Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Discussion of the league and of our favorite team.
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In2ition
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by In2ition »

ShelC wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 6:37 am
That may play a part but Sam Presti doesn't seem to have that problem and he's created a winning/Spurs like culture regardless of which players are on the roster. I think McD really lacked communication/personal skills that you need with players. Felt like he more or less viewed them as assets, unless they were "his guy" like Bledsoe, whom he was overly attached to to his own detriment.
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Superbone
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Superbone »

In2ition wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:22 am
ShelC wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 6:37 am
That may play a part but Sam Presti doesn't seem to have that problem and he's created a winning/Spurs like culture regardless of which players are on the roster. I think McD really lacked communication/personal skills that you need with players. Felt like he more or less viewed them as assets, unless they were "his guy" like Bledsoe, whom he was overly attached to to his own detriment.
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Indy
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Indy »

He couldn't keep two MVPs on his team happy enough to stay.

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In2ition
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by In2ition »

Indy wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:56 am
He couldn't keep two MVPs on his team happy enough to stay.
I could be wrong, but I got the feeling that Presti got Sarvered by Bennett and told they can't afford to pay Harden after paying Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka. After Harden was traded and they couldn't make it back to the Finals without him, the small market of midwest OKC couldn't keep Durant happy. Probably didn't help that Durant didn't see Westbrook as the ideal running mate or enjoy his way of playing.
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Indy
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Indy »

In2ition wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 1:49 pm
Indy wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:56 am
He couldn't keep two MVPs on his team happy enough to stay.
I could be wrong, but I got the feeling that Presti got Sarvered by Bennett and told they can't afford to pay Harden after paying Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka. After Harden was traded and they couldn't make it back to the Finals without him, the small market of midwest OKC couldn't keep Durant happy. Probably didn't help that Durant didn't see Westbrook as the ideal running mate or enjoy his way of playing.
That could be. But he was lucky enough to be able to draft 3 future MVPs in back to back to back years and has nothing to show for it.

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In2ition
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by In2ition »

Indy wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 2:18 pm
In2ition wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 1:49 pm
Indy wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:56 am
He couldn't keep two MVPs on his team happy enough to stay.
I could be wrong, but I got the feeling that Presti got Sarvered by Bennett and told they can't afford to pay Harden after paying Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka. After Harden was traded and they couldn't make it back to the Finals without him, the small market of midwest OKC couldn't keep Durant happy. Probably didn't help that Durant didn't see Westbrook as the ideal running mate or enjoy his way of playing.
That could be. But he was lucky enough to be able to draft 3 future MVPs in back to back to back years and has nothing to show for it.
Yeah, it's a sad tale, but he has a mountain of picks, a pretty good record of making picks, and a very competitive current team to add young talent to. He's done a great job in the situation he is in. Imagine what he would do if he had deep pockets and a large market. I don't think he signed up to be in OKC, but the team moved away from Seattle without his input.
"When we all think alike, nobody is thinking" - Walter Lippmann
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ShelC
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by ShelC »

In the last 10 seasons not including this one, they've won at least 45 games and made the playoffs 9 out of 10 times while rebuilding the roster and replacing Scott Brooks with Billy Donovan. This year they were 40-24 before the break after trading Westbrook for Paul. I'd say that's pretty good.

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Aztec Sunsfan
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Aztec Sunsfan »

ShelC wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 3:09 pm
In the last 10 seasons not including this one, they've won at least 45 games and made the playoffs 9 out of 10 times while rebuilding the roster and replacing Scott Brooks with Billy Donovan. This year they were 40-24 before the break after trading Westbrook for Paul. I'd say that's pretty good.
Yeah, it has been a very succesful tenure, I would gladly swap places with them, even if you tell me that we have won the same amount of Championships that OKC.

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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Aztec Sunsfan »

Indy wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 2:18 pm
In2ition wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 1:49 pm
Indy wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:56 am
He couldn't keep two MVPs on his team happy enough to stay.
I could be wrong, but I got the feeling that Presti got Sarvered by Bennett and told they can't afford to pay Harden after paying Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka. After Harden was traded and they couldn't make it back to the Finals without him, the small market of midwest OKC couldn't keep Durant happy. Probably didn't help that Durant didn't see Westbrook as the ideal running mate or enjoy his way of playing.
That could be. But he was lucky enough to be able to draft 3 future MVPs in back to back to back years and has nothing to show for it.
Sorry, but as blunder as it sounds, it's a very Cubby-Like take... only lacks an 0-10 motto.

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Mori Chu
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Mori Chu »

OKC blew it by choosing Ibaka over Harden to pair with Westbrook and Durant. They could have had all 4 if they'd opened their pocketbooks. Now all four are gone, three of whom are headlining other playoff teams. They have a nice little team with Chris Paul, but they don't seem likely to become a contender anytime soon. They may find themselves stuck in a "malaise" like we had in the late '90s / early 2000s with Kidd, Cliffy, McDyess, et al. where they're too good to get a great draft pick, but too bad to contend.

I'm hardly objective about that franchise, since they were stolen from my beloved Seattle Sonics. I will never forgive them or root for them.

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Superbone
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Superbone »

Mori Chu wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:25 pm
OKC blew it by choosing Ibaka over Harden to pair with Westbrook and Durant. They could have had all 4 if they'd opened their pocketbooks. Now all four are gone, three of whom are headlining other playoff teams. They have a nice little team with Chris Paul, but they don't seem likely to become a contender anytime soon. They may find themselves stuck in a "malaise" like we had in the late '90s / early 2000s with Kidd, Cliffy, McDyess, et al. where they're too good to get a great draft pick, but too bad to contend.

I'm hardly objective about that franchise, since they were stolen from my beloved Seattle Sonics. I will never forgive them or root for them.
Wait... I thought you were a Suns guy. ;) I work with a guy now that came from Seattle. He’s very bitter. Somebody made the mistake of asking him if he followed OKC now.
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Flagrant Fowl »

Superbone wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 9:59 pm
Mori Chu wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:25 pm
OKC blew it by choosing Ibaka over Harden to pair with Westbrook and Durant. They could have had all 4 if they'd opened their pocketbooks. Now all four are gone, three of whom are headlining other playoff teams. They have a nice little team with Chris Paul, but they don't seem likely to become a contender anytime soon. They may find themselves stuck in a "malaise" like we had in the late '90s / early 2000s with Kidd, Cliffy, McDyess, et al. where they're too good to get a great draft pick, but too bad to contend.

I'm hardly objective about that franchise, since they were stolen from my beloved Seattle Sonics. I will never forgive them or root for them.
Wait... I thought you were a Suns guy. ;)
Everyone knows Mori is a Warriors fan.
Send me a PM if you're interested in joining the phx-suns.net fantasy basketball league.

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Superbone
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Superbone »

Flagrant Fowl wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:05 pm
Superbone wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 9:59 pm
Mori Chu wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:25 pm
OKC blew it by choosing Ibaka over Harden to pair with Westbrook and Durant. They could have had all 4 if they'd opened their pocketbooks. Now all four are gone, three of whom are headlining other playoff teams. They have a nice little team with Chris Paul, but they don't seem likely to become a contender anytime soon. They may find themselves stuck in a "malaise" like we had in the late '90s / early 2000s with Kidd, Cliffy, McDyess, et al. where they're too good to get a great draft pick, but too bad to contend.

I'm hardly objective about that franchise, since they were stolen from my beloved Seattle Sonics. I will never forgive them or root for them.
Wait... I thought you were a Suns guy. ;)
Everyone knows Mori is a Warriors fan.
Yeah, it's confusing right? Is he a Warriors guy or a Sonics guy or a Suns guy? Does he secretly run a Warriors and Sonics website too? Is he three timing us? Inquiring minds want to know.
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Mori Chu
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Mori Chu »

:-) I just root for the teams of the places I've lived. I grew up in Tucson, then after college moved to Seattle, and in 2013 moved to the SF Bay Area. Thus my three favorite teams, in descending order, are the Suns, the Sonics (RIP), and the Warriors.

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3rdside
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by 3rdside »

Mori Chu wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:25 pm
OKC blew it by choosing Ibaka over Harden to pair with Westbrook and Durant. They could have had all 4 if they'd opened their pocketbooks. Now all four are gone, three of whom are headlining other playoff teams. They have a nice little team with Chris Paul, but they don't seem likely to become a contender anytime soon. They may find themselves stuck in a "malaise" like we had in the late '90s / early 2000s with Kidd, Cliffy, McDyess, et al. where they're too good to get a great draft pick, but too bad to contend.

I'm hardly objective about that franchise, since they were stolen from my beloved Seattle Sonics. I will never forgive them or root for them.
OKC are loaded, the George trade relating to Kawhi was a heist:

Picks owed to OKC:
- 2020 first round draft pick from Denver
- 2020 second round draft pick from Chicago
- 2021 first round draft pick from Miami and/or Houston (swap, Oklahoma City or Miami outgoing to Houston)
- 2022 first round draft pick from L.A. Clippers
- 2023 first round draft pick from L.A. Clippers (swap, Oklahoma City outgoing)
- 2023 first round draft pick from Miami
- 2024 first round draft pick from Houston
- 2024 first round draft pick from L.A. Clippers
- 2024 second round draft pick from Memphis
- 2025 first round draft pick from Houston or L.A. Clippers (swap, Oklahoma City outgoing)
- 2026 first round draft pick from Houston
- 2026 first round draft pick from L.A. Clippers

Picks OKC owes:
- 2020 first round draft pick to Philadelphia
- 2022 first round draft pick to Atlanta


Here for all the details:

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft ... s/detailed

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Indy
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Indy »

Aztec Sunsfan wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:43 pm
Indy wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 2:18 pm
In2ition wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 1:49 pm
Indy wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:56 am
He couldn't keep two MVPs on his team happy enough to stay.
I could be wrong, but I got the feeling that Presti got Sarvered by Bennett and told they can't afford to pay Harden after paying Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka. After Harden was traded and they couldn't make it back to the Finals without him, the small market of midwest OKC couldn't keep Durant happy. Probably didn't help that Durant didn't see Westbrook as the ideal running mate or enjoy his way of playing.
That could be. But he was lucky enough to be able to draft 3 future MVPs in back to back to back years and has nothing to show for it.
Sorry, but as blunder as it sounds, it's a very Cubby-Like take... only lacks an 0-10 motto.
I get it. And I would be happy to trade their last 10 years for our last 10... but if we drafted MVPs in back to back to back drafts and 10 years later have none of them on the team an a single finals appearance where we only won 1 game, I would be pretty disappointed. I mean one of those guys is easily the 2nd best player of the last 10 years, one is a top 5 player right now, and the other guy can do nearly anything you ask of him.

I mean, we are pissed about not getting to the Finals during the Nash run... just imagine if we had Nash and Dirk and either KG or Kobe on our teams back then, and didn't get win a ring? Those were the other MVPs around Nash at that time.

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Indy
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Indy »

3rdside wrote:
Thu Jun 04, 2020 5:25 am
Mori Chu wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:25 pm
OKC blew it by choosing Ibaka over Harden to pair with Westbrook and Durant. They could have had all 4 if they'd opened their pocketbooks. Now all four are gone, three of whom are headlining other playoff teams. They have a nice little team with Chris Paul, but they don't seem likely to become a contender anytime soon. They may find themselves stuck in a "malaise" like we had in the late '90s / early 2000s with Kidd, Cliffy, McDyess, et al. where they're too good to get a great draft pick, but too bad to contend.

I'm hardly objective about that franchise, since they were stolen from my beloved Seattle Sonics. I will never forgive them or root for them.
OKC are loaded, the George trade relating to Kawhi was a heist:

Picks owed to OKC:
- 2020 first round draft pick from Denver
- 2020 second round draft pick from Chicago
- 2021 first round draft pick from Miami and/or Houston (swap, Oklahoma City or Miami outgoing to Houston)
- 2022 first round draft pick from L.A. Clippers
- 2023 first round draft pick from L.A. Clippers (swap, Oklahoma City outgoing)
- 2023 first round draft pick from Miami
- 2024 first round draft pick from Houston
- 2024 first round draft pick from L.A. Clippers
- 2024 second round draft pick from Memphis
- 2025 first round draft pick from Houston or L.A. Clippers (swap, Oklahoma City outgoing)
- 2026 first round draft pick from Houston
- 2026 first round draft pick from L.A. Clippers

Picks OKC owes:
- 2020 first round draft pick to Philadelphia
- 2022 first round draft pick to Atlanta


Here for all the details:

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft ... s/detailed
Let's hope that makes them vulnerable to trading away some of those picks and we get the better end of the deal.

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3rdside
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by 3rdside »

For OKC with that amount of picks you'd have to be pretty bad not to find talent and improve year to year. And it's got a similar ring to the Boston / Nets trade from way back (although for LA, Kawhi and George have far more burn than Garnett / Pierce / Terry).

For Phx - I hope so but the signs from our FO aren't excellent thus far .. TJ Warren / D'Anthony Melton / arguably Saric + Johnson for 6 trades. And with Jackson possibly looking like a player also, there is still a lot of convincing needed.

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In2ition
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by In2ition »



Can the Suns jump over the Spurs now?
"When we all think alike, nobody is thinking" - Walter Lippmann
"Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them." ~ Frederick Douglass

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Mori Chu
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Re: Around the League: Week 20 3/9-3/15

Post by Mori Chu »

This news definitely catapults us up to 12th best in the West.

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