NBA - Anything goes including pictures
- Thread starter JonSR77
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Lethe200
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Steve Kerr's press conference post-game 4 where he expressed his thoughts on the Uvalde shooting:
YouTube: Steve Kerr, Warriors coach on the Uvalde tragedy
Non-Warriors fans may or may not know that Kerr's father was assassinated when his family was in the Middle East, while his father was on a teaching assignment. He was 18 yrs old when Prof. Malcolm Kerr, a tenured political science instructor at UCLA, was murdered in Lebanon in 1984. Kerr’s mother, Ann Kerr-Adams, is also a scholar, who now heads the Fulbright scholar-enrichment program at UCLA. His paternal grandparents worked on a medical emergency team that treated the injured on both side of the Turkey-Armenian conflict now known as the Armenian Genocide in the early 20th century.
YouTube: Steve Kerr, Warriors coach on the Uvalde tragedy
Non-Warriors fans may or may not know that Kerr's father was assassinated when his family was in the Middle East, while his father was on a teaching assignment. He was 18 yrs old when Prof. Malcolm Kerr, a tenured political science instructor at UCLA, was murdered in Lebanon in 1984. Kerr’s mother, Ann Kerr-Adams, is also a scholar, who now heads the Fulbright scholar-enrichment program at UCLA. His paternal grandparents worked on a medical emergency team that treated the injured on both side of the Turkey-Armenian conflict now known as the Armenian Genocide in the early 20th century.
![3dc4919e3f570ed4fb931198f83ff32e[1].jpg](https://www.seniorforums.com/data/attachments/199/199789-0156b031598b0269e571372e2d63a417.jpg "3dc4919e3f570ed4fb931198f83ff32e[1].jpg")
Lethe200
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- San Francisco Bay Area
Wilt Chamberlain was not only an amazing NBA player but also a phenomenal athlete in track & field. It's said he could take two steps and LEAP from the 15' foul line to dunk a basketball! The rule in NCAA and later NBA that a player had to stand with toes on the foul line was instituted because of him.
A crewmember associated with the 1984 film "Conan the Destroyer" was quoted as saying Wilt, at the age of 48, inadvertently embarrassed Arnold Schwarzenegger in the weight room and afterwards, Arnold avoided going there whenever Wilt was using the weights.
A crewmember associated with the 1984 film "Conan the Destroyer" was quoted as saying Wilt, at the age of 48, inadvertently embarrassed Arnold Schwarzenegger in the weight room and afterwards, Arnold avoided going there whenever Wilt was using the weights.
Lethe200
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
Gotta love the hypocrisy of these "other team owners". Only 4 of the NBA teams are under the salary cap (it's a "soft" cap); all the other teams including the Warriors are paying luxury taxes.
One of the best aspects of the current NBA Finals is that both Boston and Golden State formed their first string 'core' around players each organization originally drafted and have kept. They did not run out and buy superstars as the Lakers and Nets have done.
But what about Kevin Durant, you say? KD came to the Warriors specifically to win a championship, a la LeBron James choosing to go to Miami and then to Los Angeles. I knew KD would never stay with GSW; it was great to have him (and watch him play! what a shooter!) but it was SO obvious he did not "fit" with the organization and the way the team likes to play. If it hadn't been for Curry willing to step back and change the way the GSW offense flows, it would have been like having someone like Harden come in: great ability, but who always wants to be the star, the "face" of the team. So he stayed for a few years, got his two rings, and took himself off to the Nets, where again he's trying to do what LBJames has done.
We GSW fans feel fortunate that Lacob would rather keep a great team together, rather than go buy a super-fancy mega-yacht, LOL. I was on the Dallas fanboards when GSW was playing last month against the Mavericks, and somebody dissed Lacob for this same criticism. A Dallas fan immediately pointed out that Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks, has 3x the fortune Lacob does - he's just not as willing to spend more on the Mavericks and their own luxury tax spending.
I'm pretty sure Dallas and Memphis fans would LOVE their owners to spend a little more $$$$ on their teams - both are good teams that are only a couple of players away from their own championship finals.
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Other NBA teams reportedly 'grumbling' that Warriors' Joe Lacob is too committed to spending on winning
SFGATE June 7, 2022
Rival executives are already annoyed about how much more the Golden State Warriors can spend on their homegrown players ahead of an offseason where the team could hit an unprecedented payroll mark, according to an ESPN report.
Zach Lowe published a story Tuesday detailing the effects that the Andrew Wiggins trade might have on the future of the organization, particularly when his contract is up after next season. Cap experts he spoke to estimate that if the Dubs were to pay Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II, their combined payroll and luxury tax penalties could hit $475 million. (For reference, that number was at $346 million for this season, already a league record.)
That spending, and the possibility of it increasing by another third, means that “rivals are already grumbling about Golden State’s competitive spending advantage,” according to Lowe.
The whining from rival executives comes down to the Warriors simply spending money on a winning team. Lowe's sources are arguing that the Warriors' "advantage" over the rest of the league is something that every other franchise could very easily do but won't because their billionaire owner doesn't feel like opening up the wallet. Not to mention that the Warriors' high spending has actual benefits for other teams, as some money from luxury tax penalties goes back to teams below the tax line. That's how much Lacob's rival rich guys prize restricting salaries.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers responded to this “grumbling” on Tuesday in an appearance with 95.7 The Game. "You should be allowed to spend on your own players," he said. "We drafted these guys, we developed them. It's not like we went out and signed all these guys as free agents."
Hey, it's not like NBA cap rules have ever helped the Warriors sign an expensive free agent. But however cap rules shift, whether toward restricting player movement or encouraging it, some teams will use them to make more money. And others will exploit them to prioritize winning.
One of the best aspects of the current NBA Finals is that both Boston and Golden State formed their first string 'core' around players each organization originally drafted and have kept. They did not run out and buy superstars as the Lakers and Nets have done.
But what about Kevin Durant, you say? KD came to the Warriors specifically to win a championship, a la LeBron James choosing to go to Miami and then to Los Angeles. I knew KD would never stay with GSW; it was great to have him (and watch him play! what a shooter!) but it was SO obvious he did not "fit" with the organization and the way the team likes to play. If it hadn't been for Curry willing to step back and change the way the GSW offense flows, it would have been like having someone like Harden come in: great ability, but who always wants to be the star, the "face" of the team. So he stayed for a few years, got his two rings, and took himself off to the Nets, where again he's trying to do what LBJames has done.
We GSW fans feel fortunate that Lacob would rather keep a great team together, rather than go buy a super-fancy mega-yacht, LOL. I was on the Dallas fanboards when GSW was playing last month against the Mavericks, and somebody dissed Lacob for this same criticism. A Dallas fan immediately pointed out that Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks, has 3x the fortune Lacob does - he's just not as willing to spend more on the Mavericks and their own luxury tax spending.
I'm pretty sure Dallas and Memphis fans would LOVE their owners to spend a little more $$$$ on their teams - both are good teams that are only a couple of players away from their own championship finals.
=====
Other NBA teams reportedly 'grumbling' that Warriors' Joe Lacob is too committed to spending on winning
SFGATE June 7, 2022
Rival executives are already annoyed about how much more the Golden State Warriors can spend on their homegrown players ahead of an offseason where the team could hit an unprecedented payroll mark, according to an ESPN report.
Zach Lowe published a story Tuesday detailing the effects that the Andrew Wiggins trade might have on the future of the organization, particularly when his contract is up after next season. Cap experts he spoke to estimate that if the Dubs were to pay Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II, their combined payroll and luxury tax penalties could hit $475 million. (For reference, that number was at $346 million for this season, already a league record.)
That spending, and the possibility of it increasing by another third, means that “rivals are already grumbling about Golden State’s competitive spending advantage,” according to Lowe.
The whining from rival executives comes down to the Warriors simply spending money on a winning team. Lowe's sources are arguing that the Warriors' "advantage" over the rest of the league is something that every other franchise could very easily do but won't because their billionaire owner doesn't feel like opening up the wallet. Not to mention that the Warriors' high spending has actual benefits for other teams, as some money from luxury tax penalties goes back to teams below the tax line. That's how much Lacob's rival rich guys prize restricting salaries.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers responded to this “grumbling” on Tuesday in an appearance with 95.7 The Game. "You should be allowed to spend on your own players," he said. "We drafted these guys, we developed them. It's not like we went out and signed all these guys as free agents."
Hey, it's not like NBA cap rules have ever helped the Warriors sign an expensive free agent. But however cap rules shift, whether toward restricting player movement or encouraging it, some teams will use them to make more money. And others will exploit them to prioritize winning.
Lethe200
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
This is from back in April, so well before Curry's 43-pt game on June 10th in Game 4 of the Boston/Warriors NBA Finals:
I'll never renounce my hottest Golden State Warriors take: Stephen Curry is better than Kevin Durant
SFGATE April 15, 2022
Columnist Rod Benson explains why he's been Team Curry since 2013, before the dynasty started
Rod Benson is a columnist for SFGATE, artist, and a former professional basketball player for the NBA D-League and Korean Basketball League. He's previously written for Yahoo Sports! and SLAM magazine and is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley.
In mid-November 2013, I watched the ascendent Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-115. Then I did what we all did in 2013: I went on Facebook and fired off a status.
“If I were starting a team today, I’d take Steph Curry over Kevin Durant. Care to comment?”
At the time, KD was considered a top three NBA talent, and Stephen Curry, well, wasn’t. People did care to comment. My take wasn’t just controversial — people actually got upset at me. Part of the issue was that I made this proclamation just a few games into the season, not knowing how it would play out. The Warriors, in Mark Jackson’s final year as coach, ended up losing in the first round to the Lob City Clippers. Curry averaged 24 points per game and made his first All-Star Game, but KD led the league in scoring, won the MVP and took Oklahoma City to the NBA Finals.
As I said, people were upset with my take. (My important disclaimer here is that I’m not a die-hard Warriors fan. I don’t root for them any more than I root for the Phoenix Suns, but I’m someone who played professionally for years and years, and I know good basketball when I see it.)
What I felt at the time was that I was witnessing a different kind of energy from Curry than I had ever seen from another player. He was making 3-pointers that other people wouldn’t even dare take, and he was leading his team with a smile. It just seemed like the bones were there for Curry to become the centerpiece of a championship franchise. KD was a walking bucket, no doubt about that, and at the time, he was much healthier. But I couldn’t identify that extra bit of juice, the little things that can’t be quantified in stats. The kind of juice that makes everyone around him better. The kind that Stephen Curry had, and has.
We all know what happened after the 2013-14 season: Curry won the MVP and the NBA title, and the Warriors dynasty was born. KD ended up joining the Warriors to make them one of the most unfair teams in NBA history. Together, they were unstoppable, and each complemented the other’s weaknesses seamlessly. With the game on the line, the ball went to KD. But the team’s joy and culture came from Steph and Steve Kerr.
We’re gearing up for the 2022 playoffs, where Durant is leading the Brooklyn Nets and Curry is (hopefully, assuming a return from a nagging foot injury) set to lead the Dubs. To this day, I stand by my medium-hot take: I still value what Steph brings to his team more than what KD has brought to his teams — including when they played together. And I’m hopeful I’ll be proven right, beyond any reasonable doubt, this postseason.
I know it’s blasphemous to utter in some circles, but it always seemed to me that Durant needed the Warriors more than they needed him. KD is the exact same player he’s always been. An unstoppable bucket? Yes. Someone who takes care of the ball in high leverage moments? The guy who brings people together? No. Those aren’t the biggest knocks in the world, but they’re just the facts — and a big reason why he hasn’t been able to win since departing Golden State. The Nets are seventh in the East and haven’t looked like contenders since James Harden left. Even in the Kyrie Irving games, the Nets have been inconsistent and struggled to beat the good teams in the East. If the Nets manage to get past the Celtics, which I’m not so sure they will, I don’t see a way they can play themselves out of the East.
Meanwhile, Curry is also still the same guy he’s always been. The Warriors had minuscule title odds before the 2021-22 season, but Curry came out and played with joy, pace and creativity that allowed Golden State not only to start hot but to develop role players at the same time. It takes special leadership to bring along all the guys they did while also winning games. The Warriors are just a little bit of gel away from having a legit chance at the title, and when you hear them speak, they all do so with intention, accountability and self-awareness.
In fairness, I think Curry has a little bit more to do to prove me and my most hated opinion fully, undeniably correct. Coincidentally, what the Warriors need most is for Curry to do something he’s never done: be the best player on the floor late into the playoffs. It’s odd that someone of his pedigree has no Finals MVPs. It’s even odder that he doesn’t have many clutch makes late into the playoffs.
The biggest haters of my belief in Curry begin and end their argument there. KD is clutch; Curry is not. But I’m not so sure it’s that simple. In his first finals, Curry did average 26 points per game, just with the most turnovers by far between both teams. They still won it all. In 2016, it was clear that LeBron James was just on another level than everyone alive, and that series still went seven games under Curry’s leadership. After that, he deferred for the sake of the team while KD was on the roster and nevertheless managed to put up fantastic stats. The reality is, this is the first year since 2016 that Curry has a chance not only to be the man but to do it on a team that fully needs him to be the man.
When Durant is on fire, it’s special and a joy to watch. He knocks in a barrage of 2-point baskets that are as difficult as ever, and he makes it look easy (it’s not easy). He pulls up with a hand in his face from 30 feet, and it seems like no one is there. He’s an all-time great. But the thing is, that style alone isn’t winning games. If the NBA was all about one-on-one, the Spurs, Pistons and Mavs would not have won championships this century.
Curry’s game is no longer an outlier; it’s the model. But when Steph is on, it’s still an otherworldly experience. His movement and subsequent actions deflate the other team and inflate his own squad. The whole team is running around setting screens, cutting, moving, and the ball is zipping inside and outside. It’s contagious: All of a sudden, Curry changes directions, takes a handoff at 35 feet and BOOM! Another 3-pointer, and the entire crowd erupts like a Tiger Woods ace at the Phoenix Open. The guys on the bench look like they’re all either C-walking, doing the Macarena or both. The guys on the other team are often left trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
That level of energy is just different, man. I want to see and feel that difference this postseason. You know who else does? The same people who hate my take, because no matter where you rank KD, Curry is clearly the most exciting show in sports. If Curry does consistently hit that extra level this postseason — and I’m cautiously optimistic he will — the Warriors really could win it all. At that point, my years-old take will finally become the norm. And in that case, I might just have to break out a Facebook status for old time’s sake.
I'll never renounce my hottest Golden State Warriors take: Stephen Curry is better than Kevin Durant
SFGATE April 15, 2022
Columnist Rod Benson explains why he's been Team Curry since 2013, before the dynasty started
Rod Benson is a columnist for SFGATE, artist, and a former professional basketball player for the NBA D-League and Korean Basketball League. He's previously written for Yahoo Sports! and SLAM magazine and is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley.
In mid-November 2013, I watched the ascendent Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-115. Then I did what we all did in 2013: I went on Facebook and fired off a status.
“If I were starting a team today, I’d take Steph Curry over Kevin Durant. Care to comment?”
At the time, KD was considered a top three NBA talent, and Stephen Curry, well, wasn’t. People did care to comment. My take wasn’t just controversial — people actually got upset at me. Part of the issue was that I made this proclamation just a few games into the season, not knowing how it would play out. The Warriors, in Mark Jackson’s final year as coach, ended up losing in the first round to the Lob City Clippers. Curry averaged 24 points per game and made his first All-Star Game, but KD led the league in scoring, won the MVP and took Oklahoma City to the NBA Finals.
As I said, people were upset with my take. (My important disclaimer here is that I’m not a die-hard Warriors fan. I don’t root for them any more than I root for the Phoenix Suns, but I’m someone who played professionally for years and years, and I know good basketball when I see it.)
What I felt at the time was that I was witnessing a different kind of energy from Curry than I had ever seen from another player. He was making 3-pointers that other people wouldn’t even dare take, and he was leading his team with a smile. It just seemed like the bones were there for Curry to become the centerpiece of a championship franchise. KD was a walking bucket, no doubt about that, and at the time, he was much healthier. But I couldn’t identify that extra bit of juice, the little things that can’t be quantified in stats. The kind of juice that makes everyone around him better. The kind that Stephen Curry had, and has.
We all know what happened after the 2013-14 season: Curry won the MVP and the NBA title, and the Warriors dynasty was born. KD ended up joining the Warriors to make them one of the most unfair teams in NBA history. Together, they were unstoppable, and each complemented the other’s weaknesses seamlessly. With the game on the line, the ball went to KD. But the team’s joy and culture came from Steph and Steve Kerr.
We’re gearing up for the 2022 playoffs, where Durant is leading the Brooklyn Nets and Curry is (hopefully, assuming a return from a nagging foot injury) set to lead the Dubs. To this day, I stand by my medium-hot take: I still value what Steph brings to his team more than what KD has brought to his teams — including when they played together. And I’m hopeful I’ll be proven right, beyond any reasonable doubt, this postseason.
I know it’s blasphemous to utter in some circles, but it always seemed to me that Durant needed the Warriors more than they needed him. KD is the exact same player he’s always been. An unstoppable bucket? Yes. Someone who takes care of the ball in high leverage moments? The guy who brings people together? No. Those aren’t the biggest knocks in the world, but they’re just the facts — and a big reason why he hasn’t been able to win since departing Golden State. The Nets are seventh in the East and haven’t looked like contenders since James Harden left. Even in the Kyrie Irving games, the Nets have been inconsistent and struggled to beat the good teams in the East. If the Nets manage to get past the Celtics, which I’m not so sure they will, I don’t see a way they can play themselves out of the East.
Meanwhile, Curry is also still the same guy he’s always been. The Warriors had minuscule title odds before the 2021-22 season, but Curry came out and played with joy, pace and creativity that allowed Golden State not only to start hot but to develop role players at the same time. It takes special leadership to bring along all the guys they did while also winning games. The Warriors are just a little bit of gel away from having a legit chance at the title, and when you hear them speak, they all do so with intention, accountability and self-awareness.
In fairness, I think Curry has a little bit more to do to prove me and my most hated opinion fully, undeniably correct. Coincidentally, what the Warriors need most is for Curry to do something he’s never done: be the best player on the floor late into the playoffs. It’s odd that someone of his pedigree has no Finals MVPs. It’s even odder that he doesn’t have many clutch makes late into the playoffs.
The biggest haters of my belief in Curry begin and end their argument there. KD is clutch; Curry is not. But I’m not so sure it’s that simple. In his first finals, Curry did average 26 points per game, just with the most turnovers by far between both teams. They still won it all. In 2016, it was clear that LeBron James was just on another level than everyone alive, and that series still went seven games under Curry’s leadership. After that, he deferred for the sake of the team while KD was on the roster and nevertheless managed to put up fantastic stats. The reality is, this is the first year since 2016 that Curry has a chance not only to be the man but to do it on a team that fully needs him to be the man.
When Durant is on fire, it’s special and a joy to watch. He knocks in a barrage of 2-point baskets that are as difficult as ever, and he makes it look easy (it’s not easy). He pulls up with a hand in his face from 30 feet, and it seems like no one is there. He’s an all-time great. But the thing is, that style alone isn’t winning games. If the NBA was all about one-on-one, the Spurs, Pistons and Mavs would not have won championships this century.
Curry’s game is no longer an outlier; it’s the model. But when Steph is on, it’s still an otherworldly experience. His movement and subsequent actions deflate the other team and inflate his own squad. The whole team is running around setting screens, cutting, moving, and the ball is zipping inside and outside. It’s contagious: All of a sudden, Curry changes directions, takes a handoff at 35 feet and BOOM! Another 3-pointer, and the entire crowd erupts like a Tiger Woods ace at the Phoenix Open. The guys on the bench look like they’re all either C-walking, doing the Macarena or both. The guys on the other team are often left trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
That level of energy is just different, man. I want to see and feel that difference this postseason. You know who else does? The same people who hate my take, because no matter where you rank KD, Curry is clearly the most exciting show in sports. If Curry does consistently hit that extra level this postseason — and I’m cautiously optimistic he will — the Warriors really could win it all. At that point, my years-old take will finally become the norm. And in that case, I might just have to break out a Facebook status for old time’s sake.
David777
Well-known Member
- Location
- Silicon Valley
Friday's June 10 Finals game will be one for the ages. Both sides fought both offensively and defensively with incredible energy, effort, and tenacity. Until late, neither team ever led by more than 7 points with several ties and lead changes. Suspect one reason the Warriors came out on top is that the Celtics could not maintain that level of effort late in the game as they were too weary while ultra fit Curry was one that could and increasingly made the difference. Also the Warriors have a deeper quality bench Kerr uses to rest players, allowing top players to recover somewhat before rotating back in. At free throw lines, one could see close-ups of members on both teams sweaty and breathing heavily. Some wonder why some Celtics were missing free throws? It just isn't easy to consistently perform precise physical movements when weary.
Lethe200
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
On the fan blogs, a lot of Celtic fans pointed out that the Celtics did better when they moved the ball around consistently on offense. But under defensive pressure - along with the Finals pressure, as they're a young team that has never gotten this far before - they forget and start playing ISO too much.
Tatum and Smart are particularly egregious examples of this. Tatum is trying too hard to do it himself, and Smart is not a high-percentage 3+ shooter, so it drives the fans insane with frustration when he hogs the ball late in the closing minutes and throws the ball up.
Each team has weaknesses and strengths, so it's a great series to watch no matter whose side you're on (yeah, I'm a Dubs fan, LOL). No matter how I would have loved a sweep
, I'd rather watch these two teams go at it, than see the Lakers with their purchased superstars lording it over the other teams.Boston's formula is based on the Warriors: draft well and grow your best players in-house.
I thought it was interesting when one of the local media ran an article a couple of months back, remarking that GSW was actually unusual in using their G League team to nurture in-house talent. Jordan Poole is a great example of this.
JonSR77
Senior Member
Wilt was known to be an extraordinary athlete. Body builders lift for a specific kind of muscular development. It is not necessarily for pure strength. It is to make the muscles look big and defined. But that process is an extraordinary amount of work. If they took that work into work for sheer strength, I am sure that they would be at a professional level of strength as well.
Wilt and also, Jim Brown in football, were both know to be such incredible athletes, that they were both thought to have been able to play at a professional level, even in their 40s. The ***** League star, pitcher Satchel Paige, finally made it up to the majors when he was in his late 40s. He was still competitive with the pros at that age.
George Washington was an amazing horseman. One time a horse began to slip off a trail. With one hand, Washington righted the horse. I believe he was in his 40s at the time. It was an act that probably would have been the equivalent of bench pressing 400 or 500 lbs.
He was, in fact, a total athletic monster.
So, anyway, yes...there are folks who are stronger than bodybuilders.
JonSR77
Senior Member
On the fan blogs, a lot of Celtic fans pointed out that the Celtics did better when they moved the ball around consistently on offense. But under defensive pressure - along with the Finals pressure, as they're a young team that has never gotten this far before - they forget and start playing ISO too much.
Tatum and Smart are particularly egregious examples of this. Tatum is trying too hard to do it himself, and Smart is not a high-percentage 3+ shooter, so it drives the fans insane with frustration when he hogs the ball late in the closing minutes and throws the ball up.
Each team has weaknesses and strengths, so it's a great series to watch no matter whose side you're on (yeah, I'm a Dubs fan, LOL). No matter how I would have loved a sweep
Boston's formula is based on the Warriors: draft well and grow your best players in-house.
I thought it was interesting when one of the local media ran an article a couple of months back, remarking that GSW was actually unusual in using their G League team to nurture in-house talent. Jordan Poole is a great example of this.
My step-father was the athletic director of a hotel in the Catskills. At the time, the NBA players used to vacation there, in the mountains, in the summers. And they had professional basketball leagues up there. Previously, during WWII, my step-father ran army basketball leagues. Anyway, he got to guard Bob Cousy once. I think it was for one half of a game. I asked him how he did. He said that he basically held his own on defense, but had big problems getting by him offensively. Dad was the sixth man on a City College basketball team, a few years before they became national champions. So, you know, he was, in fact a talented college level player.
Lethe200
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
NBA draft winners and losers: A Magic trick and rough night for Knicks
Washington Post Sports, Analysis by Ben Golliver June 24, 2022
Summing it up:
Winners: Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic
Winner: Chet Holmgren
Winners: Detroit Pistons
Winner: Damian Lillard
Winners: The NBA’s global academies
Losers: New York Knicks
Losers: Sacramento Kings
Losers: Brooklyn Nets
Loser: Shaedon Sharpe
NY — In a draft night stunner, the Orlando Magic defied conventional wisdom by taking Duke’s Paolo Banchero over Auburn’s Jabari Smith and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren with the #1 pick. Fierce debates over the top selection are fairly common, but usually they get sorted out — and leaked — well before the prospects hit the Barclays Center stage.
The last-minute surprise made for an entertaining start to a night that saw two lottery picks traded. With all 58 picks officially in the books, let’s run down Thursday’s biggest winners and losers.
Winners: Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic
A sharp change of plans can often cause anxiety or disappointment, but the Houston Rockets should be elated that Smith fell into their lap at the #3 pick. While there seemed to be real excitement at the prospect of pairing 2021 #2 pick Jalen Green with Banchero, Smith could easily prove to be the better long-term fit.
Smith’s defensive versatility will be a big bonus for the Rockets, who ranked dead last in defensive efficiency, and his ability to score without dominating the ball will allow more creation opportunities for Green. There was a chance that Green and Banchero would find themselves in a tug-of-war for control of the offense, and now Green can serve as the lead option, setting up Smith for drive-and-kick opportunities.
A similar argument can be made on the Magic side. Banchero will be cast as the alpha scorer in Orlando with 2021 lottery pick Jalen Suggs expected to be a more distribution-minded point guard. Meanwhile, the Magic has several promising frontcourt defenders who can help cover for Banchero’s limitations on that end.
For what it’s worth, both Banchero and Smith sounded satisfied with their role reversal. Banchero said that going #1 “felt like a fantasy,” while Smith said he was “happy” to be Houston-bound because “God makes no mistakes.”
Losers: New York Knicks
The Knicks wanted no part of this year’s festivities. First, New York traded away the #11 pick, Ousmane Dieng, to the Oklahoma City Thunder for future picks. Then, the Knicks rerouted the #13 pick, Jalen Duren, from the Charlotte Hornets to the Detroit Pistons in a three-way trade that allowed them to shed Kemba Walker’s salary.
Rather than add a lottery prospect or two to their unfinished roster, New York decided to clear cap space for its free-agency pursuits. Given that there are few stars available on this summer’s market, the Knicks’ short-term thinking is likely to end with a whimper.
Winner: Chet Holmgren
Banchero’s surprise selection at #1 threatened to upend Holmgren’s night by sending him sliding down the board. Instead, Oklahoma City stayed the course and selected the 7-foot Gonzaga freshman rather than taking Smith. Holmgren couldn’t have asked for a better home than the small-market Thunder, who are fully committed to a patient developmental approach and can help shield him from questions about his physique early in his career. Oklahoma City reinforced its plans to build slowly by adding two other lottery picks: Dieng and Jalen Williams.
By going second overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chet Holmgren (center) became the highest-drafted player ever from Gonzaga. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Holmgren is an “all ball, all the time” type, and he will be able to concentrate on his craft in Oklahoma City, just as he did in Spokane. Best of all, Holmgren is a highly efficient finisher around the basket and will be on the receiving end of plays set up by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. The offensive fit, especially with Giddey and his elite vision, should produce must-see TV for League Pass die-hards.
Losers: Sacramento Kings
Thursday felt like a missed opportunity for the Kings, who held the fourth pick in a draft where there was significant interest in Jaden Ivey, an explosive guard from Purdue. Although Ivey seemed disinclined to play for Sacramento, taking him anyway was an option. De’Aaron Fox and Ivey would have given the Kings an attack-minded backcourt capable of eventually snapping the franchise’s streak of 16 straight lottery trips. Even if the Kings concluded that Fox and Ivey overlapped too much in skills, Ivey arguably has the more promising future.
But Sacramento didn’t select Ivey or even cash out the fourth pick in a trade. Instead, the Kings took Keegan Murray, and one can’t help but wonder how many other teams would have selected the 21-year-old Iowa forward over Ivey if given the chance.
Winners: Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are still early in the rebuilding process, but their lottery luck has been extraordinary for the last two years. In 2021, they won the right to draft Cade Cunningham, a high-level playmaker and defender, with the top overall selection. This year, Ivey, a potential all-star who should perfectly complement Cunningham, was unexpectedly available at #5.
Detroit General Manager Troy Weaver has turned his roster upside down since arriving in 2020, and he now has the cap flexibility to chase high-profile free agents like Deandre Ayton this summer.
Losers: Brooklyn Nets
The Nets should have been a non-factor on draft night, but another round of rumors about their ongoing saga with Kyrie Irving played out on national television for all to see. As Irving struggles to regain leverage in contract negotiations, Brooklyn suddenly faces talk that Kevin Durant might want out if his sidekick doesn’t return.
Irving’s juice has never been worth the squeeze in Brooklyn, and the franchise is unlikely to be a serious contender in 2023 even if he comes back. There aren’t great options available to Nets ownership and management: They can bring back Irving and pray that he proves to be healthier and more reliable than he’s been in years, or they can risk blowing up the entire experiment just three years after Durant’s 2019 arrival.
Worst of all, the Rockets own the Nets’ 2024 and 2026 first-round picks and pick swaps in 2023, 2025 and 2o27 courtesy of the James Harden trade. A misstep this summer could have disastrous consequences for the next half-decade.
Winner: Damian Lillard
For years, the Portland Trail Blazers have suffered from roster imbalance, overloaded with scoring guards and light on versatile frontcourt players. Portland’s new GM Joe Cronin took the first step toward rebalancing when he shipped out CJ McCollum and Norman Powell, a pair of high-priced guards, at the February trade deadline. Cronin’s ability to fill the salary holes he created with those trades was going to determine whether all-star guard Damian Lillard would have the chance to lead a competitive team in 2023.
On Wednesday, Cronin sent a collection of picks to the Pistons for Jerami Grant. The deal made sense for both sides: Grant was in over his head as a leading scoring option in Detroit, he was eight years older than Cunningham and he is due a new contract in the not-too-distant future. In Portland, Grant could fill a big need and set himself up for his next payday in a secondary role that is better suited to his talent level. After dealing with a half-decade of cautious front-office work under former GM Neil Olshey, Lillard had to be happy with Cronin’s early returns.
Loser: Shaedon Sharpe
The flip side of Portland’s story concerns Sharpe, a 19-year-old Canadian guard who was the top-ranked high school prospect in the Class of 2022. If the Blazers intend to execute a quick turnaround, Sharpe will probably need to wait his turn for real minutes and touches on the wing. Tack on the fact that Sharpe fell to the seventh pick and that Portland isn’t a glamour destination, and his decision to sit out his freshman year at Kentucky starts to look pretty questionable.
Winners: The NBA’s global academies
The NBA has quietly invested significant time and resources building international academies to locate and develop talent in Australia, Africa, India and Latin America. Last year, Giddey became the first graduate of one of these academies to be drafted. This year, two more academy graduates were selected in the lottery: Bennedict Mathurin, a Canadian who went sixth to the Indiana Pacers, and Dyson Daniels, an Australian who went eighth to the New Orleans Pelicans.
For the NBA, these selections are an important milestone and proof of concept. What’s most interesting is that Giddey, Mathurin and Daniels all took different paths from the academies to the NBA: Giddey played professionally overseas, Mathurin went to Arizona for two years and Daniels spent a season with the G League Ignite. Expect the NBA to double down on its successes and for these creative pipelines to produce even more high-level talent in the coming years.
Washington Post Sports, Analysis by Ben Golliver June 24, 2022
Summing it up:
Winners: Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic
Winner: Chet Holmgren
Winners: Detroit Pistons
Winner: Damian Lillard
Winners: The NBA’s global academies
Losers: New York Knicks
Losers: Sacramento Kings
Losers: Brooklyn Nets
Loser: Shaedon Sharpe
NY — In a draft night stunner, the Orlando Magic defied conventional wisdom by taking Duke’s Paolo Banchero over Auburn’s Jabari Smith and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren with the #1 pick. Fierce debates over the top selection are fairly common, but usually they get sorted out — and leaked — well before the prospects hit the Barclays Center stage.
The last-minute surprise made for an entertaining start to a night that saw two lottery picks traded. With all 58 picks officially in the books, let’s run down Thursday’s biggest winners and losers.
Winners: Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic
A sharp change of plans can often cause anxiety or disappointment, but the Houston Rockets should be elated that Smith fell into their lap at the #3 pick. While there seemed to be real excitement at the prospect of pairing 2021 #2 pick Jalen Green with Banchero, Smith could easily prove to be the better long-term fit.
Smith’s defensive versatility will be a big bonus for the Rockets, who ranked dead last in defensive efficiency, and his ability to score without dominating the ball will allow more creation opportunities for Green. There was a chance that Green and Banchero would find themselves in a tug-of-war for control of the offense, and now Green can serve as the lead option, setting up Smith for drive-and-kick opportunities.
A similar argument can be made on the Magic side. Banchero will be cast as the alpha scorer in Orlando with 2021 lottery pick Jalen Suggs expected to be a more distribution-minded point guard. Meanwhile, the Magic has several promising frontcourt defenders who can help cover for Banchero’s limitations on that end.
For what it’s worth, both Banchero and Smith sounded satisfied with their role reversal. Banchero said that going #1 “felt like a fantasy,” while Smith said he was “happy” to be Houston-bound because “God makes no mistakes.”
Losers: New York Knicks
The Knicks wanted no part of this year’s festivities. First, New York traded away the #11 pick, Ousmane Dieng, to the Oklahoma City Thunder for future picks. Then, the Knicks rerouted the #13 pick, Jalen Duren, from the Charlotte Hornets to the Detroit Pistons in a three-way trade that allowed them to shed Kemba Walker’s salary.
Rather than add a lottery prospect or two to their unfinished roster, New York decided to clear cap space for its free-agency pursuits. Given that there are few stars available on this summer’s market, the Knicks’ short-term thinking is likely to end with a whimper.
Winner: Chet Holmgren
Banchero’s surprise selection at #1 threatened to upend Holmgren’s night by sending him sliding down the board. Instead, Oklahoma City stayed the course and selected the 7-foot Gonzaga freshman rather than taking Smith. Holmgren couldn’t have asked for a better home than the small-market Thunder, who are fully committed to a patient developmental approach and can help shield him from questions about his physique early in his career. Oklahoma City reinforced its plans to build slowly by adding two other lottery picks: Dieng and Jalen Williams.
By going second overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chet Holmgren (center) became the highest-drafted player ever from Gonzaga. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Holmgren is an “all ball, all the time” type, and he will be able to concentrate on his craft in Oklahoma City, just as he did in Spokane. Best of all, Holmgren is a highly efficient finisher around the basket and will be on the receiving end of plays set up by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. The offensive fit, especially with Giddey and his elite vision, should produce must-see TV for League Pass die-hards.
Losers: Sacramento Kings
Thursday felt like a missed opportunity for the Kings, who held the fourth pick in a draft where there was significant interest in Jaden Ivey, an explosive guard from Purdue. Although Ivey seemed disinclined to play for Sacramento, taking him anyway was an option. De’Aaron Fox and Ivey would have given the Kings an attack-minded backcourt capable of eventually snapping the franchise’s streak of 16 straight lottery trips. Even if the Kings concluded that Fox and Ivey overlapped too much in skills, Ivey arguably has the more promising future.
But Sacramento didn’t select Ivey or even cash out the fourth pick in a trade. Instead, the Kings took Keegan Murray, and one can’t help but wonder how many other teams would have selected the 21-year-old Iowa forward over Ivey if given the chance.
Winners: Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are still early in the rebuilding process, but their lottery luck has been extraordinary for the last two years. In 2021, they won the right to draft Cade Cunningham, a high-level playmaker and defender, with the top overall selection. This year, Ivey, a potential all-star who should perfectly complement Cunningham, was unexpectedly available at #5.
Detroit General Manager Troy Weaver has turned his roster upside down since arriving in 2020, and he now has the cap flexibility to chase high-profile free agents like Deandre Ayton this summer.
Losers: Brooklyn Nets
The Nets should have been a non-factor on draft night, but another round of rumors about their ongoing saga with Kyrie Irving played out on national television for all to see. As Irving struggles to regain leverage in contract negotiations, Brooklyn suddenly faces talk that Kevin Durant might want out if his sidekick doesn’t return.
Irving’s juice has never been worth the squeeze in Brooklyn, and the franchise is unlikely to be a serious contender in 2023 even if he comes back. There aren’t great options available to Nets ownership and management: They can bring back Irving and pray that he proves to be healthier and more reliable than he’s been in years, or they can risk blowing up the entire experiment just three years after Durant’s 2019 arrival.
Worst of all, the Rockets own the Nets’ 2024 and 2026 first-round picks and pick swaps in 2023, 2025 and 2o27 courtesy of the James Harden trade. A misstep this summer could have disastrous consequences for the next half-decade.
Winner: Damian Lillard
For years, the Portland Trail Blazers have suffered from roster imbalance, overloaded with scoring guards and light on versatile frontcourt players. Portland’s new GM Joe Cronin took the first step toward rebalancing when he shipped out CJ McCollum and Norman Powell, a pair of high-priced guards, at the February trade deadline. Cronin’s ability to fill the salary holes he created with those trades was going to determine whether all-star guard Damian Lillard would have the chance to lead a competitive team in 2023.
On Wednesday, Cronin sent a collection of picks to the Pistons for Jerami Grant. The deal made sense for both sides: Grant was in over his head as a leading scoring option in Detroit, he was eight years older than Cunningham and he is due a new contract in the not-too-distant future. In Portland, Grant could fill a big need and set himself up for his next payday in a secondary role that is better suited to his talent level. After dealing with a half-decade of cautious front-office work under former GM Neil Olshey, Lillard had to be happy with Cronin’s early returns.
Loser: Shaedon Sharpe
The flip side of Portland’s story concerns Sharpe, a 19-year-old Canadian guard who was the top-ranked high school prospect in the Class of 2022. If the Blazers intend to execute a quick turnaround, Sharpe will probably need to wait his turn for real minutes and touches on the wing. Tack on the fact that Sharpe fell to the seventh pick and that Portland isn’t a glamour destination, and his decision to sit out his freshman year at Kentucky starts to look pretty questionable.
Winners: The NBA’s global academies
The NBA has quietly invested significant time and resources building international academies to locate and develop talent in Australia, Africa, India and Latin America. Last year, Giddey became the first graduate of one of these academies to be drafted. This year, two more academy graduates were selected in the lottery: Bennedict Mathurin, a Canadian who went sixth to the Indiana Pacers, and Dyson Daniels, an Australian who went eighth to the New Orleans Pelicans.
For the NBA, these selections are an important milestone and proof of concept. What’s most interesting is that Giddey, Mathurin and Daniels all took different paths from the academies to the NBA: Giddey played professionally overseas, Mathurin went to Arizona for two years and Daniels spent a season with the G League Ignite. Expect the NBA to double down on its successes and for these creative pipelines to produce even more high-level talent in the coming years.
Lethe200
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
I never posted this but it's quite funny. This happened during the Golden State/Memphis series, where the Warriors took a 3-1 lead. I hope the Twitter URL works, haven't tried this before:
Warriors' Steph Curry, Jordan Poole execute hilarious, full-speed do-si-do in fourth quarter that baffles Grizzlies defenders
SFGATE May 7, 2022
Golden State Warriors guards Steph Curry and Jordan Poole led a resurgent Dubs offense on Saturday in a blowout 142-112 Game 3 win at Chase Center, finishing with 30 and 27 points, respectively.
For the first time in what has otherwise been a tremendously contentious series that's already seen three ejections, a pair of Flagrant 2 fouls, and one potentially playoff-ending injury, the Warriors guards actually looked like they were having fun. Like, a lot of fun. So much fun that they decided to channel their inner country line dancers early in the fourth quarter.
With eight minutes to go in the final frame and Golden State leading 113-94, Curry dribbled the ball up court, handed it off to Kevon Looney then cut to the basket where Poole was waiting for him. Curry locked arms with Poole and the pair then did a full-speed do-si-do before sling-shotting each other out past a pair of screeners. Grizzlies defender Desmond Bane and Ziaire Williams got completely lost on the play; by the time they recovered, Curry received the dump off, curled around a screen and drew a foul from Williams trailing behind.
Here's a look at the picture-perfect do-si-do:
Twitter video post:
"I really like some of the things the Warriors have done offensively," ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy observed following the foul call. "To move the ball and then getting into baseline screening action — which to me has gotten their best players some angles to get into the paint — Curry there got fouled on just that type of action."
Warriors' Steph Curry, Jordan Poole execute hilarious, full-speed do-si-do in fourth quarter that baffles Grizzlies defenders
SFGATE May 7, 2022
Golden State Warriors guards Steph Curry and Jordan Poole led a resurgent Dubs offense on Saturday in a blowout 142-112 Game 3 win at Chase Center, finishing with 30 and 27 points, respectively.
For the first time in what has otherwise been a tremendously contentious series that's already seen three ejections, a pair of Flagrant 2 fouls, and one potentially playoff-ending injury, the Warriors guards actually looked like they were having fun. Like, a lot of fun. So much fun that they decided to channel their inner country line dancers early in the fourth quarter.
With eight minutes to go in the final frame and Golden State leading 113-94, Curry dribbled the ball up court, handed it off to Kevon Looney then cut to the basket where Poole was waiting for him. Curry locked arms with Poole and the pair then did a full-speed do-si-do before sling-shotting each other out past a pair of screeners. Grizzlies defender Desmond Bane and Ziaire Williams got completely lost on the play; by the time they recovered, Curry received the dump off, curled around a screen and drew a foul from Williams trailing behind.
Here's a look at the picture-perfect do-si-do:
Twitter video post:
"I really like some of the things the Warriors have done offensively," ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy observed following the foul call. "To move the ball and then getting into baseline screening action — which to me has gotten their best players some angles to get into the paint — Curry there got fouled on just that type of action."
Lethe200
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
Very sad:
NBA great Bill Russell, Celtics legend, University of San Francisco star and Oakland’s own, dies at 88
Russell went to high school in Oakland and led the University of San Francisco Dons to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/07/31/bill-russell-nba-great-and-celtics-legend-dies-at-88-2/
NBA great Bill Russell, Celtics legend, University of San Francisco star and Oakland’s own, dies at 88
Russell went to high school in Oakland and led the University of San Francisco Dons to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/07/31/bill-russell-nba-great-and-celtics-legend-dies-at-88-2/
Very sad news. My impressions of him was he was a very classy man and ahead of his time in many ways. I know he put up with a lot of things while he played in Boston and he was frank about it but in a dignified manner. Sad that his name is left out of the conversation when people talk about the greatest player of all time (which is next to impossible to determine anyway).
I see this and I still shudder. I am a life long Suns fan and I still have not recovered from their total collapse this playoff run. I should be used to it by now though..lol