This and that

Yep, Pacers are a serious threat. Super smart coach.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2018/04/02/nate-mcmillan-nba-coach-year-race-brad-stevens-dwane-casey-quin-snyder-after-pacers-turnaround/472090002/

Report: DeMarcus Cousins could still be months away from returning for Warriors

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-demarcus-cousins-still-months-away-returning-warriors-005845165.html

DeMarcus Cousins might already be practicing with the Golden State Warriors’ practice squad, but it reportedly could still be months before the center makes his Warriors debut.

A report from the San Francisco Chronicle indicated that Cousins’ return from injury is more likely to come in February, rather than New Year’s Day as some speculated.

Cousins has been out since January 2018 with an Achilles rupture that ended his tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans and caused him to sign a one-year deal with the Warriors this offseason. He’s been rehabbing ever since, and had seemed to take a major step forward when the Warriors assigned him to their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz earlier this week.

Why DeMarcus Cousins is taking his time with rehab:

Cousins has been practicing with Santa Cruz, but has not appeared in any games. Given the arduous rehab required for an Achilles injury and head coach Steve Kerr’s comments, it could be a while before Cousins gets any game action.

From the Chronicle:

“That’s why we still don’t have a timetable,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said. “He needs to feel confident with the Achilles, his conditioning, his rhythm, his timing and everything else. We’re not going to rush him back. We’re going to help him through that process. When it happens, it happens.”
That’s obviously disappointing for the fans out there who wanted to see the Warriors add a healthy Cousins to the starting lineup and complete their Infinity Gauntlet as soon as possible, but the Warriors really don’t have an urgent need for the star center in the short term.


The Warriors have seen their share of strife this season with episodes like Steph Curry’s injury, the great Kevin Durant-Draymond Green feud and, most recently, getting run off the floor by a Toronto Raptors team missing Kawhi Leonard.

Despite all that, the team is currently tied for the top spot in the Western Conference with the Denver Nuggets and remains a mortal lock to make the playoffs.  The Warriors are a team overflowing with luxuries, and one of those luxuries is being able to give a four-time All-Star all the time he needs to become himself again.

Cousins returning in time to make an impact in the heart of the Warriors’ schedule would have been nice, but the team probably has bigger goals than a great regular season record.

Just a fun fact, worcester. Nate McMillan graduated from Enloe High School in Raleigh, NC in 1982...the same year and place I graduated from!

db

Good for you DB.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/40-million-mistake-jabari-parker-appears-bulls-rotation-playing-just-four-minutes-053750367.html



A $40 million mistake: Jabari Parker appears to be out of Bulls rotation after playing just four minutes



Yahoo Sports  Chris Cwik,Yahoo Sports 9 hours ago




Jabari Parker appears to have played his way out of the Bulls’ rotation. (Getty Images)



It’s safe to say Jabari Parker won’t be getting a statue outside the United Center when his tenure with the Chicago Bulls is done. Parker appears to have already fallen out of the Bulls’ regular rotation after playing just four minutes during Thursday’s 97-91 loss to the Orlando Magic.

Prior to the start of Thursday’s game, an ESPN report from Malika Andrews said Parker would be dropped from the team’s rotation. That report was confirmed during the contest, as Parker barely saw any time on the court.

After the game, Bulls coach Jim Boylen said Parker did not play much in the contest due to the matchup.

K.C. Johnson

@KCJHoop
Jim Boylen said Jabari Parker didn’t play because of a “matchup thing” and “it’s hard to play three PFs.”

60
9:19 PM - Dec 13, 2018


The 23-year-old Parker signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the team in the offseason. He ruffled some feathers immediately, telling reporters players who sign for that much money don’t play defense.

Though the Bulls signed Parker to a two-year deal, the team doesn’t have to keep him around next season. The second year of Parker’s contract is an option, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team only bet on Parker for one season, hoping he would bounce back from injuries.

The team has apparently seen enough after 29 games, and will now be tasked with figuring out what to do with Parker. The Bulls have not talked to Parker’s agent about a buyout yet, according to Andrews, though she notes that could happen closer to the trade deadline.

Parker was averaging 15.8 points and 7.1 rebounds coming into Thursday’s game. He failed to score a point in the four minutes he was on the floor during the loss.


bob
MY NOTE:  Parker was the #2 pick in the 2014 draft.  Here's the lottery picks for that draft:

1.  Andrew Wiggins
2.  Jabari Parker
3.  Joel Embiid
4.  Aaron Gordon
5.  Dante Exum
6.  Marcus Smart
7.  Julius Randle
8.  Nik Stauskas
9.  Noah Vonleh
10. Elfriid Payton
11. Doug McDermott
12. Dario Saric
13. Zach LaVine
14. TJ Warren

Embiid is a stud, obviously, but after him, who?  Smart, in my opinion, is the best of the rest (Honorable Mention to Saric).  Overall a very weak lottery. Another "well done", Danny.

.

But Elfriid Payton had that hair! He carried his own shot blocker atop his head.

Parker may have been among the best frosh to ever play D1 ball.

Injuries, and occasionally weight, seem to have slowed him significantly.

Smart was a flat out great pick. In my opinion, the third most important current Celtic behind Irving and Tatum. As well as the heart, soul, and leader of the team.

bobheckler wrote:https://www.yahoo.com/sports/40-million-mistake-jabari-parker-appears-bulls-rotation-playing-just-four-minutes-053750367.html



A $40 million mistake: Jabari Parker appears to be out of Bulls rotation after playing just four minutes



Yahoo Sports  Chris Cwik,Yahoo Sports 9 hours ago




Jabari Parker appears to have played his way out of the Bulls’ rotation. (Getty Images)



It’s safe to say Jabari Parker won’t be getting a statue outside the United Center when his tenure with the Chicago Bulls is done. Parker appears to have already fallen out of the Bulls’ regular rotation after playing just four minutes during Thursday’s 97-91 loss to the Orlando Magic.

Prior to the start of Thursday’s game, an ESPN report from Malika Andrews said Parker would be dropped from the team’s rotation. That report was confirmed during the contest, as Parker barely saw any time on the court.

After the game, Bulls coach Jim Boylen said Parker did not play much in the contest due to the matchup.

K.C. Johnson

@KCJHoop
Jim Boylen said Jabari Parker didn’t play because of a “matchup thing” and “it’s hard to play three PFs.”

60
9:19 PM - Dec 13, 2018


The 23-year-old Parker signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the team in the offseason. He ruffled some feathers immediately, telling reporters players who sign for that much money don’t play defense.

Though the Bulls signed Parker to a two-year deal, the team doesn’t have to keep him around next season. The second year of Parker’s contract is an option, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team only bet on Parker for one season, hoping he would bounce back from injuries.

The team has apparently seen enough after 29 games, and will now be tasked with figuring out what to do with Parker. The Bulls have not talked to Parker’s agent about a buyout yet, according to Andrews, though she notes that could happen closer to the trade deadline.

Parker was averaging 15.8 points and 7.1 rebounds coming into Thursday’s game. He failed to score a point in the four minutes he was on the floor during the loss.


bob
MY NOTE:  Parker was the #2 pick in the 2014 draft.  Here's the lottery picks for that draft:

1.  Andrew Wiggins
2.  Jabari Parker
3.  Joel Embiid
4.  Aaron Gordon
5.  Dante Exum
6.  Marcus Smart
7.  Julius Randle
8.  Nik Stauskas
9.  Noah Vonleh
10. Elfriid Payton
11. Doug McDermott
12. Dario Saric
13. Zach LaVine
14. TJ Warren

Embiid is a stud, obviously, but after him, who?  Smart, in my opinion, is the best of the rest (Honorable Mention to Saric).  Overall a very weak lottery.  Another "well done", Danny.

.

In my opinion, based on how they are playing currently, I would list the top players in the 2014 Draft as follows:

1) Embiid - easy choice
2) Randle - averaging just under 20 and 10 in 28 mpg, defends forwards and centers
3) LaVine - averaging 24 ppg and 5 apg, starting to live up to his potential
4) Gordon - averaging 16 ppg and 7.4 rpg while shooting a career high in 3 point %, doesn't make his team much better
5) Smart - heart of the Celtics, versatile elite defender, hasn't made much progress in his offensive game

Although that group was not great there are still a few pretty good players among that group.

On paper it certainly looked like a good draft. I like TJ Warren, Saric, Randle and Gordon. There are at least 7 starters in that group.

Parker has had more than his share of injuries and has been up and down. Based on his draft position he has fell short of expectation.

I like Zach LaVine, not a true PG but he can score the ball.

And of course Marcus Smart. My bias opinion would tend to rank him up their.

NBA rankings put a lot of weight on the offensive side of the ball. It does not measure intangibles.

Would be interesting to see where these guys are actually ranked. No I will not research that. Not that important unless we were making a trade for one of them.

TJ

Where have you been?

TJ

I can live with your top 5 rankings

dboss wrote:TJ

Where have you been?

dboss,

I got tired of dealing with a couple of the newer members here.
Ones who post a lot in a short period of time, get people riled up, then you don't hear from them for a while until they do it again.
My main supporter (Sam) was a solid defender of outsiders here. Much of that support left when he passed.
My issues were/are with a few here, by no means the majority.
I hope all is well with you.

tjmakz wrote:

dboss wrote:TJ

Where have you been?

dboss,

I got tired of dealing with a couple of the newer members here.
Ones who post a lot in a short period of time, get people riled up, then you don't hear from them for a while until they do it again.
My main supporter (Sam) was a solid defender of outsiders here. Much of that support left when he passed.
My issues were/are with a few here, by no means the majority.
I hope all is well with you.

TJ it is good to hear from you! Would be interested in hearing your take on the Lakers. I’ve watched a few of their games, mostly because I think Lonzo has great creativity and court vision and LeBron of course is a great passer. They are far from a finished product as this upcoming off season I believe they have a lot of money to spend, but I would not want to play them in the playoffs even as presently constituted.

tjmakz wrote:

dboss wrote:TJ

Where have you been?

dboss,

I got tired of dealing with a couple of the newer members here.
Ones who post a lot in a short period of time, get people riled up, then you don't hear from them for a while until they do it again.
My main supporter (Sam) was a solid defender of outsiders here. Much of that support left when he passed.
My issues were/are with a few here, by no means the majority.
I hope all is well with you.

I also appreciated the fact that you posted on this board. And I hope you will come back on a regular basis. Lots to discuss about the How quickly LAL have become a very good team and of course our on going prognostications bout the Celtics.

I am sure that Sam would expect us to embrace so-called outsiders or fans from other teams.

WELCOME BACK TJ. IS IT RAINING IN TAMPA? WE ARE GETTING DELUGED IN srq. LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU. LAKERS LOOK TO BE SCARY GOOD WITH JUST A FEW MORE ADDITIONS.

Hey Worcester, did not know you were in Tampa.  I get down there a lot.  I have a daughter in St. Pete

Next time I travel I want to take you to dinner.

Dates are welcomed and you can discuss the Celtics with Mrs dboss

Dboss, I would love that. I'm actually in Sarasota, but St. Pete is a short drive and Tampa is not far at all. W

Then it is a done deal!

Just let me know when.

Good to hear from you again TJ - It's always refreshing to read knowledgeable comments from fans with different rooting interests.

 swish

bobc33 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

dboss wrote:TJ

Where have you been?

dboss,

I got tired of dealing with a couple of the newer members here.
Ones who post a lot in a short period of time, get people riled up, then you don't hear from them for a while until they do it again.
My main supporter (Sam) was a solid defender of outsiders here. Much of that support left when he passed.
My issues were/are with a few here, by no means the majority.
I hope all is well with you.

TJ it is good to hear from you!  Would be interested in hearing your take on the Lakers.  I’ve watched a few of their games, mostly because I think Lonzo has great creativity and court vision and LeBron of course is a great passer.  They are far from a finished product as this upcoming off season I believe they have a lot of money to spend, but I would not want to play them in the playoffs even as presently constituted.

TJ

It is no longer a question of when LAL will be competitive,  The only question is  can they win the WC.  At the beginning of the season I did not think so.  Now I see cracks in GSW.  They look like team prime for a hit.

Last year  I was trying to figure out how was it that the Lakers stayed in so many game.  They did not have great shooters and they did not have highend veteran experience.  What they did have was an old school Laker look getting up and down the court.

That feature is still missing from Boston although they are up to 15.2 at # 8 while LAL is #2 at 20.0.   I have been pounding on this issue but overall I think Celtics fans that did not see the Russell and Cowens teams do not fully appreciate fast break basketball. The good news for us is that we were 27th last year at 9.6 per game (A real crab growl)

Also, Magic Johnson has reconfigured this team lickety-split.  Ainge already did that and has a ton of assets.  LAL are right on track though.

I do not know how far they will go but I do know one thing.  The Lakers cloned our fast break DNA but you never got our DEFENSE  lol.

Laker fans have nothing to complain about.

dboss

The number one contributor to the Celtic success during the Russell era was their stingy defense. The fast break, while providing entertaining action to the fans, was secondary to the shutdown effect that Russell and company had on the opponents offense.

swish

So speaking of big men, actually we had an interesting discussion on big men that dominate the game historically and in today’s game on another thread, but I can’t find it, 112288, dboss and I all had interesting views.

Well Embid with a huge dominating performance, 41 points 20 rebounds and 76ers lose to a balanced Pacer team. Key stat Pacers 40% from 3, 76ers 25% on 3’s.

swish wrote:dboss

 The number one contributor to the Celtic success during the Russell era was their stingy defense. The fast break, while providing entertaining action to the fans, was secondary to the shutdown effect that Russell and company had on the opponents offense.

  swish

Swish I beg to differ.  Their pace has yet to be duplicated.  You can look at their FGA and it was driven by fast break basketball.  Their is really no other way to explain it.  I fully recognized their defense and was just letting TJ know they did not steal that from the Celtics.  

Both are historical factors impacting 2 magnificent ball clubs.

I have always thought that Coach Tommy's teams of the 70's ran even more than those of the 60's.

Maybe that is just the perception left after listing to Tommy all these years.

gyso