2021-22 NBA "REGULAR" SEASON THREAD

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🏀

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That Rick Ross photo is the best.

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suspended for playing with phone in pocket

The Sixers have announced a one-game suspension of Ben Simmons that officially rules him out of Wednesday's season opener at New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/dxI2s2O1Wh

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 19, 2021

hahhaaa

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Simmons was supposed to talk to the press at noon for the first time since June and bowed out.

He's just showing up and trying to do the minimum to get the $$$, which: duh.

would be funny if they just kept suspending him for one game at a time

Comments on canceled livestream:

"TEAMMATES HID IS BINKY"

IS=HIS

situation not improving

Sixers coach Doc Rivers threw Ben Simmons out of practice today and the suspension came shortly thereafter, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 19, 2021

this is too good

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Doc Rivers: “I thought he was a distraction today. I didn’t think he wanted to do what everyone else was doing.”

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 19, 2021

I support Ben Simmons’ venture into performance art

You should listen to Doc's tone. He wants no part of this.

no you specifically, Matt

I honestly blame Morey here, if we’re blaming someone

i wish i could call simmons and tell him my try hard but also take a 3 at every opportunity plan

Simmons for Kyrie, let's do this

"At this point I don't care about that man, honestly. He does whatever he wants."

–Joel Embiid on Ben Simmons pic.twitter.com/XELROkUphX

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 19, 2021

“Our job is not to babysit somebody.”

pic.twitter.com/XNQ3RVaD8t

— Kevin Negandhi (@KevinNegandhi) October 19, 2021

Sources: Doc Rivers asked Ben Simmons to join a defensive drill today. Simmons refused. Rivers asked again. Simmons said no again.

Rivers then told Simmons he should go home, and Simmons dropped the ball and left.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2021

Nobody wants to work these days! Geez

had basketball payer wanted $30m a year sign hanging for weeks and no responses

Heard it was a dunking drill actually.

haay lol

The question marks around Ben Simmons have always been there for those who have followed him closely. Interesting to look back at the article I wrote about him 5 1/2 years ago: https://t.co/HXXmpSWCSJ

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) October 19, 2021

I honestly blame Morey here, if we’re blaming someone

seems like this cant go on much longer you dont really want embiid punching simmons

philly famously does not like punching in sports

i mean im sure the fans would like it but its probably not constructive for the team

that givony article was pretty otm tho i still wonder if brandon ingram is better than simmons?

There are real questions about pairing Simmons with other ball-handlers or non-shooters in the NBA.

no one would trade ingram for simmons at least

seems like this cant go on much longer you dont really want embiid punching simmons

― lag∞n, Tuesday, October 19, 2021 1:25 PM (fourteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

philly famously does not like punching in sports

― John Lakeman gives pipe lecture (Sufjan Grafton), Tuesday, October 19, 2021 1:27 PM (eleven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

i mean im sure the fans would like it but its probably not constructive for the team

― lag∞n, Tuesday, October 19, 2021 1:28 PM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Just one punch. Is that too much to ask?

(NB: Embiid would break his hand, I'm sure).

Karl Anthony Towns, forever trying way to hard

KAT referenced Kobe listening to Halloween music to prepare for games. He says he watches video of two gorillas fighting.

— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 19, 2021

real 40 year old virgin vibes

ESPN Sources: The 76ers have fined Ben Simmons $1.4M for his absence from four preseason games (360K each) and levied numerous team fines for missed practices, on-court workouts and meetings. He hasn’t earned any money since returning to the team on October 11.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 19, 2021

its not going well!

lol Trae Young is the most disruptive force in the league, all Simmons had to do was dunk on him one time

On his first night in the White House, President Trump complained that the TV in his bedroom was broken, because it didn’t have “the gorilla channel.” Trump seemed to be under the impression that a TV channel existed that screened nothing but gorilla-based content, 24 hours a day.

Lol KAT got the gorilla Sling package

lmao

excellent montage of pics to kick off the thread as always, well done ilh fam

cannot believe the simmons situation has gotten to this point. have to assume they are in close communication with their legal team about how to keep denying him any $$$ - big fines, little fines, individual suspensions for each game, whatever it takes. truly this situation is the gift that keeps on giving. for us non-sixers fans. sorry PBKR!

"I know you have a lot of questions...I'm not going to address them...haha...I practiced today. I feel good...thank you, have a good day!!" pic.twitter.com/YmE9Cryaxu

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 6, 2021

everything about the photo of jason kidd with the enormous collar swallowing his neck is extremely important

Injury Report for tomorrow's game at Charlotte:

Malcolm Brogdon - Probable (left shoulder)
Jeremy Lamb - Questionable (right wrist)
Justin Holiday - Questionable (left ankle)
Kelan Martin - Out (left hamstring)
Caris LeVert - Out (lower back)
T.J. Warren - Out (left foot) pic.twitter.com/ksaaOk24rL

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 19, 2021

good start!

The Injury Pacers

tj mcconnell triple double incoming

stats thread
NBA / 21 / 22 / FG / FT / 3PM / TO / BL / STATS

same. he refuses to agree with the rest of the league’s valuation of simmons and thus here we are. everyone in the media is like “darryl doesn’t mind discomfort” yeah we’ll see
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, October 19, 2021 1:23 PM (three hours ago)

I do think there's something to be said for at least giving *not* selling low a shot, like this is a circus but one assumes it can't continue forever, once simmons shows some life daryl will be in a better negotiating position presumably. also I doubt the offers that are there now are just going to disappear and the sixers can probably weather some weirdness for a short period of time, don't really see them as a threat to fall out of the top 4

i don't see why simmons value would increase if he plays well in the regular season. he's on the trade block bcuz he disappeared in the second round of the playoffs, playing well in october and november isn't going to change that. daryl, presumably, is banking on something going wrong with other teams and the offers changing because of that. maybe that will happen before the situation on his team becomes untenable, but what could simmons possibly do for teams to be like "oh wow he's much better than we thought, we better up our offer." is he gonna suddenly start making jump shots?

if it's true that he's holding out for a star he's basically just banking on the blazers or wizards being so bad that lillard or beal demand out of situations that they have so far refused to demand out of. ok fine. at what point does he admit defeat on that point and start looking at more reasonable trade offers that can also actually make his team better?

and if lillard did ask out the blazers would get better offers

but... kyrie?

but what could simmons possibly do for teams to be like "oh wow he's much better than we thought, we better up our offer." is he gonna suddenly start making jump shots?

― J0rdan S., Tuesday, October 19, 2021 5:13 PM (five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

not being a huge baby could help

idk i think most teams prob understand it's a bit of an act to bring this whole charade to a close. the team who trades for him will prob be desperate enough for a "star" that they're willing to overlook all that stuff anyway. i just feel like there's as little questions about who ben simmons is as a player as any guy in the league, we know his strengths and weaknesses, his game has never changed. what new info can possibly be gleaned in the next 2-3 months

yeah as you mention the other more pertinent piece of this is another team having its own hand forced. simmons’ value won’t change drastically but another team could see its position weaken. there is an element of fantasy GMing here where daryl assumes this entire ordeal is not going to grate on everyone to a degree that harms the team but simply from a negotiating perspective I can see what he’s trying to do

the sixers picked a really bad time to be at a crossroads now that it seems milwaukee abs potentially brooklyn are looking like major players in the medium term

brooklyn... has their own issues

i agree that its pretty much pointless charade but philly at least wants to buy time for a team to decide that it wants simmons more than they thought and maybe it even go so well that teams might think that philly would be ok with keeping him, the second part is prob wishful thinking at this point its seeming like they prob wouldve been better off just letting him be away from the team til a trade happened

brooklyn... has their own issues

― um, i mean... im sure weve all seen the videos, so... that will help (Spottie), Tuesday, October 19, 2021 5:31 PM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

eh I feel pretty good that they’ll be fine, they’re the best team in the east without kyrie imo

i'll tell you what joel embiid better not turn an ankle or something in the first 10-14 days of the season

yeah as you mention the other more pertinent piece of this is another team having its own hand forced. simmons’ value won’t change drastically but another team could see its position weaken. there is an element of fantasy GMing here where daryl assumes this entire ordeal is not going to grate on everyone to a degree that harms the team but simply from a negotiating perspective I can see what he’s trying to do

the sixers picked a really bad time to be at a crossroads now that it seems milwaukee abs potentially brooklyn are looking like major players in the medium term

― mens rea activist (k3vin k.), Tuesday, October 19, 2021 5:29 PM (forty-four seconds ago)

yeah if you didn't run an organization staffed by players and employees who are actual humans and who have to show up to work every day to deal w/ complete chaos, holding onto a ben simmons until you get the exact trade you want makes sense. of course this has always been the issue w/ the heinke/morey worldview so i guess nothing new for the sixers

lmao the last graph of this shams article with tons of inside sixers info

The 76ers are not trying to move Simmons and have made clear that they will not deal him at this time, according to sources. The franchise wants Simmons to show up to practices and games, to be engaged and to perform to his capabilities. Simmons is not against playing, but he is not mentally ready yet, sources insist.

brooklyn... has their own issues

― um, i mean... im sure weve all seen the videos, so... that will help (Spottie), Tuesday, October 19, 2021 5:31 PM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

eh I feel pretty good that they’ll be fine, they’re the best team in the east without kyrie imo

― mens rea activist (k3vin k.), Tuesday, October 19, 2021 5:33 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

bucks might have something to say about that

Love those insistent sources xp

ben is suspended for game 1 which is in new orleans, then they're home vs the nets i doubt he plays. then they have 2 more on the road. starting 10/28 they're at home for 4 straight... does he play in any of those games?

brooklyn... has their own issues

― um, i mean... im sure weve all seen the videos, so... that will help (Spottie), Tuesday, October 19, 2021 5:31 PM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

eh I feel pretty good that they’ll be fine, they’re the best team in the east without kyrie imo

― mens rea activist (k3vin k.), Tuesday, October 19, 2021 2:33 PM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

i think id take the bucks still. their vibes are better and they have the title glow now.

sixers have pelicans, OKC, detroit twice and the knicks twice in their first 10 games, lucky break for them

very curious to see if some of the different stuff the bucks in the finals with giannis will carry over to this season, feel like they mightve unlocked something there

i think the bucks will be improved

their offense was so prone to going to shit at a moments notice that if they can just not do that theyll be very tuff 2 beat

playing giannis as more of a big man could help with that and makes a ton of sense and also worked in the finals where they won the title

coincidentally it was also a thing ive been saying they should do for years

jrue would prob play better under those conditions too

tbh their offense looked clogged in the toilet like into game 7 vs the nets. we'll see. the hawks series i'm not sure you can even glean much from that match up & so much of their offensive success vs the suns came down to giannis having a few huge outlier FT shooting performances (to his credit). if he can actually get his FT% up above 70% that would be as big as anything else, especially in the playoffs when they need him to just mash the ball into the paint in big games. not that any of this will matter in the regular season anyway. i think they'll have a tougher road to the title this playoffs than last so there might be another level of improvement they need to get to in order to repeat

in the clinching game giannis went 17-19 at the line which is obvs way above his average, on the other hand he did draw 19 fouls

tbh their offense looked clogged in the toilet like into game 7 vs the nets.

― J0rdan S., Tuesday, October 19, 2021 5:56 PM (six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

thats why i found what they did in the finals namely using him more as a roll man so interesting, on paper the suns were an obvs better defensive team than the nets but the bucks seemed to unlock something in their scheme

the bucks have grayson allen now so obviously they've improved

when they need a guy tripped they know who to turn to

yeah well it is the kings

Marvin Bagley's agent Jeff Schwartz blasts the Kings for their "case study in mismanagement" in how they've handled Bagley.

Schwartz says Bagley, drafted No. 2 overall in 2018, has been informed he's "not in the opening night rotation."

More from me: https://t.co/LGN9cVpeGP https://t.co/pmuvXIaWr7

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 19, 2021

not starting bagley != not playing bagley

Oh he's not in the rotation lol

I guess I should drop him in that one fantasy league :(

lol https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCGEefcXoAAmYMr?format=jpg&name=large

the bucks were missing their starting SG for their playoff run it should be noted.

its true

i understand bagley's agent wants him out of sacramento cuz who wouldn't but there's no actual evidence that he's a rotation level player right?

he puts up numbers when he gets run but not quite sure yet (pretty sure tho) if its like jahlil okafor or something of more impact. he's also just been consistently hurt.

20/10 on 50/34 per 36 last year

also i would just like to add that i was perusing giannis stats for the finals, which btw are insane https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3032977/giannis-antetokounmpo, and he shot 62% from the line for the series so i dont think we can really credit unusual ft shooting for the win, i mean his makes were not evenly distributed but thats normal, what he did do was draw 14 fouls a game which is crazy, took one fewer 3 a game than the regular season while playing 7 more minutes which is nice too

every stat i can find on bagley says he's bad. i mean i know this but

it's also a bit rich for bagley's agent to have allowed him to be like the one guy at the top of the draft who wanted to go to sacramento bcuz it allowed him to be overdrafted and is now complaining about a "case study in mismanagement" on the kings behalf. yeah no shit pal

i agree they should let him play tho i mean hey why not

lets see what the kid can do lol

If Bagley does not start 41 games or play 2000 minutes this season, his Qualifying Offer for next offseason will drop from $14.8M to $7.3M.

ah lol

lol the 1-2 picks in that draft getting picked before better guys now the teams are jealous and playing hardball. no one to blame but themselves.

and also goes to the evergreen question of what are the kings trying to do? why are they prioritizing harrison barnes over their #2 pick? they coulda traded barnes for something last year when he was playing well and they were on the outside looking in.

1st round pick for harrison barnes boom put it in your pocket whats the problem

Jaren Jackson is pretty underrated. The Grizz were smart to lock him up. I think he could have a better career than Ayton.

aytons already proved to be much more valuable so far.

i like jjj a lot he could be a very nice player, also i think its unfair of certain people in this thread to say he just hasnt shown improvement when hes only been in the league three years and was injured basically the entire third year, what do you know about jjjs trajectory basically nothing shush up

Ayton's is more valuable but he doesn't seem like guy who will have a long career

ayton has been better because of his defense but jjj could pass him because of his shooting

the nba is back baby

Shaq's top 3 Laker centers:

Kareem
Shaq
Wilt

Chuck says Wilt is better then Shaq lmao pic.twitter.com/UkcedqAhDL

— Alex👋 (@dbs408) October 19, 2021

blessed content

Bucks coming out hot

fans are sitting on their hands tho its weird maybe they got yelled out during the ring ceremony

thanasis still prob the funniest player in the NBA

they should field a d league team of entirely antetokounmpo brothers

the bucks already had the most chaotic energy of any team in the NBA, now throwing grayson allen into the mix, it’s a lot

i’m sitting here like “who is this new guy on the bucks running around the court like a 10 year old in a go kart…. oh right”

the bucks are looking extremely comfortable on both ends

Nets rotations are horrifying

grayson allen gonna get a lot of open threes in this offense

i still cant believe kyrie isnt playing lol what an all-time moron

i personally respect his decision and hope he sticks to it

in all seriousness besides being a moron i think an underrated part of this is kyrie clearly doesnt want to play in the nba anymore

bruce brown should be playing ahead of like six of these guys

yeah where is bruce

matty pills doin stuff

yeah i didn’t realize the nets are actually gonna give minutes to LMA

https://d2gg9evh47fn9z.cloudfront.net/800px_COLOURBOX3440454.jpg

love to have "the game" on : )

nothin like the game on baby

lol kenny trying to do a thoughtful even handed take on kyrie and chuck just interrupted him like no kyrie is a moron shut up

i've seen enough. nuggets will win the nba playoffs

dang nwora for the bucks looks pretty good esp for a second round pick

nets signed a number of guys who don’t really look like they should be playing many/any minutes in the NBA

lol Kenny and the boys getting contact high in front of Staples

I just teared up briefly when I realized ball is back

ball has always been

we ball eternal

It’s possible that Blake’s moments of spring with the nets last year were all he had left

man carmelo is gonna miss so many threes this year

i thought blake looked fine. he’s pretty good for what they wanna do. LMA, milsap, james johnson, alize johnson… those are the guys who i have little idea why they’re playing

Millsap is completely washed and is basically just a locker room guy

Pretty simple for the lakers, If this is AD can show up for most of the season and into the playoffs they get make the finals.

lol wtf sorry drunk

i appreciate melo chucking every time he touched the ball

thats just muscle memory

zion in this new commercial uhhhh not doing much to help the narrative

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCHFSgZWQAQv0O7?format=jpg&name=medium

yeah really looks like he’s uhhh… actually been drinking mountain dew

lmao

im not just the president of mt dew, im also a client

westbrook lebron melo and dwight howard on the floor at the same time is the most 2013 all star game vibes i could possibly imagine being conjured at this point in time

so jordan poole

dead(eye)poole

lakers cant hang with the kids

suprised to see bjelica get closer minutes

it’s just one game and they’re gonna need good health but this warriors team kinda feels night and day from where they were last year.

poole gives them someone else in the starting line up who can do something the ball, and lee can score a bit off the bench. and then just putting guys like igoudala and bjelica in the rotation who are actually competent NBA players is such a step up from a lot of what they we’re running out last year. no wiseman, no oubre, no paschall, no nico mannion

bjelica is going the fuck off lmao. dude has 15-11-4

bjel til i fjell

im not just the president of mt dew, im also a client

Mt Zion, Yahweh too much

it’s just one game and they’re gonna need good health but this warriors team kinda feels night and day from where they were last year.

poole gives them someone else in the starting line up who can do something the ball, and lee can score a bit off the bench. and then just putting guys like igoudala and bjelica in the rotation who are actually competent NBA players is such a step up from a lot of what they we’re running out last year. no wiseman, no oubre, no paschall, no nico mannion

I want Zion to go to the heat and get on that pat Riley work out regime.

Bjelica looked really really good in this system

Westbrick💯😂 pic.twitter.com/0e0KdwjeHz

— Deaareon Morris (@deaareon544) October 20, 2021

was not really feeling either of the teams in the late game lakers are a classic old guy team maybe they can find some sort of bruising identity idk dont think the outlook is good for them maybe brow should get on the juice or something, dubs despite having some random guys go off still seem like they do not have enough players who can do stuff HOWEVER if klay comes back at a good level things could be different, also they might look different if steph just has a good game lol, the supporting cast def has more offensive skills than last year but none of them are really "slam dunks", idk like the loony-green-wiggins front line is just not pleasing to me personally i find that combination frustrating

I guess those media day pictures weren't lying after all?

(via @JakeLFischer)https://t.co/LglcldIzve pic.twitter.com/sbt6Q3otRF

— Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) October 20, 2021

re the warriors, poole had 20 points in 25 mins and didn’t shoot particularly well either but he looks pretty legit to me. bjelica was really active too, i mean he’s not gonna put up a double double every night & he basically couldn’t get off the bench for 2 diff teams last year so i don’t wanna overreact to 1 game, but you have to honor his shot and he can facilitate the ball a bit. i thought that game just didn’t have the feel of warriors games last year where steph was playing 1 on 5 like, can he even pass the ball? who else can dribble? and when he was on the bench you were like, literally how are they gonna score a point? i think their ceiling is realistically like fourth in the west, maybe third if they have a dream year, but that looked to me like a team that has a great shot at avoiding the play in game which would be huge for them.

the lakers i agree w/ you… woof. nunn and THT and ellington are hurt so i guess they will get some more youth and shooting, also they have ariza for whatever that is worth but once AD cooled off there was no pop in that line up at all. lebron shooting tons of threes again & not pressing the basket… he shot 11 threes to 6 FTs, that just isn’t his game (and he was hot from three). i would worry about vogel leaning too hard on the vets too even when those guys come back. melo & dwight should barely be seeing the floor imo… like 5-6 mpg players rondo, avery bradley & denadre… three guys who could barely get on the floor for the hawks, heat, and nets last year if at all. bazemore is a decent player but not at 30 mins. i’ll reserve judgement until they have their full rotation back but that game concerned me. the idea of this version of lebron and anthony davis dragging them to the finals does not seem realistic

yeah i mean the warriors offensive situation is not as bad as last year but its still kind of the same deal

also steph had an absolutely insane year despite it all its asking a lot for him to repeat that performance

not sure why the jordan poole bandwagon is suddenly standing room only but it is good they at least have someone else who can get some shots up

the warriors developed a draft pick and want everyone to know about it

kudos to them its a good thing to do lol

when Bjelica was in Minnie they really tried to make the "Professor Big Shots" nickname a thing, I don't know if it stuck

what's the situation on Klay??

probably back in january?

yah maybe a little earlier

so if all goes well he could be rounding into form for the stretch run

yeah i mean the warriors offensive situation is not as bad as last year but its still kind of the same deal

the warriors developed a draft pick and want everyone to know about it

theres def a bunch of randomness but its pretty clear that some teams are just better at it too, which makes sense

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas has agreed on a two-year extension worth $30.1 million, his agents Aaron Mintz, Mitch Nathan and Drew Morrison of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN.

Valanciunas is now committed to the Pelicans for $44.1M over the next three seasons.

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) October 20, 2021

lol, does seem like a pretty reasonable deal for jonas tho

this is starting to feel an awful lot like the 2016 "cap spike! no bad free agent contracts are possible!" except with extensions.

one thing you could see last night was the dubs really miss an athletic dude at the lob/roller spot. lots of great passes to looney in the paint where hed take one more dribble and kick it back out or whatever. wiseman could be that guy if he's learned how to stay sound and in position on defense (not likely).

they need to trade wiseman. he needs to go to a bad team where he can develop with the ball in his hands and this warriors team can’t afford that

you’re right that the warriors basically need like a birdman style player at center who can run around and jump and dunk but what’s the point in turning wiseman into that, just get whatever value you can for him and add to your team

yeah not trading their picks the last couple years was pretty bad

unlikely theyd get enough for wiseman to make it worth their while at this point, he has to show he can play first

if Chriss coulda stayed healthy he looked really great in that role and had good chemistry w dray and steph, but alas

yeah the wiseman ship sailed theyre stuck with him unless they sell low

Bjelica looked really really good in this system

― Matt Armstrong, Wednesday, October 20, 2021 4:11 AM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

he looked like jokic-lite lol

The Lakers played Avery Bradley in crunch time last night for some reason? Whatever, I'll take it.

yeah that was weird. hoping he'd have a revenge game or something? he did hit a couple open threes.

i heard that it was probably because monk was getting roasted and vogel wanted to make a point

pic.twitter.com/wD2xdqwUK9

— Dom2K🎃👻🧟‍♂️ (@Dom_2k) October 20, 2021

James Jones on @BurnsAndGambo said a 5-year max to Deandre Ayton was not something the Suns were interested in for a multitude of reasons and it ultimately came down to it not being a preference from a roster construction standpoint.

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) October 20, 2021

It’s TIME for NBA Cluntdiwn. A new era begins NOWWWWWWW!!!!! On ESPN!

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) October 20, 2021

lets clunt it diwn then

lmao

hell yes we've all been waiting a long four months for the cluntdiwn

the fiiiiiinal cluntdiwn 🎶🎶🎶

just fired up nba b i t e and im watching both balls now

kelly oubre wide open 3.... airball by a bout two feet to the left

btw nba cluntdiwn is a complete travesty lmao. sas screaming and greeny just being a complete dolt. they didnt even know they were live for about 20 seconds a few minutes back

pacers looking solid. they havent had a coach of this calibre since... rick carlisle

refs letting these jump in foul begging 3s go is making me believe good things are possible

these knicks "throwbacks" are nice

jaylen brown is balling out here in the 1st quarter of the season

yeah the knicks unis are clean

Would it really be a shock if lamelo is a top 15 player by the end of the season? He’s just ridiculously talented good lord

Mods can we get cluntdiwn into the thread title

i dont think i can, but im ok with this being funny tonight only

love lamelo props to lamelo

julius randle playing some tuff ball tonight

Seen some really shockingly bad calls tonight….

Mobley looks way ahead of schedule

Brilliant decision by Tatum to fall down and distract the defense

lmao

crazy crunch time steal --> blown wide open dunk --> mark jackson: "this game has had everything"

well that was fun

3 minutes into his first run and cody zeller has already been canonized as the new fan favorite, shocking i know

spurs are 1-0 and a lot of fun. they just run all day, force turnovers, get second chance points, and they actually shot 30 3's tonight (43% to boot). devin vassell dropped a career-high 19 to lead them. 7 guys in double figures. maybe they wont be the worst team!

dame doesn't have the juice anymore

the raptors putting up 83 points on the wizards… yikes

Pels defense without Zion certainly wasn't better, the Sixers shot 52% from 3.

Interested to see if Maxey can ball out against a team that plays D.

The Lad was 6-12 from 3 last night

Perusing last night's scores... yikes Toronto, no one with more than 12 points.

https://imgur.com/Yi8XPzt

https://i.imgur.com/Yi8XPzt.png

jonas signing an extension and then going out and shooting 3-19 as the team gives up 117 points is pretty funny

devonte graham, alexander-walker, josh hart, brandon ingram, jonas v prob has to be one of the worst defensive starting line ups in the league. is there any player of that 5 who can stop anyone? they got outscored in the paint 50-36 and lost FT battle 20-9

that bench also looks pretty brutal… their leading scorer off the bench was trey murphy 6 points on 2-7 shooting. kira lewis, naji marshall, jaxson hayes, garret temple … that’s basically a summer league line up. this team might be really bad

i think of josh hart as a serviceable cog in a good defense but yeah he's not exactly going to be able to anchor that group.

i just looked up their lineup to see who else they are waiting to get back besides zion and there ain't nobody. yes they will be bad

also looks like Hart only played 10 minutes - left with a knee injury and did not return

apologize in advance cuz i'm gonna post too much about anthony edwards but i have to put all my hoops hopes and dreams on this kid

24 points in the FIRST HALF.@theantedwards_ came hungry. 🍽 pic.twitter.com/bFFpL0qML8

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 21, 2021

Love the Lad. That dunk was sick.

pretty funny how everyone hated that draft and edwards and ball are clear stars already

yah there seemed like an odd degree of negativity about both of them as top picks, ball i think most of it had to do with his last name/family more than anything

but yeah locally every wolves fan was crying oh we finally got lucky in the lottery and it's the worst draft in 10 years wah wah wah

hard to predict. he had all the tools all the questions were about 'does he care' and what not. seems like he cares!

its really hard for me not to wonder how ball woulda looked flanked by the splash bros...

Now that we get his personal more I could definitely see him coming off poorly in a predraft interview

doesnt seem too interested in doing some canned ultimate competitor schtick lol salute

yah there seemed like an odd degree of negativity about both of them as top picks, ball i think most of it had to do with his last name/family more than anything

I like that Edwards is succeeding as a Fun Guy

yeah its cool

yeah very solid fun guy energy from the kid.

lamelos stats in his stint overseas were not very good and the shot looked broken

spurs are 1-0 and a lot of fun. they just run all day, force turnovers, get second chance points, and they actually shot 30 3's tonight (43% to boot). devin vassell dropped a career-high 19 to lead them. 7 guys in double figures. maybe they wont be the worst team!

if both of them had just been able to enter the NBA out of high school instead of being forced to take 1 year sojourns there prob wouldn't have been as much negativity surrounding them based on like 20-30 games. i don't think most of these kids benefit from being thrown into new situations for 1 season w/ a bunch of guys they've never played with before.

there's some examples of guys like anthony davis and zion who weren't no 1 picks heading into the draft who he really blew up in one season, markelle fultz would be another. but for the vast majority of these kids i don't think it's really beneficial, you're gonna get highly scrutinized in a situation that may or may not be advantageous to you. even someone like lonzo who had a great year at UCLA which got him into the top 2 of the draft, i'm not sure it actually benefited him as a player beyond that, he had to adjust his game once he got into the league and it took him like 3+ years before he was actually good and understood his role.

beyond the money G league ignite offers i feel like the better part is being put on a team where there is no false pretense about winning, or fitting in, or doing anything beyond being put in the best position to showcase yourself as a prospect. like lamelo got criticized for how he played w/ a bunch of australian dudes who will never sniff the NBA, how is that helping anyone really

i think the age rule changes to 18 starting next draft right?

i don't think that's actually gone through

ah ok

yeah still TBD

but yeah that first year of weirdness probably does more harm than good for most of the best prospects. lamelo made like 100k in australia, prob coulda made more at a D1 school lol

tbh given what the league is doing w/ ignite it doesn't seem like they have much motivation to change the rule and i don't think the players union will be particularly motivated to do it either

if lamelo had gone to a D1 school it would've been a complete circus and he prob wouldn't have been able to play like he did in australia which is more like how he's playing in the NBA, i don't think that really would've helped him at all

prob woulda gone to a mid major and just hoisted like mad

he prob would've just gone to UCLA which actually made the final four but getting to the championship game and having big games in the tournament didn't do anything to help jalen suggs draft stock

Ben Simmons described back tightness to several Sixers staff members and was briefly treated for it today, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 21, 2021

oh damn feel better soon ben

Sources: 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons is currently not mentally ready to play for the team and was receiving treatment on his back today due to ramp up process. He will miss Friday’s home opener vs. Nets and is not expected to play for an undetermined period of time.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 21, 2021

DNP - NMR

ben simmons said: pic.twitter.com/IJJnUm6ySb

— scott.fw.png (@_scottjohnson) October 21, 2021

lmao

haaaa

lol perfect

awesome

According to Sources, belief by #Sixers Ben Simmons is faking injury and mental illness. He came in 2day and said he had back stiffness and mentally not ready to play. Mental illness is serious issue and team is livid Simmons went down that road. Team plans to fine him every game

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) October 21, 2021

“My back hurts… that’s what you’re gonna get this year”

Gilbert Arenas accurately predicts how the Ben Simmons and Sixers situation will play out.

(via @fuboSports)pic.twitter.com/TsoIgtzWln

— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) October 21, 2021

trade value = continuing to skyrocket

Not an expert at CBA, but this has got to be going to arbitration at some point, right?

lol @ “mental illness is a serious issue and they’re livid he went down that road”

josh harris go to hell

Morey having Royce White flashbacks rn

All-Star guard Ben Simmons is expected to come early to the 76ers shootaround on Friday morning to discuss his playing status with organizational leadership, sources tell ESPN. Sixers play the Nets on ESPN and team is still hopeful that Simmons will participate in shootaround.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 21, 2021

Sources in the Sixers organization tell me Ben Simmons is a crumb bum.

Daryl Morey on @975TheFanatic: "Would you rather eliminate what people perceive to be a distraction, or would you rather have better playoff odds? I'll take playoff odds...Whatever we have to deal with that helps the Philadelphia 76ers win the title, we'll do it."

— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) October 21, 2021

ok!

“If we can trade Ben Simmons for a difference maker, we will do it” - @dmorey to @975TheFanatic

He said fans should be prepared to buckle in “for a very long time” because right now he can only trade Ben for role players.

— Harrison Sanford (@HarrisonSanford) October 21, 2021

A very good way to win during Joel's prime is to burn 35 mil every year for four years.

Daryl Morey's definitely has some model that tells him You Can't Win A Championship Without Two Superstars and he's gonna boom his whole franchise rather than trade Ben Simmons for some solid players who would absolutely make the 76ers better.

— Tom Ley (@ToLey88) October 21, 2021

i do think morey is right in that the organization that turned jimmy butler into al horford into danny green can’t really let more talent get out the door.

if theyre going to hold out they should just pay him and let him be away from the team is how i break it down

correct

this continual fining doesnt lead anywhere good

Doesn't it save the team a shitload of money without affecting any of the other players at all?

well what if he decides to perform the minimum effort to not get fined 50% ben simmons isnt helping your cause, or he fakes an injury and you still fine him then youre what dealing with lawyers

not to mention the insane vibes hit the team is taking right now

bad pr for future free agents

potential trade partners seeing an org in crisis

They should have taken the Spurs deal. If Morey thinks Dejounte is a “role player” that’s his business but he’s about to hear about players who actually are

what was the spurs deal

I don't see how sending Simmons home but keeping him on the roster fixes the vibe issues. They'll still get media questions about it until he's gone.

Doesn't it save the team a shitload of money without affecting any of the other players at all?

― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Thursday, October 21, 2021 5:10 PM (nine minutes ago)

the team doesn't actually need the money. they're just making a point

I'm fine with making a point and I'm skeptical Simmons is going to take the floor no matter what the Sixers do.

Text from my buddy in Philly:

"I hope Simmons plays at least one home game."

I don't see how sending Simmons home but keeping him on the roster fixes the vibe issues. They'll still get media questions about it until he's gone.

― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Thursday, October 21, 2021 5:19 PM (seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

idk having a weird negative guy at practice cant be great

Morey on his timeline: "You're going to think I'm kidding, I'm not. This could (go on for) 4 years. ... We're in the prime of Joel's career...Either Ben Simmons is playing for us, or we have to get back a difference maker."

— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) October 21, 2021

Simmons and Morey truly deserve each other

morey is obvs bluffing but also i have no idea how long hes really willing to let this go, one would think ownership will pull the plug before he does

Simmons for Kyrie, which side actually says no at this moment in time? Both teams would be trading a hypothetical player for one who would actually take the floor! I guess probably sixers say no bc Morey

Simmons is unvaccinated, right? I guess he might take the vax to get out of Dodge though.

it does seem like destiny

If Kyrie follows through on his threat to retire if traded, then I guess then the Sixers would be able to sign a guy next year.

I still can't believe that both those situations went completely unresolved into the regular season, that never actually happens in professional sports

The Sixers have listed Joel Embiid as questionable with right knee soreness for tomorrow’s game against the Nets, Ben Simmons as doubtful with “return to competition reconditioning” and Shake Milton and Grant Riller as out. Kyrie Irving is the only Net on the injury report.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 21, 2021

I still can't believe that both those situations went completely unresolved into the regular season, that never actually happens in professional sports

― frogbs, Thursday, October 21, 2021 5:40 PM (three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

strange times

even pros lying flat

Story going round is that the Simmons saga is actually bringing the team closer together (other than Simmons obv).

Embiid sitting out the 2nd game would be too on the nose. We need new writers.

Speaking of nba team dysfunction...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32443902/former-dallas-mavericks-executive-haralabos-voulgaris-compares-franchise-dysfunction-high-school-drama

Voulgaris noted that the Mavericks had not had a front office employee get hired in a more prominent role by another franchise during Nelson's two-decade tenure as president of basketball operations.

yikes

the nba is back baby

Celtics-Knicks got a 4.0 rating in Boston, 3.5 in New York. It's ESPN's most-watched Wednesday season-opening game in 18 years, according to Nielsen.

— Chad Finn (@GlobeChadFinn) October 21, 2021

Simmons listed his house in NJ lol

https://www.trulia.com/p/nj/moorestown/9-miller-ct-moorestown-nj-08057--2007421004

https://i.imgur.com/rbnXEai.png

Lmaooooo

delon wright on the floor vs the mavs triggering a haralabob revenge game

I see the new point of emphasis doesn't apply to Trae Young.

Mavericks best org in sports

Miami nightlife with a big W tonight I think

the step down from carlisle to kidd might be a doozie for the mavs

bucks looking like the first team to play 2 games this year and not really caring if they win or lose this game

Dang the Mavs are getting run

Just checked the Bucks score and uhhh what

they only play good now if you give them rings before the game, theyre spoiled

Finally the league has a coach who can shut down Luka Doncic

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) October 22, 2021

lol early kidd reviews not great

I have no idea what this Mavericks offense is (I do, it’s Jason Kidd bullshit), but please make it stop.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) October 22, 2021

The weakness of that roster is gonna be magnified by kidd

Couple 30 p blowouts going on yuck

i thought porzingis looked pretty good just physically/athletically

thanasis one of my least fav players in the NBA

just catching up on the fact that indy drafted a 24 y/o named chris duarte with the 13th pick who scored 27 points in his first game which was yesterday

im trying to figure out why hes so old

thanasis one of my least fav players in the NBA

he plays like no one ever explained the rules of basketball to him

lol what happened in these first two games, couple of stinkers looks like!!

everyone said duarte was NBA ready and i was like “he better be!” but i guess maybe he is. if they sign him to a 4 year rookie extension he’ll be like 32 when it ends lmao

thanasis would never see the floor in an NBA game if it wasn’t for his brother which makes it a bit galling that he plays like a total dickhead

we were talking in the other thread about how nice these warriors unis & court are but i flipped on the game and for like 2 seconds it didn’t register what i was looking at. very disorienting experience

i read four articles on chris duarte and no one wants to talk about why he was 20 years old when he started college

maybe it has something to do with moving from the dr to usa during high school idk anyway hes old

25 point first quarter for steph

oh thats the stuff baby

We’ve got Chef Curry cooking tonight… 🔥 🏀🔥 pic.twitter.com/PkRVueehdF

— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) October 22, 2021

those kinda do just look like knicks unis tho

mark price cavs jerseys

wild 2nd quarter. dubs down 1

Gonna call GM of the year for Travis Schlenk after one game

eric bledsoe well on his way to tricking the clippers into trusting him in the playoffs god bless

justise winslow had hip replacement surgery? i knew he was hurt for a while but i did not know it was all that. how do you play in the NBA after having a hip replaced

lee & poole are so huge for the dubs

Good one here

Poole’s impressive even when he’s completely out of control

at the ends of games now the warriors can play steph & dray and some combo of poole, lee, wiggins, iggy and otto porter. not all of those guys will be reliable every night & the raw talent could be better but at least the structure of the rotation actually makes sense — guard, center and three wings is a great way to play. for most of last year they looked like a team that had no idea what it was trying to do during the course of the game or how it could piece together a sensible rotation for any sustained period of time

reggie jackson plays like he’s the steph curry of the clippers it’s pretty funny. i’m still scarred from the playoffs and assume any time he shoots a three it’s going in

steph is fucking unreal

love you steph

he seems good

http://i.imgur.com/xsiepAj.png

this fuckin guy

there was a few years there where it was cool to hate one of the sickest most exciting basketball players who has ever lived. not me.

glad to be reminded that basketball owns

Steph is just the best ima cry for a month when he retires

Poole was wild as hell tonight lol bro just needs to calm down a bit

I think they need to start Lee at the 2. Poole is a better spark pg off the bench

"I'm from the logo with it" pic.twitter.com/dCqc0Gilg6

— nothim (@notgswchris) October 22, 2021

PG did come back and hit a pretty deep one

Sources: Ben Simmons spoke to Doc Rivers, Joel Embiid and entire 76ers team today and accepted everyone needs to take responsibility, including himself — but Simmons informed them all that he’s not mentally ready to play yet and needs time.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 22, 2021

“accepted everyone needs to take responsibility” what this mean

"I look forward to being traded, expect my last name to be DNP-*.* until then"

the implication from earlier news seems like Simmons is counting on the recent press/public willingness to acknowledge athletes stepping back due to acute mental disorders as being a healthy and not a disruptive thing and he wants to say that's where he's at. Which maybe he is! But he seems to still expect to get paid, which is where he may be miscalculating league and fan response

like "everybody needs to take responsibility" is him saying that the team and player's public outspokenness about his breakdown in the playoffs contributed to his mental instability and coming back would be detrimental to his well being. Maybe so! But perhaps consider exploring nullifying/renegotiating your contract?

i don't even know why the fuck i did this but i tossed off a snarky reply to a nets fan on twitter in the replies of that crazy knicks fans video and now it's getting shitloads of likes from knicks fans and i'm getting a few replies from nets fans and i don't even care about either about these teams, all the nets fans think i'm a knicks fan i think

lol nba twitter is a dark space never respond to anything

One obvious difference I see between Steph and Dame is that when Dame makes an impossible game-winning three he stares impassively like the assassin who just took you out, while Steph just runs down court laughing, like he's the happiest man on earth.

i think simmons is using the “mental health” card because if he claimed to have a physical injury the sixers could presumably force him to see doctors, get MRIs etc that would turn up no evidence of said injury. mental health status isn’t really “provable” in the same way — i’m not sure it has much to do with the public

i mean “back soreness” isn’t really provable either, of all the shit ben and his people have thrown against the wall mental health is probably one of the ones i believe the most.

getting booed can for sure negatively impact ones mental health

getting called a crumb bum can destroy one's self worth

"Trade me to the king crumb bums of sacramento. I will buy a farm in davis. I deserve it. I am simmo the crumb bum now."

lmao

if i were simmons id figure out a fake injury that required lots of massages and sitting around in the hot tub

simmons should go full hamlet and soliloquize nonsense all day around the locker room

There’s a new fence overlooking the players entrance at the Wells Fargo Center. In the past, fans could look down and see players enter the building. This taller fence is part of the enhanced security measures due to fans outrage with Ben Simmons. pic.twitter.com/b8TXJyA6S8

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 22, 2021

lollll

gotta admit it is pretty ballsy to anger the Philly fanbase like that

🚨

🚨 Breaking: The NBA is preparing for a massive story accusing #Suns owner Robert Sarver of racism, sexism and sexual harassment in a series of incidents, sources say. With enough evidence to support such claims, there’s a real chance the league would forcibly remove Sarver.

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 22, 2021

as far as I can tell it's actually Giannis who owns the Suns

The Mavericks are a bummer of a team to root for now. Feels like the pre-Dirk era when they weren't complete shit but also sort of hopeless going forward.

except for the part where they have one of the 5 best players in the NBA

The mid-90s Mavericks had Kidd/Jim Jackson/Jamal Mashburn playing at a high level and still felt (and were) rather hopeless. It's the front office incompetence at drafting and building around him that makes the team a bummer. Cuban inherited Dirk, lucked into Luka and other than that the best draft pick in two decades was... Josh Howard.

oh man cancel the fuck out of sarver yes

okay

pic.twitter.com/iaINS08yUz

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 22, 2021

i def was wearing a shirt that said SICKOS when I read the tweet about sarver

yes ha ha ha yes

Cavs are fun to watch now

yeah idk

Embiid addressing the Philly crowd pregame: “I urge you guys to continue to support us and our teammate Ben because he’s still our brother”

— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) October 23, 2021

He didn’t really sell it imo

he is, presently, as of this moment, our brother

we will happily exchange him for a different brother should one become available

lol

Mark Jackson sullenly says "I'd bench my son if he made a play like that"

i caught that--who the fuck enjoys listening to this guy??

#NBAxESPN FACUNDO "MAGIC" CAMPAZZO. pic.twitter.com/2QdyTzn099

— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 23, 2021

xpost he's the worst and sadly it's pretty clear he's never getting another coaching job to get him off our hands

getting booed can for sure negatively impact ones mental health

― lag∞n, Friday, October 22, 2021 1:42 PM (eight hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

So too can insanely cheering for some dope to shoot 50% from the line and not be a total weirdo, apparently.

What in the world

How does he...

Absurd. pic.twitter.com/UA8nmGdtgo

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 23, 2021

lol two spurs startle responce

ooof that's gotta sting for brooklyn they were in control of that game for like 90% of it

what's with the ball doing magic stuff today

Typical Philly inability to close.

lebron out here injuring ppl

his feud with crowder enters a new era

dwight trying to fight ad in the second game of the season. brilliant stuff

This Lakers team...I dunno

Yeah it’s just 2 games but the vibes are not great

congrats to the sixers on not having the worst vibes

chris paul just having fun out there you love to see the little bastard succeed

lol this prick getting kicked out

knicks baby?

Cavs are fun to watch now

― Matt Armstrong, Friday, October 22, 2021 7:44 PM (yesterday)

evan mobley looks awesome. looks like he will be easily the best player they've drafted aside from lebron and kyrie in like 15-20 years and it's prob not even close. big W for the matt armstrong scouting dept

The @Lakers have a team issue and basketball issue.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) October 23, 2021

thanks magic!

lmao

After reading the Suns’ official statement I am going to 100% believe whatever is in this story

gonna say it again. stop scooping other reporters on unpublished stories unless you have the goods. it’s not cool. pic.twitter.com/lzGUyQaJJ8

— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) October 22, 2021

Watching the Spurs against the Nuggets I was again impressed by them but it’s really hard to understand their draft pick

hawks lose to the cav, mavs beat the raptors… lesson there

man the pelicans are just awful huh

they're a very bad vibes team

LeBron to Cam Payne: "Stay humble. You was at home a year and a half ago, now you wanna pop off."

(Via @2cool2Blog, H/T @VinoUncorked) pic.twitter.com/QpC60NEt1M

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 23, 2021

Maybe Zion just sits out the season and demands a trade

I think cam reddish is about to bust out

Rookie class amazing already

has anyone tried sling tv for watching basketball was it good does league pass have blackouts and so forth

why does youtubetv cost $65 now this is dumb

if anyone on here has youtube tv and league pass i will send you money to put me on yr family plan

i dont, this year im using my friends cable login and illegal streams. im using sling for espn/tnt games.

i used illegal streams all last season the quality/stability and dvr of youtube is so much better but paying a hundo a month just to watch nba is deviant behavior

mb i shd try international league pass with a vpn, is the league pass app still bad tho

m bison - where are you watching illegal streams?

Stupid fucking Bally Sports North is feuding with all the streaming services so I think that's my only way to watch the Wolves

i use https://nbabite.com/

i'm trying youtube tv and league pass and finding it a step up from the app alone. not appreciating the cost but no other realistic way to watch nationally televised games live with a delay

it really is the cadillac of streaming

i thought about picking youtube tv up again but the price has doubled since the last time i had it yuck

it is stupidly expensive! but they offer the option to "share with 5 family members" where each of you have an unlimited streaming dvr that operates entirely separate from each other. Everyone gets not only youtube tv but also the league pass, so i have my mother-in-law and mother and sister and co-worker on it. theoretically if they all chipped in $20 a month it would make it only $20 apiece, so my suggestion would be that ILX forms a family group and you guys venmo that shit out.

http://6streams.tv/nba-streams/

this is what i used the last two games bc they were on bunny ears tv

bison, as reigning ilh mod, i think one of your posted duties is to pay for a youtube/league pass and then open competition for slots
i am recommending a squid game situation type thing

I’m on like year 12 of league pass now and for the espn/tnt games, I use my mom’s cable login. all on the roku or if I’m not home, mobile app

jfc

Getting scary out here. Crowd of protesters just jumped barricades and pushing towards door. Chanting let Kyrie play. pic.twitter.com/PlSu5B8amV

— Barbara Barker (@meanbarb) October 24, 2021

the 3-0 charlotte hornets! ish smith putting the nets thru a paper shredder in the fourth quarter today

hell yeah

So I guess harden didn’t bother to get in shape before the season again huh. Less than ten FTA through 3 games and looks to be the same weight as last season

he's getting bodied up on the perimeter more now that players know he can't hoist with impunity, wouldn't be surprised if he struggled to score 20 ppg for the season

That would be very surprising!

well, let's say 25.

im sure professor harden will devise a new formula, tho not being in shape could make it harder

he didnt used to spend so much of his time trying to get guys to reach on the perimeter

James Harden vs. Charlotte today

✅back to back charges
✅airballed open 3
✅dribble picked in open court
✅one free throw despite repeated efforts to draw fouls
✅routinely beaten off dribble

Maybe it's just rust and first week and what not, but that was rough.

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) October 24, 2021

saw a clip of him from what must have been his early houston days and he was so skinny looked like a different guy

He had some real bounce

JB says LaMelo Ball told him to "ride out Ish" in the fourth quarter

— Sam Perley (@sam_perley) October 24, 2021

lamelo seems like the best teammate

Seth Curry doing Curry-like things so far this year (86% from 3 so far this year).

grant williams too

Grant Williams has opened the season shooting 75 percent from 3-point range (6-of-8).

— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) October 24, 2021

kevin porter jr is still very wild but he moves extremely well taking huge steps gliding around out there could be a a real player if he puts it all together

i’ve always said there isn’t much difference between steph curry and grant williams

basically the same guy

Uh, Seth Curry is 6 of 8 in this game.

Sorry, 6 of 7.

thats cool grant williams is 3-3 in this game (100%)

jalen green is 6-7 from 3 in the first half here, third nba game

should the celtics try and beat the rockets y/n

i would go ahead and try i mean why not

What if the nets and lakers are both bad

would be wonderful

i don’t see how it’s possible for the nets to be bad with KD playing at the level he’s playing at

the lakers have a big problem which is that their entire team is like 37 years old

yeah they shouldve checked ids before putting that team together

Davion Mitchell so fun to watch

Brandon Clarke isn’t a good nba player and I’m sick of watching him

can i just say how much more i enjoy watching the nba with full arenas after the past two years? feels like actual games again.
ps i hope no one dies because of this

Davion Mitchell so fun to watch

He completely won me over in the NCAA tournament last spring. He's cocky as fuck, but he backs it up in his play like its nbd.

if you’re the lakers you’re definitely just happy to be in a one possession game with a team playing a road back to back

Lakers grinding out a 1 point win at home shooting like 60% from 3 or something

Imagine Jalen Green finishes this😳 you could just say right now that it’d be the dunk of the year. Hand to the face as well.. #roty pic.twitter.com/Far94XCL88

— MNsports (@MinnWRLD) October 24, 2021

Jalen Green voulait rendre hommage à Gérald Green 😭😭pic.twitter.com/warEC8EwKR

— The Daily Dunk (@TheDailyDunkfr) October 23, 2021

Watching Harden, I don't really think this has much to do with the rules. Just not creating advantages with nearly the ease he used to. https://t.co/BnnTrrcV4A

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) October 25, 2021

wrong side of 30 carrying around too much weight

maybe hes injured too who knows

I know it’s early, not even a week into the season, but the NBA rule changes are making a big difference. Fewer fouls called, players have to try to score rather than just draw fouls and better game flow, especially at the end of the game. It’s a better game to watch.

— Stan Van Gundy (@realStanVG) October 25, 2021

yeah its noticeable for sure, tho feel like the physicality has lead to some pretty ragged play, but some of that is prob just early season rust and adjusting to the new reality

harden is coming off that hammy thing im sure hes not trusting it completely yet. however, you'd think hed have a desire to make it as easy on his body as possible by cutting weight, but alas.

seems like he and kyrie kind of stopped caring as soon as they formed their superteam lol, the emptiness of the project is too much for them

One great thing about the new rules changes is that players actually have to try to finish, so you get actual basketball played above the rim instead of some opera performance on the floor

yeah it was really the nonsense fake shots that bothered people more than say the frequency of fouls or whatever although they were too frequent too

even just a few less foul calls per game can have a major impact on flow

re:harden, NBA superstars don’t just fall off a cliff overnight. he’ll be fine

harden needs to work himself back into shape. the skill set is still there.

would be pretty easy for him to be fine and also declining

haven't a lot of people predicted that Harden's high usage rate and the fact that he's absorbed an insane amount of contact make him the ideal candidate to fall off a cliff? not saying that's what's happening but he's 33 and he's been hurt a lot + there's a rule change designed specifically to take a major part of his game away, I wouldn't be surprised if he just sucks this year

injury aside i would be surprised if he didnt at least mostly regain his form this year hes such a smart player he should be able to figure it out

last year he shot 4 fewer free throws per game, and the brooklyn portion of his year was the first time he ever took more shots from 3-10 feet than at the rim. i think the athletic decline has already started, but if anyone is smart enough to manage it and have a couple more productive years i would bet on him.

we could easily be looking at a nets juggernaut rolling into the playoffs or also not

I mean looking at this Nets roster & the fact that they're missing Kyrie it's not really a surprise that they just don't really know what they're doing yet. I would also bet on Harden figuring it out but his game was so physical before that I'm not entirely sure what it would look like

i mean he needs to get in shape then take it from there, playing a little bit more as a distributor prob makes sense for this nets team especially if they get kyrie back

before he came up with the take 3s from a hyperbolic chamber routine he used to get past the first line of D and fling all sorts of crazy passes around

let's not forget dude is one of the best long range shooters ever, even if he is losing athleticism/driving ability he has the no 1 skill you would want in order to adjust to decline. he had a shitty game vs charlotte but in the two games previously he put up 20-8-8 on 7-15 shooting from three. even if he's not racking up 12 FTA and 45 point games he's still gonna be a really good player. he's turned the ball over too much, he's prob still a bit rusty. i feel like in a month if not sooner this convo will look a bit ridiculous

i dont think it will look that ridiculous considering almost everyone is saying hell prob be fine

Per @ramonashelburne: The 76ers have stopped fining Ben Simmons for missing practices and games pic.twitter.com/jUw8O4kaWq

— 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣’ 𝙉𝘽𝘼 🗣️ (@_Talkin_NBA) October 25, 2021

lol this situation

Which was Ben's entire reason for showing up.

looks like the mental health gambit worked

5-dimensional chess out there between the moreys and the simmonses

I guess the more charitable view is maybe both sides are taking good faith steps:

1. Ben shows up and sort of apologizes to the team (Friday).
2. Sixers stops fining Ben.
3. ???
4. Sixers NBA Championship.

I hope they made him promise to get better at basketball first.

i dont think it will look that ridiculous considering almost everyone is saying hell prob be fine

― lag∞n, Monday, October 25, 2021 12:54 PM (thirty-eight minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah i think we're all expecting a return to form or at least a baseline of harden form. but he's getting to an age/weight where things can start to go south, add the rule thing and general lack of conditioning and you can start to build a case.

i feel like he wasn’t someone who generated lots of FTs thru the kinda moves that are now being scrutinized, purposefully stopping and jumping into contact and stuff. i feel like he was just hitting the rim super hard all the time and getting hacked just as a crafty player generally

fwiw I think Harden will be fine but he also may be one of those players who's never fully healthy again

he did lead the league in 3pt fouls drawn which one would think would dry up some, at least until he figures out how to hack the system again

wonder what the refs will think about those drives where he reaches the ball way out in front of him with both arms now too, not the most natural of motions

i feel like he wasn’t someone who generated lots of FTs thru the kinda moves that are now being scrutinized, purposefully stopping and jumping into contact and stuff. i feel like he was just hitting the rim super hard all the time and getting hacked just as a crafty player generally

― J0rdan S., Monday, October 25, 2021 3:01 PM (three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yah harden is the poster boy for foul baiting imo. trae young not far behind but hardens baiting resume is deeper. hes def known more for the swipe his arms up and through anyones outstretched arms on a drive but he for sure baits on the 3 point attempts a ton too.

or what lagoon said. the thing about that arms out foul thing is he stopped getting that call in the playoffs and its a huge part of his failures. hes gotta adjust, he can hit that little floater any time he wants really just needs to think bucket first and not contact first.

early houston harden was quite fun to watch

life would be so much better if everyone just thought bucket first

yah harden is the poster boy for foul baiting imo.

― It's the Final Cluntdiwn (Spottie), Monday, October 25, 2021 6:10 PM (six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

he said so himself

"I just ask officials to call what they see"

James Harden says he feels like the "poster boy" of the NBA's rule changes, but adds, "I'm not the type to complain about it" pic.twitter.com/VRg170JN8B

— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) October 24, 2021

i do feel like his foul baiting is craftier than say traes who will jump three feet sideways into a guy, harden creates more legit fouls, people do hate him for it tho lol

pretty sick celtics-hornets game here at the half lots of ridiculous shot making running around and so forth

the hornets are a really fun watch

yeah theyre awesome lamelo is a blessing

franz wagner might end up the better of the magic’s two top 10 picks from this draft. it’s looking kinda rough for jalen suggs. franz can shoot it tho

smh turning your back on suggs after 3 games

anecdotally speaking i feel like harden got so many and ones on threes because guys would jump onto his feet when he shot step backs. i don’t feel like he did a lot of the stuff like coming around a pick and letting the defender run into his back and just throwing the ball up at the rim. but i could be wrong

smh turning your back on suggs after 3 games

i still think he’ll be good, he can fill the stat sheet and will be a good defender. but he’s been turning the ball over a ton and it looks like athleticism isn’t giving him issues as far as scoring goes

felt like he shouldve gone one spot higher but scottie barnes has looked like straight baller tbh

Masai was right yet again

VanVleet with 5 turnovers in the half. He's never had more than 5 in a game.

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) October 26, 2021

guess theres a reason hes the best gm and im just the gm of the sacramento kings xp

sadly I am the gm of the milwaukie brewers :/

ah well nevertheless

JOHN COLLINS IS NOT FROM THIS PLANET pic.twitter.com/nz0o3eseZ1

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 26, 2021

Evan Mobley just looks really special. Kinda Ralph Sampson vibes?

saw a few clips of him guarding trae on the perimeter and staying with him to contest at the rim, rookie seven footers shouldnt be able to do that

Ralph Sampson before my time but based on clips yeah he’s got that same walking the line between gangly and graceful

Does the bulls’ crazy small ball experiment work?

Evan Mobley just looks really special. Kinda Ralph Sampson vibes?

― Matt Armstrong, Monday, October 25, 2021 10:35 PM (fifty-one minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

nods in the year 2021

cavs with the wire to wire road demolition is one for the “huh” files

Does the bulls’ crazy small ball experiment work?

cavs with the wire to wire road demolition is one for the “huh” files

― J0rdan S., Monday, October 25, 2021 11:52 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

it’s not what you want to see as a nuggets fan in particular

Nuggets built their whole offseason around 3 point shooting but it will take time for Michael Malone to admit that means he has to play a rookie

one could say that.. both balls are undefeated

Lonzo Ball and LaMelo Ball are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the East. They are both undefeated. pic.twitter.com/YRNGYOXfyh

— Basketball Forever (@Bballforeverfb) October 25, 2021

deez balls are undefeated

obi toppin is showing signs of life this season

they overdrafted him but he can do some things off the bench

meanwhile sixers have played two of the worst teams in the NBA and won and played two playoff teams from last year and lost in pretty pathetic fashion both times (pathetic in different ways).

knicks going nuts from 3 tonight but the sixers look to have way less offensive firepower than them which i think is a bit scary. off night from embiid and they’re gonna struggle to hit 95 points

sixers arent that good of a team without simmons just talent/composition wise

i don't really believe in their talent after embiid. an easy tell is how from shake milton to seth curry to maxey, there's always a narrative that some random guy is going to break out and save them.

Embiid also doesn't look explosive going to the net compared to early last year. He looks like he's not confident he can beat guys and settles for a lot of jumpers.

damn sixers had beat the knicks 15 in a row

love to watch jokic bully gobert

ilh is v pro bullying (of gobert)

embiid settling into a mid-career rasheed wallace sort of role is inevitable imo

this spurs-lakers game minus lebron has been excellent. high energy, shot crazy shotmaking. AD might be hobbled tho going into OT.

Jason Kidd says Mavs played all 15 players vs. Rockets per request of Dallas’ three-man leadership council.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 27, 2021

"The Time Keepers request that I cancel christmas again"

how bad was the jokic knee injury?

sounds like just a contusion and he was held out out of caution

oh good

Yeah pretty classic banged knees situation. Was always my go-to move defensively

kamikaze is kinda your vibe

someone named austin reaves played 30 minutes for the lakers tonight

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-09-28/lakers-rookie-austin-reaves-explains-why-his-nickname-is-hillbilly

he was awful on defense most of what isaw, but he hit shots and they desperately needed 3s

Jason Kidd says Mavs played all 15 players vs. Rockets per request of Dallas’ three-man leadership council.

― Matt Armstrong, Tuesday, October 26, 2021 11:45 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

hold up what

http://www.showbizpizza.com/photos/misc/capt07/21.jpg

lol apparently there was an attempt to not reveal who is on the leadership council but then it was promptly revealed lol

who is it

luka kristaps and finney-smith i think

wait its a players leadership council, lol that rules

i know!