thread last season about OKC's failure to move ball.  They have ranked in the bottom two in passes per game for each of the past 4 seasons.  That's not exactly a recipe for success, especially when your highest usage player is extremely inefficient.

It's only going to get worse because Westbrook has started to decline athletically.

Should we try to poach George from OKC then ? 

It will be interesting to see how things play out for OKC over the next couple of years.  Russell Westbrook has two more years left on his deal and the team has zero cap flexibility. 

PG3 likely has 3 or 4 elite years left in the tank.  Westbrook needs to take a backseat to PG3 in order to maximize their years together.     

[smokeablount]

So we can officially rule out PG13 as an MVP candidate now, right?  It was flimsy to begin with considering Jokic got less than half the pub, and now they're an 8 seed with 2 All-NBA caliber players. 

Kyrie is significantly more deserving.  Unquestioned leader of the team, great stats, better team record, and no All-NBA teammate.  Open and shut.

[Green-18]

So we can officially rule out PG13 as an MVP candidate now, right?  It was flimsy to begin with considering Jokic got less than half the pub, and now they're an 8 seed with 2 All-NBA caliber players. 

Kyrie is significantly more deserving.  Unquestioned leader of the team, great stats, better team record, and no All-NBA teammate.  Open and shut.

Not looking to turn this into a Kyrie vs PG3 debate, but I don't believe PG3 is any less deserving than he was a few months ago.  He's been amazing on both ends of the court for most of the season.  Russell Westbrook is a fraudulent All-NBA player at this point.  His high usage stat padding doesn't contribute much of anything to winning. 
 
Either way, neither Kyrie or PG3 deserve serious MVP consideration at this point.

[Big333223]

So we can officially rule out PG13 as an MVP candidate now, right?  It was flimsy to begin with considering Jokic got less than half the pub, and now they're an 8 seed with 2 All-NBA caliber players. 

Kyrie is significantly more deserving.  Unquestioned leader of the team, great stats, better team record, and no All-NBA teammate.  Open and shut.

I think George's MVP consideration was completely legit a month ago. But he's leveled off, had some injuries, and OKC has been terrible while Harden and Giannis and their teams just keep rolling. So George is probably out of the top 5 at this point, but he was real there for a minute.

[Moranis]

Hopefully we find a diamond in the rough with the pick.

You love to do that to people, don't you?

First, the pick is likely going to NOP, but pick #13 is still a lottery pick and even recently produced Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker. I agree it isn't where we all hoped, but it's not like pick #47 or anything. Diamond in the rough...classic LB 

the last 5 drafts these are the players drafted from 12-15

2018 - Miles Bridges, Jerome Robinson, Michael Porter, Troy Brown
2017 - Luke Kennard, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, Justin Jackson
2016 - Taurean Prince, Georgios Papgiannis, Denzel Valentine, Juan Hernangomez
2015 - Trey Lyles, Devin Booker, Cameron Payne, Kelly Oubre
2014 - Dario Saric, Zach LaVine, TJ Warren, Adreian Payne

Aside from Mitchell and Booker, it looks like pretty much a crap shoot.

I’m not sure what list you’re looking at, but that is a list full of quality players. Realistically, there are only 4 or 5 busts in that list.

Yeah, I am not unimpressed at all. Plus, Moranis picked 12-15, when maybe it was more fair to do 11-15 (assuming the pick is #13. If it is #14, then I stand corrected). In those years, the #11 picks were: Doug McDermott, Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, and SGA.

Perhaps, when LB said 'diamond in the rough', he meant it would be lucky to get a perennial all-star, but that isn't my interpretation of the meaning of that phrase - mostly because I don't consider a late lottery pick, 'the rough'. Plus, and this is important, all of those guys are still very young and many have considerable potential.

I took LB's point to be star level players (i.e. a diamond in the rough), not just bench or 5th man type starters, which is essentially what almost all of those player are.  You should absolutely expect to get a rotation level player at the back end of the lottery, but getting a difference maker in those draft slots is rare and that is what that list shows i.e. a couple of all star level players, a bunch of rotation level players, and a few outright busts.