Official 2017 NBA Off Season Thread

[Al Bundy]

Sources: Charlotte is sending Miles Plumlee, Marco Belenelli and 41st pick to Atlanta for Dwight Howard and 31st pick.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 21, 2017

The Celtics and 76ers have agreed to a trade that will send the #1 pick to Philly, who plan on drafting Markelle Fultz (@daldridgetnt)

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 18, 2017

The draft is June 22nd.

[BigCatDaddy]

I watched KI carry the Cavs in quite a few games during the 16 championship series. I think he is been short changed a bit here.

[okcchief]

Kyrie has yet to show he can lead a team. Cleveland is still a heavy favorite in the East unless something major happens. Kyrie has an inflated value because of big Finals moments. You have to get there to have those moments. It will be interesting to see if BS can change the way he plays.


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[mcaj22]

Kyrie/Hayward/Horford is still not enough to beat the Cavs

its basically a downgraded form of Kyrie/Lebron/Love.

Still dont have a chance until Lebron goes West

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Yeah, time will determine that, not you.

And let's face it, one of the Celtics biggest problems was shot-creation. NOBODY outside of IT could create their own shot really. And shot creation is huge in the playoffs, especially, and IT really struggled with it himself in the playoffs.

And you can think Irving isn't that much better than IT overall, but there's no question that his shot creation is at least as good but likely better than IT, and that it's DEFINITELY been alot better in the playoffs. C's now have Irving and Hayward, and their new draft pick, Tatum, appears to have elite skills in that area (or projects to -- nobody really knows how any draft pick will work out).

So you can say the Cs aren't much/any better in the short term, but I don't agree, especially when it comes to playoff basketball.

It's all relative. LeBron will still kick the shit out of Boston in the playoffs. Kyrie being there doesn't change that remotely. In fact, now that they've lost most of their good defenders (and Cleveland has filled a few holes thanks to Ainge), it's probably become easier for him to do so.

[PAChiefsGuy]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

It's all relative. LeBron will still kick the shit out of Boston in the playoffs. Kyrie being there doesn't change that remotely. In fact, now that they've lost most of their good defenders (and Cleveland has filled a few holes thanks to Ainge), it's probably become easier for him to do so.

And then LeBron will leave the Cavs next season after the Warriors or Spurs beat the shit out of him in the Finals and try to start a new superteam, maybe with the Celtics if he can make up with Kyrie.

It's all relative.

[mcaj22]

by then Horford will be two years older and on the decline. The Celtics will still have no other center or power forward worth a shit. Marcus Smart will be gone. Kyrie will still be playing no defense. And you'll be able to see who hits or busts between Brown and Tatum. It's all relative.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

And then LeBron will leave the Cavs next season after the Warriors or Spurs beat the shit out of him in the Finals and try to start a new superteam, maybe with the Celtics if he can make up with Kyrie.

It's all relative.

After the Warriors win next year, he'll go to the Lakers, yeah. That's been known for a while now. He won't be going anywhere near the treadmill team that is now the Boston Celtics.

[mcaj22]

actually like the Wizards chances now that the Celtics don't have Crowder, Bradley and Olynyk scrapping around.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

actually like the Wizards chances now that the Celtics don't have Crowder, Bradley and Olynyk scrapping around.

I feel better about the Raptors chances too. Celtics only won as many games as they did last year because IT had a ridiculous season (Celtics fans who were chanting 'MVP' at him all season have suddenly gone quiet) and the rest of them tried so hard on defense regularly.

[mcaj22]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

I feel better about the Raptors chances too. Celtics only won as many games as they did last year because IT had a ridiculous season (Celtics fans who were chanting 'MVP' at him all season have suddenly gone quiet) and the rest of them tried so hard on defense regularly.

Yes they literally traded all their hustle guys except for Smart and now have to give a really young player significant rotational minutes in Brown or Tatum

plus Marcus Morris is now their 4 and he's terrible so

[Amnorix]

Just gonna put this up:

Boston’s overachieving last season and its numerous key summer departures—including Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson and—make Brad Stevens’s squad a prime candidate for stagnation or regression this season even though Danny Ainge added two stars in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. The Celtics’ top-end talent has clearly improved, but their depth and cohesion have taken meaningful hits this summer, and youngsters like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will be stripped of their training wheels and asked to play major roles. The 2018 Celtics are more susceptible to a single injury killing their momentum, and they will be much more reliant on unproven bench players. Washington and Toronto both had forgettable offseasons, but neither team should enter 2017-18 fearing Boston at this point.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers will enter next season as the East’s favorites, the same position they’ve been in since LeBron James’s 2014 return. Thomas’s hip injury is a real concern, especially because Kevin Love and J.R. Smith both missed significant time last season due to injury. That said, Boston, Toronto and Washington all lack good defensive options for James, meaning that Cleveland is probably still in position to repeat its 2015 postseason run if injuries strike again. Would you really bet against James, who just averaged a triple-double in the Finals against perhaps the most dominant team in postseason history, smashing through the conference again if two or three of his sidekicks go down in the playoffs?

Ultimately, this trade seems to set up Boston for greater command over the conference in the future rather than specifically during the 2017-18 season. The Raptors, Wizards, Bucks and others should be nervous that the Celtics will be able to use Irving and Hayward as lures for an additional superstar like Anthony Davis down the road. Fast-forward to 2019, and Boston could be in position to have a core group of three All-Star starters, all in their respective primes, supported by Brown and Tatum, who will still be on rookie deals. That sounds like an awfully high bar for the rest of the conference to clear. In the immediate future, though, don’t expect a two-team runaway at the top of the conference just yet.​

[skip]

As for Boston, my read is not a popular one in the New England area. To me, this trade for the Celtics acknowledges the Warriors are an unstoppable force as currently constructed. Rather than make a run at the 2017-18 title, the Celtics are gearing up to try and contend for rings 2-3 years from now. With Kyrie and Gordon Hayward just entering their primes, and youngsters Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum just coming on, the Celtics have arguably the best young nucleus in the league—but not one that’s quite ready for playoff battles with the Warriors and Cavs.

https://www.si.com/nba/2017/08/24/ky...homas-warriors

[tk13]

Not so fast. Sounds like Cleveland is unsure about Thomas' hip. They might ask for more from the Celtics to complete the trade.

Sources on ESPN: Cleveland, Boston planning call today to discuss uncertain status of blockbuster trade. https://t.co/0LzkkWNltR

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2017

[RealSNR]

I imagine Boston will tell Cleveland to **** off.

[Titty Meat]

GS will win it all again dunno how you all watch this unwatchable garbage

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Scooter Libby

GS will win it all again dunno how you all watch this unwatchable garbage

I know you just like to troll, but you rip on baseball and basketball and watch a sport where Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have basically won our conference every year for almost two whole decades.