The NBA Thread.

Also, Rondo and Westbrook on the same team will be… interesting. They don’t like each other.

 

Man, my defending champions looked really good tonight. I think this team is probably better than last year's team. We'll see if it shakes out like this. But, as much as I disliked him, Allen is an upgrade over Forbes and a year together of our Big Three should result in better chemistry. Plus, Nwora appears to be ready to contribute. We didn't even have Portis or DiVincenzo this evening, yet controlled the game against the title "favorites". Only 81 games until the playoffs.

 

Nets still can’t play defense.

If the Lakers stay healthy, I think they’ll win it all. Otherwise, I bet the Bucks repeat.

 

Lakers shooting below 50% from the free throw line. That’s really bad lol

 

I don't know what to make of the Lakers yet. They look good on paper with their 2012 Olympic team, but it seems highly combustible, potentially. LeBron will be 37 and he has a collection of 30 somethings as sidekicks. Davis is a top 4 player in the league and they would probably be wise to center the team around him for the long haul (and young legs). Westbrook is volatile.

But, the talent is there. They can win, for sure. It just seems like a mishmash of players rather than a coherent unit.

 

Their age makes them fragile. They are a glass cannon team.

 

The Warriors are going to be a real thorn in the side of the Lakers when Klay and Wiseman come back.

 

Grizzlies tied up JJ to a long term deal. I'd like him to actually be healthy and play. Going to be a rough year without Jonas, and of all people he was replaced by Steven Adams.

 

Pons going to get much PT?

 

If he can pick up some reliable 3 point shooting form I'd think so

 

Always good not to overreact to one game, especially the first one of the season, but last night seems concerning for the Lakers. Terrible free throw shooting, poor three point shooting, gave up 121 points despite Steph playing just "okay" and maybe even "poorly." And they lost despite LeBron and AD combining for 60+. That's not a good start to the season.

I think Russ will figure things out and mesh a little better, but Nick Wright on FS1 this morning pointed out what he sees as the key problem with this Lakers lineup - they can't spread the floor. LeBron made 12 jumpers last night but only had 1 bucket in the paint (a transition dunk). LeBron is most effective when he's getting to the rim, but you can't do that with guys like Jordan, Howard, and Russ on the floor, and if no one is sinking threes, it's even more challenging.

They did have a number of injuries, so maybe that plays a part in it. I was under the impression we were going to see AD at the 5 and Bron at the 4, which would make a bit more sense. Maybe they feel that the guys they need to play the 2 and 3 in that lineup are currently injured.

 

Steph shot poorly. Certainly didn’t play poorly overall. Triple-double and 3 steals, and even with shit shooting from the field, managed to go 9/9 from the line.

 

The problems for them are spacing, defense and the fact that Russ needs the ball to have any kind of positive impact (related to spacing, but the more you give Russ the ball, the more you're taking it out of the hands of one of the best players ever). All of it showed up Tuesday night. People just assume the Lakers are this great defensive team but they've traded away most of that good defense.

That said, if someone else wins the West, I would expect Phoenix/Utah/Denver if healthy over the Warriors.

 

Adams and Bledsoe could be good fits for them, Valanciunas is better than either one but IMO Memphis won that trade overall

 

I would take either the Nets or Bucks over the Lakers

 

That's fair I guess. But Steph's primary role is as a shooter. Hard to say he didn't play poorly on a night he shoots 24% from the field and 25% from 3, regardless of whatever else he did. And the bottom line of my point was that when Steph shoots/plays that poorly, the other team should capitalize.

He has also set his own bar very high, so it's an expectations thing.

 

Right now, I'd agree. But I think over the course of the season they'll mesh better and, barring injuries, win it all. We will see though. There are certainly a number of question marks.

 

Russ is definitely going to have to adjust, but I think he can and will. I also think the defense will come as the season goes on. AD is still an elite defender, and LeBron is no slouch either.

We will see. Lot's of season left, and I don't think anyone expected this team to just click right off the bat. We knew there would be an adjustment period.

 

Yeah I wasn't putting them third based on Game 1, I would have said the same thing before the season. Their former elite defense now largely rests on 1.5 good defenders, and the offense has very little shooting and added someone who can't shoot yet shoots a lot. I agree Russ will find ways to fit in, but he's not very helpful without the ball and taking the ball out of LeBron's hands isn't the best idea. Still very much a title contender because of how good LeBron and AD are.

I also think people are underrating Milwaukee slightly. They would have lost to healthy Brooklyn last year, but post-championship I don't think they are the same team that played in that series; they found the best version of themselves and I don't expect them to be rattled that way again.

 

I wouldn't say they have "very little" shooting. There are a number of guys injured. But I would agree that the roster could have been built better around LeBron and AD.

A lot could also ride on AD and how willing he is to change his role. As much as he wants to shoot 3's and play a more finesse style, he's at his best at the 5, and his team is likely at its best when he's at the 5. I was under the impression they were going to play him there more this season, so we will see if that happens.