***Official 2022-2023 NBA Thread***
 

Can't believe the regular season starts tonight. Just seemed like the Finals ended a couple weeks ago.



Philly vs Celtics: 6:30PM CST TNT

GSW vs Lakers: 9:00PM CST TNT

Just read the entire TNT NBA crew got new large contracts which is awesome. Chuck got like $100 million

He deserves it, the guy is hilarious on that show.

A bit shocked by that, although pleasantly. I kind of remember him talking about being done soon.

https://media4.giphy.com/media/lN9AD...=200w.gif&ct=g

Excited to see what Ja can do this season. Definitely has MVP potential this year. Also nice watching the Suns and Warriors have some pretty shitty off seasons. I think the west will go through Minnesota or Memphis this season. Denver has some major potential too if they can stay healthy.

Another year in purgatory with my Hornets. Recycled coach, injury prone stars, and constant legal trouble.

Can’t wait.

Watching this Draymond Green preseason story as he tries to explain his mindset for acting like a complete douche bag against his own teammate is hilarious. No way Kerr is man enough to right that ship. His teammates were literally the only people in the NBA that didn’t see Green as the biggest cheap shot douche in the league. Pulling that shit on your own team…buy bye.

He’s literally still trying to claim that he’s a “leader” of the team. Haha. What a joke of a human.

Thats what I thought too. Guess thats why they backed up the Brinks truck

Draymond doesn't get suspended for decking a teammate in the face.

Meanwhile a coach ****s another employee (consensual) and gets suspended 1 yr+.

Yeah, that Draymond thing still kind of baffles me. That was an outright KO sucker punch and they're all more butthurt that the footage got out than the actual offense that Draymond committed. I get that tensions flaring in practice happens, probably a lot, but that was well beyond the pale.

And this is the same league where everybody clutched their pearls over that "shove" a fan gave Lowry (not that that was necessarily ok either).

Yeah I am a huge GSW fan but I lost alot of respect for Dray. Can't believe TNT went ahead and allowed him to do this show. He ****ing assaulted Poole and he made comments yesterday that seemed to suggest he doesn't care about that relationship.

I am sure the extensions for Poole and Wiggins has pissed him off.

That little vignette TNT did on Green was ****ing bizzare. I'd figured they'd have backed off on their plan to ease him into the show but it seems like they're actually going to help him rehabilitate his image. I'd say painting him as the victim was an incredibly tone deaf way to go about that.

As far as the season goes. I don't like making predictions but if everyone stays healthy I think it is Nets vs GSW in the Finals.

I remember when Romanowski broke a teammates jaw and got suspended for 1 practice. Romo must have really loved practice

No way the Nets stay cohesive enough to go all the way.

That was a minority owner of the Warriors as I recall.

My guess is that Draymond has been fighting his teammates for years and the Warriors have permitted it for his entire run there. This sucker punch with Poole likely isn't out of the ordinary for him at all.

I'm interested in seeing Orlando with Banchero. If they get Jonathan Isaac back finally. They could be pretty solid. Franz Wagner turned out to be a good pick. They need Jalen Suggs to be better. He was pretty awful in his rookie year.

Excited to see Zion in action again too.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲:<br><br>&quot;I&#39;m back.&quot;<br><br>-30- <a href="https://t.co/qbyPr0Cs3a">pic.twitter.com/qbyPr0Cs3a</a></p>&mdash; New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/1582452898570457088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That shirt choice is an absolute fail, though. MJ returned from emotional turmoil with his dads murder. You just spent a season at the Golden Corral. Let’s not compare these comebacks. Haha

I don't care who it was, it pales in comparison to what Draymond did, and the hypocrisy is blatant.

I am hopeful that the Blazers can at least make the playoffs. It will be interesting how this makeover works out and if Billups is really an NBA coach.

Ben Mathurin is gonna win rookie of the year...if it isn't Murray.

Probably not but Kyrie wants a max contract so there is a chance. :)

The East is going to be a bloodbath this season as there is alot of good teams.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In honor of Warriors Ring night, let&#39;s take a look back at all the clutch shots Steph Curry made in the playoffs last year to help Golden State win the title: <a href="https://t.co/jdUjqoHlCQ">pic.twitter.com/jdUjqoHlCQ</a></p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1582523151774162945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="et" dir="ltr">James Harden… telekinesis? <a href="https://t.co/4HaVNPGLro">pic.twitter.com/4HaVNPGLro</a></p>&mdash; Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/GottliebShow/status/1582535831343943680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Get the that.shirt of this fat ass. He isn't worthy.

The GS 2nd team is probably better than some teams starters

Or they are just playing one of the worst teams in the league tonight that is likely to win about 30 games.

Good to see that SJW bundle of sticks get blown out

LeBron with 31-14-8 on 12/25 shooting, playing like no one his age ever has. Well on his way to breaking the record.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Russell Westbrook said he “absolutely” believes that coming off the bench against Sacramento contributed to him tweaking his hamstring in that game. “I’ve been doing the same thing for 14 years straight,” he said. “Honestly I didn’t even know what to do pregame.”</p>&mdash; Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1582609176949202944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This is pretty clearly going to end with him not being on the team before the end of the season.

Stat padding on a bad team. Congrats!

Empty stats. Basically, just stat padding at this point. They got their asses kicked. Nobody gives a shit about his stats.

They will when he breaks the scoring record. And inevitably every other individual record in the history of basketball.

The guy is 38 years old and playing with a team of absolute scrubs. Winning isn't gonna happen.

It is funny how badly KCC hates Tom Brady when currently that's all LeBron James is. A much, much less accomplished version of Brady.

And it's his fault.

Dude keeps putting his thumb on the scale and then people use it to make excuses for him.

Great player; all time guy without question. Shitty teammate and a toxic presence to any organization he's been in.

It's gonna be fun actively rooting against the Lakers this year. **** these guys so much.

Real Laker fans only care about winning championships. I hated the 2 year extension just so he can pad stats and live in LA.

He is so good that he always needs more HAALLLP! Needs the deck stacked to win and when that HAALP produces, they get ZERO credit and ALL the blame when things go south. **** the LAKERS until he is gone and this is coming from Mr. Laker fan himself....Shit was boring last night, he is boring, team is boring, they suck and ain't winning shit. LeGM put the team together..

Debatable. It also really doesn’t matter at this point. The organization is a complete shit sandwich and he’s made the commitment to stick by it for whatever reasons he has. I’d love it if he left but he won’t.

The guy literally won them a championship basically singlehandedly 2 years ago when they had been a joke organization for the decade before that.

Tom Brady never once was the best player in his league. LeBron was the best player in his league for about 15 years. I see a significant distinction there.

LMAO No, it's not debatable at all.

Pelinka seems to have a pretty nice gig right now not to be getting the blame for the state of that organization.

Good God another year of this Canadian beaker cock riding LeBron...unsubcribe

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If the reports are true the Lakers didn&#39;t trade for Hield &amp; Myles Turner in the offseason b/c they didn&#39;t want to get rid of Westbrook plus 2027 &amp; 2029 1st round picks then, well, the entire FO deserves to have their ass kicked.<br><br>Punting seasons w/ LeBron &amp; AD is insane.</p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1582753186854510597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


I too would be surprised if Steph and the Warriors didn’t win again. Hope for some development from Memphis.

Can't count me in that group.

I just can't root for a LeBron team. I tried in the COVID season and that was hard enough when it at least had a couple guys on there I kinda liked.

This team could go 81-1 and I'd still hate 'em. There is zero earned equity in this team or any of the last few. It's a pile of old mercenaries who play a shitty, ugly brand of basketball.

And the self-absorbed enabler who made it all happen.

LMAO Brady legit has two Hall of Fame careers, including championship wins, on his resume. He has an iron grip on the GOAT status for the NFL. Lebron will always be viewed as second best in most fans eyes.

What's the point? So they can win 47 and still get trucked in the post-season?

No sense in torching assets so you can be slightly less shitty.

A fraud built up by the media and the NFL. Again, never once the best player in his league.

Most fans are idiots. Mahomes will always likely be viewed as not as good as Brady either throughout his career because he’s never winning 7 titles but we know better than that.

The point would be to actually try to win when you have two top 10 players in the league when healthy instead of whatever they are doing right now.

The league is honestly so weak overall (in comparison to other Super Team eras) at this point that you can argue that team would have a legitimate chance.

It actually is a bit insane just how lousy Lebron's postseason record is. Despite being an incredibly talented player, and despite being the innovator of the modern super team/ring chasing mentality, he's only managed four championships and for the most part fans only find one of them respectable. His Miami days are viewed with scorn and most folks view the COVID Disney championship with apathy.

This where you pretend it's just fans LMAO

It doesn't matter whether it's the fans, players, coaches, media, etc.

They'd still be rough defensively. Unless you believe in the myth of Patrick Beverly, I guess.

Turner's a good defensive player but Buddy is near Westbrook territory. And LeBron is just indifferent. Davis can play defense when he's healthy and interested, but that ain't often.

Adding one shooter and one defender doesn't take these guys from the lottery to a championship contender.

What they're doing right now is reaping what they've sown. And there's no escaping it.

Patrick ****ing Beverly....jesus.

Same applies in the NFL with Brady too sadly.

Oh I think Beverly is a joke. The whole roster is. But that’s how low an opinion I have of the league right now. For example, 538 has the Celtics as the significant favorites to win coming into this season and I don’t think anybody particularly believes in that group.

The championship is there for the taking for any team that wants to make a significant trade this year, I think. My Raptors (who are obviously much better positioned from a depth perspective than LA) may want to consider it.

Well, also Brady beating him in the postseason, twice, en route to two more titles. It's an irritating and unfortunate reality, but it's reality nevertheless.

Apart from championships being an indicator of team and not individual success, anybody who watched the 2nd half of the AFC championship game and the 1st half of the SB game knows what happened in those.

If Mahomes scores any points in the first half of 2018 we might not even make it to OT and move on to the Super Bowl, but unfortunately he missed a couple of throws that swung the game completely. I guess if you want to cry about the refs in 2020 you can, but the offense was stagnant because of our OL issues and a piss poor gameplay by Reid. Still won't change the facts that Mahomes lost to Brady in the playoffs twice.

Chiefs win in 2018 if not for some interesting calls in the 2nd half that no other player/team would have gotten.

Bucs were far better than the Chiefs in 2020, but the refereeing in the 1st half of that game was comically one-sided.

Regardless of any of this, championships are still a marker of team success and don’t necessarily speak to how good an individual is.

They're both in the NFL, especially when it pertains to QB. There are very, very few exceptions of winning a championship in the NFL without at least an elite performance by your QB if you don't actually have an elite QB.

Brady was quite bad in the 2020 playoffs (he had no business at all beating GB, he was horrific that day) and still got carried to a title by an elite defense (and that was hardly the first time in his career, see the early Patriots days).

I mean, if not for an questionable OPI, an incredibly blatant hold on WASP going uncalled, and Niemann getting away with a headshot on Garropolo that almost assuredly concussed him, we go down in history as losing LIV thanks in no small part to Mahomes having an abysmal game by his standards.

We can play denigrate the accolades all you want, but it's an incredibly slippery slope to go down.

Gee, it almost sounds like winning SBs are a team thing, right?

I posted this last week. After that Bills game, the Chiefs are now 28th in defensive DVOA currently. I would suggest that it's likely not a coincidence that the only year Mahomes won a SB was the year when his defense was actually average instead of bad to absolutely atrocious.

Championships are ultimately a marker of team success.

With an emphasis on QB play, yes. Very rarely can a team overcome poor QB play 3 or 4 times in a single post season. Thats kind of why QBs are valued as highly as they are in relation to every other position and why the team that wins the Super Bowl each year either typically has an elite QB or has a QB put up a string of elite performances.

Please lets actually talk about basketball, not about the greatness of Lebron James vs whatever. It's constantly exhausting.

Lol, but it's hilarious to kick LeBron stans in the balls when they start capping.

I would absolutely love it if nobody mentioned lebron at all in this thread and we can just count how many references kcc makes to him. Because we all know he will fly in instantly the moment lebron is mentioned to defend his man. And that he also likes to use the excuse that someone else brought him up.

So let's band together and either 1) not have to read about lebron or 2) prove kcc wrong.

It's a win/win.

Lolololol, there's another similarity. The vast majority want Brady and James to just go the **** away forever.

Really excited about the Thunder/Wolves games. Ready to see both teams play this season. I think the Thunder roster might actually be too good to tank for Victor, but losing Chet for the season helps a bit.

Pretty much this. Those 2 guys aren't going to move the needle.

You know the reason. He wants to play with Bronny and doesn't want to leave his family so in 2 years he can go to what ever team Bronny goes to.

If they play Poku alot of minutes they will lose alot.

I think Jalen Williams may actually be good. I'm afraid Giddey, SGA and Williams may have too close of skillsets when it comes down to it. Really hard for me to get pumped up for this season with the loss of Holmgren though but hoping for the best. Also this kid from the 76ers may end up being a sharp shooter.

The Thunder need to walk away from Bazley once they can find someone else that can block some shots. He's simply too inefficient offensively IMO

LMAO Look at Iggy

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LOL Cmon <a href="https://t.co/K9BR1Af7Uc">pic.twitter.com/K9BR1Af7Uc</a></p>&mdash; warriorsworld (@warriorsworld) <a href="https://twitter.com/warriorsworld/status/1582596104796876800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That's Draymond.

And Clutch Sports gonna Klutch Sports, man...

Just two more years of him, right?

EDIT: Ah, now I see it - the pole polishing gesture. Yeah - again, #Klutchstuff

I think both new J Williams are going to be good players. I simply have zero feel for how "good" this team actually is.

Send them Draymond for a couple firsts.

No. Iggy is in the teal suit next to Steph. Watch him.

LMAO Could you ****ing imagine?

The withered husk of LBJ
Street Clothes Davis
WestBrick
PatBev
and Green.

Thats a glorious disaster of a lineup. Top 5 all time heel team.