the way the east looking now lebron could just play home games and the 1 away game against west coast teams and they'd be a 3 seed then go 12-1 again in the playoffs lol
NBA offseason 2016-2017...NBA offseason best in sports....This offseason is lit to the 3rd degree!!
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It won't even matter if they don't have home court against the east
Lue better not play his ass 40 minutes a game again next year
I dont even want Hayward.
But we gotta keep him away from Boston. And honestly he could thrive here. Its the perfect enviornment for him.
Show him around Biscayne and sell him on that good life.
Why not? Thats the going rate for players of his caliber these days.
Man bron good, the ninja was in the weight room that day after the game 5
I'm petitioning for a scheme change...Lue ass better be in Lubbock getting point of emphasize on the motion offense from Bobby Knight
What's his caliber? He's not Lebron.
Him and Beal together are going to fuck up the salary cap, and it still won't be good enough to even get to the eastern conference finals. That's 65-70 mil on two players.
Add that Mahinimi and Gortat's bad contracts and they can't make many moves.
IMO, KD, Lebron are 40 million dollar players.
People keep saying that until his body starts breaking down
Lebron is 32 and father time doesn't lose
true no 40 minute a game
but you know he will
Max player caliber. Believe me if the Wizards dont max Wall another team will gladly do it.
The cap keeps going up. Also, you can pay players more if they stay with their current team. What Im saying is 40 mill aint as big a number as it used to be.
No, 20 mil isn't as big
40 mil is big ass shit. It's almost half of your salary cap and with any 40 mil player you're pretty much guaranteed to be paying luxury tax. For a team that will never make it to the eastern finals.
The salary cap is only going to go up but so much. They snuck in with that new ESPN TV deal, now with the cord cutting you can't count on that. Hell, look at how it's 2 mil less this year than they expected.
Nice young player. Great pick up and cheap!
Knicks should have never let him go
You think if he goes to Boston, they beat the Cavs?
An overrated defensive player who can't shoot making 10 mil a year .
Overrated really...10 mill ain't much pretty much like 3mill years ago
I don't, because the cavs is that much better
Well until that happens so be it...that ninja done plenty
You dudes keep saying this like a whole bunch of teams have money
"You dudes keep saying" well explain this...shump was getting interest before the deadline also...
Again just because you and your homeboys or me and my crew thinks players are over/under valved don't mind shit when it time to full those rosters and owners have to spend 80% of that cap
Bron got him that deal lmaooAn overrated defensive player who can't shoot making 10 mil a year .
Gilbert up shits creek with that luxury and repeater tax lmaoo
you be fucking with the Cleveland cats hard
said it w/ the scarface voice too...
"laybron trade dat piece of chit"
No Butler, no George, but Celtics should not over-react or act impatiently. Their time will come.
What happens if the Celtics do nothing big this summer? They did not land Jimmy Butlerin a trade, Paul George went to Oklahoma City, Blake Griffin re-signed with the Clippers, what if the Celtics strike out with Gordon Hayward and he chooses to stay in Utah (or go to Miami)?
First, Celtics fans will freak out online.
Then in the fall the Celtics bring back a team that was the top seed in the East last year, made the conference Finals, and who added the No. 3 pick in the draft. They remain the biggest threat to Cleveland in the East. The Celtics are still stacked with draft picks and talent and look to be a team poised to be the next big power in the conference.
In short, nothing changes. My conversations with people in and around the Celtics have them thinking of building something sustainable that hits in 2019 or 2020, they are not in win-now mode like the Cavaliers or Rockets. Celtics fans may want to knock over the LeBron wall in the East next season, but that wall could be gone in two years (he goes to the West in 2018) or will just start to crumble around him (that could even start to happen next season).
Things are not dire in Boston even if they miss out on all the guys targeted. The Celtics are still in an excellent position, just one that requires patience and vision. Danny Ainge has those things, fans tend not to.
That said, the pressure to land Gordon Hayward this summer in free agency certainly has ramped up some.
The challenge for Boston is that their cap space for the future goes away next summer when Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, andMarcus Smart all come up for new contracts — no way Boston keeps all of them anyway. That said, it’s easier for Boston if they can add Hayward this summer then decide what moves to make after seeing how all the pieces fit together. While people in Utah remain confident they can retain Hayward, the rest of the league seems to think he’s ready to move on (especially if George Hill and Joe Ingles leave as well). If he goes, Boston is in the driver’s seat.
The frustration in not landing George after seeing him go to OKC for Domantas Sabonisand Victor Oladipo is understandable. Same with seeing Butler go to Minnesota for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the No. 7 pick.
Boston has in its pocket the Nets first round pick in 2018 unprotected, the Lakers pick in 2019 (if it falls 2-5, otherwise it is the better of either the Kings or Sixers pick in 2019), the Clippers pick in 2019 (lottery protected), the Grizzlies pick in 2019 (lottery protected), Boston’s own picks the next two years, plus players such as Jaylen Brown, Jae Crowder,Jayson Tatum, and on down the line. It’s easy to blame Ainge for being too cautious, not pushing his chips into the middle and using those assets to get an elite player now.
Except he did offer more for George, back at the trade deadline when a couple of those picks including next year’s Brooklyn pick, were on the table, but the Pacers then GM Larry Bird didn’t want to move George. When the organization was forced to move him, they reportedly asked for the Nets pick, the Lakers pick, plus players — way more than they got from OKC. Talk around the league is that in part Kevin Pritchard, the Pacers GM, did not want to send George to a team in the East where he could re-sign without a massive return (which explains not taking Cavaliers’ deal, either). Zach Lowe of ESPN says that the Celtics and Nuggets had worked out a three-team deal that ended with George in Cleveland and Kevin Love in Denver, but Indiana kept moving the goal posts. In the end, the Pacers took on Victor Oladipo rather than Gary Harris, which is not the decision most other NBA teams would have made.
Is Danny Ainge waiting for the perfect deal? Yes.
Does he have to cash in some of those hoarded assets at some point to get the final pieces needed for a contender? Absolutely.
But that time is not the summer of 2017. Paul George is not the last, best hope of the Celtics. Other opportunities will arise. Ainge and the Celtics can be patient. Even if the fan base is not.
What happens if the Celtics do nothing big this summer? They did not land Jimmy Butlerin a trade, Paul George went to Oklahoma City, Blake Griffin re-signed with the Clippers, what if the Celtics strike out with Gordon Hayward and he chooses to stay in Utah (or go to Miami)?
First, Celtics fans will freak out online.
Then in the fall the Celtics bring back a team that was the top seed in the East last year, made the conference Finals, and who added the No. 3 pick in the draft. They remain the biggest threat to Cleveland in the East. The Celtics are still stacked with draft picks and talent and look to be a team poised to be the next big power in the conference.
In short, nothing changes. My conversations with people in and around the Celtics have them thinking of building something sustainable that hits in 2019 or 2020, they are not in win-now mode like the Cavaliers or Rockets. Celtics fans may want to knock over the LeBron wall in the East next season, but that wall could be gone in two years (he goes to the West in 2018) or will just start to crumble around him (that could even start to happen next season).
Things are not dire in Boston even if they miss out on all the guys targeted. The Celtics are still in an excellent position, just one that requires patience and vision. Danny Ainge has those things, fans tend not to.
That said, the pressure to land Gordon Hayward this summer in free agency certainly has ramped up some.
The challenge for Boston is that their cap space for the future goes away next summer when Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, andMarcus Smart all come up for new contracts — no way Boston keeps all of them anyway. That said, it’s easier for Boston if they can add Hayward this summer then decide what moves to make after seeing how all the pieces fit together. While people in Utah remain confident they can retain Hayward, the rest of the league seems to think he’s ready to move on (especially if George Hill and Joe Ingles leave as well). If he goes, Boston is in the driver’s seat.
The frustration in not landing George after seeing him go to OKC for Domantas Sabonisand Victor Oladipo is understandable. Same with seeing Butler go to Minnesota for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the No. 7 pick.
Boston has in its pocket the Nets first round pick in 2018 unprotected, the Lakers pick in 2019 (if it falls 2-5, otherwise it is the better of either the Kings or Sixers pick in 2019), the Clippers pick in 2019 (lottery protected), the Grizzlies pick in 2019 (lottery protected), Boston’s own picks the next two years, plus players such as Jaylen Brown, Jae Crowder,Jayson Tatum, and on down the line. It’s easy to blame Ainge for being too cautious, not pushing his chips into the middle and using those assets to get an elite player now.
Except he did offer more for George, back at the trade deadline when a couple of those picks including next year’s Brooklyn pick, were on the table, but the Pacers then GM Larry Bird didn’t want to move George. When the organization was forced to move him, they reportedly asked for the Nets pick, the Lakers pick, plus players — way more than they got from OKC. Talk around the league is that in part Kevin Pritchard, the Pacers GM, did not want to send George to a team in the East where he could re-sign without a massive return (which explains not taking Cavaliers’ deal, either). Zach Lowe of ESPN says that the Celtics and Nuggets had worked out a three-team deal that ended with George in Cleveland and Kevin Love in Denver, but Indiana kept moving the goal posts. In the end, the Pacers took on Victor Oladipo rather than Gary Harris, which is not the decision most other NBA teams would have made.
Is Danny Ainge waiting for the perfect deal? Yes.
Does he have to cash in some of those hoarded assets at some point to get the final pieces needed for a contender? Absolutely.
But that time is not the summer of 2017. Paul George is not the last, best hope of the Celtics. Other opportunities will arise. Ainge and the Celtics can be patient. Even if the fan base is not.
I think the warriors willing to let iggy walk cause they know other teams going to overpay.. thy saying they are looking at Rudy Gay plus they have McCaw..
Rudy is longer and more athletic than iggy.. defensively it's up in the air
In a gutted NBA Eastern Conference, who's the second-best player after LeBron James?
Jimmy Butler and Paul George are no longer in the Eastern Conference. As if the East needed to get any worse.
Eight of the nine best players in the NBA already were in the Western Conference going into this year, and the West held a 246-204 edge on the East last season in head-to-head matchups. Since Michael Jordan retired from the Bulls, the West has won 13 of 19 championships.
The one equalizer: LeBron Raymone James. The man who has towered over the Eastern Conference in winning the past seven conference titles is also the only steadfast presence for the East among the NBA’s best players. He’s been the Eastern Conference’s best player for 11 years, an insane run.
Butler probably was the second-best player in the East last season, when he really showed what he can do. George wasn’t far behind. So with the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers dumping their stars on the Western Conference, who’s No. 2 in the East now?
Let’s break it down, first getting out of the way the guys who aren’t really in this conversation.
The young guys: Kristaps Porzingis, Joel Embiid, Myles Turner, D’Angelo Russell
This group of guys gives the Eastern Conference some hope, though the Western Conference’s list of young talent might be better. Still, these guys are not yet up to the level of one player from their age range who we’ll get to in a minute. At least another year is necessary.
The old guys: Paul Millsap, Al Horford, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose
A case could be made for Millsap and Horford still being in this conversation, but Horford’s no longer a go-to player and Millsap’s efficiency took a sharp dip last season. The other four don’t really have much of an argument now. All six of these guys — Wade especially — spent time at the front of this list in their primes.
The big men: Kevin Love, Hassan Whiteside, Andre Drummond
These double-double machines simply haven’t proven themselves to be quite on the level of the others above them on this list. Drummond, at 23, is still young enough to turn that around, but he’s struggled to find his niche on offense and took a step back last season.
The scorers: Isaiah Thomas, DeMar DeRozan, Kemba Walker, Bradley Beal
There surely will be objections to not including Thomas and DeRozan on the final list. That’s understandable. They’re sort of the inverses of Millsap and Horford, though; they contribute in one notable way and don’t do enough else to help their team. Walker’s the trickiest one to place on this list because he’s a smart, hard-working defender whose size is his only limiting factor. But all four of these guys are elite scorers who don’t quite meet the criteria to be actual candidates.
The real candidates
4. Kyle Lowry, Raptors
Lowry is the East’s Chris Paul, a 6-foot, 31-year-old point guard whose teams win a lot every year and who thrives when measured by advanced statistics. Over the past four seasons as a whole, there’s no argument against Lowry being the second-best player in the East — which is particularly remarkable because he had the best season of his career last year. The issue is that his performance has consistently dipped in the postseason, made especially obvious by those same advanced statistics.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Nobody will be surprised if “The Greek Freak” makes this an open-and-shut argument a year from now. He’s only 22 — younger than Embiid — and coming off his first All-Star appearance and a very strong first-round playoff series in which his team let him down. That all highlights why he’s not at the top of this list quite yet. It’s about track record and consistent success now for Antetokounmpo, who has a real shot to leap James and everyone else and one day become the best player in the entire NBA.
2. Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers
1. John Wall, Wizards
Oh, boy. These two have been compared for years, since Irving was the No. 1 pick of the NBA Draft in 2011, a year after Wall. They’re really great, exciting players with proven track records in both the regular season and postseason. Irving’s obviously been helped by playing with James, but Wall’s been able to carve out his own place because he’s the clear star for his team.
The differences are obvious. Wall’s a better athlete, Irving’s a better ballhandler. Wall’s a better passer, Irving’s a better scorer. Wall’s a proven top option, Irving’s an NBA champion as a No. 2. Even breaking them down by advanced statistics doesn’t help much: Wall has a slight edge in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, while Irving holds the small lead in Basketball-Reference’s Win Shares. Their Player Efficiency Ratings were 0.2 points apart (with Wall ahead).
Even the defensive edge that Wall typically gets credit for is probably a bit overstated. Thanks to Wall’s heavy offensive load, he’s struggled to consistently showcase the elite defense we know he’s capable of playing, as Bullets Forever broke down earlier this season.
So why are we giving the edge to Wall? We’re splitting hairs here, but the biggest difference is a matter of circumstance. Wall is forced to carry a larger load in terms of both his team’s reliance on him and the leadership he must show. He’s busted every negative notion about him to become an NBA superstar. Now, Irving easily might be in the same position right now if he were playing on a team built around him.
But here’s the tradeoff: Play with LeBron James or get to be No. 1 on this list of No. 2s. Irving will take that any day.
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Hate to say it.... But the rockets may have gotten to him.
The warriors can pay more with his bird rights... Than any other team. The question is will they.
I think he has 2 strong years left
it'll be a win for both iggy and the warriors
McCaw isn't ready for prime time.
I. Could be wrong but it's clear her was drafted to replace iggy when the time came.
He's talented but needs to mature quick to. Fill the role iggy plays
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