Oh shit, that was filthy.

Generally speaking, one year likely isn’t that damaging (in OPs example, Ant was also on a bad team year 1). It’s the sustained losing that kills you, especially when the games get feel meaningless from the jump.

I’d also argue that Orlando wasn’t that bad last year. They had that horrid start (what was it, 5-20) but then were competitive the rest of the year and played like .500 ball and won 34 games (with a few tank games down the stretch to suppress that number).

But who knows. Some dudes come out of bad situations no worse for wear. Other dudes can never shake the bad habits. And the one must also wonder whether the bad habits were the cause of the sustained losing rather than the other way around.

The thing about the Sabonis trade that doesn’t get talked about enough is how much it really helped Fox explode.

People forget how much Fox was struggling to play with Hali (really how much they were struggling to play together). People theorized after the trade happened that the Kings dealt Hali because he actually had trade value unlike Fox. But as soon as Sabonis joined the team, Fox took off and has been an all-NBA level player. So not only did they add Sabonis, but they actualized Fox (Sabonis does so much for his game). That’s the sort of thing that makes a deal a win-win.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a 50 second clip sum up a team so completely before. It has everything:

• incredible hustle
• insane length
• active rebounding
• bricks on bricks

Perfectly captures this Raptors squad.

Also it’s not like Spo has ever done ANYTHING to deserve to be kicked when he’s down.

That guy is a class act from what I’ve seen

Not saying this is necessarily terrible or warranting being raked over the coals, but Spoelstra and his now ex-wife’s relationship has always been a bit suspect to me.

They met when she was a dancer for the team and he was an assistant coach. She was 18 when she started dancing (he would have been 34). She danced for the team for 3 years (until the age of 21, when Spo was 38). They publically revealed they were dating a while after she had left the team, back when she was 25 and he was 42. The exact timeline isn’t super clear, so maybe they didn’t really interact until after she was further into her 20s, but it sure seems like they probably got together while she was dancing with the team, which would have seen a man in his mid/late 30s dating someone in her late teens/early 20s (especially since he was about to become the head coach of the entire organization and she was a pretty low-level employee). Obviously not illegal, but a little skeezy if you ask me.

While the Grizzlies’ injury situation and absences are dire, I also am surprised they’re THAT bad right now.

Like, they’re on pace to win 15 games right now. They’ve already lost 5 games by at least 20 points. And they’ve had a fairly easy schedule. They’ve already had 6 games against the worst teams in the league (Portland x2, Utah x2, Washington, San Antonio). Their opponents are a combined 111-131 (if you remove the Grizzlies games from consideration). That averages out to 37.6 wins in a season.

And while they’re definitely depleted, they’re not completely devoid of talent. They still have two near all-stars in JJJ and Bane. They still have 4-5 rotation players still playing (Aldama, Rose, Roddy, Z. Williams, Konchar). Not to mention a number of their solid players who are out now have played a decent amount this year (Smart - 11 games, Tillman - 7 games, Kennard - 8 games). This isn’t like the Blazers who were legit down to 4 guys who had seen real NBA minutes before this year (Grant-Ayton-Sharpe-Thybulle).

He just came back like 5 days ago and had his best game of the season last night. Maybe have a bit more patience before saying “more people should be talking about it”

Draymond is a lightning rod, and these talking heads know that taking his defense will drive engagement.

It’s fucking depressing that this is so much of our media these days, but that’s just how it is with the SAS’s and Skip’s of the world.

Did people not watch the clip or something? KAT literally is right there and is actively trying to pull Draymond away and then gets his arms inside of Draymond’s to stop Rudy from getting choked. That’s like, the best way to actually help your teammate.

I hate this “alpha male” bs. People are legit clowning KAT for having the immediate response of “I should try to help my teammate” instead of saying “I need to attack Draymond.”

Wow, Giannis spoiling a fantastic game with a terrible two minutes.

Milawaukee’s defense is a mess.

The Pacers play so damn fast.

Milwaukee’s rebounding has been atrocious

He’ll probably cool off from 3 (he’s shooting 40% right now despite being a career 33.8% shooter and sub 35% each of the past 4 seasons), but he is generally underrated. If you can live with his shooting inconsistency, he’s fast as hell still which can put a lot of pressure on an opposing defense. He’s also a really good point of attack defender.

Letting him walk was one of the reasons I was less bullish on the Lakers offseason than most. Vincent is likely a downgrade (albeit a cleaner fit most likely).

Man, I feel like LaMelo’s been so hurt by that Charlotte ecosystem. His teammates largely suck, and the team’s been bad which has allowed him to develop bad habits (get shot happy, play lackadaisically, etc.)

No way. I love Okogie, but Brown is NOT a good comp for him.

Brown’s strength was his versatility. He was a good defender, solid shooter, quasi-point guard who could create in the pick and roll or transition with his floater.

Okogie is a defense first guy who can do some damage cutting and crashing the glass. He’s a near-zero shooter who has a tendency to lose offensive confidence. Against a team with rim protection who dares him to shoot, he might find himself parked on the bench.

How does Reaves not have a better haircut?

How many points per game does Denver’s leading bench scorer have do you think?

It’s a national game. Those are blacked out (as well as games in your local area).

Watson looks so far from ready right now.