NBA Season 2022-23

[celticsclay]

LOL the Nets literally held a players-only meeting to talk about Ben Simmons 

That should really tell you all you need to know

https://theathletic.com/3903140/2022/11/16/nets-ben-simmons-players-only-meeting/#:~:text=The%20Brooklyn%20Nets%20held%20a,about%20it%2C%20tell%20The%20Athletic.

Wow this seems screwed up, especially whoever leaked it. It’s also kind of a bold move to make simmons come off the bench so early knowing how fragile he is. But you do have to do it eventually if he is playing this poorly.

He was a quitter from birth
He should be jailed for all the money he has taken from dumb GM ‘s wishing he was something …..Doc knew better but couldn’t hold back …

Doc didn't sign him to any contract.

Doc definitely coddled him to an extreme point. Would openly
Attack the media when they asked about him willing to take open jumpers. I do think there is a chance his career is a lot different if both Brett brown and doc rivers hadn’t been so scared of benching or criticizing him. If Udoka was his coach and benching him the third year of his rookie contract and he is risking that max extension I think there is a chance he puts in some work.

Simmons certainly put in work.  He made vast improvement on defense over what he did in college.  He spent plenty of time trying to learn how to be a PG.  Simmons 3rd year of his contract was his 2nd season playing.  He averaged 16.9pts, 8.8reb and 7.7ast.   No coach was going to bench him.  No coach was going to get him to shoot the ball more.

The 76ers coaches that worked with him every day didn’t seem to believe this. A pretty respected insider at the time had a report of how during his 4th season one of the coaches asked “has this guy gotten better at anything since we drafted him” and the room was silent. Unfortunately I can’t find this article easily because there are so many newer articles discussing why he hasn’t gotten any better.

[celticsclay]

Players only meeting has awoken simmons for one day. Having his best game in a looooong tome.

[celticsclay]

Blazers may employ hack a ben.

[Celtics2021]

Blazers may employ hack a ben.

He fouled himself out to avoid this fate.

[Roy H.]

Durant is really trying to get the Blazers the win in these last 32 seconds.

[Celtics2021]

Durant is really trying to get the Blazers the win in these last 32 seconds.

Royce O'Neal wouldn't let him succeed.  I guess that's good for the 2nd round pick we get from Portland.  Hopefully this embarrassing loss sends them into a tailspin.

[trickybilly]

Marcus is having a rough start from 3 a29%

3 guys who are having worse starts from 3?

Kyrie, LeBron, and.... Luka Doncic.

MVP my a$$

[Ed Monix]

[nickagneta]

Looking at this makes me wonder....could Sacramento actually be good enough to make the playoffs?

[Moranis]

Looking at this makes me wonder....could Sacramento actually be good enough to make the playoffs?

Yes. Well at least the play-in.  I think top 6 would be difficult, but top 10 and them winning the play-in tourney to get to 7 or 8, is certainly possible.  They finally have a competent coach again (Walton was just so bad) and you can debate all day who won the Haliburton/Sabonis trade, but the Kings roster makes a lot more sense now with Sabonis.  The additions of Huerter, Monk, and Murray this summer have been huge as well. 

Nice starting 5 with Fox, Huerter, Murray, Barnes, and Sabonis and some quality bench guys. 

If Sabonis gets hurt though they are  in trouble as they are very small and frankly not all that good behind him.

[nickagneta]

Looking at this makes me wonder....could Sacramento actually be good enough to make the playoffs?

Yes. Well at least the play-in.  I think top 6 would be difficult, but top 10 and them winning the play-in tourney to get to 7 or 8, is certainly possible.  They finally have a competent coach again (Walton was just so bad) and you can debate all day who won the Haliburton/Sabonis trade, but the Kings roster makes a lot more sense now with Sabonis.  The additions of Huerter, Monk, and Murray this summer have been huge as well. 

Nice starting 5 with Fox, Huerter, Murray, Barnes, and Sabonis and some quality bench guys. 

If Sabonis gets hurt though they are  in trouble as they are very small and frankly not all that good behind him.

I always thought Richaun Holmes was very good, but looking at his numbers, as I have not seen him play this year, things appear to have fallen off for him this year. If he can return to being a 17 point, 10 rebound, 2 block guy on a Per36 level for them, I think that goes a long way to giving them good big man depth.

[Roy H.]

It's the annual "the Hawks want to trade John Collins" post:

The Hawks have opened up preliminary trade discussions around forward John Collins, as interested teams inquire, league sources tell The Athletic. The Suns are a team showing desire in Collins, those sources have added, but they appear uninclined to take on the long-term money of Collins, who is in the second season of a five-year, $125 million contract. The Hawks don’t have an imminent deal in place involving Collins, those sources say, and executives around the league believe a potential deal will be weeks and potentially months in the making ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
– via Shams Charania @ The Athletic

[DefenseWinsChamps]

It's the annual "the Hawks want to trade John Collins" post:

The Hawks have opened up preliminary trade discussions around forward John Collins, as interested teams inquire, league sources tell The Athletic. The Suns are a team showing desire in Collins, those sources have added, but they appear uninclined to take on the long-term money of Collins, who is in the second season of a five-year, $125 million contract. The Hawks don’t have an imminent deal in place involving Collins, those sources say, and executives around the league believe a potential deal will be weeks and potentially months in the making ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
– via Shams Charania @ The Athletic

I feel like Collins' career could either go down the important-piece-on-a-contender path or empty-stats-on-lottery-team path.

I wish we had mid-sized contracts to target him.

[Ed Monix]

Bucks - 76ers game has the potential to be a titanic matchup between MVP hopefuls, Giannis & Embiid.

Giannis:

30 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 5.5 AST, 1.2 BLK

Embiid:

32.3 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 4.1 AST, 1.8 BLK

[Celtics2021]

It's the annual "the Hawks want to trade John Collins" post:

The Hawks have opened up preliminary trade discussions around forward John Collins, as interested teams inquire, league sources tell The Athletic. The Suns are a team showing desire in Collins, those sources have added, but they appear uninclined to take on the long-term money of Collins, who is in the second season of a five-year, $125 million contract. The Hawks don’t have an imminent deal in place involving Collins, those sources say, and executives around the league believe a potential deal will be weeks and potentially months in the making ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
– via Shams Charania @ The Athletic

I feel like Collins' career could either go down the important-piece-on-a-contender path or empty-stats-on-lottery-team path.

I wish we had mid-sized contracts to target him.

It’s not the salary matching.  If Atlanta had a reasonable asking price he’d have been traded years ago.  Instead they have a player they don’t want who doesn’t went to be there that they think they should get multiple firsts for.  We pretty much got Brogdon AND White for what the Hawks think they should get for Collins alone.