Around the NBA: Week 11 (1/1/24 - 1/7/24)

[Gladiator]

New Orleans is up 103-61 after three against the Kings

[Flagrant Fowl]

At home facing the Pels without Zion... Yeesh.

If we're only evaluating by talent, don't agree with the Kings position of making Keegan Murray essentially untouchable in a trade for an all-star like Siakam.

[Split T]

I wouldn’t trade Keegan for Pascal…not with him being a free agent this summer

[Flagrant Fowl]

That's why I included the "talent" qualifier.

I'd not have a problem including Murray if I knew Siakam would re-sign.

[TOO]

Feels like Siakam is redundant to what they have, and excels in the same role as Sabonis, that's why I wouldn't make that deal.

[Flagrant Fowl]

You're not wrong, there's some overlap that could be a problem.

But 3 guys who can dribble and pass at a high level would be interesting, not to mention it would help with a lot of their defensive issues. Ultimately, I'd want the better player, which is pretty clearly Siakam, IMO.

[Mori Chu]

The problem with any team trading for Siakam is he'll be an FA after the season, so if you're Sacramento, he could just leave. You don't give up all your assets for a risk like that unless you can get some kind of assurance that he'll stay.

[Sunsfanatic76]

https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1744569350508413262

Ja Morant Ruled Out For The Rest Of The Season After Undergoing Shoulder Surgery

With Ja out for the remainder of the season and the Grizz likely to pivot to tanking (since they're currently in the 13th spot anyways), Are there any interesting players we might be able to flip our junk assets for to help them facilitate their tank??

[Split T]

They don’t have a lot of vets…I looked for vets that could help us, especially on expiring deals and the only guys are basically Biyombo and Derrick Rose..I could actually see us trade for Biyombo

[Superbone]

Darko goes off about their FT discrepancy against the Lakers:

[SunsRIt]

Good for him! It’s about time somebody says it.

[AmareIsGod]

Every time I get down about the Suns, I look around the league. Lakers, Warriors, many historically great teams with talented hall of famers really struggling this season.

[Mori Chu]

[wpmiller42]

Every time I get down about the Suns, I look around the league. Lakers, Warriors, many historically great teams with talented hall of famers really struggling this season.

I think there's a lot of parity around the league right now, so coaching and chemistry are big premiums right now. I don't think Vogel is a bad coach, but it would have helped, I think, with the chemistry and coaching a little bit if we had let Monty have a chance with these guys. I'm shocked we haven't run more Spain pick and roll action that we seemed to favor with CP3... Having the combination of Booker/Beal, Durant, and Nurkic run that just seems like a really obvious go-to.

The silver lining, I suppose, is that is very correctable by the time the playoffs roll around. And I wouldn't be surprised if a play-in team from the West makes it to the finals.

[Superbone]

Another guy we could have drafted.

[Mori Chu]

I'm not too devastated about missing out on Kawhi. He's a great player, but he seems like he's been a bit of a prima donna, has pushed his way off of multiple teams, and he's had tons of injury problems. I feel like he would have just forced a trade off the Suns to the Clips or elsewhere. Congrats to him on getting the big money bag, though.

[AmareIsGod]

LeBron James, when asked about the discrepancy, said: "I feel like they fouled and we didn't."

[Mori Chu]

Every time I get down about the Suns, I look around the league. Lakers, Warriors, many historically great teams with talented hall of famers really struggling this season.

I think there's a lot of parity around the league right now, so coaching and chemistry are big premiums right now. I don't think Vogel is a bad coach, but it would have helped, I think, with the chemistry and coaching a little bit if we had let Monty have a chance with these guys. I'm shocked we haven't run more Spain pick and roll action that we seemed to favor with CP3... Having the combination of Booker/Beal, Durant, and Nurkic run that just seems like a really obvious go-to.

The silver lining, I suppose, is that is very correctable by the time the playoffs roll around. And I wouldn't be surprised if a play-in team from the West makes it to the finals.

Yeah, +1 to all of this. If you look at the top of the West, you have some surprise teams like Minny and OKC. Those are good teams, but they're young and inexperienced. You can totally imagine some high-seeded team choking, like Minny losing to the 8-seeded Lakers or Warriors or whomever. I do think playoff seeding matters a lot, but this year there are so many good teams that I wouldn't be surprised if a lower-seeded team goes deep into the playoffs.

[Gladiator]

LeBron James, when asked about the discrepancy, said: "I feel like they fouled and we didn't."

What a farce

[Split T]

I didn’t watch the game but the Lakers are 9th in fta/fga and 2nd to last in fta/fga on defense. Numbers kinda support that they get to the line and don’t foul. Raptors don’t get to the line as they are 22nd in fta/fga, but they also don’t put people on the line very often. They are right behind LAL at 3rd to last.