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2018 NBA Regular Season, Trades, Playoffs and Beyond.

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mal3volent

mal3volent

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Figured all the trading today would be a good excuse to start an NBA thread for this year.

The blockbuster deal of the day will apparently come out of Cleveland.

According to ESPN, the Cavaliers have acquired Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from the Lakers. The Lakers will receive Channing Frye and Isaiah Thomas, as well as the Cavs 2018 first round draft pick. Cleveland will retain the Nets draft pick.

The deal makes Lebrons future in Cleveland even more uncertain.

Brian Windhorst is speculating the Lakers are clearing the two max salary spots they need in order to go after Paul George and ultimately LeBron James.

If the youth that has been injected into the Cavs lineup helps LeBron make it out of the East this year, he could decide to stay in Cleveland. If they continue to struggle, the Cavs might have just played themselves.

Still about two hours left until the trade deadline.
 
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Cavs are sending Dwyane Wade back to Miami for a protected second round pick, Iman Shumpert to Sacramento, Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose to the Jazz.
 
Looks like Bron is King of the East again. The new Cavs blew out the Celtics in Boston then beat the Thunder in OKC. We will see how long they can keep this up, but I will say the Warriors aren't sleeping as well now as they were 2 weeks ago.
 
Yeah I know. Probably a bummer going from LA to Detroit, but he has a much better chance of making a run in the East. That being said, Pistons are 1-3 going into the break. Charlotte is right behind them but they ain't going to do anything.
 
Funny how that works. Wizards have been doing good without John Wall too.

You think Houston has a shot to beat GS in the playoffs?
 
I thought it was a great year for the skills competition, 3pt, dunk, etc. very entertaining.

anyone excited for LeBron vs Steph tonight?
 
Man...Houston is looking extremely impressive right now. I really hope Adam Silver strongly considers changing the playoff format next year, to make it more competitive. I understand the arguments against changing it, but I'd still rather see the two best teams in the Finals.
 
Anyone watch that Portland Houston game last night? Crazy awesome from start to finish.
 
I'm so pumped that AD and the pels are stomping Portland. Lead the series 3-0. I'd fuckin love for them to make it to the western conference final.
 
Quiet in here. Mal, what teams are you rooting for to advance to round 2?

76ers - Heat, I hope the 6ers pull it off. I was telling people at the end of last year that they are going to be an up-and-coming squad this year. I watched a lot of their games last year and noticed that a lot of their games were lost by a margin of only a couple of points, they didn't have much fixing to do for a team that tanked last year.

Por - NO, Mirotic, Moore and Rondo.... as much as I like seeing ex-Bulls do well outside the organization, I gotta ask what in the actual fuck? They're killin it out there, especially Mirotic this last game. It must have been the high drag coefficient of that beard that was slowing him down. I was rooting for the Blazers when I first started watching the series but NO won me over, they're making Portland look like the underdog plus I love surprises.

Cle - Ind, I want Indy to win but Cle will probably take it. I'm tired of looking at LeBron James and those ridiculous hair plugs. I'm too old to be a hater for no reason but it's like seeing Brady in another Superbowl, I'm over it.

Bos - Mil, I wanted Milwaukee to take the series but I think Boston is too much for 'em.

Min - Hou, Never have I been so happy that the Bulls are in a full scale rebuild than when watching this series. I thought the Timberbulls would be more competitive but this series has been dull and a complete disappointment. Thibs ground his starters into bonemeal before the playoffs started and now they're struck like Chuck.

Don't really care who makes it to round 2 out of OKC - Uta, Tor - Was or GS - SA but I highlighted the teams that I think are probable to win.
 
Sucks when your teams not in the playoffs doesn't it? My home team is Charlotte. We weren't in it last year either. We got rid of Clifford which obviously had to be done. Rumors swirling around Spurs assistant Messina... pretty solid choice, imo. We have so much potential and talent. Mkg, Monk, Kemba, Howard...etc

My second team/western team is NO. They have been since AD got drafted. (Born in KY... 5 cats on NO roster...)

76ers/Heat... I say 76ers in six.

Blazers/Pels... Blazers are getting swept. Holiday's having his way with Lillard. Alvin Gentry deserves a TON of credit for getting this team together after Boogie got hurt.

Cavs/Pacers... I'm not a Lebron hater at all. He's a great player and more importantly a great person and role model. But yeah, I don't want to see him in the Finals again this year either. They will make it through this series, but I'm not so sure about the next one. BPI has Pacers winning. That's interesting.

Celtics/Bucks... lets see how the Bucks do at home tonight, but they are looking outmatched right now. Which is crazy, with no Kyrie.

Wolves/Rockets... feel bad for KAT...that game the other night was embarrassing. Everyone knew Houston would get through, but it wasn't supposed to be a cakewalk.

Thunder/Jazz... Russ is my second favorite player after AD. He's got heart. I'd like nothing better than to see OKC and NO in the western finals. That would be a great series.

Raptors/Wizards...a lot of people are discounting Toronto's finals chances...despite having just won the east by a comfortable margin. They're making a statement with Washington, and if I were Lebron, I'd be a little worried.

Warriors/Spurs...no Popp...no Kawhi...get the broom out for this one, too. Kawhi wants to take his talents to LA...that's what they're saying anyway.
 
It does suck when your team isn't in the playoffs but trust me, it sucks even more when they barely limp in just to sell jerseys and lose draft picks in the process.
The Bulls should have started their tank last year. Don't get me wrong, we have a strong core we can build around but I just plain don't trust Forman and Paxson. I feel it in my gut that they're going to fuck this up again. They had their shot with an MVP player to boot and they jagged it, neither Gar or Pax deserved to keep their jobs. What was that cliche about the definition of insanity?

I gotta second Russell Westbrook and for the same reason, the dude has a ton of heart. I've never seen a team carried by only one person for so damn long. I'm not sure about management here either. They had their shot with the Westbrook/Durant combo. I use my gut a lot with sports and for some reason I feel like Westbrook will get his ring but not with OKC. My gut tells me they'll pull the plug on that team eventually, sell Westbrook for high picks and whatever team he gets traded to will go to a championship. I hope he doesn't turn into our era's Karl Malone.
 
I remember when the billboard thing happened. I don't know all that much about it, but yeah, why the hell did they trade Butler?

I never really liked Durant, but I hated him going to Golden State. Leaving Russ like that when they were right there on the precipice of something great. Something they created that they could have really been proud of. Sure he got his ring, but it's kinda hollow imo.
 
I wish KD had gone somewhere other than GS, but I can see why he left OKC. Westbrook doesn't seem like the best teammate. Hard for me to hate on KD though, at that size with those handles and jumper, still can't believe what he was thinking with that Twitter alt though ...

My fav team is Denver, we just barely missed the playoffs second yr in a row, but we have a bright future in Jokic. This playoffs has been pretty good so far, the MIA/PHI and IND/CLE series are really good so far.
 
Do you guys think LBJ is going to leave? He's in a tough spot. If he stays, he will continue to underachieve despite putting up incredible numbers night after night. If he leaves, he will cement his legacy of taking his talents wherever he needs to in order to win. Some people might not see anything wrong with that, but many do.

I wonder if he might decide to go back to Miami. That would mitigate his losses to some extent. Lose some respect in Cleveland, but gain back what he lost in Miami. Be back with his best friend d wade. Probably end his career only having played for 2 teams and winning championships for both.

Totally unrelated but I thought this was pretty funny: http://kentuckysportsradio.com/main/jeopardy-contestants-set-basketball-back-50-years/
 
The Butler trade was publicly stated as being for one reason and frequently rumored by fans and sports writers to be for another reason. Publicly, the Bulls were reaching a point where they knew their core was shit and they had to rebuild. Jimmy was the highest paid player and a valuable trade option. The rumor has it that GarPax and Jimmy didn't get along and certain players took an exception to Jimmy Butler naming himself the leader of the team. If it were me making the decision, I would have built the team around Jimmy but there's a reason I'm a chef and not a basketball exec.

As far as LBJ leaving Cleveland, I would say it's a 50/50 toss up since he's done it before so obviously it can't be put past him. I also don't think Miami would be a target. Personally, I've read about mutual interest between LBJ and two teams - The Bulls (Nooooo!) and The Lakers.

By the way, I got my wish! That Houston - Minnesota game today was absolutely wild.

Ecstacy - I don't blame KD for leaving either. Russ and Kev are both super talented players full of heart. However, despite me enjoying watching their playing time together, IMO their chemistry really fizzled out the last few years. It really seemed like Durant didn't want to be in OKC anymore and that was really transparent on the court, especially in situations where they were down and KD just didn't give a shit. He wouldn't run back on defense and half assed his shots, which usually Russ would work his ass off to set up. OKC is better off without him and he's fitting in nicely in San Francisco. Though like yourself, something in me says it would be more entertaining to see him signed elsewhere.
 
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Looking forward to the games today, especially interested to see if the Cavs can bounce back tonight.

stoked for the Pelicans as well...I hope this is the year AD takes over for real.
 
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