So NYC and LA are in a class of their own. Chicago to Twin-Cities seems fair to lump in together. 2.5 mil +/- 1mil.
I know i'm probably in the minority here, but i haven't watched one second of any Finals involving a "Super Team", or a Finals involving either, the LA Fakers, or Basston Celtics in the last 20 years. Boycott City. But i plan to enjoy this Finals, and hope there are many more, including the Blazers, and other small markets going forward. And if the Lakers never see another Championship in my Lifetime, it would be too soon.
Phoenix is at worst a mid market team. Milwaukee is a small market team Both put themselves in a position to take advantage of super teams having injuries. Both are TOP TEN DEFENSIVELY In the regular season Phoenix was 6 Milwaukee was 9 In the playoffs Milwaukee is 1 Phoenix is 2
any small market team fan would. I think my son hit it on the head - for a small market team, the conference finals should be considered the nba finals.
I’ve been repeatedly informed that one cannot have someone who can’t shoot, even if they are a top 5 defender in the league because he won’t help the team in the playoffs. I’m pretty sure basketball is an offense only sport this seems like Fake News.
The important point is how Phoenix ended up in the finals. It wasn't because of their market size. Chris Paul was said to have "the worst contract in sports history" by the Rockets owner. https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-...hunder-star-explains-russell-westbrook-trade/
and Jae Crowder and Draymond Green and Khris Middleton and Rudy Gobert and Caris Levert and Pascal Siakam and Malcolm Brogdon and Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo and John Collins and Jarret Allen and Dillon Brooks and Devonte Graham it's true that all GM's will have a miss or two in the drafts. But the sheer volume and magnitude of Olshey's whiffs create hurricane wind
Nice weather and low income tax. Suns players are taxed at 4% while Blazers players are taxed at 10%.
Phoenix drafted Ayton and Booker. They traded for Paul. Milwaukee drafted Giannis (with the 15th pick!) They got Middleton with a sign and trade for Brandon Jennings. Point being - Smaller (OK?) markets have plenty of ways to create a championship team, despite what our dear leader says. Neither team had to sign an expensive free agent, and no GM got to whine about his lack of options because free agents wouldn't sign there. I call bullshit on all of Olshey's excuses.
I agree. Neil needs to go big this summer (trade CJ and maybe Nurk) or go home, like forever cause YOU'RE FUCKING FIRED NEIL!
So, dozens of small market teams have won championships in the last 40 years. Well, actually no. The only one's to do it have had either Tim Duncan or LBJ. In fact, the discrepancy of small market vs big market is so large that LBJ joined a crappy team, just to be in a large market with actual access to free agency. If Phoenix and Milwaukee are so fucking smart, why have they done so much losing? Look, if you don't like Olshey, fine - F that guy. But, call bs on his actual bs. Don't let your hate blind you to the statistically obvious realities.
Every year some team drafts a guy in the teens, or twenties, or even the second round and that player becomes great. Sure, I give the team some** credit, but 99% of the time if that team was picking five spots earlier guess what...they dont take him. If the Bucks had the 1st pick in that draft, do they take Giannis? Fuck no. So props to the Bucks for taking him, but lets not act like they saw this coming. I give GS credit for taking Draymond in the 40's, but hes been all defense, all star, olympian. They should have taken him much earlier if they knew he was that good (and the rest of the NBA). Same with Utah and Mitchell. List goes on and on. The Blazers screwed up Zach Collins, yes. But the "they c0uld have had X and Y and Z" is stupid.
Couldn't have said it any better. The Draft is a crapshoot. You scout, and hope, pray, that you make the right decision. I hear guys call in to Rip City Radio and say the Damian Lillard pick was a no brainer, giving Neil no credit. That they would have made that pick. I call B.S. If you go back in Sportstwo before that draft, many didn't want any part of Dame at pick 6. I watched the combine for the 1st time ever that year, and was blown away by what Dame's skillset was. His intensity was off the charts. The only reason i watched it, was because we had a high pick, and i read the Blazers were high on him. But there were many in here who wanted Dion freakin Waiters. Or any one else. There was a guy in here who called Dame "Fools Gold" Who's the fool now sucka. Neil hasn't hit enough in the draft for sure. He's been decent in the second round( Barton, Trent Jr. ). But either has most of the rest of the NBA. The Lakers, have had to buy their Championships. They were right on Ingram, but they used him, along with Ball & Hart, to get Davis, and gave up on Randall. The Draft is not a precise science. There's a lot of luck involved. Especially with One & Doners.
