NBA 2018-19: Does the Least-ern Conference Have avChance?

[gblews]

Not a good time to be a Lakers fan. The thought that the Clippers will likely make the playoffs and the Lakers won't, has my head spinning. This, after trading their leading scorer, Tobias Harris. And the Lakers help them by inexplicably trading a solid young center in Ivica Zubac for Mike Muscala who someone someone once described as "2007 Dirk".

Per Woj today, the Lakers broke off negotiations with Melo unless the Lakers get back into contention for a playoff spot. That actually is a smart move because it gives our young guys more PT. But the fact that we're looking to sign a guy who could further disrupt our fragile chemistry is disheartening.

Magic and Pelinka put together a roster that seemed okay for a while, we were in 4th place as of Xmas day. Then LeBron got hurt, Rondo got hurt (again) and later Lonzo goes down (and is still out).

But since Xmas day it's been nothing but downhill. magic and Rob will have to take the blame for this season although the only one who will pay will be Walton.

This off season, we should make an offer for AD, Kuzma and 2 picks (and trade ballast). If the Pels say no to this, pass. Wait for 2020 free agency and see if we can get him then. That will mean again leaving a max slot open, which could also be a problem.

Jeannie needs to not wait like she did with her brother, if it looks like Magic/Pelinka is not working.

Funny thing happened on the way to another Lakers/Celts Finals...

 

[Borgminister]

And here I sit merely hoping the Kings make the 9 spot!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Okay, I just have one question here:

Can James Dolan actually DO this? Linky

I wasn't aware that saying "Sell the team" deserves a ban.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Kings pick isn't looking as good as it looked at the start of the season, but might at least have a few lottery balls. As long as they aren't the first ones to come out.

Hopefully the Celtics that show up in the playoffs are the ones with consistent ball movement, consistent energy, and team defense and not the ones where every possession ends in chucking a contested 3 with ten seconds left on the shot clock.

 

[gblews]

Kristals Porzingis is being investigated by NYPD after allegations of rape by a woman he apparently lived with. Porzingis now plays for the Mavericks after having been traded to Dallas this past February.

I went through this back in 2003 with Kobe. It turned out that while Kobe thought he was having consensual sex, Kaitlyn thought she was being raped. Charges were eventually dropped after Kaitlyn refused to testify. But in the run up to that, there were all sorts of sensational stories out there about what “really” happened, both pro Kobe and pro Kaitlyn.

I would advise wait until it all shakes out before passing judgement.
https://nypost.com/2019/03/31/krist...lack-woman-my-slave-as-he-beat-raped-her/amp/

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Magic Johnson "stepping down" as Lakers president.

Is this the most dysfunctional team in the NBA or what? They were once a great organization.

 

[Thestral]

And of course that just has to be sucking all the air out of the room while Dwayne Wade and Dirk Nowitzki are saying goodbye to Hall of Fame careers.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

If/when Celtics are out I think I will root for Bucks this year.

The only contender who built their team instead of buying it.

 

[gblews]

Magic Johnson "stepping down" as Lakers president.

Is this the most dysfunctional team in the NBA or what? They were once a great organization.

You may actually be using the term "dysfunctional" correctly in this instance.

Frankly, I'm glad to see Magic go. He has never had the skills necessary to run a team. He is indiscreet, has a problem seeing the 'big picture", has an out of control ego, is arrogant, and to top it off, he is on a power trip. My only problem is that Magic couldn't take Rob Pelinka with him. Pelinka remains the GM.

How do you leave a job (especially a job of this stature) without giving notice and without even letting your immediate supervisor know about it? But Magic has never had a job with any traditional chain of command. His lack of experience is profound. His pettiness is what caused Magic to imply during the presser, that he had the power to fire Luke. That was to make it clear that he had not lost a power struggle with Luke, though he may have with Pelinka, who, it is being reported, Magic also wanted to fire. This was completely unnecessary, but Magic couldn't stand the thought of people thinking that he had been bested politically, by Luke.

During his tenure he was known as an "absentee president". Last season when the stories broke about Lavar stating that the players no longer listened to Luke Walton, a situation that required swift response from Lakers management, none came for days -- partly because Magic was on vacation in Hawaii. Jeannie finally responded and that was followed by Magic's. Should have been the other way around.

There are also rumors that ESPN has been preparing a negative story on how Magic has treated some Lakers' employees. A story like this would likely be given credence by the reports of Magic yelling at Luke in his office.

Ultimately, the responsibility for all this falls on Jeannie Buss, who made the mistake of hiring Magic and Rob in the first place. Pelinka made one of most despised trades in team history when he traded young promising center, Ivica Zubac to the Clips for virtually nothing. Keeping him does not make me feel good.

The Lakers have been surrounded by a certain amount of chaos for as long as I've been a fan and still managed to win. Jeannie needs to forget about hiring someone who has Lakers ties (other than Jerry West) and take her time finding the right guy for the job. And whoever that is, needs to fire Rob Pelinka.

 

[BlueStuff]

East
1) Milwaukee vs 8) Detroit
Milwaukee have the best team in the East. Bucks in 4.

4) Boston vs 5) Indiana
A surprise; Pacers in 7.

3) Philadelphia vs 6) Brooklyn
Philly handle their business. 76ers in 6.

2) Toronto vs 7) Orlando
No surprises here. Raptors in 5.

West
1) Golden State vs 8) LA Clippers
Clippers are a nice story but they’re a bunch of role players. Warriors in 5 max.

4) Houston vs 5) Utah
Rockets should handle the Jazz in 6.

3) Portland vs 6) Oklahoma City
Nurkic is a big loss for the Blazers. Thunder in 6.

2) Denver vs 7) San Antonio
Spurs are well coached, obviously, but I think this one ends quickly. Nuggets in 5.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

You may actually be using the term "dysfunctional" correctly in this instance.

Frankly, I'm glad to see Magic go. He has never had the skills necessary to run a team. He is indiscreet, has a problem seeing the 'big picture", has an out of control ego, is arrogant, and to top it off, he is on a power trip. My only problem is that Magic couldn't take Rob Pelinka with him. Pelinka remains the GM.

How do you leave a job (especially a job of this stature) without giving notice and without even letting your immediate supervisor know about it? But Magic has never had a job with any traditional chain of command. His lack of experience is profound. His pettiness is what caused Magic to imply during the presser, that he had the power to fire Luke. That was to make it clear that he had not lost a power struggle with Luke, though he may have with Pelinka, who, it is being reported, Magic also wanted to fire. This was completely unnecessary, but Magic couldn't stand the thought of people thinking that he had been bested politically, by Luke.

During his tenure he was known as an "absentee president". Last season when the stories broke about Lavar stating that the players no longer listened to Luke Walton, a situation that required swift response from Lakers management, none came for days -- partly because Magic was on vacation in Hawaii. Jeannie finally responded and that was followed by Magic's. Should have been the other way around.

There are also rumors that ESPN has been preparing a negative story on how Magic has treated some Lakers' employees. A story like this would likely be given credence by the reports of Magic yelling at Luke in his office.

Ultimately, the responsibility for all this falls on Jeannie Buss, who made the mistake of hiring Magic and Rob in the first place. Pelinka made one of most despised trades in team history when he traded young promising center, Ivica Zubac to the Clips for virtually nothing. Keeping him does not make me feel good.

The Lakers have been surrounded by a certain amount of chaos for as long as I've been a fan and still managed to win. Jeannie needs to forget about hiring someone who has Lakers ties (other than Jerry West) and take her time finding the right guy for the job. And whoever that is, needs to fire Rob Pelinka.

Aw shucks. I didn't know you cared

Yeah, as I've said, I'm not a big B-Ball fan, but I remember when our Bulls were tearing it up, and yet they have the same owner now and are a perennial trainwreck with Gar & Pax leading the way.

And it's a shame with the Lakers as they've had many great eras with some of the best teams and players. I think their current situation proves you can't always just add a superstar caliber player and get better. Sometimes it has the opposite effect, exspecially when there's no real leadership.

I don't know how Golden State does it, but Steve Kerr manages to keep most of the BS and egos under control for the most part. He really retained the best of the Phil Jackson effect, even when Phil himself didn't.

 

[gblews]

Yeah, as I've said, I'm not a big B-Ball fan, but I remember when our Bulls were tearing it up, and yet they have the same owner now and are a perennial trainwreck with Gar & Pax leading the way.

With all due respect, however, you really can't compare the Bulls' situation and history to the Lakers. There really is no reason to expect the Bulls ownership team to duplicate the success of the mid 90's, since that success was tied to catching lightening in a bottle with Jordan, Pippen, and Phil.

Lakers' ownership has been in place 40 years and have produced 10 championships, 5 wiht the current execs playing a prominent role. Various ownership groups prior to the Buss family produced 6 championships. There is good reason Lakers fans "expect" to at least contend most years.

I think their current situation proves you can't always just add a superstar caliber player and get better. Sometimes it has the opposite effect, exspecially when there's no real leadership.

There really is nothing you can't count on "always" happening, true enough, but the Lakers were doing just fine before injuries hit. They were in 4th place in the west on Xmas day when we beat the Warriors. But Bron got hurt in that game as did Rondo, and they both missed numerous games. Then Lonzo got hurt and the AD fias Before the injuries, the Lakers were maybe the only team in the league that didn't need 3 point shooters in order to be an effective offensive team. happened. Those 3 guys were the teams' leaders. Our season never recovered. Leadership wasn't the main issue, despite that being the national narrative.

BTW, the Lakers fired the head of training staff, yesterday.

If there are no injuries or een just a reasonable number, the conversation today would likely be about how much credit LeBron would be getting for returning the Lakers to the playoffs.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Lots of game 1 upsets.

Celts win with 84 points. Should be interesting to see if the rest of the series is that defensive.

I think without Oladipo it’s Celts’ series to lose even without Smart. The question for Celts is whether they can “Turn it on” in the playoffs like the 2011 Celts or 2018 Cavs and out the regular season toxic drama to rest. Enough to beat the Bucks, probably not, but I see them handling Indiana.

 

[gblews]

I don't know what bracket the Celts are in, but they're either going to have to go through Toronto and/or Milwaukee (unless there's a big upset or an injury). Barring that though, I don't see the Celts getting to the Finals, and likely not even to the conf finals again. .

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I don't know what bracket the Celts are in, but they're either going to have to go through Toronto and/or Milwaukee (unless there's a big upset or an injury). Barring that though, I don't see the Celts getting to the Finals, and likely not even to the conf finals again. .

Milwaukee.

I would have given them a much better shot against Toronto. Against Bucks I give Celts 25% shot. If the Celtics are playing at 100% it might be 50/50 but they won’t have Smart.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Bye Bye Indiana.

Next series should be interesting. Would be nice if Detroit could hold out one more game and give Boston the rest advantage against the Bucks.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Celts 22 point road win.

 

[gblews]

As i always say, first game of a 7 game series is the least important. That being said, it was a good win for the Celts and gives them HCA. However, the Bucks, who for some inexplicable reason, couldn't solve the the defense the Celts ALWAYS play against them, can save their season by winning game 2 and then get a game in Boston.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I agree game 1 is least important. But considering Bucks are such heavy favorites, and considering Celtics had bad regular season, and considering it’s one year after a playoffs where they were 1-7 on the road, it’s a major statement.

Bucks will probably win game 2, but this raises my estimate of Celts’ chances from 25% to around 50%.

 

[gblews]

Celts have at least a 50% chance of winning the series because the series will likely go 7 games. I don't think the Bucks much care about being heavy favorites and possibly not living up to those expectations as long as they get to 4 wins first.

Phil Jackson was a master of "working" the refs between games in order to get more favorable calls, but I don't think I've ever seen an organization attempt an organized effort based on that organizations own "research". Houston has two of the least liked players in the playoffs in Harden and Chris Paul, and one of the most unlikable coaches in D'Antoni. Anyone who does not want this bunch to lose, is un-American.