NBA Season 2024-25

[Donoghus]

More of the same here.

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton is expected to miss Wednesday?s season opener vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. Middleton is out to start the NBA season as he rehabs from offseason ankle surgeries. Bucks are cautiously progressing Middleton toward a return.

[RJ87]

Still baffled briissett walked away from a guaranteed contract on a championship team only to not get signed by anyone.

Sometimes agents predict the market wrong. I think a lot of people really underestimated how the new CBA would affect the lower tier guys like Oshae and Lonnie.

[keevsnick]

More of the same here.

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton is expected to miss Wednesday?s season opener vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. Middleton is out to start the NBA season as he rehabs from offseason ankle surgeries. Bucks are cautiously progressing Middleton toward a return.

There are few red flags bigger than an older often injured NBA player misses the first game of the seaosn due to off season surgery. Maybe he'll be fine, but not a good start. Same with Kawhi Leonard.

[celticinorlando]

Middleton looked cooked last season.

[Phantom255x]

Could Brissett still be a cheap midseason pickup option for us near the deadline?

[RJ87]

Could Brissett still be a cheap midseason pickup option for us near the deadline?

Never say never, but he sounded like he was ready for a new start. He said if he came back to Boston, it'd just be for the good vibes and that'd be cool if he was an older vet, but he wants a chance to crack a rotation and play meaningful minutes. Gotta respect that.

[Neurotic Guy]

Middleton looked cooked last season.

Cooked I guess as a consistent number two guy, but when I saw him he looked like he could still play.  Clearly an old 33 with his injury history - can?t rely on him like five years back, but I wouldn?t mind him on the Cs bench. 

[Who]

Man, loads of contract extensions last night.

#1 = Aaron Gordon 4yrs $133mil. Good deal for Denver.

#2 = Jalen Johnson 5yrs $150mil. Ridiculous deal. Why pay him that this summer? Play out the season and make him prove he is worth the money. No need to pay him this summer. He is only starting to prove himself. Only lock him down long term if you are getting a cut price deal. A 5yrs $75-85mil type deal. Unnecessary risk.

#3 = Sengun 5yrs $185mil. I think that is the max? Good business.

#4 = Suggs 5yrs $150mil. Feels a bit pricey but not too bad.

#5 = Jalen Green 3yrs $106mil. Player option on the 3rd year. Good deal for player and team. Some security for Jalen Green but also good flexability if he breaks out and proves himself an All-Star talent which he is definitely capable of becoming. Likewise, good for team. He stagnated last year. Not locked down into a 5yr overpay. Took the middle road. Flexability for team.

#6 = Trey Murphy 4yrs $112mil. Good business. Love this player. He can be the 4th best player on a title contender. Maybe grow into a 3rd best player on a title contender. Two way player. High end defender. Intriguing offensive game.

#7 = Jaden Hardy 3yrs $18mil. I like his talent but he has not figured out how to utilize it. Not sure he is worth more than the minimum at this point. Don't believe in him.

#8 = Corey Kispert 4yrs $54mil. Ridiculous overpay. He is a below average to average backup SG.

---------------------------

Kuminga and Warriors could not agree extension.

Good news for GSW. Do not want to overpay him. He still has a lot to prove. His main breakout last year came from playing him at PF and letting him out-quick his opponents. Still a limited jump-shooter, ball-handler & passer. Does not put him enough effort as a rebounder or defender. Only interested in slashing and scoring. Needs to improve.

[Phantom255x]

Embiid is gonna miss this week to "ramp up"

Bruh how are you going to load manage at the beginning of the season? What the hell is his current injury? He seemed perfectly fine playing in the Olympics.

[Goldstar88]

Dalton Knecht getting some burn for the Lakers early on. T-Wolves struggling.

[Goldstar88]

Bronny and LeBron checking in together. 

[Who]

I was disappointed to see Rob Dillingham did not play.

I am not enthusiastic about those non-Conley lineups. They have NAW at PG and DiVincenzo (or Jaden McDaniels) alongside Ant on the perimeter. None of those wing players have enough playmaking.

It forces Ant to be the PG. He is your main scoring threat. It is too much to ask him to be both at the same time. He is not a PG or point-forward. He is a scoring guard who can pass some. He doesn't have the right mentality for that role.

It also puts him in a bad starting position. Always working up against a fully set defense 25 feet from the hoop with 5 defenders between him and the rim. Forces him to take worse shots. You want to get him the ball in more advantageous spots.

Kobe had Fisher & Farmar. Or Fisher, B Shaw, R Harper in the first three peat. MJ had Pippen. They had guys to help with basic ball-handling duties and be responsible for setting things up and keeping everyone else involved. Ant needs that. Conley does that job. But when Conley ain't on the floor, Ant has no help.

It is not like Minny has loads of scoring options either. Medium level scoring options like Naz or DiVincenzo. But the only other other volume scorer is Randle and he has efficiency problems. They need Ant to be their main scorer. Not their PG.

Misusing Ant.

[Who]

That Clippers black and white logo is awful. I thought it was the Spurs at first. Trickery!

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Butler and Bam combine for 12 points on 2/13 shooting in a 20 point loss last night.

A few things:
1. If Brown and Tatum did that, the media would be calling for one of them to be traded.
2. I'm moving toward the "Is Spo really one of the top coaches in the NBA?" questions. If he is so good, why has the team been so mediocre for so many years.
3. This Heat team might need to bottom out and rebuild, because they aren't going anywhere with their current roster and coaching.

[kraidstar]

Butler and Bam combine for 12 points on 2/13 shooting in a 20 point loss last night.

A few things:
1. If Brown and Tatum did that, the media would be calling for one of them to be traded.
2. I'm moving toward the "Is Spo really one of the top coaches in the NBA?" questions. If he is so good, why has the team been so mediocre for so many years.
3. This Heat team might need to bottom out and rebuild, because they aren't going anywhere with their current roster and coaching.

They need a rebuild. Dump everyone except Bam, tank, and get some picks and prospscts via trades.