Blazers yes, Clippers probably make it, and one of Nuggets/Kings/Jazz will prob be that 8th seed (like Denver out of those 3)

[Edited on July 7, 2017 at 10:26 AM. Reason : ]

7/7/2017 10:25:22 AM

I'm guessing

Warriors
Rockets
Spurs
Thunder
Twolves
Clippers
Griz
Nugs
Pelicans

Clipps could easily miss the playoffs though. Don't see the Lakers making it whatsoever.

7/7/2017 12:28:56 PM

Grizzlies are in the process of letting their core go

there's about a zero percent chance they make the playoffs

7/7/2017 2:15:04 PM

The Lakers are one player away. They just need to sign a decent SG and they will be in the hunt for a playoff spot.

7/7/2017 4:52:18 PM

LMAO

7/7/2017 6:19:14 PM

sure, if that one player is Lebron James, they're one player away from making the playoffs

7/7/2017 7:12:18 PM

Thats an absurd statement because Lebron would make them a contender only inferior to the GSW. There is a huge dropoff after the top 5 teams in the West.

Look at the competition player by player and its going to be a tossup. I am confident the Lakers will sign a guy like Pope or Miles which will put them at the level of these other tams. Don't forget that Ball will make everyone better at what they are good at.

All of these teams are pretty similar but none of them have a guard like Ball. Clippers and Pelicans are strong in the frontcourt but outmatched in the backcourt. Blazers are great in the backcourt and the Jazz are pretty balanced but lack scoring without Hayward.

Holiday
Moore
Hill
Cousins
Davis

Rubio
Johnson
Ingles
Favors
Gobert

Ball
18 million
Ingram
Randle
Lopez

Beverly
Williams
Dekker
Blake
Jordan



I mean people are actually mentioning the Nuggets who have Paul Milsap and Kenneth Faried. What are they going to garbage bucket their way to the playoffs?

7/7/2017 8:09:48 PM

^Jokic, Harris pretty good

7/7/2017 9:21:45 PM

I am extremely skeptical of Lonzo Ball and I'm semi low-key rooting for him to fail, simply because his dad is such an A-hole.

I think he'll be pretty good, but he's not the next Lebron James based on what I've seen of him playing in the Pac 12 (admittedly not a whole lot, because the league is a big snoozefest compared to others).

He's a great passer, but I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to be noticing about his game that makes him worthy of so much hype.

I need some post-bed time TWW analysis though, so plz to explain.

7/8/2017 12:39:20 PM

who has implied he's the next Lebron James?

7/8/2017 12:40:28 PM

Lonzo Ball is basically a slightly better Kendall Marshall.

7/8/2017 1:03:30 PM

Lonzo was never supposed to be a guy who dominated the stat sheet so if thats what you're expecting, you will be disappointed. He is not only the best passer of the generation, he is a leader who will make everyone else better. NBA players develop a residual fear of not getting hte ball as seasons wear on. That won't happen on the Lakers and everyone will play harder because of it. That won't show up on the stat sheet. Not even as assists. With that said, he will obviously start making wide open 3s.

7/8/2017 2:12:19 PM

Quote :

"Lonzo Ball is basically a slightly better Kendall Marshall."

He's this plus a funky jumper that may or may not translate to the NBA.

Calling him the best passer of this generation seems... premature at best.

Tulsi's post reminds me a ton of what UNC fans were hoping Kendall Marshall could become. I'm not an NBA scout or watch the game as much as others on this board, but I'm worried about his ability to defend and create off the dribble.

All that said, it's too early to say he's a bust... Dude has played only one summer league game.

[Edited on July 8, 2017 at 7:46 PM. Reason : .]

7/8/2017 7:27:46 PM

literally nobody has ever deemed him the next Lebron James

7/8/2017 8:17:44 PM

He didn't really create off the dribble in college. Most of his shots at the rim were in transition

[Edited on July 8, 2017 at 8:25 PM. Reason : Marshall also had a wonky jumper with an extremely slow release.]

7/8/2017 8:25:05 PM

Nice roast on KD by Manning.

7/12/2017 10:37:17 PM

I guess, but it's way less funny since he apparently knew about it ahead of time and was in on it.

7/14/2017 4:06:23 PM

Quote :

"it's way less funny since he apparently knew about it it's about muh dubs"

7/14/2017 4:50:59 PM

Quote :

"The Lakers are one player away. They just need to sign a decent SG and they will be in the hunt for a playoff spot."

http://www.nba.com/article/2017/07/13/lakers-sign-free-agent-kentavious-caldwell-pope

7/16/2017 8:39:53 PM

I'd stake my entire tww reputation on Lonzo being a hall of famer barring catastrophic injuries.

He is seriously that nasty. Absolutely cant miss prospect

7/17/2017 8:52:32 AM

If only his dad hadn't ruined it for him for so many fans...

7/17/2017 9:53:09 AM

I stopped paying attention to Lavar a long time ago. Lonzo is a legit player, it's easier to enjoy his game when you just filter his dad out.

Also...it's the Summer League. I mean Ball has looked good for the most part(I'll give him a pass on the bad shooting the first game or two), but once again...it's the Summer League, so he could be averaging a quadruple-double and I wouldn't care. Did find it interesting he's already complaining about playing too much and his body not holding up.

I'd say the biggest thing for Lonzo has been the locker room buzz so far, it really sounds like the staff and everyone around the team has been raving about him. Really that's more promising than his triple-doubles in the Summer League, because if he's going to be one of the pitches to bring in stars next year, it's fairly important to have a PG that guys want to play with.

7/17/2017 10:58:20 AM

Lavar is the perfect dad and the media/country will always hate an outspoken black man. He's the Muhammad Ali of parents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18bOz2X2TQE

7/18/2017 11:38:07 PM

By the way denver will be very good this season. No chance they miss the playoffs if jokic/Millsap are healthy

7/19/2017 12:49:02 AM

Also, Lonzo ball took a terrible UCLA team and turned them into the GREATEST COLLEGE OFFENSE OF ALL TIME.

I love how people just casually overlook that fact. It's not just summer league. This kid is about to become a hall of famer, period. 10x allstar, deep playoff runs, top 5 in alltime assists, etc

7/19/2017 1:09:18 AM

All I know is DSJ made him look like his BBB shoes were made of concrete.

7/19/2017 2:08:19 AM

Yeah while Lonzo was busy systematically destroying them. He basically had a triple double in the first half and 10 ast, 0 to. The dude is just plain ridiculous

7/19/2017 2:26:44 PM

not gonna lie, i do enjoy the hot takes:
DSJ = Dennis Schroder Jr.
Lonzo Ball = hall of famer

I mean, at least now i'm interested to see how it turns out

Speaking of Dennis Schroder, his DS17 Lounge is a good Yelp read:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-ds17-lounge-atlanta-4

Quote :

"When I finally got the attention of a waitress (which shouldn't have taken long since the place was empty) I order two drinks and the hookah menu. She took forever to return, and only with one drink! Yes ONE damn drink and walked away extremely fast and kept her head down (yes actually had her head down walking around. If you don't want to work then don't) It took another million minutes for her to come back and I had to remind her of the other things I asked for! But she ran over to tables where men were. Damn fool I'm a woman with a damn good job and if you do your job will I will give you a well deserved tip it's only right. But since she was too busy smiling at men and not helping anyone else she got zero tip and she's very lucky I didn't cuss her out for being so damn rude!"

[Edited on July 19, 2017 at 10:16 PM. Reason : love me some yelp reviews]

7/19/2017 10:11:17 PM

So Kyrie wasn't really hurt in game 5 of the Finals like he said earlier. It turns out he's just sick of Lebron and wanted to be traded

7/22/2017 1:07:46 AM

It's obvious he knows Lebron will only be in Cleveland for one more year so he wants to go ahead and set himself up for life-without-Lebron-in-Cleveland

If Lebron was going to be there through 2021 or something, it would be drastically different I'm sure. It's a Cleveland thing, like many other things Cleveland-related I guess.

7/22/2017 1:10:34 AM

Right. Has zero to do with Lebron's abrasive personality and him trying to run the entire organization, including him telling them how to spend all available cash on a team that can't compete with mah Dubz.

7/22/2017 1:13:56 AM

Lebron has been a really good teammate wherever he has played

kind of the opposite of abrasive

7/22/2017 1:55:58 AM

I never said he was a bad teammate on the court during game time. He's won three titles- sure, he's lost FIVE, but who's counting. Amirite?? - so he does know how to play the team sport of basketball quite effectively. His individual accomplishments are the greatest of his generation and nobody can deny he's one of the all time greats (not top five imo, but def top 10).

You don't seem to want to consider the possibility that he's a prima donna and wants to control everything and everyone around him. When he doesn't win, he throws anyone weaker than him under the bus. He's had coaches and GMs firedbecause he has to have his way and won't accept criticism. He assembled the Miami Heat teams that won two titles by teaming up with his friends and he assembled the Cavs rosters that made three straight title appearances while outspending every other NBA franchise last season. He and the Cavs were flat out exposed this year and now he wants out of Cleveland because he knows they can't beat the Warriors and he can't blame anyone but himself anymore. Some Cavs fans are crying sour grapes now saying that 'Kyrie ain't even that good', but the truth is that he's a damn good player that is tired of playing with Lebron and dealing with the drama. Kyrie was instrumental in that game 7 win two years ago, and that's not an opinion, it's an objective truth.

You can still be a fantastic player, athlete, and business person and have character flaws, you know. Being abrasive (hard to get along with, especially when things don't go his way) and refusing to accept criticism just happens to be his achille's heal. Winning cures everything, so I hope whatever team he ditches Cleveland AGAIN for is willing to cater to his every whim so he doesn't have to lose another title.

7/22/2017 12:47:30 PM

Maybe he should have made a three pointer in Game 3.

And Lebron is pretty much the best teammate in the NBA. Kyrie needs Lebron a lot more than Lebron needs Kyrie.

7/22/2017 12:49:39 PM

Quote :

"You can still be a fantastic player, athlete, and business person and have character flaws, you know"

And who on earth is saying that Kyrie will be better off without Lebron? Sure as hell isn't me. But the fact the he's tired of playing with the greatest player in the NBA says a lot about the nature of their relationship, even if he's a flat earther.

I'll say this though. If he winds up on the Spurs or the Wolves next season, I think mah Dubz will be way more concerned when facing those teams instead of whatever smoldering crater of a shitshow Cavs team is left.

[Edited on July 22, 2017 at 1:07 PM. Reason : .]

7/22/2017 12:58:10 PM

Quote :

"the fact the he's tired of playing with the greatest player in the NBA says a lot about the nature of their relationship"

It's the opposite actually. He is leaving because he doesn't want to sign himself up for a Cavs team without Lebron after next year. But if obsessing over Lebron during the offseason is how you celebrate your championship, more power to you.

7/22/2017 1:45:02 PM

^ yep

Quote :

"not top five imo, but def top 10"

leave it to the guy who has no idea what he's talking about to throw out his Top Players of All Time list

Quote :

"You don't seem to want to consider the possibility that he's a prima donna and wants to control everything and everyone around him. When he doesn't win, he throws anyone weaker than him under the bus. He's had coaches and GMs firedbecause he has to have his way and won't accept criticism. He assembled the Miami Heat teams that won two titles by teaming up with his friends and he assembled the Cavs rosters that made three straight title appearances while outspending every other NBA franchise last season. He and the Cavs were flat out exposed this year and now he wants out of Cleveland because he knows they can't beat the Warriors and he can't blame anyone but himself anymore. "

this is just a pure pile of bullshit

7/22/2017 5:47:41 PM

Lots of Golden States fans spewing stupid shit in the past few years after watching a few playoff games. God I hate bandwagons.

7/22/2017 7:02:16 PM

The butthurt from delusional Lebron homers is just awesome right now. That whole recent championship high wore off a few weeks ago, but this feels pretty nice.

7/22/2017 8:12:08 PM

Quote :

"He is leaving because he doesn't want to sign himself up for a Cavs team without Lebron after next year."

And he wants to do it in a way to show lebron he isn't the only one with power. He'd rather spend 70 million dollars to show the Lebron (and the world) that he is needed on that team to win a championship. Its an ego-revenge after finding out Lebron is leaving him in one year.

7/22/2017 8:28:35 PM

Quote :

"With this in mind, Irving considered requesting a trade after the Cavs' championship last year but decided against it, sources said."

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20124505/kyrie-irving-seeking-trade-cleveland-cavaliers

Hmm. I'm guessing he stayed because, uh, he thought the Cavs might actually win another title since they were pretty good at the time? Maybe because they had just won a fucking title?

7/22/2017 8:34:43 PM

it's clear he wants to leave a franchise on the downfall and be the #1 guy on a team of his own

7/22/2017 9:58:11 PM

Sure, but it's pretty obvious he wasn't happy playing with LEBRON, even when they were winning.
Why are the Cavs suddenly on the downfall anyway? I thought Lebron wanted to win more than just one for The Land? Is there a possibility he isn't happy in Cleveland because they won't ever beat the Warriors? Or is all this talk about him wanting to leave just speculation. Lebron fans need to make up their mind already, I can't keep track of all the excuses.

It's pretty obvious to me, and plenty of other people, that Lebron is a diva with a fragile ego who wants to run the entire show. Many folks simply don't like being around others who display those same traits, even if said person is talented and good at what they do. Your screen name is literally a reference to a Kanye West song, so I can't really expect you to recognize obvious egocentrism or abrasive behavior when you see it.

[Edited on July 22, 2017 at 10:49 PM. Reason : .]

7/22/2017 10:48:06 PM

if you followed the NBA at all, you'd know that Lebron hates Dan Gilbert

[Edited on July 22, 2017 at 10:55 PM. Reason : and this username predates that Kanye song by 3 years]

7/22/2017 10:55:03 PM

I'd hate to play with Lebron. Who wants a guaranteed trip to the Finals every year?

7/22/2017 11:06:29 PM

I'm sure playing with Lebron is fine. Personally, I'd rather play for Golden State. I'd even take a several million dollar pay cut, but maybe that's because the Bay Area isn't a shithole and my teammates would be a lot more fun to be around than him. I'm sure people would talk a lot of shit about me leaving, but I wouldn't really care because my ego isn't that fragile.

[Edited on July 22, 2017 at 11:29 PM. Reason : .]

7/22/2017 11:28:36 PM

Lebron has taken a pay cut every season since he left Cleveland...

[Edited on July 22, 2017 at 11:58 PM. Reason : ....]

7/22/2017 11:57:14 PM

hmm the kyrie decision is questionable but does make some sense the more you think about: obviously thinks next year is a lame duck year where they can't beat the warriors and a team built around lebron who is set up to leave and has no faith in the cavs management; i guess you could say he doesn't want to waste another year playing lebron's sidekick either, what is relationship is with lebron I have no idea

the most interesting question is if lebron is so clearly set to leave, where is he planning to end up? I have no clue

7/23/2017 2:28:20 PM

Lebron is most likely one of the Lakers 2 max signees (he has a house in LA and his wife wants to live there) but he could go anywhere really in hopes to build a team with 3-4 superstars. Lebron has already recused himself from the workings of a Kyrie deal so he isn't as much of a control freak as some suggest.

The really interesting thing, if they know Lebron is only staying one more year, would be for the Cavs to trade Lebron. I can't imagine how much of a future they would get from trading the best player ever. It would be substantial and worth a lot more than maybe just 1 more finals appearance.

The threat of Kyrie going to the Wolves, or Spurs probably has GSW fans shaking right now.

7/23/2017 3:35:07 PM

Quote :

"The threat of Kyrie going to the Wolves, or Spurs probably has GSW fans shaking right now."

Nah. If he winds up anywhere it's looking like the Knicks, but it's probably too late for the Cavs to trade him and come out ahead in the deal since the deals they had earlier in the off-season fell through.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20127818/nba-weeks-dysfunction-surrounding-kyrie-irving-trade-demand

I guess all of this is just #fakenews though because Lebron is the greatest and everybody gets along with him.

7/23/2017 4:26:51 PM