2021-2022 NBA Season Thread

[El Rey]

yesterday's wild rumor is that Kyrie is trying to recruit Bron to Dallas. Not sure how this is possible though, Lakers aren't going to trade him and even if they did, they would want Luka in return. Word is it's just maneuvering by Kyrie and Lebron are trying to get Kyrie to LA even though the Lakers insist they won't give max money to Kyrie and Dallas won't do a sign and trade deal with the Lakers. I am sure if the right proposal was made all parties would get a sign and trade done.
And then the other rumor around Dallas today is they want to hire Jeff Van Gundy as an assistant for Kidd's bench. This seems crazy too as why would JVG want to leave his cushy announcing gig to be an assistant.

[Azyiu]

Originally Posted by El Rey

yesterday's wild rumor is that Kyrie is trying to recruit Bron to Dallas. Not sure how this is possible though, Lakers aren't going to trade him and even if they did, they would want Luka in return. Word is it's just maneuvering by Kyrie and Lebron are trying to get Kyrie to LA even though the Lakers insist they won't give max money to Kyrie and Dallas won't do a sign and trade deal with the Lakers. I am sure if the right proposal was made all parties would get a sign and trade done.
And then the other rumor around Dallas today is they want to hire Jeff Van Gundy as an assistant for Kidd's bench. This seems crazy too as why would JVG want to leave his cushy announcing gig to be an assistant.

I just LOL'd when I heard that story. Let's assume we wanted him unless he is willing to take a massive pay cut and ask for around $10M, we simply have NO cap room to sign Kyrie. Dallas also doesn't have any pieces we want not named Luka either. What about a sign and trade? I forgot the technical details, but I think it could trigger a hard cap once it is executed, and we cannot afford to have him under these circumstances.

So no, realistically Kyrie ain't coming to play with LeBron in LA. I think someone from his camp threw that story out for his benefit.

And speaking of the Lakers, we need to give AD an extension this summer. We can't afford any instability next summer, and he is as good as we can get in terms of star players concerned.

[El Rey]

normally I would've treated that like crazy NBA twitter fan theory but Shams put it out there with absolutely no follow up on how it would work or makes any kind of sense (it doesn't)
Eh I am lukewarm on extending AD. Any key FA's next offseason? Should check out the market next offseason first.

Kerr was on Draymond's podcast earlier this week and while they were discussing and heaping praise on Miami, Kerr made a statement that no one on the Heat roster is complaining about playing time and so-and-so is getting minutes over me, which everyone took as shots at both Poole and Kuminga.

Also not sure if anyone has seen but the latest on the Ja situation, sources close to him are trying to say it was a toy gun in that last video

Yo, WestE - you see that report last week that Zion and Ingram refusing to work out with team trainers last season

Zion Williamson And Brandon Ingram Allegedly Refused To Play And Work With Pelicans Staff During The Season
ORLANDO SILVAJUN 2, 2023
The New Orleans Pelicans were expected to be one of the surprise teams of the 2022-23 NBA season, yet they couldn't keep up the level during the entire season, ultimately losing to an inexperienced Oklahoma City Thunder team in the play-in tournament.

Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are expected to lead this team to compete for big things, but this season they were involved in a series of controversies with the team management.

"At different points, Zion refused to work with VP of Player Care and Performance Aaron Nelson. Brandon Ingram has sometimes seemed unwilling to play through minor discomfort, to the point where some of his teammates have become frustrated with him over the past two years," Christian Clark of Nola.com writes.

Added to Williamson missing a lot of games due to injury, Brandon Ingram also stated in a similar situation. The player hurt one of his toes, and what started as a simple injury turned out to be weeks of inactivity for the forward.

"Brandon Ingram sat out 29 consecutive games with an injury the team described as a left toe contusion. Ingram kicked the back of a Memphis Grizzlies player’s foot in November. Two days after the injury, Pelicans coach Willie Green said Ingram was 'day to day.'


"Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Ingram did not play again until Jan. 25 — exactly two months after hurting his toe. During this time, there was significant frustration in the Pelicans organization about Ingram’s extended absence. Several people felt that Ingram was capable of playing."

This isn't a good thing for the Pelicans, as these two are expected to lead them to compete for championships. Losing them would be painful, but these situations could prompt the team to make a drastic decision regarding their star duo.

The Pelicans Are Putting Pressure On Zion Williamson To Resume Playing
Zion has raised a lot of eyebrows during this season, as he's been criticized for his bad shape once again. The Pelicans GM is putting pressure on him to come back to the court because he's missed a lot of games, and the Pels seem to be running out of patience for Williamson.

Hypothetical trades involving the Pels all include Zion, as many think the team will give up on the former No. 1 overall pick. The relationship between both parties doesn't seem like the best, and even less when the general manager calls out Williamson.

[Lacit170]

Originally Posted by El Rey

normally I would've treated that like crazy NBA twitter fan theory but Shams put it out there with absolutely no follow up on how it would work or makes any kind of sense (it doesn't)
Eh I am lukewarm on extending AD. Any key FA's next offseason? Should check out the market next offseason first.

Kerr was on Draymond's podcast earlier this week and while they were discussing and heaping praise on Miami, Kerr made a statement that no one on the Heat roster is complaining about playing time and so-and-so is getting minutes over me, which everyone took as shots at both Poole and Kuminga.

Also not sure if anyone has seen but the latest on the Ja situation, sources close to him are trying to say it was a toy gun in that last video

Yo, WestE - you see that report last week that Zion and Ingram refusing to work out with team trainers last season

i dont understand then....is management saying their training staff cleared both to play, yet Ingram and Zion simply refused?

[Azyiu]

800-year-old Chris Paul is now an unrestricted free agent after he was waived by the Suns.

[El Rey]

Originally Posted by Lacit170

i dont understand then....is management saying their training staff cleared both to play, yet Ingram and Zion simply refused?

this story is a summary really, the one I saw last week and can't find now went into more depth, that the NOLA training staff would try to get Zion to commit more time to rehab and he just wouldn't. I mean at this point I think Zion is pretty much a lost cause as far as keeping healthy and on the court. What stood out more to me was Ingram and the belief by other teammates that he could've played but wasn't, injuries weren't as severe as believed. But the team was at the top of the West at the beginning of the year and then just plummeted due to both missing so much time.

BleacherReport is reporting the Suns are waiving Chris Paul. Would be a great pick up by the Lakers instead of trying to land Kyrie. With his age I do think the should play the load management game during the season though, since he is always injured come the playoffs.

[Ray O. Blu]

A “toy” gun?

Does Ja & his camp think the rest of the world is as stupid as they are?

[Russ103]

Damn Zion! Dude kept busy off the court.

[JDub1]

I wonder of Jimmy Buffett is at game 3 in Miami?

[El Rey]

BleacherReport may be jumping the gun but Suns and Paul are discussing options. Ayton probably gonna be traded too

Sources: Suns, Chris Paul discuss his future with franchise
play

Adrian Wojnarowski, Senior NBA Insider
Jun 7, 2023, 06:56 PM ET

Phoenix Suns ownership and executives had a series of conversations with Chris Paul and his representatives on the All-Star point guard's future with the franchise Wednesday, including the possibility that he could be waived by the NBA's June 28 guarantee date on his contract, sources told ESPN.

The Suns insist that they're still working through several possibilities for Paul's future and reiterated that to his representatives later Wednesday afternoon, sources said. Phoenix plans to explore trade opportunities including Paul and Deandre Ayton that could alter the franchise's roster landscape ahead of a final decision on Paul's partially guaranteed contract, sources said.

Only $15.8 million of his $30.8 million for the 2023-24 season is guaranteed if he's waived -- unless the Suns keep Paul past that June 28 deadline date. The expectation is that the Suns would stretch and waive the guaranteed portion of Paul's salary next season ($3.16M per season over the next five seasons) to create more salary cap space and open up the team's ability to use the $12.2 million taxpayer midlevel exception. Paul's $30.8 million for 2024-25 is nonguaranteed.

Paul continues to want to return to the Suns and partner with his close friend Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, sources said. Nevertheless, Paul and his representatives want the organization to make a quicker decision on his future so that he can proceed out into free agency if indeed the Suns ultimately waive him, sources said.

EDit - I just caught up on the Zion stuff, lol

[VictoryAtNight]

I read a report that Damian Lillard may be interested in playing for either Brooklyn or Miami.

[bruceames]

Jokic is going to go down as one of the all-time greats, and I expect Denver to win multiple championships with him on the team. He rarely makes a mistake and almost never takes a bad shot. Just a pleasure watching him work.

[DanTheMan]

Denver has got this Finals all but wrapped up. And they’ll deserve it the way they’re playing.

[Azyiu]

Originally Posted by DanTheMan

Denver has got this Finals all but wrapped up. And they’ll deserve it the way they’re playing.

Agreed, but some people will still trash their accomplishments by mentioning they only beat the dysfunctional Suns plus three play-in teams.

[Batman1980]

A championship is a championship, period.

[danny24]

Originally Posted by Azyiu

Agreed, but some people will still trash their accomplishments by mentioning they only beat the dysfunctional Suns plus three play-in teams.

The Suns only played 9 games together after KD trade. Their two wins on Denver are the most impressive these whole playoffs. CP3 got hurt. Denver was lucky they did not have a whole season to play together to build chemistry. Lakers competed the best they could after beating the Warriors but they were just gassed out. Lakers were not your normal play in team and neither is Miami. I think Miami is gassed now to.

A ring is a ring though. You can only beat who you play.

[bruceames]

Clearly Denver is the better team. The difference basically boils down to that the Nuggets have Jokic and the Heat Adebayo. It gets harped a lot on how bad Butler wants a chip, but he's not the only one, and he hasn't exactly shown it on the floor for the past few weeks. He really needs another star on the team that can take over when he's gassed or has an off night, like Murray for the Nuggets.

[Batman1980]

Butler is old and tired.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by danny24

The Suns only played 9 games together after KD trade. Their two wins on Denver are the most impressive these whole playoffs. CP3 got hurt. Denver was lucky they did not have a whole season to play together to build chemistry. Lakers competed the best they could after beating the Warriors but they were just gassed out. Lakers were not your normal play in team and neither is Miami. I think Miami is gassed now to.

A ring is a ring though. You can only beat who you play.

Denver would have beaten them regardless of how many games they played together. They have a better supporting cast and Jokic + Murray > Booker + Durant.

True I think that the Lakers were gassed in the 4th quarters, especially Lebron. It's amazing the energy he has at 38 though, but he can't be playing 40+ minutes a game. I think a good strategy going forward, to limit his minutes while being relatively fresh at crunch time, would be for him to come off the bench and play most of his minutes in the 2nd and 4th quarters.

[Azyiu]

Originally Posted by Batman1980

Butler is old and tired.

What are you talking about?