The NBA Thread.

How bad are NBA playoff ratings if LeBron and the Lakers don't make the cut? We might be about to find out.

 

They'll be just fine. Golden State is going to win the rings but that doesn't mean that there aren't some fantastic series out there. Bucks, Celtics, 76ers and Toronto is going to be a fun ride. Out West you have Golden State but after that you have some very good teams who will fight tooth and nail to get beat by the Warriors in the conference finals.

 

I have zero doubt.

 

You can list every attribute available, won't change the fact that James is every bit as good as anyone who has ever played the game. Nobody will be better than Jordan because the legend of Jordan is insurmountable. The closest thing we have ever seen and will likely ever seen in comparison to Jordan is Kobe Bryant and there isn't a person alive who thinks Kobe is as good as Jordan, despite the fact that Kobe practically goes toe-to-toe with Jordan on a resume and his game is modeled to a T after Jordan's.

 

Name your top 5 NBA players as of right now. This is where I am right now.

Steph Curry
Kevin Durant
Paul George
Giannas Antetkounmpo
Anthony Davis

 

We should all bow down and thank Steph Curry for being Steph Curry. Transformed the game. Made it cool to be a shooter. A [uck fay]ing marksman. And we, as basketball fans are the beneficiary of that, as we get to see more skilled players. The way the game is played now can be hard to watch when teams are cold but when teams are on and drilling from deep it is a beautiful thing to watch. Guys just raining 25 foot shots. Whipping passes inside and out, setting screens and rolling. It could be a golden age for basketball if Golden State wasn't so god damn dominant.

 

And for the record, I hope the 76ers win the ring, Tobias getting traded there was a nice move that every Vol fan should get behind. He may have turned a really good team in to a real ring contender. 76ers or Bucks. [uck fay] everyone else.

 

Define "as of right now." Are you saying right this very second? Or as of like, this year/season?

I ask because of the obvious absence of LeBron's name from your list, which leads me to believe that you mean "right this very second."

 

Feel like PG never gets the respect he deserves as one of the best in the game.

 

He has a very strong case for MVP.

 

He should win. Or Giannas.

 

Overall best players. I think James is somewhere between 6-10 right now.

 

At this very moment, coming off an injury, not in top game shape, and being relied on way too heavily offensively, I’d probably agree. Pre-injury/time off? He’s the best in the world. And I think he will take that spot back, either down the stretch of this season or at the beginning of next.

The dude is 9 months removed from dropping 51, 8, and 8 in game one of the finals, after carrying his sorry team there. Everyone is acting like it’s the end of the world if they miss the playoffs. I think a summer off would be great for LeBron at this point, especially if they know they’re not contenders yet.

Right now I’d take:

KD
Giannis
Steph
PG
Not going to pick a 5th, as I don’t see anyone else on this level at the moment.

 

He is certainly capable of being the best player in the NBA again but even if he is the 6-10 range, that is incredible considering his age and the number of minutes he has played. It isn't much of a knock on James, he has just missed a lot of time and simply hasn't played as well as the other guys on the list.

 

I saw enough of LeBron pre-injury to be convinced he's still the best in the world. Obviously he's not there at this very moment, but again, I think he gets a pass from the injury for now and will be back soon enough.

I just hope Durant goes elsewhere this offseason so that we can actually have some competition for the title next year. Next year seems like the year for deciding who's the best in the world, as the title will likely be as up for grabs as it has been in a number of years, assuming certain people make certain moves.

 

Got to say I'm enjoying Bron Bron in LA more than I ever dreamed possible.

 

I'm impressed by the media's ability to overreact to every individual Lakers game, no matter the outcome. Every time they've won since Bron came back from injury, everyone's like "They're back on track!" And every time they lose, everyone says the sky is falling or that they've "reached a new all time low."

Though I do think their playoff hopes are fading rapidly, I'm not sure I agree with the ESPN headline that states "LeBron James' first season in LA has become a disaster."

Let's look at the facts:

• The team was 5th in the West prior to LeBron's injury. He missed a month of a half (17 games), and they fell out of the playoff picture after going 6-11 without him.
• Lonzo Ball has also been out since mid-January (17 games)
• In last night's "sky is falling loss," Brandon Ingram also didn't play.
• The same "worst in the NBA" Suns team that they "reached a new all time low" against this past weekend just beat the NBA best Bucks last night.

This team never had any hopes of contending for a title this season. In fact, the "plan" never included anything about them contending this season. The Lakers' goal all along was to lure one or more big name free agents this summer to play with LeBron and compete for a title next season. From where I sit, they still appear perfectly capable of getting that done. So I'm not sure why we are melting every day over the outcome of individual Lakers games.

 

he's not MJ so he must be awful.

 

It honestly reminds me of Trump. No matter what he says/does or doesn't say/do, there's a headline.

 

did you just compare Trump to James, or Clinton to MJ?

Either way, please stop and go no further. in fact, forget i asked. [uck fay] this thread, it is always a mistake to read it.