NBA

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

 

[torontoduke]

Nice move by Cavs - backcourt depth

 

[rome8180]

Seems steep, but Rubio isn't playing, and I imagine the 1st is protected.

 

[torontoduke]

Jalen Brown just dunked through Mo Bamba. Pretty impressive

 

[DrKlahn]

What jumps out is how efficient they are as a group. Even a franchise killer like Tatum is still a hair better than the NBA average. You almost have to be trying to find the one guy that really hurts you.

 

[rhfarmer]

Ladies and gentlemen, the New Orleans Pelicans are currently in the NBA playoffs.

 

[DurhamSon]

Hmmm. One of the worst defensive big 3s ever, but the upside is there now for a team that could at least win a playoff series

 

[childress22]

Hopefully the defensive genius of Herbert Jones (and Valanciunas) can help them hold it together.

As a Blazers fan I knew this was coming, but still disappointed Portland couldn't consolidate the returning talent a bit more. Maybe NAW will magically learn to shoot consistently in Portland. At least they got some picks.

 

[Pantone287]

Wow, that's a steal for the Pelicans. In some other universe where Zion hasn't died and Graham looks like he did in Charlotte, Graham-McCollum-Jones-Ingram-Zion is a terrific lineup.

Edit: I don't actually know if McCollum is still good, and I know he has a huge contract, so my knee jerk reaction based on who CJ McCollum was the last time I paid attention to him may be incorrect. Seems like an ideal Zion offensive complement though.

 

[rome8180]

Pelicans started 1-12, a stretch which Ingram missed more than half of the games. Since then, they've been a pretty solid team. I kind of think they've shown enough growth to warrant a move like this (if only Zion wasn't dead, like Pants said).

Worth pointing out that Nance is also in the deal. He was pretty useless in Portland, but he was a damn good defender and stretch big in Cleveland.

 

[rome8180]

Dame is gonna have to want out, right? What the Blazers have gotten back for their best assets is pretty pathetic, imo. And it certainly makes them a lot worse right now. Not sure Dame is excited about playing with Banchero.

 

[childress22]

Yeah, I have to imagine it's a full rebuild. I can't tell what the strategy is otherwise. They should be able to clear cap room to sign a free agent this summer or something, but I don't even know who they'd go after. Kinda sucks, but it's the natural consequence of a miserable last off-season. Which they had gotten rid of their GM earlier, and empowered someone else to make moves last summer.

 

[childress22]

Woj says otherwise? If this is right, I assume it'll be GM Dame from here on out.

 

[DurhamSon]

How many teams have to strike out on signing star FAs before they realize if you're not Miami/LA/NY then you're probably out of luck? Boston can't do it, Dallas can't do it, don't think Portland can either. Unless you overpay for a distressed asset and get lucky, like Phoenix with Chris Paul, at best you're going to overpay for 2nd and 3rd tier "stars".

 

[DrKlahn]

What the....were the Kings forced to do this trade?

 

[rome8180]

What the....were the Kings forced to do this trade?

Wtf? Also, the Pacers are trading Lamb twice?

And did I miss the memo on Domantis being Domas? That's the 2nd time in two days I've heard him called that.

 

[rhfarmer]

Good lord, who did Sabonis piss off?

 

[DurhamSon]

Pacers must be a disaster in the locker room. Never thought a Carlisle team would perform this poorly with all the talent on paper they have

 

[DrKlahn]

And what would it take for Bagley to get traded?