Official 2015-2016 NBA Regular Season Thread

[KevB]

I don't believe this thread has been started yet, so here you go.

Good start to the season, key guys appear to be relatively healthy. As a basketball fan, good to see the Thunder back at full strength, as a Grizzlies fan notsomuch.

The West is just so deep, hard to figure out who comes out on that side. If the Cavs stay healthy, hard to imagine they don't represent the East.

If we have a group interested in a fantasy basketball league, I'd be happy to set it up.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by O.city

Cavs won't win the east this year with all that shit going on.

Nonsense. The Cavs are in a completely different stratosphere than every other team in that conference. The Raptors are likely going to finish 2nd in it by a fair margin and they'd probably get swept by them in any playoff series.

Wouldn't matter anyway, they can't beat the spurs or warriors in the finals

The Warriors would absolutely be the strong favorite in any matchup, but don't forget that LeBron took two games off the same team last year with no Irving or Love. They're not unbeatable.

[KC_Connection]

http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-nba-picks/

Cavs projected to win the conference by 8 games over the Raptors and 15 over the Hawks. I usually say the real season starts in April, but for this team in this conference, it might actually be June this time. There are more competitive teams in the East than there have been in a long time, but it's still pretty bad.

[O.city]

LeBron's also a year older and up to this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the raptors or a surprise in yhe east beat them, the Cavs haven't been as expected.

They need kyrie back healthy, but I don't know that they're THAT improved with love.

The same warriors team just beat the Cavs by 40. I know that's reactionary but it's not like they had a bad night and lost by 20. They got blasted.

The thing they have going for them is the east isn't great and the warrior or spurs will have a tough road to the finals and the Cavs can get their shit together and win the east without a huge struggle.

I don't think they will as I think all this shit just shows how great lebron was and will have to be again to get them therr and I dunno if that can happen again

[O.city]

But yes they'll be the 1 seed in the east, I was more talking winning the east in the playoffs.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by O.city

LeBron's also a year older and up to this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the raptors or a surprise in yhe east beat them, the Cavs haven't been as expected.

They need kyrie back healthy, but I don't know that they're THAT improved with love.

The same warriors team just beat the Cavs by 40. I know that's reactionary but it's not like they had a bad night and lost by 20. They got blasted.

The thing they have going for them is the east isn't great and the warrior or spurs will have a tough road to the finals and the Cavs can get their shit together and win the east without a huge struggle.

I don't think they will as I think all this shit just shows how great lebron was and will have to be again to get them therr and I dunno if that can happen again

The Raptors are nothing compared to the Cavs. Lowry is a great player, easily a top 10 guy in the league right now, but they don't do one thing better than them. I'm not even sure LeBron would have to raise his game up to 100% to beat them. The rest of the East is quite weak, even the Bulls are still a relative mess with the shell of Derrick Rose so involved in that offense.

No, I wouldn't worry too much about them getting through the East. It's what they do after that against the West champ will define their season.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

He's good enough to carry the team to the title. He nearly did it with a bunch of scrubs and an ineffective, powerless coach in over his head around him last year. It will again come down to health and executing in four games.

C'mon, dude. Blatt was powerless because Lebron refused to follow him. And when Lebron refuses, you're ****ed. Blatt never stood a chance. There wasn't even a grace period where Lebron gave it a shot. That's the part that rubs people the wrong way. Lebron had it in his head from day 1 that he didn't want Blatt there. To me, that is childish.

Do you have any idea how silly this all sounds? Look, I get that you've hated LeBron since he bolted Cleveland the first time, but that doesn't mean he's some power-hungry villain solely responsible for every move involving the Cavs that you don't like or that his lack of respect for Blatt took away from his focus on the game of basketball. Shit, the team is on pace to win 60 ****ing games because of him.

And no, let's not be ridiculous, the Cavs would not be the "hands-on" favorite in any scenario (whether Blatt had their respect or not) as long as this version of the Golden State Warriors exists.

Silly?

First time in Cleveland:
Lebron demanded VIP status to his entourage that was better than many of their players. He demanded and received a training facility conveniently located near his house. Basically controlled all the personnel decisions during his time there.

In Miami:
Lebron threw a shit fit over a matter of Mike Miller and word is Riley wasn't giving into his constant demands.

Cleveland part 2 - since you're saying I'm being "silly" let's go through the track record, shall we?
-Lebron demanded Kevin Love. Pretty damn obvious.
-Lebron writes a letter that intentionally excludes Wiggins from the talk
-Lebron calls Varejao his favorite Cav. Cavs extend Varejao to a ridiculous multi-year extension
-Lebron brought in Mike Miller, James Jones, Shawn Marion, and lobbied for Ray Allen. This isn't even a question. All complete disasters.
-Lebron and Tristan share the same agent. And it was well known that Lebron was lobbying for Tristan. Tristan then gets paid a ridiculously overpaid contract
You can call that all silly. All that seems pretty damning to me, wouldn't you say?

I know how good of a player Lebron is. You really think I'd be butthurt over Lebron leaving when he clearly came back to set things straight? Have you ignored the posts where I've acknowledged Lebron's growth as a player and elevated him above Kobe as the #2 GOAT? I think Lebron is a tremendous player. But his attitude is terrible.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by O.city

LeBron's also a year older and up to this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the raptors or a surprise in yhe east beat them, the Cavs haven't been as expected.

They need kyrie back healthy, but I don't know that they're THAT improved with love.

The same warriors team just beat the Cavs by 40. I know that's reactionary but it's not like they had a bad night and lost by 20. They got blasted.

The thing they have going for them is the east isn't great and the warrior or spurs will have a tough road to the finals and the Cavs can get their shit together and win the east without a huge struggle.

I don't think they will as I think all this shit just shows how great lebron was and will have to be again to get them therr and I dunno if that can happen again

The Cavs will win the East in a stroll. I don't doubt that. The issues are emotional. And Lebron is the driving force behind 90% of the emotional drama in that locker room. He got his guy at coach and he will get his teammates in line for the playoffs.

And Lebron will play at another gear in the playoffs. And that makes this a very different team.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

C'mon, dude. Blatt was powerless because Lebron refused to follow him. And when Lebron refuses, you're ****ed. Blatt never stood a chance. There wasn't even a grace period where Lebron gave it a shot. That's the part that rubs people the wrong way. Lebron had it in his head from day 1 that he didn't want Blatt there. To me, that is childish.

Spoelstra eventually forged a relationship of mutual respect with LeBron (despite having less experience than Blatt and also not being a NBA player). Considering that, I don't think there's any reason Blatt couldn't have done the same. Sorry, but these things go both ways.

You can call that all silly. All that seems pretty damning to me, wouldn't you say?

Yes, it's silly when you solely blame LeBron for every move you don't like or that doesn't work out and give him no credit for any of the ones that do (like the acquisitions last winter that helped turn the season around, for example). All you have repeatedly done is demonize LeBron while giving Griffin a pass for anything that has or could go wrong with this team. Your suggestion that he also isn't focusing enough on basketball (despite leading a 60+ win team) also moves further into the realm of the ridiculous.

I know how good of a player Lebron is. You really think I'd be butthurt over Lebron leaving when he clearly came back to set things straight? Have you ignored the posts where I've acknowledged Lebron's growth as a player and elevated him above Kobe as the #2 GOAT? I think Lebron is a tremendous player. But his attitude is terrible.

Oh, you've been butthurt for years about it. It was just more obvious when he was a member of the Heat, but that pain still clearly echoes in these posts today. Hell, I know the feeling. I hated Vince Carter's guts for years too.

And you've admitted he's better than Kobe? Shit man, anybody who isn't a diehard Kobe fan with decent knowledge of the game would admit that much.

[mcaj22]

so wait, the players came in expecting Love got traded when it was Blatt that got fired?

So some players indirectly admitted that Love isnt a good locker room fit? or......

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Spoelstra eventually forged a relationship of mutual respect with LeBron (despite having less experience than Blatt and also not being a NBA player). Considering that, I don't think there's any reason Blatt couldn't have done the same. Sorry, but these things go both ways.



Yes, it's silly when you solely blame LeBron for every move you don't like or that doesn't work out and give him no credit for any of the ones that do (like the acquisitions last winter that helped turn the season around, for example). All you have repeatedly done is demonize LeBron while giving Griffin a pass for anything that has or could go wrong with this team. Your suggestion that he also isn't focusing enough on basketball (despite leading a 60+ win team) also moves further into the realm of the ridiculous.


Oh, you've been butthurt for years about it. It was just more obvious when he was a member of the Heat, but that pain still clearly echoes in these posts today. Hell, I know the feeling. I hated Vince Carter's guts for years too.

And you've admitted he's better than Kobe? Shit man, anybody who isn't a diehard Kobe fan with decent knowledge of the game would admit that much.

JFC. I laid out a long list of moves where it's obvious to any person not named you that it was coordinated Lebron. Dispute those points. A single one of them.

I've been butthurt about Lebron? Again, he is on the team I root for. He single-handedly led the team to an almost win in a brutal NBA finals. You, on the other hand, have been the biggest apologist I've ever seen.

Again, I listed out a bunch of moves where Lebron indisputably had a hand in. Don't throw the Vince Carter bullshit. Vince Carter didn't get coaches fired. He didn't strong-arm his front office to make blockbuster trades and practically max contract signings. This isn't even close to the same thing.

[BWillie]

Warriors have yet to play OKC or San Antonio. Have 7 games left with those teams. It should be close (72-10)

SA has an outside chance should they go on a ridiculous run

Best three teams are clearly in the West.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14...ng-david-blatt

After reading this story, it's even harder to believe that this move didn't happen sooner. It was obvious that LeBron was basically driving the bus himself throughout the playoffs.

Brian Windhorst . Really? That's a source you trust?

I get that you're a LeBron fanboy but come on.
Posted via Mobile Device

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by -King-

Brian Windhorst . Really? That's a source you trust?

I get that you're a LeBron fanboy but come on.
Posted via Mobile Device

Yup. Wojo is a very reliable source. And his account of what went down is really, really shady.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

JFC. I laid out a long list of moves where it's obvious to any person not named you that it was coordinated Lebron. Dispute those points. A single one of them.

We've gone over those specific moves many, many times now in the LeBron v. Griffin GM debate. All the moves actually. This is just you rehashing the same shit by blaming LeBron for any move that you don't like and crediting Griffin for every move that you did.

I've been butthurt about Lebron? Again, he is on the team I root for. He single-handedly led the team to an almost win in a brutal NBA finals. You, on the other hand, have been the biggest apologist I've ever seen.

Yes...butthurt for years. It's a pretty bad case of butthurt when it extends for this long. Just go re-read some of your posts about LeBron from the Miami era, there was some pretty funny stuff in there.

The fact that he's on the Cavs now, though, really hasn't changed much of anything for you in that regard. And let's be honest, if it wasn't for what LeBron could potentially do for you//Cleveland (win a championship), you and most Cavs fans wouldn't have taken him back. If this was a LeBron on his last legs returning to ask his hometown for redemption, the reaction would have been entirely different.

Don't throw the Vince Carter bullshit. Vince Carter didn't get coaches fired. He didn't strong-arm his front office to make blockbuster trades and practically max contract signings. This isn't even close to the same thing.

Oh, it's the same jilted lover stuff. I was bitter for years about how that ended (and Vince Carter actually did do, or at least tried to do, those things you refer to there...not that I'd expect you to know the ins and outs of Raptors history) and it doesn't surprise me that Cavs fans still feel the same way.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by -King-

Brian Windhorst . Really? That's a source you trust?

I get that you're a LeBron fanboy but come on.
Posted via Mobile Device

Could you point out what part of that article is favorable to LeBron? It's unclear to me. Didn't it say that LeBron would have had the guy fired a year ago if it was up to him?