ok i've gotta ask. i don't watch much NBA these days (that might change when the playoffs hit.......or it might not), but i do catch the scores.
in the past couple of weeks i've noticed the C's getting blown out at home by the Kings, beating the terrible Pelicans by 1 point at home, getting blown out by the awful Raptors, losing to the .500 Hawks, and then last night getting blown out again by the Lakers. i checked the box score and it appears they had everyone, including Porzingis.
what is going on with them?
I think that there are few different factors as to why there play is considered down in comparison to last season at this point.
They're shooting 36.2% from three compared to 38.8% a season ago and looking at their individual percentages you'd see that the percentages of some of the shooters that surround the Jays are down pretty significantly.
Jrue went from 42% to 38%
White went from 39% to 36%
Horford from 41% to 36%
Hauser from 42% to 38%
KP's % is up but he's only played in 20 of 45 games and they're still working on getting him simulated back in their offense.
Pritchard's is up and his overall improvement has sort of been a saving grace for the C's, he's currently made the 5th most 3's in the league this season which makes their shooting woes a little less dire.
Tatum & Brown have always been very streaky from deep and what made their offense so successful last season was having all of those above average shooters to space out the defense giving the Jays room to roam on drives.
Another factor I'd say that needs to be considered is fatigue (or tired legs) at times. Tatum, White & Jrue all went directly from the Finals to go play for Team USA while Porzingis couldn't get in his normal offseason workouts due to rehabbing his Finals injury all summer.
Also their lineups over the past couple months have been sporadic at times and its been tough building up continuity.
Horford (now 38) has missed 10 games and sits at least one end of every b2b.
Jrue (also on the older side) has missed 7 games due to different ailments/load management
Brown has missed 7 games due to ankle & hip issues
Hauser has missed 7 games due to back issues
Tingus Pingus has missed 25 games
When they're down anywhere from 1-3 of their top 8 players they're not nearly as effective overall as everyone believes them to be, especially on defense when they're missing either of their top 2 wing defenders (Jrue/Brown) or top 2 rim protectors (KP/Horford.)
That game two nights ago vs the Clippers is a prime example of this when they were down Jrue, Horford & Porzingis. LA didn't have free rein in the paint but pretty much close to it when there's no fear of a shot-blocking deterrent there. Luke Kornet & Neemias Queta are both solid backup bigs but there are reasons why they're both 3rd & 4th on the depth chart, they can & will get exploited with extended minutes.
Last night, was just their 13th game (out of 45) where they've had their top 8 all on the floor and if you watched that BOS/LA you'd see that most of their players were gassed after a hard fought OT win the night before vs the Clips.
That stat may not seem that significant but after last night's Lakers game their best 5 man lineup has played roughly 200 total minutes together this season out of a possible 2,160 minutes of 2024/25 gametime. Again, its tough building up that continuity when every other night you're down at least one starter, possibly more.
The last and most significant factor IMHO has been that they're not as locked in as last season where they were coming off getting embarrassed by Miami in the ECF. They came back and played with an edge that was honestly very 2007 Pats-ish and it resulted in a Finals win. I can't understate what a HUGE weight that was being removed. Its not easy playing sports in Boston and the expectations that come with it could honestly drive a player nuts (and probably has lol.)
Add in their propensity to not play with the same edge against lesser teams as they do better ones and they've lost a handful of more games than expected. Unfortunately, most of those have been at home. We all know the history of the championship hangover and they're currently dealing with like every other team has. Now if they continue to tail spin and find themselves sitting somewhere in the 4-6 seeding range a month from now, then sure its probably a real issue but they're still playing at a high level right now. Its just a bad quarter or half here or there and its resulted in four more losses than they had at this point a season ago. (31-14 now compared to 35-10 then)
As long as they get into the playoffs at or very close to full strength I still like their chances over anyone else. Cleveland & OKC have been phenomenal this season but being the team that outlasts everyone else is much easier said than done. So many people picked the Thunder, Nuggets & Timberwolves to win the Finals a year ago when they were all fighting for the #1 seed on the final day of the season and not a single one represented the West in the Finals.
@SanctionII said:
Maybe the Celtics have contracted whatever ails the Warriors (started out 12-3; and since then have gone 10-19).
The NBA regular season is a long grind and maintaining excellence throughout the 82 games is very difficult to do. Injuries, roster changes, mental ups and downs of individual players, inexperience of younger players, etc. come up during the regular season and contribute to teams playing bad stretches of basketball.
Me thinks the Celtics will end the regular season with a great record and in the top 2 of the Eastern Conference.
I honestly think that the Dubs are really missing the playmaking abilities of Klay & CP3 right now. They made changes that improved their defense compared to last season but its come at the expense of their offense. When Curry goes to the bench, or misses games, it really hurts not having that #2 guy (or 1A) that can pick up the offense when needed. Dennis Schroder should be able to give the O a lift at times but there's a reason why he keeps ending up on a new team, he's not much of a difference maker, at least not in NBA play like he has been in FIBA.
Its a tough spot to be in for their front office having to decide to go all in for one last run with Steph or just decide to start the rebuild. Curry isn't going anywhere and he's already on record asking the team not to do anything rash with their trade assets.
They're currently sitting in the 12th position of the lottery, it might be best for the organization to try to maximize their draft position in what many consider a deep talent stocked draft. If they end up with a top 4 pick that could be a valuable trade piece in the offseason.
i've been thinking about Curry too. i know snipers age gracefully, but he's going to be 37 in about 6 weeks and his team wouldn't even qualify for the play-in game if the season ended today. has he let it be known that he plans on ending his career with the Warriors? i look at their roster and then i think about a young, stacked team like OKC that isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future and can't help but think that his title days are over unless he moves on. and that would really suck for the greatest shooter i've ever seen to just fade into oblivion as his career ends.
Curry seems like he wants to be a Warriors lifer so I don't think he'd want to go play elsewhere. If at some point the front office could find that #2/1a scorer this offseason, Steph could probably prolong his career by slowly transforming into a 2nd option as an elite shooter. Sort of similar to how Lebron did the same with AD in recent years , slowly letting him become the #1 option on offense.
They tried going after Paul George, which would have been a huge mistake, and Laurie Markkanen during the offseason but there were rumors that GS didn't want to include Jonathan Kuminga in those deals. A Steph & Markkanen pairing would have been the best pick & roll duo in basketball. There's a chance that it could still happen this offseason, a lot will depend on where their pick lands.
Last night's game saw the Warriors blow out the Bulls. The Bulls had a 1 point lead at half time and lost by 25 points. The Warriors ran in a very up tempo game, the bench was fantastic and the three point shooting of the entire team was very good 25/57 or 43.9 percent with 14/14 from the free throw line.
When everything clicks the team can compete with anyone. When it does not click the team is terrible.
The Warriors have had problems with injuries. As a result some end of the bench players and G-League call ups have filled in and played very well. The team is now 22-22 and whether it improves, gets worse or stays the same is unknown.
Curry is still a top player, but he needs help from other players who can consistently score in bunches at will. He does not have that at this time and as a result the other teams double and triple team him knowing that if he is shut down the other Warriors players can not save the day.
@erikthredd said:
Here's a hint on how dumb most younger NBA fans are these days: Last night I was scrolling thru random crap on Instagram and see a post saying that OKC's guard Lu Dort just passed Larry Bird on the NBA's career 3pt FGs made list and roughly 90% of the comments (which were well over a 100) were saying how much of a better player that Dort is over Bird lol. Morons. 😂
Them young and dumb kids never even saw Bird play...........
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
@Steven59 said:
Well, here comes that losing streak everybody said would happen to the Cavs!
I watched the second half of their game after the C's game ended and they fought hard all the way till the end, even tying it late. They'll be fine. All this has been is a bad week and even after losing 3 games in a row Boston was only able to gain 1 game in the standings (from 5.5 to 4.5 back.)
I've had to listen to half of NE lose their marbles in recent days because the Celtics lost to the Lakers like it was some meaningful game lol. The C's finished 3-1 on their west coast trip which was all that I was hoping for.
Perhaps Jimmy Butler believes that he is being Disrespected.
I wonder if any team would be willing to trade for him by the 2-6-2025 trade deadline on terms that would be acceptable to the Heat. I suspect that the Heat will not give trade him away cheaply. I also suspect that team interested in acquiring him have reevaluated things after considering recent events and are less willing to provide to the Heat consideration equal to what the Heat are looking to get.
Does Jimmy Butler have any provision in hir current contract that gives him any leverage to influence trade negotiations? Or is he powerless to do anything (other than not comply with his contractual obligations and complain)?
Butler has a player option for 52m next season that he’s been trying to use as leverage so he gets traded to the one place he wants to go, Phoenix. the Suns are reportedly willing to extend him at his current salary (48-52m-ish) if he can get there.
There aren't many teams willing to take on a salary like his in this current financial landscape of the NBA where teams now have much harsher tax restrictions than the previous era.
He may feel disrespected but he's lying in a bed of his own making so can't really feel sorry for him especially not when he's owed just over 100M for this season and next. 9 times out of 10 I'd side with the player in these contract situations but he's already getting paid like a supermax superstar and the real issue here is the Heat just want to get their money's worth from the guy.
For years he's decided on what nights he felt like playing or not and it got so bad that Pat Riley finally said enough was enough over this past offseason. He wouldn't be broaching any talk of an extension with Butler unless he showed that he could play more games and at that point Jimmy just decided to half-ass it from that point on.
Butler and the Suns both want to see him land there but their only avenue of landing him requires moving off Bradley Beal's bloated 59M salary that has 110M owed after this season and like Butler, most teams don't want to pay that much money on someone who misses as much time as those two do.
Beal's contract is one where the Suns will have to pay some team in draft picks to take on. They just added three 1sts to help facilitate possibly moving Beal in a Butler deal so we'll see how things go. That deadline is coming up soon.
@Steven59 said:
Houston beats Boston on the road after beating the Cavs earlier on the road, yikes.
Houston Atlanta beats Boston on the road after beating the Cavs earlier on the road, yikes. Houston Indiana beats Boston on the road after beating the Cavs earlier on the road, yikes.
You do see a pattern here, right? The moral of this story is, the Cavs need to stop losing home games so Boston could do the same. 😎
All kidding aside, that Rockets/Celtics game was by far the best overall basketball game that I've watched this season. Ime Udoka had been blown out by the Celtics three straight times since they fired him and Houston came into last night's game on a mission, especially after having beat the Cavs twice last week. Boston's players matched their intensity and it made for a very entertaining game. It honestly had a Playoffs like atmosphere.
His name is already getting thrown around in a possible three team deal were Butler goes to the Suns, Fox to Miami & Beal to Sactown providing he doesn't use his no-trade clause to nix any potential deal.
Apparently seeing the Kings go on 11-3 since the coaching change hasn't been enough for Fox to want to stick around longer. Hopefully they're able to milk whichever team for all of their best trade assets if they do end up moving Fox.
There's a report now that Houston isn't interested. I also read that this maybe just a ploy by his agent, Rich Paul, to get him traded now so his new team retains his bird rights, if he gets dealt after the season ends apparently they won't applicable.
Seeing him end up in SA would be insane, especially if the Spurs don't have to include Castle but I'm not sure that they'd be offering the best return. The Kings would be trading their best player and are likely going to be looking for a massive return that helps them win now not start over again.
A lot of those moves would definitely help certain teams. If I had to guess how each one plays out it would be...
Vucevic either stays in Chicago or maybe even end up with the Lakers. GS will probably hold their trade assets to add a better upgrade this offseason.
Turner stays in Indy. Miami found a keeper in rookie center Kel'el Ware and trading for a vet like Turner would stifle his growth.
Ingram finishes out his season as a Pelican before hitting free agency.
Fox does end up in SA but not until this offseason.
Lavine has been playing lights out and would definitely be a huge addition right now for any team needing scoring. My guess its one of Detroit, Milwaukee or Orlando that reels him in maybe even the Lakers.
Butler ends up in Phoenix but only if Beal doesn't veto a trade elsewhere.
Beal probably doesn't end up in Milwaukee. There was a recent incident with his wife & kids being harrassed by Suns fans that is starting to sour their situation in Phoenix. Aside from Lebron, he's the only other NBA player that has a no-trade clause and can nix any deal if he doesn't like the destination. If I had to guess its that he stays with the Suns. Between his injury history, his no-trade and the 160M of salary owed for 24/25/26, he's not really that enticing to anyone other than some bad team willing to eat his contract for draft picks. If it is the Bucks then they'd be locked in with Giannis, Dame & Beal all around 50M+ each for the next 3 seasons. (Talk about yikes lol!)
Some of these teams being mentioned as possible destinations are over the second tax apron and would have a very difficult time acquiring a high salary like Butler (49M,) Beal (50M) or maybe even Lavine (43M.)
Cam Johnson is probably the one guy here that definitely finds a new home and there's a long of list teams that could use him. Indy, Miami, Detroit, Orlando, OKC, Denver, Minnesota, Memphis, Dallas, Sacramento and maybe even Atlanta after they just lost their 2nd best scorer in Jalen Johnson for the season. I'm just praying that he doesn't end up in Cleveland where he'd be a perfect fit. 😎
Kevin Love has been, by far, the clear winner in the Jimmy Butler/Heat saga for his commentary on IG. His remarks on each clip are spot on and absolute comedic gold. Definitely worth the quick watch (NSFW- swearing) https://www.instagram.com/kevinlove/
There would be teams interested in Lopez even at his age (36.) He was runner-up for the DPOY in 2022-23 and is still highly regarded around the league not to mention he's on a 23M expiring deal. The problem with moving him is Milwaukee badly needs perimeter defenders and if they added some by dealing away Lopez, then they just created a huge hole in their rim protection.
Ideally Middleton and his 31M salary would make the most sense to move but he's only played in 21/45 games this season and hasn't looked anywhere close to being the same player that helped the Bucks win that championship. He also has a 35M player option for next year that will almost certainly be used.
The Bucks are one of the handful of teams that are over the 2nd tax apron and are pretty limited in the type of moves that they could make. The NBA made it so difficult for high tax paying teams to make major roster improvements so that could handcuff Milwaukee here from adding a real difference maker. That all being said, they're currently playing their best basketball of the season right now having won 9 of their last 12 games.
It's not that Lopez doesn't excel in the paint and around the rim... It's that he's a liability on the perimeter against smaller lineups. They get exposed by teams that use a lot of movement, screens, hand-offs... It's been getting worse for years. You're right though about the contracts they're carrying being the root of the problem. Middleton hasn't been the same for 4 years now... I am sick of him. Lopez I really do like, but they need to break a few eggs here and change their defensive identity. from lazy to crazy.
@bgr said:
It's not that Lopez doesn't excel in the paint and around the rim...It's that he's a liability on the perimeter against smaller lineups. They get exposed by teams that use a lot of movement, screens, hand-offs... It's been getting worse for years. You're right though about the contracts they're carrying being the root of the problem. Middleton hasn't been the same for 4 years now... I am sick of him. Lopez I really do like, but they need to break a few eggs here and change their defensive identity. from lazy to crazy.
That statement could be said for every starting NBA center not just Lopez. Just look at the DPOY Gobert getting cooked by Luka and other smaller quicker players throughout the playoffs, Shaq would continually roast Rudy everytime it happened in the postgame show. Watching from afar, I honestly think that Lopez is part of the solution, not the problem, its just Middleton is close to completely untradable so it would probably be Brook getting moved.
They're in a tough spot because the front office dealt away most of their tradable picks (which has already paid off with a Finals win) and they really haven't done that well developing many of the draft picks that they did make since Giannis turned into a top 3 player (although Jackson & Green both look pretty promising right now.)
As long as they have both Giannis & Dame healthy come playoffs time, I honestly think that they're going to be a really tough out. Bucks fans really didn't get to see what that pairing would look like in these previous playoffs due to the Giannis injury and if Middleton can be 70-80% of his previous form they could possibly give teams problems.
I can only comment on what I see and what I, as a Bucks fan, want to see happen. As much as I love seeing Lopez dilate space and time as he drives down the lane on rare occasion we need someone more active who can step out and defend a little better. Or. we need to be able to cover that with the other 4 on the floor and that hasn't been happening the last 3 years.
They need better wing defenders and it seems like they're lack of development on recent picks is now hurting them. High tax teams need to be able to find cheap labor to plug in around the high salary names and the Bucks haven't been good at finding these types in quite awhile or at least since Pat Connaughton came over. They don't need to hit homeruns, just guys that can defend and fill in around the edges.
Looking at their roster they have a bunch of young wings in the 6-5 to 6-9 range, is Doc just not playing them? Delon Wright has been a solid role player everywhere he's played. Gary Trent Jr can shoot and give you decent D. Taurean Prince is one of the better 3&D guys in the league. Connaughton has definitely regressed like Middleton has and then your other younger wings in Jackson, Green, Johnson, Beauchamp & Smith pretty much just need more actual game time to improve but with that route there's definitely going to be growing pains.
Milwaukee's situation sort of reminds me of GS from last season. The Middleton/Klay situations were very similar and are/were needed to be moved to improve the roster. Like the Bucks, the Dubs are trying to find the right pieces to keep contending while trying to develop their younger players to the point that, at the very least, they're now tradable assets.
Luckily for the Bucks they still have Giannis, Dame, Lopez & Portis.
Here's something you don't see everyday, Kristaps Porzingis shoots 8/14 from three last night where the majority of his makes were from 30+ feet out. Then there was his final basket of the night from out by the Celtics logo.
(skip to the 3:53 mark) https://youtu.be/DicGRGJfVZI?t=232
This guy is 7'-3" and knocking them down routinely from this range.
Comments
I think that there are few different factors as to why there play is considered down in comparison to last season at this point.
They're shooting 36.2% from three compared to 38.8% a season ago and looking at their individual percentages you'd see that the percentages of some of the shooters that surround the Jays are down pretty significantly.
Jrue went from 42% to 38%
White went from 39% to 36%
Horford from 41% to 36%
Hauser from 42% to 38%
KP's % is up but he's only played in 20 of 45 games and they're still working on getting him simulated back in their offense.
Pritchard's is up and his overall improvement has sort of been a saving grace for the C's, he's currently made the 5th most 3's in the league this season which makes their shooting woes a little less dire.
Tatum & Brown have always been very streaky from deep and what made their offense so successful last season was having all of those above average shooters to space out the defense giving the Jays room to roam on drives.
Another factor I'd say that needs to be considered is fatigue (or tired legs) at times. Tatum, White & Jrue all went directly from the Finals to go play for Team USA while Porzingis couldn't get in his normal offseason workouts due to rehabbing his Finals injury all summer.
Also their lineups over the past couple months have been sporadic at times and its been tough building up continuity.
Horford (now 38) has missed 10 games and sits at least one end of every b2b.
Jrue (also on the older side) has missed 7 games due to different ailments/load management
Brown has missed 7 games due to ankle & hip issues
Hauser has missed 7 games due to back issues
Tingus Pingus has missed 25 games
When they're down anywhere from 1-3 of their top 8 players they're not nearly as effective overall as everyone believes them to be, especially on defense when they're missing either of their top 2 wing defenders (Jrue/Brown) or top 2 rim protectors (KP/Horford.)
That game two nights ago vs the Clippers is a prime example of this when they were down Jrue, Horford & Porzingis. LA didn't have free rein in the paint but pretty much close to it when there's no fear of a shot-blocking deterrent there. Luke Kornet & Neemias Queta are both solid backup bigs but there are reasons why they're both 3rd & 4th on the depth chart, they can & will get exploited with extended minutes.
Last night, was just their 13th game (out of 45) where they've had their top 8 all on the floor and if you watched that BOS/LA you'd see that most of their players were gassed after a hard fought OT win the night before vs the Clips.
That stat may not seem that significant but after last night's Lakers game their best 5 man lineup has played roughly 200 total minutes together this season out of a possible 2,160 minutes of 2024/25 gametime. Again, its tough building up that continuity when every other night you're down at least one starter, possibly more.
The last and most significant factor IMHO has been that they're not as locked in as last season where they were coming off getting embarrassed by Miami in the ECF. They came back and played with an edge that was honestly very 2007 Pats-ish and it resulted in a Finals win. I can't understate what a HUGE weight that was being removed. Its not easy playing sports in Boston and the expectations that come with it could honestly drive a player nuts (and probably has lol.)
Add in their propensity to not play with the same edge against lesser teams as they do better ones and they've lost a handful of more games than expected. Unfortunately, most of those have been at home. We all know the history of the championship hangover and they're currently dealing with like every other team has. Now if they continue to tail spin and find themselves sitting somewhere in the 4-6 seeding range a month from now, then sure its probably a real issue but they're still playing at a high level right now. Its just a bad quarter or half here or there and its resulted in four more losses than they had at this point a season ago. (31-14 now compared to 35-10 then)
As long as they get into the playoffs at or very close to full strength I still like their chances over anyone else. Cleveland & OKC have been phenomenal this season but being the team that outlasts everyone else is much easier said than done. So many people picked the Thunder, Nuggets & Timberwolves to win the Finals a year ago when they were all fighting for the #1 seed on the final day of the season and not a single one represented the West in the Finals.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I honestly think that the Dubs are really missing the playmaking abilities of Klay & CP3 right now. They made changes that improved their defense compared to last season but its come at the expense of their offense. When Curry goes to the bench, or misses games, it really hurts not having that #2 guy (or 1A) that can pick up the offense when needed. Dennis Schroder should be able to give the O a lift at times but there's a reason why he keeps ending up on a new team, he's not much of a difference maker, at least not in NBA play like he has been in FIBA.
Its a tough spot to be in for their front office having to decide to go all in for one last run with Steph or just decide to start the rebuild. Curry isn't going anywhere and he's already on record asking the team not to do anything rash with their trade assets.
They're currently sitting in the 12th position of the lottery, it might be best for the organization to try to maximize their draft position in what many consider a deep talent stocked draft. If they end up with a top 4 pick that could be a valuable trade piece in the offseason.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
i've been thinking about Curry too. i know snipers age gracefully, but he's going to be 37 in about 6 weeks and his team wouldn't even qualify for the play-in game if the season ended today. has he let it be known that he plans on ending his career with the Warriors? i look at their roster and then i think about a young, stacked team like OKC that isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future and can't help but think that his title days are over unless he moves on. and that would really suck for the greatest shooter i've ever seen to just fade into oblivion as his career ends.
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Curry seems like he wants to be a Warriors lifer so I don't think he'd want to go play elsewhere. If at some point the front office could find that #2/1a scorer this offseason, Steph could probably prolong his career by slowly transforming into a 2nd option as an elite shooter. Sort of similar to how Lebron did the same with AD in recent years , slowly letting him become the #1 option on offense.
They tried going after Paul George, which would have been a huge mistake, and Laurie Markkanen during the offseason but there were rumors that GS didn't want to include Jonathan Kuminga in those deals. A Steph & Markkanen pairing would have been the best pick & roll duo in basketball. There's a chance that it could still happen this offseason, a lot will depend on where their pick lands.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
The Warriors of 2024-2025 are an enigma.
Last night's game saw the Warriors blow out the Bulls. The Bulls had a 1 point lead at half time and lost by 25 points. The Warriors ran in a very up tempo game, the bench was fantastic and the three point shooting of the entire team was very good 25/57 or 43.9 percent with 14/14 from the free throw line.
When everything clicks the team can compete with anyone. When it does not click the team is terrible.
The Warriors have had problems with injuries. As a result some end of the bench players and G-League call ups have filled in and played very well. The team is now 22-22 and whether it improves, gets worse or stays the same is unknown.
Curry is still a top player, but he needs help from other players who can consistently score in bunches at will. He does not have that at this time and as a result the other teams double and triple team him knowing that if he is shut down the other Warriors players can not save the day.
Well, here comes that losing streak everybody said would happen to the Cavs!
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Them young and dumb kids never even saw Bird play...........
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
I watched the second half of their game after the C's game ended and they fought hard all the way till the end, even tying it late. They'll be fine. All this has been is a bad week and even after losing 3 games in a row Boston was only able to gain 1 game in the standings (from 5.5 to 4.5 back.)
I've had to listen to half of NE lose their marbles in recent days because the Celtics lost to the Lakers like it was some meaningful game lol. The C's finished 3-1 on their west coast trip which was all that I was hoping for.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
This situation is like the gift that keeps on giving. Third time's the charm, I guess. 😂
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43586624/heat-suspend-star-jimmy-butler-indefinitely-sources-say
edit: This was actually his 4th suspension this season, not 3rd lol.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Perhaps Jimmy Butler believes that he is being Disrespected.
I wonder if any team would be willing to trade for him by the 2-6-2025 trade deadline on terms that would be acceptable to the Heat. I suspect that the Heat will not give trade him away cheaply. I also suspect that team interested in acquiring him have reevaluated things after considering recent events and are less willing to provide to the Heat consideration equal to what the Heat are looking to get.
Does Jimmy Butler have any provision in hir current contract that gives him any leverage to influence trade negotiations? Or is he powerless to do anything (other than not comply with his contractual obligations and complain)?
Butler has a player option for 52m next season that he’s been trying to use as leverage so he gets traded to the one place he wants to go, Phoenix. the Suns are reportedly willing to extend him at his current salary (48-52m-ish) if he can get there.
There aren't many teams willing to take on a salary like his in this current financial landscape of the NBA where teams now have much harsher tax restrictions than the previous era.
He may feel disrespected but he's lying in a bed of his own making so can't really feel sorry for him especially not when he's owed just over 100M for this season and next. 9 times out of 10 I'd side with the player in these contract situations but he's already getting paid like a supermax superstar and the real issue here is the Heat just want to get their money's worth from the guy.
For years he's decided on what nights he felt like playing or not and it got so bad that Pat Riley finally said enough was enough over this past offseason. He wouldn't be broaching any talk of an extension with Butler unless he showed that he could play more games and at that point Jimmy just decided to half-ass it from that point on.
Butler and the Suns both want to see him land there but their only avenue of landing him requires moving off Bradley Beal's bloated 59M salary that has 110M owed after this season and like Butler, most teams don't want to pay that much money on someone who misses as much time as those two do.
Beal's contract is one where the Suns will have to pay some team in draft picks to take on. They just added three 1sts to help facilitate possibly moving Beal in a Butler deal so we'll see how things go. That deadline is coming up soon.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Houston beats Boston on the road after beating the Cavs earlier on the road, yikes.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Houston Atlanta beats Boston on the road after beating the Cavs earlier on the road, yikes.
Houston Indiana beats Boston on the road after beating the Cavs earlier on the road, yikes.
You do see a pattern here, right? The moral of this story is, the Cavs need to stop losing home games so Boston could do the same. 😎
All kidding aside, that Rockets/Celtics game was by far the best overall basketball game that I've watched this season. Ime Udoka had been blown out by the Celtics three straight times since they fired him and Houston came into last night's game on a mission, especially after having beat the Cavs twice last week. Boston's players matched their intensity and it made for a very entertaining game. It honestly had a Playoffs like atmosphere.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43601451/sources-kings-open-talks-potential-deaaron-fox-trade
My money is on Fox ending up with one of these three teams...
Miami (he played with Bam at Kentucky)
Houston (near where he played his HS ball)
San Antonio (his wife's from that area and he could play with Wemby)
His name is already getting thrown around in a possible three team deal were Butler goes to the Suns, Fox to Miami & Beal to Sactown providing he doesn't use his no-trade clause to nix any potential deal.
Apparently seeing the Kings go on 11-3 since the coaching change hasn't been enough for Fox to want to stick around longer. Hopefully they're able to milk whichever team for all of their best trade assets if they do end up moving Fox.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
crazy to think about the Kings giving him up with the way they've been playing
but if they do, i sure hope it's SA
pair him with Wemby and it'll officially be on
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Watch out for the Kings. They are on a roll.
There's a report now that Houston isn't interested. I also read that this maybe just a ploy by his agent, Rich Paul, to get him traded now so his new team retains his bird rights, if he gets dealt after the season ends apparently they won't applicable.
Seeing him end up in SA would be insane, especially if the Spurs don't have to include Castle but I'm not sure that they'd be offering the best return. The Kings would be trading their best player and are likely going to be looking for a massive return that helps them win now not start over again.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
A lot of those moves would definitely help certain teams. If I had to guess how each one plays out it would be...
Vucevic either stays in Chicago or maybe even end up with the Lakers. GS will probably hold their trade assets to add a better upgrade this offseason.
Turner stays in Indy. Miami found a keeper in rookie center Kel'el Ware and trading for a vet like Turner would stifle his growth.
Ingram finishes out his season as a Pelican before hitting free agency.
Fox does end up in SA but not until this offseason.
Lavine has been playing lights out and would definitely be a huge addition right now for any team needing scoring. My guess its one of Detroit, Milwaukee or Orlando that reels him in maybe even the Lakers.
Butler ends up in Phoenix but only if Beal doesn't veto a trade elsewhere.
Beal probably doesn't end up in Milwaukee. There was a recent incident with his wife & kids being harrassed by Suns fans that is starting to sour their situation in Phoenix. Aside from Lebron, he's the only other NBA player that has a no-trade clause and can nix any deal if he doesn't like the destination. If I had to guess its that he stays with the Suns. Between his injury history, his no-trade and the 160M of salary owed for 24/25/26, he's not really that enticing to anyone other than some bad team willing to eat his contract for draft picks. If it is the Bucks then they'd be locked in with Giannis, Dame & Beal all around 50M+ each for the next 3 seasons. (Talk about yikes lol!)
Some of these teams being mentioned as possible destinations are over the second tax apron and would have a very difficult time acquiring a high salary like Butler (49M,) Beal (50M) or maybe even Lavine (43M.)
Cam Johnson is probably the one guy here that definitely finds a new home and there's a long of list teams that could use him. Indy, Miami, Detroit, Orlando, OKC, Denver, Minnesota, Memphis, Dallas, Sacramento and maybe even Atlanta after they just lost their 2nd best scorer in Jalen Johnson for the season. I'm just praying that he doesn't end up in Cleveland where he'd be a perfect fit. 😎
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Kevin Love has been, by far, the clear winner in the Jimmy Butler/Heat saga for his commentary on IG. His remarks on each clip are spot on and absolute comedic gold. Definitely worth the quick watch (NSFW- swearing)
https://www.instagram.com/kevinlove/
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
The Bucks need to ditch Middleton and Lopez. Whether that has anything to do with Beal I don't know, but those 2 need to go.
There would be teams interested in Lopez even at his age (36.) He was runner-up for the DPOY in 2022-23 and is still highly regarded around the league not to mention he's on a 23M expiring deal. The problem with moving him is Milwaukee badly needs perimeter defenders and if they added some by dealing away Lopez, then they just created a huge hole in their rim protection.
Ideally Middleton and his 31M salary would make the most sense to move but he's only played in 21/45 games this season and hasn't looked anywhere close to being the same player that helped the Bucks win that championship. He also has a 35M player option for next year that will almost certainly be used.
The Bucks are one of the handful of teams that are over the 2nd tax apron and are pretty limited in the type of moves that they could make. The NBA made it so difficult for high tax paying teams to make major roster improvements so that could handcuff Milwaukee here from adding a real difference maker. That all being said, they're currently playing their best basketball of the season right now having won 9 of their last 12 games.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
It's not that Lopez doesn't excel in the paint and around the rim... It's that he's a liability on the perimeter against smaller lineups. They get exposed by teams that use a lot of movement, screens, hand-offs... It's been getting worse for years. You're right though about the contracts they're carrying being the root of the problem. Middleton hasn't been the same for 4 years now... I am sick of him. Lopez I really do like, but they need to break a few eggs here and change their defensive identity. from lazy to crazy.
That statement could be said for every starting NBA center not just Lopez. Just look at the DPOY Gobert getting cooked by Luka and other smaller quicker players throughout the playoffs, Shaq would continually roast Rudy everytime it happened in the postgame show. Watching from afar, I honestly think that Lopez is part of the solution, not the problem, its just Middleton is close to completely untradable so it would probably be Brook getting moved.
They're in a tough spot because the front office dealt away most of their tradable picks (which has already paid off with a Finals win) and they really haven't done that well developing many of the draft picks that they did make since Giannis turned into a top 3 player (although Jackson & Green both look pretty promising right now.)
As long as they have both Giannis & Dame healthy come playoffs time, I honestly think that they're going to be a really tough out. Bucks fans really didn't get to see what that pairing would look like in these previous playoffs due to the Giannis injury and if Middleton can be 70-80% of his previous form they could possibly give teams problems.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I can only comment on what I see and what I, as a Bucks fan, want to see happen. As much as I love seeing Lopez dilate space and time as he drives down the lane on rare occasion we need someone more active who can step out and defend a little better. Or. we need to be able to cover that with the other 4 on the floor and that hasn't been happening the last 3 years.
They need better wing defenders and it seems like they're lack of development on recent picks is now hurting them. High tax teams need to be able to find cheap labor to plug in around the high salary names and the Bucks haven't been good at finding these types in quite awhile or at least since Pat Connaughton came over. They don't need to hit homeruns, just guys that can defend and fill in around the edges.
Looking at their roster they have a bunch of young wings in the 6-5 to 6-9 range, is Doc just not playing them? Delon Wright has been a solid role player everywhere he's played. Gary Trent Jr can shoot and give you decent D. Taurean Prince is one of the better 3&D guys in the league. Connaughton has definitely regressed like Middleton has and then your other younger wings in Jackson, Green, Johnson, Beauchamp & Smith pretty much just need more actual game time to improve but with that route there's definitely going to be growing pains.
Milwaukee's situation sort of reminds me of GS from last season. The Middleton/Klay situations were very similar and are/were needed to be moved to improve the roster. Like the Bucks, the Dubs are trying to find the right pieces to keep contending while trying to develop their younger players to the point that, at the very least, they're now tradable assets.
Luckily for the Bucks they still have Giannis, Dame, Lopez & Portis.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
How strange it is that the Warriors beat OKC last night, for the second time this year.
Here's something you don't see everyday, Kristaps Porzingis shoots 8/14 from three last night where the majority of his makes were from 30+ feet out. Then there was his final basket of the night from out by the Celtics logo.
https://youtu.be/DicGRGJfVZI?t=232
(skip to the 3:53 mark)
This guy is 7'-3" and knocking them down routinely from this range.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486