Flotsam and Jetsam Around the League 2019-2020

Suns up 2 vs Lakers in 3rd, giving them all they can handle. Aaron Baynes is having a career year, now he hits 3’s....and no Ayton

Waltah!

Yeah, unfortunately, that lead didn't hold!! LAL won by 8 I think.

db

worcester wrote:Waltah!

HUGE upset by Waltah McCahty's Evansville team over Kentucky @ Rupp Arena.


bob


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bobheckler wrote:

worcester wrote:Waltah!

HUGE upset by Waltah McCahty's Evansville team over Kentucky @ Rupp Arena.


bob


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Here's an interesting side-story to McCarty's win over Kentucky in Kentucky.


https://sports.yahoo.com/evansville-got-paid-90-k-to-go-into-rupp-arena-in-beat-kentucky-024719591.html?hl=1&noRedirect=1



Evansville got paid $90K to go into Rupp Arena and beat No. 1 Kentucky

Jason Owens, Yahoo Sports
Nov 12, 2019, 6:47 PM



Outside of its neck of Indiana, Evansville basketball wasn’t on college basketball radars entering the season.

That all changed on Tuesday when the Purple Aces stunned No. 1 Kentucky in Rupp Arena to stake a claim for the biggest story of this very early basketball season.

Making the win even sweeter? Evansville got paid $90,000 for the visit.


Why the big payday?

The Louisville Courier-Journal did a dive into the economics of a mid-major school like Evansville and reported that the $90,000 payment Kentucky offered Evansville to make the road trip is standard fare from top-level programs.

The thing about those payments is that they’re expected to come with a win attached. Evansville’s visit was no exception.


Walter McCarty, who starred for an iconic Kentucky champion, just coached one of the biggest upsets in Rupp Arena history. (AP Photo/James Crisp)


Evansville’s low expectations

The Purple Aces aren’t some sort of mid-major powerhouse. They entered the season picked by Missouri Valley Conference media, coaches and athletic directors to finish eighth out of 10 teams in the conference. They’re coming off an 11-21 season last year.

They were 25-point underdogs.


Kentucky great leads Purple Aces

They’re coached by Walter McCarty, who was a member of the 1996 Kentucky powerhouse team that won the NCAA championship. McCarty went on to be a first-round pick in the NBA, where he went on to play for 12 seasons and be a journeyman backup.

He recorded some of the biggest wins in Rupp Arena as a member of the Wildcats and just walked away responsible for one of the biggest losses.



Harry Lyles Jr.

@harrylylesjr
evansville basketball is back

https://twitter.com/harrylylesjr/status/1194438990025428992
5,821
6:17 PM - Nov 12, 2019


And his Purple Aces got paid $90,000 for the pleasure of delivering it.



bob



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The EC is shaping up to be a real horse race.  There are 6 teams in this race 
Celtics, Raptors, Heat, Bucks, Sixers and Pacers.

There is a 2.5 game spread from top to bottom between these teams.

bobheckler wrote:

worcester wrote:Waltah!

HUGE upset by Waltah McCahty's Evansville team over Kentucky @ Rupp Arena.


bob


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Another reason to love Waltah.

Que Tommy...

As of today, our Memphis pick is the 7th to 9th pick (Memphis is in a 3-way tie). It is top-6 protected, so it would convey regardless.

I don't know if this is projected to be a good draft or not, but you can usually get a pretty good player with 7 or 8.

Do we want the pick to convey this year, and get a mid-lottery pick, or do we want it to roll over to next year when it is completely unprotected? Every year that goes by gives the Memphis front office a chance to draft well or sign a good free agent that improves them.


bob


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bobheckler wrote:As of today, our Memphis pick is the 7th to 9th pick (Memphis is in a 3-way tie).  It is top-6 protected, so it would convey regardless.

I don't know if this is projected to be a good draft or not, but you can usually get a pretty good player with 7 or 8.

Do we want the pick to convey this year, and get a mid-lottery pick, or do we want it to roll over to next year when it is completely unprotected?  Every year that goes by gives the Memphis front office a chance to draft well or sign a good free agent that improves them.


bob


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I've been thinking about this, myself.

We have eleven guys under contract next season, with team option on Ojeleye and player options for GH and Kanter. My guess we say No to the O, Kanter is a maybe and GH will likely opt in giving his injury's.

I'm guessing the team will want to keep that Fall Guy too.

Waters and wannamaker's deals are over and who knows what they/danny will want to do.

but then there's the draft picks, in the second round we own Atlanta's if its 56-60 an then the less favorable of Brooklyn new york's (my guess we get brooklyn's). IN the first round we have ours and Milwalkies (8-30) both of which will be in the 20's and that Memphis pick.

I see lots of area for Trader Danny to move around and earn his name in, lots of moving parts. What I don't see in the draft just yet is a legit big that will be able to help us right away. Time Lord is our guy at the moment for the future and one has to wonder what Fall will be like after another year of working on his game. But next year we are in the hunt for a title and if we are going to add pieces, those pieces need to be able to help us right away. I don't see any of the potential 5 picks we have coming next year being able to do that. Mebbe there are players of that quality in the draft, but it does not look like those guys would be at positions we need any help with.

So as much as I hate the idea of risking Memphis getting good, and the pick improving, I'm sort of for kicking the can down the street just a bit longer.

If Gordon comes back and plays at the same allstar level he has been playing at, then I think he we would probably opt out. His agent will certainly strongly pressure him to do so

Whoever threw in the comment about the added bonus of PHI losing last night was priceless! Now if we could just get the Lakers on the same plan.

Chris Bosh did make a very interesting comment in one of the Love Fest LAL ESPN articles of late...pick one. But he likened LeBron James to a new Ferrari upon his arrival in MIA. Actually very spot on. One problem now is that Ferrari has a BOAT-TON of miles on it. And when it breaks down...and it will, EVERYTHING comes down with it. And it will take a ridiculous amount of money to fix it as well. You can put AD in there, too. Don't know if I'd call him a Ferrari yet. His shoulder isn't helping matters here early on, but both are Top 10 players.

But that's what you get when you have two Top 10 players on your roster. A whole lot is at stake. Any slight misfiring and the house of cards comes tumbling down. It will be interesting to see how LAC now progresses with George coming back tonight.

db

bobheckler wrote:As of today, our Memphis pick is the 7th to 9th pick (Memphis is in a 3-way tie).  It is top-6 protected, so it would convey regardless.

I don't know if this is projected to be a good draft or not, but you can usually get a pretty good player with 7 or 8.

Do we want the pick to convey this year, and get a mid-lottery pick, or do we want it to roll over to next year when it is completely unprotected?  Every year that goes by gives the Memphis front office a chance to draft well or sign a good free agent that improves them.


bob


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Great question.

I think we want it this year, especially if Hayward is still close to his former self when he returns.

The reason I say that is we're going to have to tie up significant money across the contracts of Tatum, Hayward, Brown, Smart and Walker. Some are done, some pending. If that's our planned core, and we're already hard capped, there's no trade that's going to make sense. Not to another team, not to Boston. Not if you want to acquire a prime center, and not if you want those five as your core.

So, a center is needed, and you can't swap or deal for a an established big name.

Maybe a mid-level exception type. That's not getting us anywhere.

What you can do is draft the best available center, who comes in at a cap friendly number for some time, and keep plugging away with R Williams and Theis. Now you have a young enough and talented enough group to select your center from, and be ready for a serious run, after another year or two of developing. Best available center... Find your starter from among Newly Drafted Center, R Williams, possibly Theis (remote possibility)... then maybe contend for #18 within 2 seasons.

So, you want the pick sooner, rather than later.

Carmelo Anthony finally finds a team so desperate they don't care about defense.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28082614/source-blazers-signing-carmelo-anthony-non-guaranteed-deal%3fplatform=amp



bob


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After watching even a depleted Clippers team last night lose to a surprising Pelicans team sans you know who, once everyone is back in place for LAC, it will be a runaway in the West and probably the playoffs.

The three-headed monster of Leonard, George and Beverly plus whoever else wants to step up to the plate each night, like Williams, that's going to be more than enough to beat anything else the league may throw at them. Can we beat them on any given night? Sure. But not a Best of 7. No way. Can we play an inspired game? Series? Absolutely. But it won't be sustainable against that team.

The only thing that can kill the 3-headed+ snake is injuries. That's about it. Beverly is the West's equivalent of Marcus Smart as far as defense goes and being extremely annoying to opposing teams. Offensively MS has him beat hands down. Marcus is close to a two way player compared to George and Leonard. Maybe 1.8+. But those two are are about 2.5-Way players each.

I don't think the 2 J's will match up well against those two. We are about 2 years behind on that. We certainly can't play like we did against WAS and leave the defense at home.

Despite the Titanic ESPN Coronation for the LAL, both will soon see LAL are light years behind LAC. And more than likely behind HOU, DEN, Jazz. Time will tell. It will be a blood bath in the West all season as those 5 beat up on each other. Glad I have LP and a recorder!

db

We have players that are still improving with big time upside and our third wing is better than they’re third best wing by far. Smart and Beverly may be close, but Kemba is better than Lou and they have no bigs with rim protection, so RW and Theis could be the difference. I would say Kawhi and PG are the best wing tandem in the game, but our guys are just as talented, just don’t have the experience, but physically we can also match up with them very well, plus we have the 3rd all star caliber wing too. The way this team has jelled, might as well go after it all now....

yeah cowens/oldschool. No reason to put this off another year or two waiting for things to gel. It will have to be inspired ball that would win it for us this year. The Celtics are certainly taking all the right steps to get there this year.

This will be the clash of the 2 teams with 2 Top Ten Players (LAL and LAC with only one showing up for the Finals) and the Celtics who don't have a Top Ten Player but definitely clog up the 11-20 part of that range. Always more than one way to get to the finish line.

db

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/why-weve-never-seen-a-player-like-luka-doncic-062202899.html



Why we've never seen a player like Luka Doncic



Mike Mazzeo, Yahoo Sports

11 hours ago



NEW YORK — Quit searching for a comparison for Dallas Mavericks wunderkind Luka Doncic.

At this stage of his career, you won’t find one.

Because no NBA player has ever put up these type of numbers in his age-20 season.

Not LeBron James.

Not Kevin Durant.

Not even Michael Jordan, who debuted with the Chicago Bulls when he was 21 after spending three years at North Carolina.

In the time it took for New York executives Steve Mills and Scott Perry to perhaps set up coach David Fizdale to take the fall, Doncic has kicked off his sophomore campaign by averaging 28.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists over the first 11 games for the Mavericks (6-5).

Plug those stats into basketball-reference.com’s database for all 20-year-old players in the sport’s history, and only Doncic’s name appears.

LeBron James averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists in his age-20 season, finishing sixth in the MVP voting as the Cleveland Cavaliers nearly qualified for the playoffs, going 42-40 in 2004-05.

Fifteen years later, Doncic is hoping to get the Mavericks over the hump and into the postseason — and he’s going to have a legit shot at winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award if he does.

“I don’t think so,” Doncic (sixth in scoring, 15th in rebounding, second in assists) replied when asked about his MVP chances on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of great players, amazing players. I don’t care about that. It’s nice to hear. But I want to get in the playoffs. It would be so much fun to play in the playoffs.”

On Thursday night, Doncic became just the second player to record a triple-double at Madison Square Garden before turning 21, joining Magic Johnson (18 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists per game at 20). He finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, but the Mavericks lost to the Knicks 106-103 in teammate Kristaps Porzingis’ return to New York.

“It means nothing,” Doncic said. “I played bad — especially on the defensive end. I’d rather have the victory.”


The Knicks' Dennis Smith Jr., right, tries to defend Luka Doncic on Thursday night. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)


Doncic already has that rare blend of attitude, skill and seemingly limitless potential. In his first season, he won NBA Rookie of the Year. In his second season, he’s taken the next step, evolving into a franchise cornerstone.

“It’s fun,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told Yahoo Sports of watching Doncic stuff the stat sheet. “We want to win more games because you don’t want them to be empty stats, but what the guy is doing at 20 years old is incredible. More importantly, he’s maturing so quickly. He’s recognizing the discipline and work required. He’s always working on his game and looking to get better. That’s the most exciting part.”

The Mavericks were already fortunate to have German star Dirk Nowitzki, who spent all 21 of his seasons in Dallas. Nowitzki captured MVP honors in 2006-07, along with the franchise’s first and only championship in 2010-11. And Cuban said in not so many words he hopes to make Doncic the next Mav for life.

“He’s a keeper,” Cuban told Yahoo Sports.

Asked to compare Nowitzki and Doncic, Cuban replied: “They’re totally different. Dirk would never smile on the court. Dirk was so emotional. He had language barriers at the beginning that Luka doesn’t have, so he had different types of challenges. Luka just comes out like we’re playing pickup at the gym. He’s having fun. He’s loving it. Being 20 and having [veteran mentors] J.J. [Barea] and Courtney Lee around him, he’s evolving.

“Luka does stupid s--t like any 20 year old does, and that’s a good thing. He’s still a kid at heart, but he’s also a professional at the same time and he’s smart. You don’t realize how smart he is until you’re around him a lot.”

Doncic is fluent in four different languages: English, Spanish, Slovenian and Serbian. He eases back and forth in three of them during his postgame interview on Thursday night, much the way he eases around opposing defenses before delivering his next highlight-reel pass or bucket.

“His passing is incredible,” one NBA coach told Yahoo Sports. “You can’t keep giving him the same looks.”

The Mavericks need Doncic at his best basically every night. Their supporting cast lacks firepower. Johnson went on to win a title and NBA Finals MVP in 1979-80 with the Los Angeles Lakers when he was 20, though he was fortunate to have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by his side. Porzingis is far and away Doncic’s best castmate, but he’s still rounding into form after missing all of last season due to an ACL injury. Then there’s Tim Hardaway Jr. and a bunch of other guys looking to prove themselves in the league.

“He’s a great player. One of the best players on the planet,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Doncic. “I don’t know how many times you’re going to need me to say that.”

According to Carlisle, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson envisioned as much well before Dallas acquired Doncic in a 2018 NBA draft-night trade that sent Trae Young to Atlanta.

“Donnie told me flat out he was going to be the best in that draft, and it wasn’t close,” Carlisle said. “That’s how he felt about it. We’re thrilled that we’ve had the chance to get him to Dallas and work with him. He’s worked hard. Each week he’s gotten better and better and better and going forward, I’m watching his workload closely, his minutes, those kinds of things. It’s important that we look out for him, too.”

The Mavericks started by playing Doncic off the ball before moving him to point guard when they dealt Dennis Smith Jr. in the deal for Porzingis.

Now, Carlisle gives Doncic free rein to run the offense to his liking.

“He’s doing the majority of the play-calling,” Carlisle said. “He looks over from time to time, and I’ll give him something if he wants it. But we function best when our point guards do the play-calling and when we’re playing out of a more random mode. Keeping the game moving is a big part of what today’s game is about anyway. You want to keep guys like Luka moving in a play-making mode throughout the game.”

Doncic has excelled in his playmaking role with the Mavericks.

Maybe he’ll lead them to the playoffs. Maybe he’ll win MVP.

Either way, he’s already in a league of his own.



bob



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Nets beat the Bulls in Chicago, snapping a 3 game losing streak..

Kyrie was a DNP.

What a coincidence...


bob


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Vegas odds on Kyrie ever winning the MVP award?

worcester wrote:Vegas odds on Kyrie ever winning the MVP award?

Most Vain?

Cowen/oldschool and BobH,

The Nots just lost sans Kyrie to the Bulls...hmmmm. So we can now state with 100% confidence with a sample space of one that the Nots play better without Kyrie?!!! Haha I love this almost as much as I love what's going on in Philly!

db

I've also seen enough of LAC for firmly state without a doubt barring the whole starter 5 are out with season ending injuries that it will be just them left in the West and no one else even in the ballpark. Was hoping to see Kawhi and George play last night for the first time but will have to wait. Looks like they don't need one or the other or even Beverly. I know the Hawks are hapless but no team gets a beat down like that in the NBA.

db