Thanks. It's true. Anyone who has watched the playoffs can tell that Kawhi, LeBron, and Antetokounmpo are a class above Westbrook and Harden. And CJ has proven he's better than "All Star" Thompson.
They are in a very comfortable position now. Unlikely that they will lose both games in Chicago. Problem for Boston is they cannot rebound and Bulls are one of the best in the league at that (Boston should count themselves lucky that Gibson is gone because the discrepancy would be even bigger). They will be playing Hawks or Wizards next, and they were Cavs bogey team during regular season. Would be funny if they made it into the finals. And God, I love this Bucks team. If Jabari was available they'd be a contender in the East even now. In 2-3 years they will be proper contenders. So much talent, so fun to watch and genuinely nice passionate players.
This guy thinks Ainge screwed up big not getting Butler this winter. The consensus seemed to be that Ainge wouldn't trade one of his Net picks but this guy heard he wouldn't include Crowder in a deal. Either way, this Bulls' resurgence is a big blow to Portland's chance of getting Butler this summer. http://www.foxsports.com/nba/galler...and-cavs-cavaliers-brad-stevens-roster-041917
Butler will likely stay now. I don't think we were ever remotely in the hunt for him though, unless we offered CJ (which is still not enough) we'd never be able to get him. Some suggestions about offering Crabbe and stuff were just crazy. Celtics might still have a shot, depending on the atmosphere in the Bulls camp but I think they have more of a chance of landing Paul George. Looking at their performances in this series and last year against Atlanta I think Celtics might actually be better off using those picks to get Fultz/Ball and someone good next year (as Nets will likely again be a top 3 pick) and develop from there. Fultz seems like he has the potential to be better than Isaiah Thomas, IT will need a $30M contract next Summer at 30 so maybe it'd actually be a better idea to sell IT for someone younger while his stock is still very high. Maybe even try trading him to Philadelphia who seem to be leaning slightly towards win-now or just win-slightly-earlier-than-in-a-decade rather than tank for picks mode, so maybe if they also get Lakers pick this year, they will be interested in trading one of their picks for IT. If Celtics got Fultz and Jackson/Tatum out of this draft, and had a high pick next year to get Ayton or Doncic, plus we need to remember that they are also quite a good free agent destination (if Horford wanted to sign for them), they could maybe tempt Hayward into signing with them this Summer to create a great core for the future. I don't think keeping Nets pick is necessarily a terrible idea. It might hold them in the short run but I can kind of see where they are coming from long term. It's tough to compete with Cavaliers and Warriors now but when players like Jaylen Brown, Fultz, Jackson peak, there will be no LeBron or great Warriors to compete against.
Klay was among the borderline all-stars. Dame was among the nearest of misses. CJ is as good or better than Dame now. Pretty easy math there. CJ is on Klay's level. Who brings it that day is the better player. My money says that's CJ more often than not.
The only reason that Klay got an All-Star bid over Dame is that he plays for the Warriors. CJ and Dame are both on or above his level in terms of usual impact on the game.
Boston looked bad last year too against Atlanta. This is why I have never bought IT as being on the same level as someone like Lillard. They don't have enough firepower to take out the top teams. I wasn't impressed with Thomas last postseason and I'm not impressed with him now.
There is also the whole fact that while IT is tantalizing on the offensive end, defensively he makes Lillard and CJ look like CP3 and Dumars. You can get away with IT being the worst defensive guard in the league in the regular season when you can out-hustle the other team but once the playoffs hit you can't hide IT and the problems he causes on the defensive end.
Yeah, the advanced stats comparison between him and Rondo so far is pretty damning. Isaiah's scored more efficiently, but Rondo's outplaying him in every other area.
I just remember watching them last year and basically if you shut down Thomas, you shut down their offense. They don't have a viable second option. They don't have a CJ McCollum on that team.
You know who I miss? Rolo. His 18 foot jumper has been absolute money in the first two games. And his offensive rebounding is something we sorely lack.
