Bubble Talk

A thread for everything up to the games.



Chris Grenham @chrisgrenham
8 hours ago
Marcus Smart on Robert Williams: "The dude's head is back at the rim. He's catching crazy lobs."

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Brian Robb
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
8 hours ago
Marcus Smart on Rob Williams: "The game has definitely slowed down for him."


bob


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dbrown4 wrote:I'll jump in first.  Sorry to hear about Rondo and his thumb.  However, I'll start worrying about the Lakers title chances diminishing if Lebron goes down.  He's taken far less formidable teams to the Finals in 8 previous visits.  Otherwise, the Lakers and Bucks are still the odds on faves.  We, however, may be moving up.  

eb

dbrown

I guess Rondo will be leaving his digs at the Motel 6.  It's a tough break for the Lakers.  Having a guy to run the offense reduced Lebron's task of running their offense.  

The Celtics must avoid injuries.  Even with that, the early departure of GH reduces our chance for a deep run.  Brad is sure to explore and nail down a rotation that contemplates life without Gordon.  JT, JB and Marcus will be playing extended minutes.  They are all young guys and can be counted on to do more.

dbrown4 wrote:I'll jump in first.  Sorry to hear about Rondo and his thumb.  However, I'll start worrying about the Lakers title chances diminishing if Lebron goes down.  He's taken far less formidable teams to the Finals in 8 previous visits.  Otherwise, the Lakers and Bucks are still the odds on faves.  We, however, may be moving up.  

eb

This is a year like no there (obviously).
I think the long lay off has evened the field quite a bit.
It would not surprise me if there were multiple playoff upsets.
For the Lakers, teams like New Orleans and Portland scare me, if either one of them beats Memphis for the 8 seed.
Portland will have back Nurkic and Zach Collins.
Zion supposedly is in great shape. He was already a problem for the league when he was not in great shape.
The Clippers depth and scoring threats will still be very hard to beat over a 7 games series.
Philly will probably jump Indiana for 5th place, which is good news for Boston.
I expect Boston to stay in the 3rd spot and play Indiana (without Oladipo) in the first round of the playoffs.

TJ

Both the East and West have a lot of teams that are dangerous.  Your take on Boston is on point as I too expect Philly to move up and Indy to move down to #6.

Teams that play well away from home probably have an advantage over teams that need to play at home to win.    I think that the bubble will have a leveling impact.  

Teams with playoff experience have an edge although some up and coming team like (NOLA) could steal a series.  

Injuries and the overall health of players are the big unknows.

Russell Westbrook tests positive.
Probably won't be the last star to do so.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29455734/rockets-russell-westbrook-positive-coronavirus

gyso wrote:Bob,

Did you mean, Bubble Talk?

gyso,

Thanks. This is precisely why I hate using my phone to do stuff like this.


bob


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So what is the case with Kemba???? Reports on talk radio, he is still not right?? Is this bs from the mouths of idiots or what

RosalieTCeltics wrote:So what is the case with Kemba???? Reports on talk radio, he is still not right?? Is this bs from the mouths of idiots or what

Rosalie

It is actually true.

Coach Stevens is approaching things with the eye towards easing Walker back into the mix. Stevens primary goal is to get him healthy for the playoffs. The knee issue will need to be managed.

We could see some sort of minutes restriction and then if ready he could go full blast during the playoffs.

He must be looking at surgery after the season

RosalieTCeltics wrote:He must be looking at surgery after the season

Rosalie see this article that details Walker's knee issues

https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2020/02/26/dr-flynn-whats-going-kemba-walkers-sore-knee/

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/lakers-rajon-rondo-suffers-fractured-thumb-at-practice-will-miss-6-8-weeks-per-report/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&utm_content=algorithm




Lakers' Rajon Rondo suffers fractured thumb at practice, will miss 6-8 weeks, per report




By Sam Quinn
7 hrs ago
2 min read




Rajon Rondo suffered a fractured thumb at Lakers practice Sunday and will miss 6-8 weeks, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Sunday was only the Lakers' second practice in Orlando ahead of the NBA's restart. Rondo is the first player known to have suffered an injury at Disney, though a hand injury is unlikely to have been caused by rust. He previously missed time during the 2018-19 season with a broken hand.

Rondo, the only true point guard on the Lakers roster, averaged 7.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game before the season was shut down. He served as a reserve, serving as the primary Lakers' ball-handler when LeBron James, the team's functional point guard, went to the bench.

While the Lakers tended to struggle with Rondo on the floor, their depth already took a significant hit when starting guard Avery Bradley opted out of playing at Disney, choosing instead to spend his time with his family and focusing on community initiatives. Former backups Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were already in line for more playing time once Bradley decided not to play the rest of the season. With Rondo missing time as well, the two could be overtaxed. Quinn Cook is the only other reserve guard that spent the entire season with the Lakers.

They did, however, sign Dion Waiters right before the season was suspended and then inked J.R. Smith on July 1 during the league's transaction window. While neither share many stylistic similarities with Rondo, either could potentially fill some of his minutes as a scorer off the bench. Bench offense has been arguably the Lakers' biggest weakness this season. Their offense scores 113.3 points per 100 possessions with James on the floor, but only 105.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the bench. The Lakers have sorely needed someone to carry the scoring burden with James out. Waiters and Smith are both better-equipped to do so than the pass-first Rondo.


But Rondo's playoff experience and basketball IQ make him a favorite of both LeBron and Anthony Davis, who played with him on the New Orleans Pelicans. Analytics may not be kind to Rondo, but the players on the team trust him. Trust is a valuable trait with the NBA finishing the season in such unfamiliar territory, and with Rondo missing a significant chunk of time due to this injury, the Lakers will have to hope that the rest of their backcourt rotation can pick up the slack.



bob
MY NOTE:  No Playoff Rondo, no Avery Bradley defense and scoring.  They signed bonehead JR Smith to replace AB and Lakers' team IQ dropped 30 points.


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bobheckler wrote:https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/lakers-rajon-rondo-suffers-fractured-thumb-at-practice-will-miss-6-8-weeks-per-report/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&utm_content=algorithm




Lakers' Rajon Rondo suffers fractured thumb at practice, will miss 6-8 weeks, per report




By Sam Quinn
7 hrs ago
2 min read




Rajon Rondo suffered a fractured thumb at Lakers practice Sunday and will miss 6-8 weeks, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Sunday was only the Lakers' second practice in Orlando ahead of the NBA's restart. Rondo is the first player known to have suffered an injury at Disney, though a hand injury is unlikely to have been caused by rust. He previously missed time during the 2018-19 season with a broken hand.

Rondo, the only true point guard on the Lakers roster, averaged 7.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game before the season was shut down. He served as a reserve, serving as the primary Lakers' ball-handler when LeBron James, the team's functional point guard, went to the bench.

While the Lakers tended to struggle with Rondo on the floor, their depth already took a significant hit when starting guard Avery Bradley opted out of playing at Disney, choosing instead to spend his time with his family and focusing on community initiatives. Former backups Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were already in line for more playing time once Bradley decided not to play the rest of the season. With Rondo missing time as well, the two could be overtaxed. Quinn Cook is the only other reserve guard that spent the entire season with the Lakers.

They did, however, sign Dion Waiters right before the season was suspended and then inked J.R. Smith on July 1 during the league's transaction window. While neither share many stylistic similarities with Rondo, either could potentially fill some of his minutes as a scorer off the bench. Bench offense has been arguably the Lakers' biggest weakness this season. Their offense scores 113.3 points per 100 possessions with James on the floor, but only 105.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the bench. The Lakers have sorely needed someone to carry the scoring burden with James out. Waiters and Smith are both better-equipped to do so than the pass-first Rondo.


But Rondo's playoff experience and basketball IQ make him a favorite of both LeBron and Anthony Davis, who played with him on the New Orleans Pelicans. Analytics may not be kind to Rondo, but the players on the team trust him. Trust is a valuable trait with the NBA finishing the season in such unfamiliar territory, and with Rondo missing a significant chunk of time due to this injury, the Lakers will have to hope that the rest of their backcourt rotation can pick up the slack.



bob
MY NOTE:  No Playoff Rondo, no Avery Bradley defense and scoring.  They signed bonehead JR Smith to replace AB and Lakers' team IQ dropped 30 points.


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It's hard to say how much Rondo will be missed.
The Lakers numbers on offense and defense are better when he is not on the floor.
Is playoff Rondo still a thing? Maybe. But the days of Celtics playoff Rondo are long gone.
Rondo has played in only 13 playoff games over the last 8 years since leaving Boston.

Listen, I am beginning to worry about Kemba. Two missed practices already,  kind of scary. I hope for his sake it will be okay

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Listen, I am beginning to worry about Kemba. Two missed practices already,  kind of scary. I hope for his sake it will be okay

Rosalie did you see the link to the piece on Walker's knee that I posted to you a few posts above

It is the most detailed info on his Knee issue I have seen.

The article dboss posted is extremely informative and assuages some of my anxiety-- not all, but some

RosalieTCeltics wrote:He must be looking at surgery after the season

But there is precious little off season this year Rosalie.

So true Worcester, which makes this all the ore scary

NBA TV has scheduled some Team Restart shows in the coming days.  Team Restart: Boston Celtics is slated for 5:00 PM EST today.

This is how they describe it:


Team Restart: Boston Celtics

A look back at the first part of the season for Kemba Walker and the Boston Celtics as they prepare for the restart of the 2019-20 campaign.

Here's a link to the complete schedule:

https://www.nba.com/nbatv/schedule?cid=TS_NBA_DTC_EMA_offers_NBATVSchedule_WatchNow_hiatus_042820&_branch_match_id=768856593043278459

John Karalis @RedsArmy_John
4 hours ago
Lakers announce Rajon Rondo had surgery yesterday to repair his fractured right thumb. He's expected to return to full basketball activities within 6-8 weeks.


bob



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Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
4 hours ago
Inside a Celtics bubble practice with @Enes Kanter: "Jaylen and Jayson, man, if they’re on the same (scrimmage) team, God, you got like no chance." "Let me tell you something about Grant [Williams], he is making 3s like crazy. I promise."


bob


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I cannot wait to watch these guys in action. I know, anything can happen, and it could be wiped away with one good pandemic outbreak in the bubble!!!!!! But....at least there is something to look forward to right now!

Grant making 3's would be a wonderful thing.

bobheckler wrote:Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
4 hours ago
Inside a Celtics bubble practice with @Enes Kanter: "Jaylen and Jayson, man, if they’re on the same (scrimmage) team, God, you got like no chance." "Let me tell you something about Grant [Williams], he is making 3s like crazy. I promise."


bob


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This team has so much young talent, besides the dynamic 2 J’s, this playoff could be a coming out party for some of our young role players, GWill RW and even Romeo has the look of a playa according to my eye test.