Around the League: Week 3 (10/31 - 11/6)

[Furlanfufi]

This thread is great...everyone answering with gifs of Marcus throwing cheap shots!

[Split T]

Markieff chimes in

[Superbone]

Cool. Maybe all the brothers can meet in a church parking lot.

[LazarusLong]

Meanwhile, players league-wide are complaining about the new ball ....

From National Public Radio:
“The NBA has been tough to watch this year.
The league shooting percentage is the lowest it has been in more than 15 years, and its 3-point percentage is the worst this century.
Everyone from Jayson Tatum to Damian Lillard to Bradley Beal can't seem to find the basket…
There have been several theories for the shooting woes, including the NBA's new refereeing rules. But the most intriguing one: The new Wilson basketball is to blame.
After 38 years, the NBA and its longtime provider of orange and leather, Spalding, parted ways, and the NBA inked a new deal with Wilson. With this comes a new game ball.
Wilson is adamant their ball is a virtual replica of the Spalding one, but some players don't agree.
"It's a different basketball. It don't have the same touch and softness that the Spalding ball had," LA Clippers' Paul George said in a recent postgame interview.
"And you'll see this year, it's gonna be a lot of bad misses ... I think you've seen a lot of air balls so far this season."
Others skeptical about the new ball include Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, as well as reigning league MVP Nikola Jokić, who complained about its lack of grip…”

[ShelC]

The league switched basketballs maybe 10 years ago and ended up going back to the original basketball after players couldn't adjust. Gotta see what they do this time. I feel like I've seen a few more airballs than usual and a ton of shots have been spinning out more than I typically notice.

[Flagrant Fowl]

The previous switch was Spalding changing the material from animal sourced leather to a synthetic material. Basically every player complained and I remember James Jones missing like 50 three-pointers in a row. The synthetic ball even caused some players hands to bleed.

I don't see much changing in this situation since the switch was from Spalding to Wilson as the manufacturer. I read or heard somewhere that Wilson went to great lengths to replicate the Spalding ball. I guess everyone will adjust in time.

[Indy]

The previous switch was Spalding changing the material from animal sourced leather to a synthetic material. Basically every player complained and I remember James Jones missing like 50 three-pointers in a row. The synthetic ball even caused some players hands to bleed.

I don't see much changing in this situation since the switch was from Spalding to Wilson as the manufacturer. I read or heard somewhere that Wilson went to great lengths to replicate the Spalding ball. I guess everyone will adjust in time.

Nash was pretty vocal about that. I remember a picture in the paper of him with bandages on all of his fingers.

[Superbone]

Meanwhile, players league-wide are complaining about the new ball ....

From National Public Radio:
“The NBA has been tough to watch this year.
The league shooting percentage is the lowest it has been in more than 15 years, and its 3-point percentage is the worst this century.
Everyone from Jayson Tatum to Damian Lillard to Bradley Beal can't seem to find the basket…
There have been several theories for the shooting woes, including the NBA's new refereeing rules. But the most intriguing one: The new Wilson basketball is to blame.
After 38 years, the NBA and its longtime provider of orange and leather, Spalding, parted ways, and the NBA inked a new deal with Wilson. With this comes a new game ball.
Wilson is adamant their ball is a virtual replica of the Spalding one, but some players don't agree.
"It's a different basketball. It don't have the same touch and softness that the Spalding ball had," LA Clippers' Paul George said in a recent postgame interview.
"And you'll see this year, it's gonna be a lot of bad misses ... I think you've seen a lot of air balls so far this season."
Others skeptical about the new ball include Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, as well as reigning league MVP Nikola Jokić, who complained about its lack of grip…”

Hey, at least Westbrook has a good excuse now.

[Superbone]

The previous switch was Spalding changing the material from animal sourced leather to a synthetic material. Basically every player complained and I remember James Jones missing like 50 three-pointers in a row. The synthetic ball even caused some players hands to bleed.

I don't see much changing in this situation since the switch was from Spalding to Wilson as the manufacturer. I read or heard somewhere that Wilson went to great lengths to replicate the Spalding ball. I guess everyone will adjust in time.

Book said that the new Wilsons are not consistent. Each ball is a little different. These guys are the best shooters in the world. They'd know better than anybody else on the planet.

[Mori Chu]

I love how Morris falls to the ground and writhes in pain like he just got hit by a mack truck. (Which he sort of did.) I don't like intentional attempts to hurt another player. Not cool for Morris to do that. Jokic was wrong to shove him back harder, but I don't like how the league is so soft on the initial offender. Morris should have gotten tossed the instant he hit Jokic. The league and refs don't do enough to curb this kind of behavior, which leaves the players themselves to handle it.

[Shabazz]

They need to outlaw the "take foul" immediately. It's the most popular topic on NBA twitter these days and it's completely justified. It just sucks to watch.

[LazarusLong]

Shaq on TNT about Morris v Jokic: "If you hit me, don't turn around ... don't turn around because I'm swinging."

Barkley said essentially the same thing. Little sympathy for Morris.

Ernie tried to be equivocal, but he was alone in his stance ...

[Aztec Sunsfan]

I love how Morris falls to the ground and writhes in pain like he just got hit by a mack truck. (Which he sort of did.) I don't like intentional attempts to hurt another player. Not cool for Morris to do that. Jokic was wrong to shove him back harder, but I don't like how the league is so soft on the initial offender. Morris should have gotten tossed the instant he hit Jokic. The league and refs don't do enough to curb this kind of behavior, which leaves the players themselves to handle it.

I kind of feel, after rewatching it a few more times, that Morris overplays the wincing, afraid to stand up knowing Jokic it’s on for a fight. Jokic hit him on the back, but mostly on the speed of the event, he was charging the moment Markieff was turning, and such rage was not going to meditate how the hit would look. It’s a shame the coach himself step up trying to deflect the cheap shot as a hard foul instead of the NFL tackle it was. Now both Morrii are talking like the victims, but great to see Jokic’s brother answering Marcus words.

Markieff awoke the beast, now go and confront it, I loved Shaq and Barkley comments, those were exactly my thoughts.

[Split T]

Jokic got a 1 game suspension. Fines for Markieff and Jimmy

[pickle]

Markieff is sitting out Miami's next game for "whiplash". Punk.

[Flagrant Fowl]

bUiLt dIfFeReNt

[Furlanfufi]

[Split T]

I really wanted Marvin Bagley to be the guy. Hometown kid, it would have been a great story. He just wasn’t as good as the hype on him coming out of high school. He was supposed to be the next KG…still very talented, I hope he finds somewhere to blossom.