The Bigfooty Official Week 13 - The return of Kyrie

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May 23, 2012
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Orlando are a bit like the pre-2019 Jazz.

You know they're going to be honest and win games because of defence. But they won't win the close ones because the offence is clogged.

Well, except for today anyway.

Divac probably would've traded him for magic beans.

The thing was that Kings fans knew that Doncic was the pick at the time. Everyone did.

Poor bastards are being forced to live through a car crash in slow motion.
 
May 5, 2006
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The Lakers still have a pretty average squad, they just happen to have two megastars. Lake LeBron or AD out and they are somewhere between the the early LeBron Cavs (no Kyrie and Love) and the Davis Pelicans. LeBron's durability is amazing and AD's fall was just a freak accident and he'll be back, so they will feature at the pointy end of the West after 82 games.

But they're not the Warriors who could lose KD and still win the Western Conference Finals then take the finals to 6 games, and they're not the Clippers who can play guys as good as Williams and Harrell on the bench. The Warriors this year show how lop sided the rosters of NBA sides are. No KD, Klay or Steph (and no Russell for half of it) and a 'dynasty' team is last in the league. But that's how it works. If you have a duo as good as LeBron and AD then you are a chance to win the title. They weren't going to win it with any of the teams they had over the last 7 or 8 years, and as per GSW if the gods want to kick you in the nuts they can and will.
 

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Bucks are just projecting to be a 70 win team and no one talks about them.

Their defense is extremely underrated & it's not all about Giannis.
 
May 9, 2013
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The Lakers still have a pretty average squad, they just happen to have two megastars. Lake LeBron or AD out and they are somewhere between the the early LeBron Cavs (no Kyrie and Love) and the Davis Pelicans. LeBron's durability is amazing and AD's fall was just a freak accident and he'll be back, so they will feature at the pointy end of the West after 82 games.

But they're not the Warriors who could lose KD and still win the Western Conference Finals then take the finals to 6 games, and they're not the Clippers who can play guys as good as Williams and Harrell on the bench. The Warriors this year show how lop sided the rosters of NBA sides are. No KD, Klay or Steph (and no Russell for half of it) and a 'dynasty' team is last in the league. But that's how it works. If you have a duo as good as LeBron and AD then you are a chance to win the title. They weren't going to win it with any of the teams they had over the last 7 or 8 years, and as per GSW if the gods want to kick you in the nuts they can and will.

You do realize that the Warriors team was an anomaly rather than a norm.

Teams just don't lose Top 10 players and remain title contenders.

Teams need to be top heavy. No team wins championships without a Top 10 guy (probably can make that a Top 5).
 
Just read an interesting idea - Hawks should trade for Mo Bamba. He's stuck deep in Orlando's rotation and it doesn't look like changing and we are desperate for size. We could offer Brooklyn's 2020 first rounder + a useful rotation piece like Jabari, Bembry, Turner or even Len if they want a rotation big.

Hard to gauge what Bamba's market value has dropped to, he just doesn't get enough minutes.
 
May 5, 2006
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You do realize that the Warriors team was an anomaly rather than a norm.

Teams just don't lose Top 10 players and remain title contenders.

Teams need to be top heavy. No team wins championships without a Top 10 guy (probably can make that a Top 5).

I'm aware, and the Warriors were very close to being B2B title winners before KD even got there. Hence the 'weakest move by a superstar' and all that commentary. The Lakers did what they had to do to team up LeBron with AD for this season so the rest of their roster is subsequently ordinary. Media pundits are still talking about what else they can add during the trade period because their role players around the stars aren't as good as other contending teams. Stephen A Smith suggested getting Devin Booker (they don't have the currency) and if that happened they'd be challenging the 73-9 record.

It's 100% a superstar driven league, but you still need output from your 3rd to about 8th or so guy. LeBron left the Cavs the first time because he was 'the' guy and they couldn't win a championship. Warriors had 3 players in double figures in the 2019 finals (+ Durant who played a quarter), Raptors had 6. It wasn't just Kawhi vs the world. The Lakers only have two reliable scoring options and they don't get a lot of points from the bench. If AD and LeBron stay fit it will work. If one goes down it won't. Better to have a strategy that will or won't work than one that just won't. Every team has their challenges. Philly have a good spread of scorers in their starting 5 but also don't get much from the bench, plus they haven't quite figured out how their main pieces fit together. Like the Warriors after KD went down I still think the Clippers minus Kawhi or PG13 are capable of contending.
 
The Lakers still have a pretty average squad, they just happen to have two megastars. Lake LeBron or AD out and they are somewhere between the the early LeBron Cavs (no Kyrie and Love) and the Davis Pelicans. LeBron's durability is amazing and AD's fall was just a freak accident and he'll be back, so they will feature at the pointy end of the West after 82 games.

But they're not the Warriors who could lose KD and still win the Western Conference Finals then take the finals to 6 games, and they're not the Clippers who can play guys as good as Williams and Harrell on the bench. The Warriors this year show how lop sided the rosters of NBA sides are. No KD, Klay or Steph (and no Russell for half of it) and a 'dynasty' team is last in the league. But that's how it works. If you have a duo as good as LeBron and AD then you are a chance to win the title. They weren't going to win it with any of the teams they had over the last 7 or 8 years, and as per GSW if the gods want to kick you in the nuts they can and will.

We've not been a destination club for a while. Injuries will hurt
 
Jul 14, 2007
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Just read an interesting idea - Hawks should trade for Mo Bamba. He's stuck deep in Orlando's rotation and it doesn't look like changing and we are desperate for size. We could offer Brooklyn's 2020 first rounder + a useful rotation piece like Jabari, Bembry, Turner or even Len if they want a rotation big.

Hard to gauge what Bamba's market value has dropped to, he just doesn't get enough minutes.
He was always going to be a project, the Hawks will have to vastly overpay if they want him.
 
May 9, 2013
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I'm aware, and the Warriors were very close to being B2B title winners before KD even got there. Hence the 'weakest move by a superstar' and all that commentary. The Lakers did what they had to do to team up LeBron with AD for this season so the rest of their roster is subsequently ordinary. Media pundits are still talking about what else they can add during the trade period because their role players around the stars aren't as good as other contending teams. Stephen A Smith suggested getting Devin Booker (they don't have the currency) and if that happened they'd be challenging the 73-9 record.

It's 100% a superstar driven league, but you still need output from your 3rd to about 8th or so guy. LeBron left the Cavs the first time because he was 'the' guy and they couldn't win a championship. Warriors had 3 players in double figures in the 2019 finals (+ Durant who played a quarter), Raptors had 6. It wasn't just Kawhi vs the world. The Lakers only have two reliable scoring options and they don't get a lot of points from the bench. If AD and LeBron stay fit it will work. If one goes down it won't. Better to have a strategy that will or won't work than one that just won't. Every team has their challenges. Philly have a good spread of scorers in their starting 5 but also don't get much from the bench, plus they haven't quite figured out how their main pieces fit together. Like the Warriors after KD went down I still think the Clippers minus Kawhi or PG13 are capable of contending.

Clippers without Kawhi aren't contending.

Probably not without PG13 too. But PG13 isn't a Top 10 player either.
 
Dec 2, 2017
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As I have said a few times I cannot believe philly gave fultz away for donuts

Only 21 and just lacking confidence

Doubt he becomes a stud like he looked destined to pre draft but has looked like a franchise PG this year

Flown under the radar until today
 
May 5, 2006
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Clippers without Kawhi aren't contending.

Probably not without PG13 too. But PG13 isn't a Top 10 player either.

18/19 Clippers won 48 games and took the full strength Warriors to 6 games.

No Gallinari or SGA this year but hardly a team of scrubs. Sitting 28-13 with Kawhi missing 10 and PG13 missing 15. They'll win 50+ without leaning on their two stars for 82 games.
 
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