Official 2015-16 NBA Season Thread

I'm not sure what to think about the Lue hire. It's easy to say that the Cavs are 1st in the East and he doesn't deserve to lose his job, but who else could be 1st in the East? There's nobody else that could challenge for the title. GS and SA would sweep any other team, ok maybe 4-1.

The Cavs should be breaking records too with the squad they have. Clearly something is wrong, so if Blatt is the problem, it's a great call. I think LeBron is a huge part of it. They way he started against GS the other day reminded me of how he went about things in the Finals. ISO ball. He went straight to the post and pounded the rock. A lot of that got covered up by GS wiping the floor with them early.

I think Shump should start. Great on ball defender and has proven he can knock down shots. But JR is LeBron's friend so who knows, things are up to LeBron over there, clearly.

drobfan8 said:

It has always been a joke. Do you not remember the Yao Ming years?

But if coaches select the entire teams, that will bring issues also.

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Think it might have been 2008 - Bynum was probably having his best ever year and in all star form - however Yao, who hadn't yet played a game out voted him for the starting C spot with Bynum the #2 Centre.

Pop was the west coach, Duncan got promote to the starting lineup and Pop select Ginobilli to fill the roster spot.

Demarcus Cousins is just THAT unpopular with fans.

exzibit3 said:

Demarcus Cousins is just THAT unpopular with fans.

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It's hard to be voted in as a starter though, I mean only 1 GS guy got in and they're raging hot at the moment.

All depends on who jumps on the bandwagon. But surely Boogie will make it right?

exzibit3 said:

Demarcus Cousins is just THAT unpopular with fans.

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Yea I had him in my West starting team. When I saw that Pachulia and Enes Kanter were in the top 10 of Western voting, I fell out of my couch seat and had to check again that these were the standings.

@drobfan8 I remember. Only about two of those years, he was actually a good option.
Even what's happening in the NBA is nothing like what's happening in the NHL with John Scott ATM...

No1CavsFan said:

Yea I had him in my West starting team. When I saw that Pachulia and Enes Kanter were in the top 10 of Western voting, I fell out of my couch seat and had to check again that these were the standings.

@drobfan8 I remember. Only about two of those years, he was actually a good option.
Even what's happening in the NBA is nothing like what's happening in the NHL with John Scott ATM...

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Boogie should be there, but how can he be more popular than KD, Kawhi and Kobe? Not gonna happen right.

The Za Za and Kanter voting has been crazy man, ha ha, I especially couldn't believe Kanter. Must be a lot of Europeans watching and voting these days.

Sure Yao was an All Star when healthy, but there was one or two years where he was injured so much and he was still on top for C's, it really was a joke. It was basically like Kobe this year.

So what's happening with the Hockey?

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2016/jan/22/good-life-john-scott-nhl-all-star/
@drobfan8 Hockey stuff above.

I actually understand Kanter being an all-star more than Pachulia. I'd never even heard of Pachulia until NBA 2K13, when I saw him as the starting Center for I think it was the Bucks or Pistons. I just thought he was an undrafted player from that draft who put in a half decent Summer League performance. Turns out he was a 9-year NBA veteran at the time.

I think there was even a guy giving 4 iPhones out on Twitter to people who voted for Zaza...

drobfan8 said:

All depends on who jumps on the bandwagon. But surely Boogie will make it right?

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Boogie is a sure thing. He's a beast. Fans may not like his attitude on court but coaches know he's one of the top forwards /centre in the nba.

Kanter was until recently, top 10 in PER. The Thunder have Westbrook (2nd), Durant (3rd) and Kanter on track to be the only team in history to have 3 players average more than 23.0 PER. He likely won't make it as a reserve though, it will be Boogie, AD and Green in the front court and Griffin should be healthy way before then so it'll be a slim chance for him.

exzibit3 said:

Kanter was until recently, top 10 in PER. The Thunder have Westbrook (2nd), Durant (3rd) and Kanter on track to be the only team in history to have 3 players average more than 23.0 PER. He likely won't make it as a reserve though, it will be Boogie, AD and Green in the front court and Griffin should be healthy way before then so it'll be a slim chance for him.

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Yeah but PER has nothing to do with Kanter garnering all of those votes.

drobfan8 said:

Yeah but PER has nothing to do with Kanter garnering all of those votes.

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While most fans aren't likely to look at advanced metrics, it's just a reflection that he's playing well. In any event, we all know that fan voting is never an accurate assessment of a player's worthiness as a starter.

Excited to see Dubs and Spurs match up on Australia day oy oy oy. I think the Dubs will probably put more emphasis on this game than the Spurs and Pops will just want to prepare for match ups in the playoffs and the outcome will be what it is. Who's the better team? Spurs 1st FG team percentage (Dubs 2nd), Spurs 1st opponents PPG (Dubs 18th), Spurs 1st points differential (Dubs 2nd) Spurs 1st defensive efficiency (Dubs 3rd), Dubs 1st effective FG% and true shooting % (Spurs 2nd), Dubs 1st offensive efficiency (Spurs 3rd). Call it a toss up.

Demarcus Cousins. Think he's a bit cheezed off that Zaza has more votes than him? 48 point career high with 13 rebs, followed up with a 56 point and 11 rebs game tonight (and counting). He's scored over 30 points nine times in the past 12 games.

exzibit3 said:

Demarcus Cousins. Think he's a bit cheezed off that Zaza has more votes than him? 48 point career high with 13 rebs, followed up with a 56 point and 11 rebs game tonight (and counting). He's scored over 30 points nine times in the past 12 games.

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Reports again that Warriors are clear front runners to get KD if he leaves OKC.....

Anyone else going to stop watching NBA if that happens?

drob50 said:

Reports again that Warriors are clear front runners to get KD if he leaves OKC.....

Anyone else going to stop watching NBA if that happens?

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crazy rumour - not sure if he would fit though or what they would have to give up

Im not a warriors fan so i guess i am biased but that would be a disaster for the nba. With the exception of the jordan era, which was a once in a lifetime deal, nobody would want to see such an uncompetitive league. I dont know about the rest of you but i dont bother watching golden state any more, seeing the knicks v timberwolves or something is way more interesting.

Yeah I haven't seen a single dubs game this season, yet I've watched all 51 painful Laker games so far

Billyhoyle said:

crazy rumour - not sure if he would fit though or what they would have to give up

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Sources: Warriors serious threat to sign Kevin Durant

By Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical14 hours agoYahoo Sports

Golden State Warriors’ plan of pursuit predates their 2015 championship run, a bold plot to declare the futility of resistance. It isn’t only that the NBA champions are determined to recruit Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. The truth is that they’re the most intriguing destination to him. If Durant leaves the Thunder, the Warriors are the significant frontrunners to sign him, league sources told The Vertical.


The Warriors already have everything and yet they’re threatening to take more now. Steph Curry.Klay Thompson. Draymond Green. Committed ownership. Bob Myers, the executive of the year. Steve Kerr, a championship coach. Yes, Golden State has everything, including the ability to create the salary-cap space and a belief that Durant’s persona could fit seamlessly – even onto a potential two-time defending champion.

Make no mistake: Durant isn’t close to gone in Oklahoma City – no decision, no leaning, sources said – but the real threats on the summer market are beginning to reveal themselves. Durant is determined to win – to be an immediate championship contender at 27 years old – and that keeps bringing him back to the Warriors should he make the decision to leave Oklahoma City.


Los Angeles Lakers with little, if any, chance.

The Warriors will never speak of Durant’s name on the record – that’s league tampering, of course – but they know of whom you’re referring when you ask about the Warriors’ appeal to a superstar free agent. Even now, Durant represents something of the Warriors’ private bravado.

Think we’re unbeatable now?

Just wait.

“We’re all about winning,” Draymond Green told The Vertical. “One thing guys on this team don’t care about is who is getting the shots, or who is scoring. Guys definitely want to play here, play with us. We’re smiling. We’re having fun. You can tell that. I definitely think it’s become one of those places where guys will want to play.”

Perhaps no Warriors player would sacrifice so much on a personal level, yet Green is unflinching in his support of signing Durant, league sources told The Vertical. He’s expected to be a tenacious recruiter of Durant for the Warriors’ contingent. There are several moves the Warriors can make to maneuver the roster to clear a maximum salary slot for Durant. To have the chance to incorporate a superstar in full sprint onto the NBA’s best team, well, it’s practically unprecedented.

Here’s something else, too: Durant is forever searching for spiritual people in his life. It is a common thread of those who’ve found ways into Durant’s circle. It makes Steph Curry the most dangerous recruiter in the world on several levels: His prodigious talent, peaceful soul and grounded life.


Los Angeles Clippers. If the opportunity comes to move Blake Griffin and replace him with Durant, the Clippers won’t hesitate, sources said.

Teams are calling on Griffin trades now, but Clippers president and coach Doc Rivers seems determined to play the year out with Griffin and see how far the team advances in the playoffs. Eventually, the Clippers will determine how intrigued Durant might be in becoming a Big Three with Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.

The Thunder would resist a sign-and-trade deal until the very end – until they were sure Durant was leaving them – but Griffin, an Oklahoma native, could be a fascinating part of that scenario.

For now, Durant is all in with these Thunder, hell-bent on breaking through in the Western Conference. No one ever doubts that with him. Yet Kevin Durant is human, and the slow, sure march to July 1 is real, it’s on his mind and the Golden State Warriors could be a problem for everyone.

All-Star Weekend is coming in Toronto, and Durant will get the chance to test out Steph Curry and Draymond Green as teammates. The recruiting has started, a delicate dance when the Thunder could turn out to be standing in the Warriors’ way come the playoffs. Nevertheless, this is NBA free agency, and make no mistake: For the defending NBA champions, the plan of pursuit for Kevin Durant has long been in motion.

The Durant to GS talk might be the most garbage news I've ever heard in the NBA. And that's saying something.

Griffin for Durant though, now that is something that works for both teams. Pieces would need to be added, but that's intriguing.