2024 NBA Season and Playoffs

[Donoghus]

I think it is getting pretty clear the West is beyond flawed and Denver is going to come out of that conference.

Minnesota is injured
OKC is just too young still
Does anyone trust the Clippers?
Phoenix is so up and down.
Dallas plays little to no defense
I expected so much more from the Kings

It's Denver.

Yeah, I think we're headed towards a BOS-DEN showdown.  Feels that way, at least.  Hopefully injuries don't factor in down the playoff stretch.

I think we are definitely headed towards a likely Denver repeat, who they matchup with in the finals is far from a guarantee.

Is that how sports works?

[Who]

Hawks record = 29 wins 35 losses

Hawks record without Trae = 7 wins 6 losses
Hawks record without Dejounte = 2 wins 1 loss

I am not surprised they are doing better without Trae. They have a natural replacement with Dejounte Murray and can play proper lineups with true balance & defensive integrity.

I would also expect to find similar results for Dejounte Murray when he misses games but he has missed very few. Only 3 games. Not something you can read into. I would expect a similar result because the team would operate solely around Trae Young as it should do with an offensive dynamo like him. Then play proper role players around him instead of the ill-fitting Dejounte Murray.

[4THQTR]

Hawks record = 29 wins 35 losses

Hawks record without Trae = 7 wins 6 losses
Hawks record without Dejounte = 2 wins 1 loss

I am not surprised they are doing better without Trae. They have a natural replacement with Dejounte Murray and can play proper lineups with true balance & defensive integrity.

I would also expect to find similar results for Dejounte Murray when he misses games but he has missed very few. Only 3 games. Not something you can read into. I would expect a similar result because the team would operate solely around Trae Young as it should do with an offensive dynamo like him. Then play proper role players around him instead of the ill-fitting Dejounte Murray.

So if the Hawks hadn’t beaten Miami by 1 point on January 19th, you’d come to completely different conclusions since in that case their 6-7 record wihtout Trae would be in line with their 29-35 overall record?

You correctly identified that the sample size is too small for Murray, but I don’t think you can read too much into it for Trae either…

[Who]

Hawks record = 29 wins 35 losses

Hawks record without Trae = 7 wins 6 losses
Hawks record without Dejounte = 2 wins 1 loss

I am not surprised they are doing better without Trae. They have a natural replacement with Dejounte Murray and can play proper lineups with true balance & defensive integrity.

I would also expect to find similar results for Dejounte Murray when he misses games but he has missed very few. Only 3 games. Not something you can read into. I would expect a similar result because the team would operate solely around Trae Young as it should do with an offensive dynamo like him. Then play proper role players around him instead of the ill-fitting Dejounte Murray.

So if the Hawks hadn’t beaten Miami by 1 point on January 19th, you’d come to completely different conclusions since in that case their 6-7 record wihtout Trae would be in line with their 29-35 overall record?

You correctly identified that the sample size is too small for Murray, but I don’t think you can read too much into it for Trae either…

Fair point. Perhaps the conclusion should then be equal or slightly better without Trae Young rather than outright better.

I do think 13 games is a decent sample size to work with.

[Phantom255x]

All the injuries are starting to make the West look less "top-heavy". It's still Denver's conference to lose, but the trio of OKC/LAC/MIN is now hard to gauge because of injuries and also OKC's lack of size + LAC's history of choking. Phoenix IMO can still be dangerous IF all of their guys are actually healthy at the same time (Nurkic, Beal, Booker, KD, O'Neale). I'm still not sold on the Lakers but if they manage to land a favorable path then that'll be annoying, but it's not impossible. Golden State losing Curry for some time is big. Maybe Dallas surprises but I need to see it to believe it. SAC has been inconsistent most of the year, I don't see that changing in the next two months.

[celticinorlando]

I think it is getting pretty clear the West is beyond flawed and Denver is going to come out of that conference.

Minnesota is injured
OKC is just too young still
Does anyone trust the Clippers?
Phoenix is so up and down.
Dallas plays little to no defense
I expected so much more from the Kings

It's Denver.

Yeah, I think we're headed towards a BOS-DEN showdown.  Feels that way, at least.  Hopefully injuries don't factor in down the playoff stretch.

I think we are definitely headed towards a likely Denver repeat, who they matchup with in the finals is far from a guarantee.

Anyone but the Cs in your book, right? I am sure you are hopeful that the Bucks make it to the finals.

[Who]

Phoenix IMO can still be dangerous IF all of their guys are actually healthy at the same time (Nurkic, Beal, Booker, KD, O'Neale).

I don't see Phoenix as a threat. They have the talent to be a threat but they do not play as a team. They just take turns playing hero-ball. No teamwork.

That ain't going to do it.

[Kernewek]

Phoenix IMO can still be dangerous IF all of their guys are actually healthy at the same time (Nurkic, Beal, Booker, KD, O'Neale).

I don't see Phoenix as a threat. They have the talent to be a threat but they do not play as a team. They just take turns playing hero-ball. No teamwork.

That ain't going to do it.

It's really unfortunate that the Suns roster still has to deal with the fact that there's only one ball.

Hawks record = 29 wins 35 losses

Hawks record without Trae = 7 wins 6 losses
Hawks record without Dejounte = 2 wins 1 loss

I am not surprised they are doing better without Trae. They have a natural replacement with Dejounte Murray and can play proper lineups with true balance & defensive integrity.

I would also expect to find similar results for Dejounte Murray when he misses games but he has missed very few. Only 3 games. Not something you can read into. I would expect a similar result because the team would operate solely around Trae Young as it should do with an offensive dynamo like him. Then play proper role players around him instead of the ill-fitting Dejounte Murray.

So if the Hawks hadn’t beaten Miami by 1 point on January 19th, you’d come to completely different conclusions since in that case their 6-7 record wihtout Trae would be in line with their 29-35 overall record?

You correctly identified that the sample size is too small for Murray, but I don’t think you can read too much into it for Trae either…

Fair point. Perhaps the conclusion should then be equal or slightly better without Trae Young rather than outright better.

I do think 13 games is a decent sample size to work with.

Are those 13 games without Murray as well, though? I haven't looked at the data but this has to be accounted for as well.

[Donoghus]

Adrian Wojnarowski
@wojespn
·
1m
ESPN Sources: Atlanta Hawks F Saddiq Bey has suffered a season-ending torn left ACL. MRI revealed injury this morning. Bey — who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer — has averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds.

[Who]

Hawks record = 29 wins 35 losses

Hawks record without Trae = 7 wins 6 losses
Hawks record without Dejounte = 2 wins 1 loss

I am not surprised they are doing better without Trae. They have a natural replacement with Dejounte Murray and can play proper lineups with true balance & defensive integrity.

I would also expect to find similar results for Dejounte Murray when he misses games but he has missed very few. Only 3 games. Not something you can read into. I would expect a similar result because the team would operate solely around Trae Young as it should do with an offensive dynamo like him. Then play proper role players around him instead of the ill-fitting Dejounte Murray.

So if the Hawks hadn’t beaten Miami by 1 point on January 19th, you’d come to completely different conclusions since in that case their 6-7 record wihtout Trae would be in line with their 29-35 overall record?

You correctly identified that the sample size is too small for Murray, but I don’t think you can read too much into it for Trae either…

Fair point. Perhaps the conclusion should then be equal or slightly better without Trae Young rather than outright better.

I do think 13 games is a decent sample size to work with.

Are those 13 games without Murray as well, though? I haven't looked at the data but this has to be accounted for as well.

I did not know so I looked it up. Trae Young played in the games 3 games D Murray missed. So no overlap.

[Moranis]

I think the only correct conclusion is that Trae and Dejonte are duplication and they'd be better off without both as they make each other worse and the team worse.  Trae is better than Murray though, so I'd keep Trae and trade Mirray and find better complementary pieces.

[Goldstar88]

Shams Charania: The Utah Jazz are waiving forward Otto Porter Jr., sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/snf1f5zdC1  – via Twitter ShamsCharania

[scaryjerry]

I think it is getting pretty clear the West is beyond flawed and Denver is going to come out of that conference.

Minnesota is injured
OKC is just too young still
Does anyone trust the Clippers?
Phoenix is so up and down.
Dallas plays little to no defense
I expected so much more from the Kings

It's Denver.

Yeah, I think we're headed towards a BOS-DEN showdown.  Feels that way, at least.  Hopefully injuries don't factor in down the playoff stretch.

I think we are definitely headed towards a likely Denver repeat, who they matchup with in the finals is far from a guarantee.

Anyone but the Cs in your book, right? I am sure you are hopeful that the Bucks make it to the finals.

I’m absolutely rooting for the Cs, may not seem like it I guess but I indeed am, they just have to prove to me they can do it because after last season and losing to the 8th seed and consistently having letdown games in the playoffs for years I’m not guaranteeing anything with this team or putting them as an “obvious favorite”
They’ve had a great regular season but some underlying issues are still there and no it wouldn’t surprise me if it ended up as Milwaukee in the finals, they do have the best player in the series after all and another first ballot hall of famer.

[Vermont Green]

Shams Charania: The Utah Jazz are waiving forward Otto Porter Jr., sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/snf1f5zdC1  – via Twitter ShamsCharania

It is too late for him to be on a playoff roster, right?

[MattyIce]

Shams Charania: The Utah Jazz are waiving forward Otto Porter Jr., sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/snf1f5zdC1  – via Twitter ShamsCharania

It is too late for him to be on a playoff roster, right?

correct