Real Deal

Simple question: are the Jazz really a threat to win it all? They are currently 1st in the conference and have the best record in the NBA at 44-16. They have the 4th best offense (behind Donovan Mitchell) and the 2nd best defense (behind Rudy Gobert) in the league. Can Utah clash with the Lakers, Suns and Clippers, and come out on top? Can they beat Jokic and the Nuggets?

https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1384942554530074626 LA needs to climb back into one of the top 4 spots in the West, preferably #1 or #2, just in case they suffer another injury down the stretch.

Looking at offensive/defensive ratings, I can't ignore the fact that the Brooklyn Nets, while ranked 1st in offense, are also ranked 26th in defensive rating. The last team to win a championship without being ranked at LEAST in the top half of the league, defensively, were the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers, and that's primarily because they lost Ron Harper in late February, and it took Kobe and Shaq to completely go off and nearly run the table in the playoffs...KB at 29/7/6 and Shaq with 30/15. Even since those Lakers pulled it off, only one team (KD's Warriors in 2018) were not in the top 10 (they were 11th, defensively). Can the Nets win it all as one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA? Can they get past the Sixers (Simmons and Embiid), a team that has the potential to disrupt both their perimeter and interior play? How would they stop a top 3 defensive team in the league that has Davis and Drummond up front, with LeBron slashing to the rim?

With the team's struggles, and the lack of loyalty from the Jordan brand players (CP3, Westbrook, Melo...maybe they just wanted to win), do you think Zion Williamson will leave New Orleans through free agency? Right now, the team is #11 in the Western Conference, 25-33 record. They are a top 10 offensive team, with Zion and Brandon Ingram leading the way, but their defensive rating is 27th in the league. There's a lot of youth, but no clear-cut locker room leader, and I think that hurts them the most.

In no particular order... Jokic Curry Doncic Harden Embiid Antetokounmpo Lillard Mitchell LeBron There are a lot of guys to pick from this year. I feel like Curry has jumped into the top five, at the very least. The Warriors will need to make the playoffs for him to get it, though. Right now, Joker is my guy. Denver is #4 in the West, 37-20 record, and Jokic is putting up 26/11/9 on 57/42/85 (!) shooting. He's almost averaging a triple-double as a big man. I can't think of another big who has done that, other than maybe Wilt.

So far, it looks like Kemba Walker will be headed to Boston. Word is that Kyrie Irving is going to meet with Brooklyn and sign a deal. Klay Thompson is likely staying with the Warriors. Three big dominoes falling before free agency officially starts. Wonder if Kevin Durant is headed to New York???

Just can't let it die. Let's talk free agency 2019!

I'm going to make the assumption that this pick, our late 1st, and one of Randle OR Clarkson will be headed to the Pacers for Paul George before/on draft night. Otherwise, this hurts.

http://www.nba.com/_flysystem-style-redirect/landscape_1045w/s3/2017-06/dangelo-russell-pass-brook-lopez.jpg?itok=9XIy32YG http://www.nba.com/article/2017/06/20/dangelo-russell-brook-lopez-trade-los-angeles-lakers-brooklyn-nets

Oh. Adrian Wojnarowski‏Verified account @WojVerticalNBAFollowingMoreSources: As David Griffin departs as Cavs -- "Just couldn't agree on future," source says - Chauncey Billups expected to emerge as candidate

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19680150/boston-celtics-trade-no-1-overall-pick-philadelphia-76ers-no-3-pick-future-first-round-selection What does everyone think? Word was, the Celtics told the Lakers they would be taking Lonzo Ball at #1, and the Lakers were fine with it (they would consider Fultz). So, Boston seems to be making another move. Is it for Chicago and Jimmy Butler? Are they positioning themselves to take someone like Jackson or Tatum, and trade them to Indiana for Paul George?

Might as well start this discussion. We have less than a week! Word is that Philly is taking #1 in a trade with Boston. Philly takes Fultz, and Boston hopes Jackson is there at #3 to trade to Chicago for...Butler.

Lakers have.

We're all a bit older.

Looks like we picked Russell after all, haha. LeBron's performance overrated? Well, he was the best player in the series, clearly, and the best player in the NBA...although I think Anthony Davis will catch him in 1-2 years. But, in a sense, I think it was a bit overrated because he was pretty sloppy on the defensive end. I don't mind the shot attempts, nor do I really mind the FG% (considering Iggy's defense on him, and how the Warriors brought the kitchen sink when Andre needed a rest). I just didn't like the fact that his FG% was actually ignored, when all of these years, Kobe's was the talk of the town. Guys like Iguodala, Leonard, Tony Allen, Prince...they are meant to "key in" on superstars like Kobe and Bron, and they are put on the court not only to chase them all game, but to cause inefficiency. It happens. Everyone complained about LeBron's teammates, and especially JR Smith. All I've ever heard was that he makes his teammates better...but when that time comes, and they under-perform...nobody gives a shit about their defensive efforts (Dellavedova), their amazing work on the glass (Thompson) or scoring in the post (Mozgov, when LeBron cashed out in one of their losses). Those teammates suddenly become "garbage" and, not surprisingly, it's stated that LeBron is doing everything. With that said...did he do everything? No, and therefore, the performance is overrated. I can't say anyone else performed better, though. The Warriors were the better team, while LeBron was the best player.

I don't know if I want Love in LA, really. For the money he'll make, I'm not sure if I want to give up on Randle (because, basically, we would have to, given that we'll draft KAT or Okafor). Plus, his health worries me. And yes, at his age, in his prime...he has to seek a first or second option position on another team. Even with injuries, he may be that missing piece for a team that will play him the right way (instead of using him as a spot-up shooter). Just can't say we can use him in LA, though, because he would need to be #1 on our roster after next season, assuming Kobe is a "go" this upcoming season. I don't know, man. Iguodala was "slowing him down" all series long, before fatigue should have set in. Outside of two games, LeBron's shooting was 41% or less. He shot 44% in one of the other two. Doesn't matter who you are, good defensive teams will hurt your FG%, especially if they have a long defender who has experience guarding elite players. It didn't stop him from scoring 40's each night, but like few players in the past (Jordan, Kobe, Bird, Iverson, for example), he would have dropped 50 if the primary defender was someone like Tyreke Evans.

I'm not really sure why Love would stay, to be honest. He didn't seem happy at all, and eventually, he'll be able to get more money elsewhere. He doesn't come off as a guy who will want to be a third option in order to chase a ring...at least not yet. I was pretty excited to see Iguodala get the MVP.

Rose really blew those last two possessions, especially when he fell asleep and let Bayless out of his sight. A final play of the game should never end that way. That situation in Dallas is pretty weird. I hope they win a couple of games in that series, before dropping it to Houston, only because of Rondo's actions.

http://www.awesomeoff.com/images/entries2/mainview/spacemanspiff2.jpg Hope you're doing good too, man. Hey, it took me less than a month to see this, lol.

Nice write-up, as always. Dallas will need a lot out of Rondo to advance, and that's on both ends of the floor. As much as I hate saying it, I don't see Houston losing the series. The one thing that makes it interesting, though, is the fact that Rondo usually shows up when it comes playoff time, and Harden is the guy we typically wonder about. I believe Chicago struggles against Milwaukee a little more than most expect, and it really doesn't make any sense on paper. The Bulls just can't find their identity, unfortunately. They should win the series, of course, but I just can't pinpoint how, outside of Gasol's consistent play (which, I'm shocked he has yet to fall to injury).

I met Kobe once, and it was right after a Warriors/Lakers game, in the tunnel. Shook his hand, talked to him for a few minutes, and that was it...pretty awesome moment. Congrats, man. Good stuff.

I went with Kentucky and Gonzaga, with Kentucky winning. Honestly, I was doing pretty damn good in my pool...and even after Nova lost...but I fell to the middle of the board when Arizona and Gonzaga lost. A lot of guys at work like Wisconsin, and they are ridiculous for Duke, so once that happened, I was toast.

Durant was the guy, but Westbrook has taken that role from him...and I fear Durant will never be the same. That foot injury isn't healing, and those kind of issues are devastating to basketball players in general. KD is lucky he's not a 300-pound center.

Man...the one we always used, even before OTR went up, was never updated. Here's a link, though: http://www.fbbgames.com

I just had a 10-hour Saturday's worth of work, followed by 12 hours on Sunday. It's just incredibly hard for me to find time, and with how the site was back when I closed it, I had a gut feeling we would've ended this way at some point. All of us get busy.