2018 NBA Catch-All - LeBron Fallout Edition

mindset.threat wrote:

Baseball players tend to physically develop and transition to new positions much later than athletes in other sports, so I'm not sure the comparison works.

jowner wrote:

(Yes I know LeBron didn't even go to the NCAA. The point is there isn't a comparable youth system to start grooming players 14 and even younger)

What about AAU and 5 star? These programs exist to identify the best of the best and groom them for the NBA.

Right but imagine that on a higher scale. If you are in the Real or Barca academy you have the opportunity to get called up and start training with Ronaldo and Messi. Or maybe some of the senior players show up to interact with the youth players.

I think on the scale of development is something like this.

American football f*ck no. You would have to be the 0.00001% of physical phenom because you will get crushed.

Baseball as you mentioned is a weird one. Not contact but high technical skill and players don't really settle into their best positions until they physically mature.

Hockey, as it trends to less contact more younger players will come up sooner. If they have the skill and speed and you are not worried about them getting crunched? Play them.

Basketball/Soccer. Contact but not the same as football by any means. Less than hockey imo. If they are physical outliers why would we hold them back until 21?

Boris Becker won Wimbledon at 17.

mindset.threat wrote:

What about AAU and 5 star? These programs exist to identify the best of the best and groom them for the NBA.

Call me skeptical, but the vast majority of those top talent programs exist to broker deals and line the pockets of those that run the teams. The "coaching" perpetrated in most AAU is about as far from grooming as you can get. There are exceptions of course, and they stand out like obsidian on a white sand beach due to their scarcity. The AAU circuit as it evolved has probably done as much harm to skill development in basketball as anything.

Also AAU is frequently about guiding kids to a specific college or a college with a specific shoe sponsorship. This whole thing would radically change if we’d drop the pretense of amateurism and stop protecting the NCAA cartel.

DSGamer wrote:

Also AAU is frequently about guiding kids to a specific college or a college with a specific shoe sponsorship. This whole thing would radically change if we’d drop the pretense of amateurism and stop protecting the NCAA cartel.

Endorsed.

Yeah just let the NCAA players get paid while playing and you can use it as a minor development league with only a few other issues (like teaching the players how to manage money).

The thing is, I don't even think it's necessary to have the schools pay the players. I mean, I don't have anything against schools paying them directly, but I recognize it gets complicated. To me, just getting rid of the rules that say a player can't earn money from what are clearly marketable and valuable skills would go a long way. It already goes on, so get that sh*t out from under the table. Let players sign with agents. Let them endorse products. If you really want to go for the gold, go for some variation on hockey's draft and follow. (Personally, I like MGoBlog's model.)

An 18yo becomes a YouTube sensation and earns a $1M a year, nobody has a problem with that. He or she is industrious. But a guy who can generate millions for others because he's an elite athlete (relative to his peers) who works is ass off to achieve that kind of skill isn't allowed to have representation or cash a check by endorsing mattresses at the local mattress outlet? Give me a break.

The NCAA, as an organization, is the worst.

High school guys should be able to come to the NBA. Saying that some guys failed so we shouldn’t let them is ignoring the truth that most players “fail.” Most aren’t going to be all stars or have long NBA careers. That applies to four year college guys too. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the right to try.

Yeah. When the NBA changed the rules on high schoolers I think they missed the point. They should have provided extensive counseling on how to handle their money. Maybe even an automatic savings plan where X amount goes into a trust. Team doctors should have provided mandatory drug and alcohol counseling. That kind of stuff. Forcing them to go to Rick Pitino finishing school only served Rick Pitino.

I don't know if anyone's ever had to suffer through a game by the Suns home announcing team, but I'd avoid it if you can. After every single Suns made three they do a promo/ad for Fulton Homes.

"Proud to own the three point zone! Fulton Homes is proud to donate $100 to Suns charities for every Suns made three pointer this year."

Trying to make it into a charitable act is doubly frustrating.

Trophy Husband wrote:

I don't know if anyone's ever had to suffer through a game by the Suns home announcing team, but I'd avoid it if you can. After every single Suns made three they do a promo/ad for Fulton Homes.

"Proud to own the three point zone! Fulton Homes is proud to donate $100 to Suns charities for every Suns made three pointer this year."

Trying to make it into a charitable act is doubly frustrating.

Actually, that's one of the peculiar joys of NBA League Pass. You have to choose a local feed for games that aren't national. Now you make me want to check them out via League Pass. I haven't yet, though, because they're a bad team.

Tough luck for Boston, losing Kyrie for the year. Hopefully he can come back healthy, but he’s had a lot of problems with that knee.

Yeah. That’s a bummer. He’s been so fun to watch, when healthy, this year.

Yeah sucks for Boston. Almost a lost season, but they've been able to develop their young guys. If everyone stays and is healthy next year they will be very good.

LeapingGnome wrote:

Yeah sucks for Boston. Almost a lost season, but they've been able to develop their young guys. If everyone stays and is healthy next year they will be very good.

In that sense it's definitely not a lost season. They appear to be loaded for next season.

If Russ gets 16 rebounds against Memphis on Wednesday, he'll average a triple-double for the 2nd consecutive season, and I had no idea that even had a chance of happening until just now.

A good old fashioned play in game tomorrow. Denver vs Minnesota, winner gets the 8 spot, loser is out.

Stele wrote:

A good old fashioned play in game tomorrow. Denver vs Minnesota, winner gets the 8 spot, loser is out.

Yeah. That’s pretty exciting.

Prederick wrote:

If Russ gets 16 rebounds against Memphis on Wednesday, he'll average a triple-double for the 2nd consecutive season, and I had no idea that even had a chance of happening until just now.

I don’t know how I feel about this. I love Russ, but so many of these rebounds come off free throws. It’s kind of an open secret that OKC bigs let him have gimme rebounds.

DSGamer wrote:
Prederick wrote:

If Russ gets 16 rebounds against Memphis on Wednesday, he'll average a triple-double for the 2nd consecutive season, and I had no idea that even had a chance of happening until just now.

I don’t know how I feel about this. I love Russ, but so many of these rebounds come off free throws. It’s kind of an open secret that OKC bigs let him have gimme rebounds.

Is there any chance he doesn’t get them? We all know he’s going to go for it. Also, if he gets it this year, doesn’t it really emphasize how silly his MVP was last year? Does it really matter if he averages 9.6 rebounds or 10.0?

TheCounselor wrote:
DSGamer wrote:
Prederick wrote:

If Russ gets 16 rebounds against Memphis on Wednesday, he'll average a triple-double for the 2nd consecutive season, and I had no idea that even had a chance of happening until just now.

I don’t know how I feel about this. I love Russ, but so many of these rebounds come off free throws. It’s kind of an open secret that OKC bigs let him have gimme rebounds.

Is there any chance he doesn’t get them? We all know he’s going to go for it. Also, if he gets it this year, doesn’t it really emphasize how silly his MVP was last year? Does it really matter if he averages 9.6 rebounds or 10.0?

I think it does emphasize how silly that MVP was. It’s like in Shaq’s heyday when they were trying everything possible to not give the trophy to the most dominant player. This happened with Jordan as well. LeBron is also averaging almost a triple double. I never hear a word about his MVP prospects.

Take Russ' name out your damn mouth.

If Russ gets 16 rebounds against Memphis on Wednesday, he'll average a triple-double for the 2nd consecutive season, and I had no idea that even had a chance of happening until just now.

Still doesn't make that team watchable...
That Houston OKC game was awful. If that is the future of the NBA, Ima tune out.
That team has George, Westbrook and Anthony and is barely making the playoffs. I can't stand Adams but he has improved this year to almost tolerable.

fangblackbone wrote:

I can't stand Adams but he has improved this year to almost tolerable.

wat

boogle wrote:
fangblackbone wrote:

I can't stand Adams but he has improved this year to almost tolerable.

wat

Yeah. I don’t understand this take. I get not like in Westbrook. Even though I do. But I don’t even understand this.

Because he is a hack. He massively outsizes people yet can't manage to get position instead of reaching over the back or pushing. He just left a bad taste in my mouth from last season that is hard to let go of.

fangblackbone wrote:

Because he is a hack. He massively outsizes people yet can't manage to get position instead of reaching over the back or pushing. He just left a bad taste in my mouth from last season that is hard to let go of.

I get what you’re saying now.

Speaking of Westbrook, he got his triple double season, but SBNation has a pretty funny collection of GIFs of him stealing rebounds.

https://www.sbnation.com/2018/4/9/17...

Never change, Russ. I mean, change if you want to win a title, otherwise never change.

Westbrook is awesome. I got my son a Westbrook jersey. But history is not going to be kind to his MVP last year. In hindsight, (and lots of people said this at the time, too) last year should have been Harden’s year. Then, maybe this year should go to LeBron, but his candidacy loses some luster because he pouted for a month.

TheCounselor wrote:

Westbrook is awesome. I got my son a Westbrook jersey. But history is not going to be kind to his MVP last year. In hindsight, (and lots of people said this at the time, too) last year should have been Harden’s year. Then, maybe this year should go to LeBron, but his candidacy loses some luster because he pouted for a month.

the takes are nuclear in this forum

We could take about rookie of the year. But since Ben Simmons isn't really a rookie it's a one man race and Donovan Mitchell wins.

boogle wrote:
TheCounselor wrote:

Westbrook is awesome. I got my son a Westbrook jersey. But history is not going to be kind to his MVP last year. In hindsight, (and lots of people said this at the time, too) last year should have been Harden’s year. Then, maybe this year should go to LeBron, but his candidacy loses some luster because he pouted for a month.

the takes are nuclear in this forum

Not everyone worships the altar of numbers, like you, boogle.

Speaking of Westbrook, he got his triple double season, but SBNation has a pretty funny collection of GIFs of him stealing rebounds.
https://www.sbnation.com/2018/4/9/17...

I have lots of beefs against Westbrook but in my view, that is how you rebound. I think the only questionable one was the last one where it was clearly an inch away from his teammate and he leapt to grab it. But honestly what does every coach at every level say about loose basketballs? (Hustle plays: If you can get it then you go for it even if you think its going out of bounds or your teammate has it)