Westbrook is a regular season player. Of course, he raises their floor over 82 games. That doesn't mean he can't also be a post-season liability.

LeBron/AD/Westbrook/et. al will be too much TALENT to overcome in a 7 game series.

Russ shooting percentage in playoffs since winning* MVP

38.8
39.8
36
42.1 (with a 6ft4 center)
33.3

They ain’t even making the finals

Nothing matters except is AD healthy and is LeBron going to actually be old. If they’re fine they are the favs. I’ll be shocked if those two let Russ brick them out of a series.

Don’t think anyone else got better. Utah and Phoenix the same. Clippers out with no Kawhi. Nugs maybe if MPJ takes another step and Murray gets back. Warriors? Who knows with Klay. West is deeper still but top of the East is elite.

nicki minaj's cousin's balls >>>>> doctors

lolakers are an oaf mess, they prob won't do ****, even if they stay healthy, which they almost certainly won't

Lakers gonna cruise to #1 getting to play all these home games against teams missing their maxed out conscientious objectors.

Seems very unlikely Nets will extend Kyrie anymore, and wouldn't be that surprising if he doesn't play for another team after the Nets.

NBA has a real problem with lack of professionalism from its superstar players and its not a good look. Chiefly media obligations and trade demands but also game absences and other 'health-related' decisons that reduce playing time.

Curious to see how it plays out but individual players like Ben Simmons shouldn't have so much power to sabotage winning franchises that paid them big contracts in good faith.

Uh, they want to trade him so wgaf.

Loyalty is a one-way street.

If you don't want to be traded, you can negotiate for a no-trade clause when you sign your contract.

You're the one complaining about what he's doing.

There's potential (severe financial) consequences to the move he's pulling anyway. But it's not like there wouldn't have been 25+ teams lining up to give him the same contract if they were able.

Philly wasn't doing him a favor, they just had dibs on him.

yeah hopefully the league can legislate a way to punish players who are unhappy in situations like where they get blamed for everything and dangled as trade bait all summer only to not be traded bc the ppl running the team are incompetent

I wonder where this Laker roster ranks all-time in terms of age. Apparently 31.8 years average.

Westbrook
Ellington
Melo?
LeBron
AD

Or

Westbrook
THT?
LeBron
AD
Dwight or DAJ?

I'm looking at this roster and there is a hole at the 3 if Bron is at the 4, and I believe Vogel or someone said Bron would play at 4 and AD at 5. Ariza from 5-10 years ago would be great for the 3 but afaik he's stone washed.

I wanna move RWB to the 2 but the other points are a terrible fit with him. RWB and Rondo is like oil and water.

Why am I underwhelmed by this group? Feel like they could get smoked by Brklyn and maybe beat by Milwaukee, even if they get out of the West.

I don't think trolling over vaccination is acceptable, covid is too real to be making jokes. I vote tempban

Also — no he couldn't, genius.

It's almost like the rules are set in place to favor the teams.

Crazy but I know you dgaf bc you get off on demeaning the labor and glorifying ownership due to whatever things you got cooking internally.

top 40 player and perennial playoff flameout trying to alpha top 10 player and recent nba champion. yhtsi

i suppose this is better than my baseline expectation of saying he needs to box out for me, so maybe lakers arrow is pointing up

This goes to everyone: Do Not ask or vote for a ban/tempban.

If you think a post is deeming of reporting, then report it and give the reason why you are reporting it. Then it will be handled appropriately if need be.

PM sent.

I never get how Americans seem to not think other countries don't exist, or wonder why you were the worst in the world for this for a very obvious reason.

Lol Wiggins though.

This is an example of a post that is not acceptable.

This is the NBA Thread. Not the bashing Americans thread.

This is your last warning.

lol, gtfo of here dude

Are there rules on berating Canada?

LOL

Berating Canada: Yes.
Slandering the 2019 Raptors*: No

Didn't realize no trade clause was that difficult, thanks for sharing.

It's not demeaning the labour to suggest nba fan base is not going to appreciate nba players increasingly running roughshod over franchises, increasingly taking huge contracts and forcing themselves out of town anyway. Many commentators have also talked about a much diminished free agency because all the elite players are getting extended.

But i do care more about ben simmons and kyrie irving, then say dame lillard. And think Harden situation was slightly unique.

I am pro player empowerment btw, but i think its fair to criticize them when they have it So Much Better than other athletes except maybe soccer.

That's not to say league and owners aren't greedy bastards, so to speak. But isn't it also interesting to talk about how the next generation(s) of super wealthy players [as less of a wealthy minority] also interesting.

I'm going to convince MPJr to get the vax.

BTW his contract is quite decent:



I have no idea who I like in the playoffs our of the West, but I feel pretty strongly about 1. Utah in the regular season.