Board 8 > The NBA Finals Topic: In Which We Deal with Two More Games of Boring

(+) Yeah! (+)

I am infinitely more excited for the draft than the NBA Finals.
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Lakers are still going to be a midlevel lottery team, even with Ball

Celtics could have #1 and #2 picks next year, which is bizarre to think about.
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CherryCokes posted...

Lakers are still going to be a midlevel lottery team, even with Ball

Celtics could have #1 and #2 picks next year, which is bizarre to think about.

Assuming they take Ball, since in the rumors posted earlier they're considering trading down for De'Aaron Fox.
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Celtics get another top 5 pick to move down and take the guy who's a better fit for them anyway?

And then next year's draft is stacked again. SMH
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TheRock1525 posted...

MZero11 posted...

So wait if the Lakers pick is #1 we don't even get it?

WTF

That's pretty common. I know if Memphis got the #1 pick in 2003, they would have gotten to keep it.

Yep. That lottery was literally Memphis getting the second best player ever or nothing. Jerry West's reaction was priceless.
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Do Celtics fans have any faith in Josh Jackson?
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JetJaguar posted...

Celtics get another top 5 pick to move down and take the guy who's a better fit for them anyway?

And then next year's draft is stacked again. SMH

Next years draft is thought to be extremely weak based on how bad the showings were during the all star games and in high school.
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mixed feelings about this

I was incredibly hype about Fultz but have secretly wanted Jackson instead.
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voltch posted...

Do Celtics fans have any faith in Josh Jackson?

They just drafted a SF with the 3rd overall pick last year (Brown), so why are they going to draft the same position two years in a row? and then they're also targeting Gordon Hayward in free agency so I just don't see the point
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MZero11 posted...

voltch posted...

Do Celtics fans have any faith in Josh Jackson?

They just drafted a SF with the 3rd overall pick last year (Brown), so why are they going to draft the same position two years in a row? and then they're also targeting Gordon Hayward in free agency so I just don't see the point

Swerveeee philly takes lonzo. Jackson to lakers. Fultz to celtics. Lol.

That said, Boston is supposed to be still trying to trade and is not done. They might trade picks for a star yet. Supposedly trying to lock up two stars to max contracts.
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Corrik posted...

JetJaguar posted...

Celtics get another top 5 pick to move down and take the guy who's a better fit for them anyway?

And then next year's draft is stacked again. SMH

Next years draft is thought to be extremely weak based on how bad the showings were during the all star games and in high school.

Michael Porter would be the first pick in this draft and Luka Doncic is an elite prospect. Bamba and Ayton would also be mid lottery picks at worst.
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JetJaguar posted...

Corrik posted...

JetJaguar posted...

Celtics get another top 5 pick to move down and take the guy who's a better fit for them anyway?

And then next year's draft is stacked again. SMH

Next years draft is thought to be extremely weak based on how bad the showings were during the all star games and in high school.

Michael Porter would be the first pick in this draft and Luka Doncic is an elite prospect. Bamba and Ayton would also be mid lottery picks at worst.

Not much to support that theory. Bamba has very limited offensive skills. Ayton has dropped off some since being named the overall 1 as a junior. Porter is supposed to be good.

Knox for example is 8th and many say he is relatively lackluster. Carter is supposed to be good but many say he shrinks at times. Duval is the best pg and his shooting is suspect.

Many prospects were considering sticking around another year just because this incoming class was so weak.
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Markelle Fultz wasn't even on the varsity basketball squad in HS until his junior year.

Let's not judge these undeveloped teenagers to heavily before they get coached by some real coaches
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Nobody knows how good any of these players will ultimately be. The draft is always a crapshoot.
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what did Cleveland just do
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KommunistKoala posted...

what did Cleveland just do

fire an actual gm
get ready to put in a puppet gm
let lebron make all the decisions
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https://twitter.com/WojVerticalNBA/status/877167318060683264

ya go my spurs

get chris paul or something
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This Woj twitter is putting out stuff about Kristaps leaving?

Oh no.
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voltch posted...

This Woj twitter is putting out stuff about Kristaps leaving?

Oh no.

Apparently they are asking for a ton in return
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They better.

I'm rooting for the guy to be a big big success in the league.
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then why do you want him to stay on the Knicks
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KommunistKoala posted...

what did Cleveland just do

followed the example of the Redskins and fired their GM right before the draft

and that's always a good model to follow
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From what they are saying on the local Orlando radio, the caveat to Porzingis being dangled out there is that whoever wants him also has to take on the Noah contract.

That's is a pretty fucking big caveat! I think he's still on the hook for 17m a year for 3 more years

Adrian Wojnarowski‏ @WojVerticalNBA
Lakers are trading Tim Mozgov and D'Angelo Russell to Nets for Brook Lopez and 27th pick Thursday, sources say.

ShatteredElysium posted...

Adrian Wojnarowski‏ @WojVerticalNBA
Lakers are trading Tim Mozgov and D'Angelo Russell to Nets for Brook Lopez and 27th pick Thursday, sources say.

This is great.
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Great for who? I'd say the Nets made away like bandits on that one considering the Lopez contract is expiring. I'd have thought they would have gotten more for D'Angelo

Well they gave up on Russell rather quickly. This probably means they will be drafting Ball though.
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ShatteredElysium posted...

Great for who?

Menji is a Lakers fan, but I agree that in a vacuum, the Nets gave away little for the #2 overall pick just two years ago. I know that Mozgov has a terrible contract, but I also imagine that the Nets have a more favorable cap situation than most teams.
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Have the Lakers soured on D'Angelo's on court ability, or was this because of character issues?
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As a Lakers fan.

Makes room for Ball, a better big, gets rid of that horrible mozgov contract albeit taking on an expiring one... just means more room for PG next year. Sucks Russell wasn't worth all that much but I'm fine with it.
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Like I get them shopping him around, I just thought they could have gotten a lot more for him.

voltch posted...

Have the Lakers soured on D'Angelo's on court ability, or was this because of character issues?

It could be just to acquire an additional 1st rounder. They have three, and they could use the later two to trade up or use one as part of a package for some other player, such as Paul George.

The Pacers are intent on trading him since he came out as saying he is going to test free agency waters and wishes to go to L.A., but if the Lakers don't get him now, they risk him having a change of heart or being swayed by another team that the Pacers traded him to.
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Will those first rounders really be sought after?

I remember when the Celtics tried to trade a loooot of them and Michael Jordan just ignored them because he was dead set on picking kaminsky.
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It's a deep draft this year so they're more worthwhile than most years but yeah, always tricky relying on trading picks for players. I guess you're half looking for teams with bad salary situations where rookie contracts help them out

NBA draft is just like any similar draft in that it's a crapshoot. A team with a decent cap situation picking in the late lottery, such as the Nuggets, could possibly be interested in acquiring two late firsts to increase their odds of landing a hit.

As for the Pacers. they lost a lot of leverage with George's comments, and there isn't any system in place for being compensated with lost free agents like the NFL and MLB have, so they will simply have to take the best offer that they can get or likely lose George for nothing.
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NBA money being fully guaranteed kinda stifles a lot of trades. Bad contracts just absolutely cripple teams, there should be at least some way out without eating it all in dead money

I'm pretty sure that many but not anywhere near all contracts are fully guaranteed. If you were referring to 1st rounders, then yeah I'm pretty sure that's the case. With rookie wage scaling though, I think that other than lottery picks (or maybe just Top 5 or 10), rookie contract salaries don't make much of a dent on the ol' cap space. Of course, the soft cap is a joke, but that's a different discussion.
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All NBA contracts are fully guaranteed afaik. Rookie contracts are friendly, it's the FA bad contracts that cripple teams. Like the Knicks have Joakim Noah on 17m a year for the next 3 years, they have no way to get out of that other than a team taking him in a salary dump.

There should be a way for the player to still get his money but the team to take a lesser hit on their books if they cut him.

I know some contracts can be taken off the books but I think it requires players to retire or not be medically cleared for a number of years or something

Nevermind, I'm wrong. Not all contracts are fully guaranted. Fringe players sometimes have non-fully guaranteed contracts but typically they are the contracts that are peanuts.

Hmm, if the Pacers are offered the 27th + 28th picks + Julius Randle for Paul George, they might have to take it unless they feel like the Celtics could offer a better package. Celtics would probably be more interested in Jimmy Butler though.
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KCF0107 posted...

Hmm, if the Pacers are offered the 27th + 28th picks + Julius Randle for Paul George, they might have to take it unless they feel like the Celtics could offer a better package. Celtics would probably be more interested in Jimmy Butler though.

not really. That's a terrible offer for PG even if you think you're gonna lose him. You don't take peanuts for a star.
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Of course it isn't a good offer, but it might be the best offer someone would be willing to offer him unless you get a three-team trade. All the title contenders don't have the assets that the Pacers would want except the Celtics.
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draft season seems especially nuts this year.

waiting to see what Cleveland does
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I think the issue with that trade is that another team would be able to beat it.

Broadcasters here want the Magic to chase him but we literally did this same shit last year. Granted George is a lot better than Ibaka but we also had a hope of re-signing Ibaka whereas that isn't going to be true for George unless we won a lot. Which we won't.

Hey @KCF0107

Brad Turner%u200F @BA_Turner
Just heard @Lakers offered @Pacers either Jordan Clarkson or Julius Randle and 27, 28 pick for Paul George.

KCF0107 posted...

Of course it isn't a good offer, but it might be the best offer someone would be willing to offer him unless you get a three-team trade. All the title contenders don't have the assets that the Pacers would want except the Celtics.

Right, and if they have any sanity they would not take it.
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The Pacers don't have a lot of leverage due to Paul George's stance that he only wants to play for the Lakers after this season, so they won't get as much for him as they otherwise could or should.
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http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/report-celtics-turned-down-bulls-trade-offer-of-jimmy-butler-for-no-3-pick-in-draft/

The Bulls were rebuffed on an offer to the Celtics for the third pick straight-up, but bringing the Cavaliers to the table could increase the quality of offers for Butler, who would be eligible for a deal in the $40 million range annually if he makes another All-NBA team next season.

WTF if this is true
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MZero11 posted...

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/report-celtics-turned-down-bulls-trade-offer-of-jimmy-butler-for-no-3-pick-in-draft/

The Bulls were rebuffed on an offer to the Celtics for the third pick straight-up, but bringing the Cavaliers to the table could increase the quality of offers for Butler, who would be eligible for a deal in the $40 million range annually if he makes another All-NBA team next season.

WTF if this is true

I read that the other way around and couldn't understand what you were talking about. The CELTICS turned that trade down? What in the hell...
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the Celtics are clearly just trying to wait out LeBron instead of actually trying to turn these assets into anything they can use right away

but now they have to wait out the Warriors too
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