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

[gblews]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25868546

Anthony Davis has officially informed the Pelicans that he won't sign an extension with the team and is requesting a trade. There is another article that states that the Pels are on the lookout for tampering. The NBA has issued a statement that they have started an investigation into tampering but that investigation is targeting AD, if I read it correctly.

The article stated that AD could be fined for publicly requesting a trade. Never seen this happen before, so maybe Ive misunderstood.

The talk about tampering is all directed at the Lakers, IMO, indirectly. No one cares about ANY other team in the league tampering except the Lakers, it seems.

The Lakers and Celts appear to have the inside track, or at least that is the way it seems now. But I wouldn't be surprised if a team like say, Phoenix ended up heavily involved. This doesn't seem like a situation like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard where there was a lot of emotion involved. It seems more like strictly business for the Pels. Their concern is getting the best deal for the team.

Celts can't trade for him before July 1st, but I don't think there is much chance of him being traded before the 2/7 trade deadline. So they'll get a their chance like everyone else.

From what I've read, the Knicks are going all out, as well. That's another big market team. This is going to be bloody.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

If AD is on the record somewhere saying he wants to go to the Lakers, it lowers the offer the Celtics will make. It'd be the same as if they traded for Kawhi Leonard, a one year rental for a superstar. Make one good shot at a championship and disband the team kind of thing. Unless they could trade and extend, that's when it would be actually worth giving up what I assume is at minimum, Smart, Tatum, Brown and draft picks.

Celtics are 21-9 in their last 30, playing every bit as good as Raptors and Bucks, but looking like the highest they can rise in the standings is 3rd and will need to win away series against both.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I really wish Kyrie wasn't running his mouth about his doubt about resigning. If he wants to leave, either ask for a trade before the deadline so we can at least make a play for a year and a half of AD, or rip the bandaid off quickly AFTER the playoffs are over.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Kyrie Irving isn't known for speaking rationally, why should that change now?

Regarding Anthony Davis, don't they have him under contract for two and a half more years? It's entirely possible the situation would become untenable at some point, but they have no incentive to make a bad trade. Boston is at a bit of a disadvantage both because Irving has a player option and doesn't have to re-sign and because he has a trade kicker and can make it difficult to go to certain teams. That being said, Boston went to the Eastern Conference finals last year without him and now the East is without Lebron. There's an argument to be made that they play better when he's not on their team. I don't think losing him and freeing up cap space is the end of the world for him.

In other news, Sixers snap the Warriors win streak. Granted, it was without Klay Thompson, but they've been playing shockingly well during a stretch of games where, if they go .500, it would be a resounding success.

 

[gblews]

If AD is on the record somewhere saying he wants to go to the Lakers, it lowers the offer the Celtics will make.

He's not, on the record as stating where he wants to go, that is.

I really wish Kyrie wasn't running his mouth about his doubt about resigning.

I don't know if Kyrie's recent statements are his odd way of backing away from his previous public pledge to re-sign with the Celts, or a reflection of lingering concerns about the way the team handled the IT situation. Keep in mind, I am "somewhat" biased.

Regarding Anthony Davis, don't they have him under contract for two and a half more years?

One and a half including the rest of this season and next.

It's entirely possible the situation would become untenable at some point, but they have no incentive to make a bad trade.

Partially agree. The Pels do have incentive to make a trade, though they've not yet reached the point of desperation. The big hammer AD holds is the ability to make public his intention to sign an extension only with his team of choice. If he does that, it will dampen, or maybe even, kill the market for his services.

And also, the Pels' leverage decreases one day at a time every day closer to July 1 2020.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Given the short time until the trade deadline, I think their leverage is stronger in the off season than it is currently. There's also a chance by waiting that he changes his mind.

 

[gblews]

Given the short time until the trade deadline, I think their leverage is stronger in the off season than it is currently. There's also a chance by waiting that he changes his mind.

Per reports, the Lakers have let the Pels know that they are not willing to be in a bidding war with any other team (the Celts), and will move on if it comes to that. If the Lakers drop out of the market for AD, that leaves one less team desperate to get AD. That means the Pels bargaining position is weakened if that happens. Celts are not likely to be forthcoming with their best offers if they're the only realistic landing spot for AD.

Also, Pels might be inching closer to forcing AD to make the statement about his preferences if the Lakers drop out. Pels leverage doesn't really improve the longer this goes on, though they retain the power to trade him, until July 1, 2010. .

My guess is, and this is a biased guess, that the Pels don't want to finish the season with AD and definitely don't want to start a new season with him.

There is almost zero chance he'll change his mind.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

The Lakers said they'd pretty much offer anything but Lebron James. I'm skeptical, if their starting point is this high, that they'd just suddenly drop out because another team is interested.

People claim Anthony Davis is the best center in the league. It seems odd to think that only two teams would be interested in him.

 

[Mirror Tuvix]

It's nice people can talk about things like the Lakers and Celtics in the face of certain doom.

#Oblivion

 

[gblews]

The Lakers said they'd pretty much offer anything but Lebron James. I'm skeptical, if their starting point is this high, that they'd just suddenly drop out because another team is interested.

That may have been the perception at the start of the negotiations, but the Lakers never said they would offer "anything except Lebron". In fact the initial offer was reported to have included Michael Beasley and, I believe, Lance Stevenson, or someone else on that level.

People claim Anthony Davis is the best center in the league. It seems odd to think that only two teams would be interested in him.

Most every team in the league would want him.

Reported today and confirmed by Tania Ganguli, one of only a couple of reporters I trust on this story, confirms that AD has submitted a list of of teams with whom he would be willing to sign an extension. Those teams; Bucks, Clippers, Knicks, Lakers.

The Knicks don't have the assets to make a deal, IMO, unless NOLA just wants to send him to NYC. Frankly, I don't thin the Bucks have the players either, but just IMO because I don't know their roster. Clippers might be a threat. They have up and coming point guard, SGA, and Tobias Harris, and maybe others.

Another power move by Klutch, IMO. They excluded the one team from their list that everyone knows has the assets; Boston. This is a variation of the move I mentioned in my prior post.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

It would be just weird if Kyrie went back to Lebron now. Like the college kid who couldn't wait to get away from his parents' house then after one year got homesick and quit college.

I read an ESPN story that AD's father doesn't like the way Boston treated IT. AD could certainly threaten a championship with Boston as well as any of the other teams on his list. That may be a perception the Celtics have to deal with. Even though any team in the league would have done the same thing with an injured 5'9" player who's amazing on offense but will NEVER be anything but a gaping hole on defense.

Yeah yeah, Warriors win this year, the rest of us are thinking about what happens when their big 4 won't take championship discounts anymore.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Apparently, the Pels demanded Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, plus six to eight draft picks. They may be the funniest demand I've ever seen. But, hey, they can't say no unless you ask.

 

[gblews]

I think there nay be people within the Pels' organization who are simply determined to have the team wait until the summer before making any deal. They may think the Lakers' offer will still be there after 7/1.

Problem is the Lakers' offer should change after 7/1, especially if the Pels' don't get comparable or better offers from other teams. At this point, it's hard to see the Celts putting together a comparable or better offer even if Tatum is included. And if I'm not mistaken, statistically, Lonzo, Ingram, and Kuzma, are all slightly better this season than Rozier, Jaylen Brown and Tatum.

Maybe they're hoping to get the Knicks' lottery pick in order to get a shot at Zion Williamson, but that is a gamble and the Knicks would likely want protections on that pick.

There may also be competition from the Clippers because they can offer draft picks (after that great deal with Sixers today) and this is one of the teams with whom AD will extend. If this were to happen, I'd spend the rest of the summer on suicide watch. Honestly, I'd rather see him go to the Celts than the Clips.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The All Star game is comical to watch. It's like watching a Harlem Globetrotters game. Only whichever team has the ball gets to be the Globetrotters. The Global Select might actually defend with *more* energy.

 

[Jedi_Master]

The All Star game is comical to watch. It's like watching a Harlem Globetrotters game. Only whichever team has the ball gets to be the Globetrotters. The Global Select might actually defend with *more* energy.

It's fun, and I like it that way. It should be fun - as it's a meaningless game.

 

[gblews]

^ I agree. The NBA All-Star game is strictly for the enjoyment of the fans and the players. The selections of Dwayne Wade and Dirk Nowit by the commissioner solely because those two have been such great players in the league and this is their last season. Th game is for fun and nothing more. No one plays or watches these games to see defense.

Wade's bank lob to LeBron, Dirk's two 3's, Steph's bounce lob to Giannis, etc. this is part of the reason the NBA continues to increase in popularity. And despite it's still huge ratings, it is part of the reason the NFL as well as corporate America, are trying to steal Adam Silver.

The NFL would do well to attempt to use the NBA All Star game as a template for the Pro Bowl.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Yeah, but I can't help but think seeing the league's best players playing hard would be even more entertaining.

I can't imagine how you could make the Pro Bowl entertaining. At least in the other All Star games, players want to be there, and have a lower injury probability. Maybe if they could create some excitement around the skills competitions the way the NBA kind of does.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Celtics lose by 1 when they should have gotten free throws due to a bad no call on the missed buzzer beater which would have definitely been called if the exact same thing happened to Giannis.

 

[gblews]

Celtics lose by 1 when they should have gotten free throws due to a bad no call on the missed buzzer beater which would have definitely been called if the exact same thing happened to Giannis.

On this subject, I have always believed that the refs are right in their practice of putting their whistles away in the last seconds of a close game. I want the players to decide a close game, not the refs.

Making those types of calls ALWAYS pisses off the fans of the team against whom the call is made or not made. Unless there is a blatantly intentional foul, I say, let the players play it out.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

On this subject, I have always believed that the refs are right in their practice of putting their whistles away in the last seconds of a close game. I want the players to decide a close game, not the refs.

Making those types of calls ALWAYS pisses off the fans of the team against whom the call is made or not made. Unless there is a blatantly intentional foul, I say, let the players play it out.

If it's a ticky tack thing I agree, but not in cases where it blatantly affected the shot.

But I don't think phase of the game should affect the call. If it affected the shot, it should be called, otherwise it should not. Those ridiculous calls where somebody sticks out a leg or intentionally jumps into someone then chucks it to make it a shot should go away, regardless of whether it's the last minute or not.

And certainly how famous the player is shouldn't affect the shot. Same play, same call, regardless of whether it's Lebron James or some rookie.

**** Reggie Miller.

And they need to actually start calling flopping techs.

Most importantly though, calling should be consistent. It should be absolutely clear to everyone what's a foul and what's not, regardless of who the player is, or how much time left in the game. A foul is a foul is a foul, no interpretation or personal opinion.

This particular call, if the shooter was Giannis, would NO DOUBT have been made.