They are still 3rd (and PHX won last night as well) but 3rd does have something like a 47% chance of being 4th in the lottery balls. That would be awesome if they dropped.
I like the PapaG references, but I'll toss a bendavis comp in, as well. He spent several threads threatening to get people IRL. Ceiling: PapaG 50% projection: bendavis Floor: HCP
BenDavis had so much potential--despite the obvious red flags--it's really a shame he ended up banned before he could develop into the poster he could have been. Some may consider him a bust, but I just think we never got to see the finished product.
I deleted 90% of this article so you could read it. Here's the best 10%. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...era-nba-stars-legends-shocked-how-we-got-here -------------- This season, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has six triple-doubles, two of which came in consecutive games, a rarity for a center. Golden State Warriors Swiss army knife Draymond Green has five, one of which was the first triple-double in NBA history that did not include 10 points (he had 10 steals to go with 12 rebounds and 10 assists). Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton has five. Accounting for 55 percent of all triple-doubles in the NBA this season are Westbrook and Harden, the two favorites for Most Valuable Player. Triple-Doubles 2016-17 Russell Westbrook Thunder 42 James Harden Rockets 21 LeBron James Cavaliers 13 Nikola Jokic Nuggets 6 Draymond Green Warriors 5 Elfrid Payton Magic 5 Julius Randle Lakers 3 Giannis Antetokounmpo Bucks 2 Jimmy Butler Bulls 2 DeMarcus Cousins Pelicans 2 Marc Gasol Grizzlies 2 Nicolas Batum Hornets 1 Eric Bledsoe Suns 1 Malcolm Brogdon Bucks 1 Kevin Durant Warriors 1 Tim Frazier Pelicans 1 Blake Griffin Clippers 1 Kyle Lowry Raptors 1 Chris Paul Clippers 1 Rajon Rondo Bulls 1 Ricky Rubio Timberwolves 1 Karl Anthony-Towns Timberwolves 1 In most years, the 21 triple-doubles Harden has recorded this season, eighth-most in a single season in NBA history (per Elias), would easily lead the league. Instead, he's a very distant second. Westbrook, whose 10.7 rebounds per game rank 11th-best in the league. The only other guard in the top 50 in rebounding is Harden, whose 8.1 per game rank 25th. Indeed, the style of today's game lends itself to filling out a box score. Pace of play has hastened, creating more shot attempts, more baskets and more misses. Many teams utilize smaller lineups, which has diminished the impact of traditional centers and rim protectors, thus opening the lane and helping to level the playing field in the fight for rebounds. The outlawing of hand-checking has facilitated penetration and has proved detrimental to those guarding explosive and uber-athletic players. An increased reliance on the three-point shot has resulted in longer rebounds that carom beyond the paint, where guards can corral the loose ball and create points in transition. And an abundance of shooters has spaced the court more than ever, making help defense more restrictive. "I don't know. I don't know," Westbrook said when asked why triple-doubles have become more common. "Probably because teams are playing smaller. Guards being able to rebound. You're in the game a lot longer than bigs are. The game has changed. It's more spread out. More shots. A few other things, probably." In the 10 full seasons before this one, excluding the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, the league averaged 40.8 triple-doubles per season. This season, there have been 114 triple-doubles, shattering the league record of 78 set during the 1988-89 season. In Robertson's era, the pace of play was even faster than it is now. The season Robertson averaged a triple-double, his Royals had 124.9 possessions per game. Westbrook's Thunder use 97.8 possessions per game. Also, playing time wasn't monitored as closely back then as it is now, with Robertson averaging 44.3 minutes during his triple-double season and Westbrook at 34.8 so far in what will be his. More minutes, of course, mean extra time to compile stats, but they also mean more wear on the body. Robertson, the career leader in triple-doubles with 181, tallied more in each of his first five seasons than the rest of the league combined. Robertson, who in his first five seasons had cumulative averages of 30.3 points, 10.6 assists and 10.4 rebounds. He believes the uptick in triple-doubles over the last two years has been aided somewhat by centers being drawn out of the paint, thanks in part to big men who can shoot and other changes, such as the revised defensive three-second rule (in which a player must be closely guarding an opponent). "Whoever got the rules changed, they wanted to make sure that guys can go in and dunk the ball with no defense," Robertson said. "They cleared it out for certain ballplayers to be successful." Robertson, who led the league in assists per game in seven of his first nine seasons, also said scorekeepers have become too lenient in awarding assists. "Every time you score, if it's a pass, it's an assist," he said. Fat Lever, who led the league with 16 in 1986-87 with the Denver Nuggets and is eighth in league history with 43—said the stretch 4 has opened up the lane considerably, enabling guards to both penetrate and grab rebounds. With the prevalence of analytics and arena scoreboards that show players exactly how close they might be to a triple-double, he says some players in the league today "without question" take the court striving for one. Bird: the pace of the game. "If you're playing a slow-down, deliberate game, pounding inside, they're hard to get," Bird said. "But if both teams are getting up and down the court, and teams are shooting around 100 shots apiece, it's a lot easier." Kidd: "There's more shooting on the floor, so assists are up. There's more rebounding because there are more shots and misses."
Name that surprises me the most on that triple-double list is Julius Randle. LAL has a lot of young guys but it seems like he gets lost in the shuffle. I would give up our first two picks for him in a heartbeat (not sure LAL would go for it though).
True. I'm 34 and have never punched anyone in my entire life. I have used words to get out of several situations. Just never needed to throw down and don't feel the need to unless absolutely necessary.
