We do our fair share of bitching (and I do more than my fair share - you're welcome), but looking round the league there are still fans I feel sorry for. F'rinstance: Memphis: What happened? They burst out of the gate, but they're crashing and burning. And JJJr looks... bad. And they just threw fat stacks at him. Dillon Brooks' return seems to have had an adverse effect, too. (Also? I'm not sure I understand the Valancunias for Adams trade. Sure, Adams sets great picks and is a great dude, but JV is younger and his stats are AMAZING this year.) Sacramento: Same deal: fast start followed by nosedive. D'Aaron Fox's stats are down from last year. Kid can't shoot. Plus he's the reason they didn't draft Doncic. Quick, trade him for Ben Simmons. Detroit: It's way too early, yada yada. I don't care: my eyes don't lie: Cade Cunningham is not only not a franchise cornerstone (unlike Evan Mobley), he's disturbingly Evan Turner-esque. I think Doncic made people think you could be kinda slow and unathletic and still dominate. Yeah... but not in this case. Houston: Hey, guess what? The consensus 1 and 2 picks will not be in the top 5 when they do the "re-draft" of this draft in a few years time. It wouldn't be so bad if this was overall a shitty draft, but there are some real gems that they passed over for Cunningham and Green. New Orleans: Your generational star is Odening in front of your eyes. This one might not escape to better teams like the last two (CP3, AD) - he might not get past his rookie contract. Plus you had Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball - that's a fucking great backcourt - and now what've you got to show for it? Also - I never bought the Ingram hype. Lakers: I will never feel sorry for you. However, I will laugh as all the young players you ditched to make way for the old farts thrive in their new settings. Schadenfreude - it's the only kind of freude I can muster these days.
Forgot Timberwolves. Every year is supposed to be the year KAT's talent carries them forward. It never does. Maybe he's just a luh-ooozer.
A lot of those teams are tanking on purpose and will get a high draft pick. We are stuck in purgatory, the one that may be worse is the Lakers but they will always have a chance to get a star player in free agency
KAT's no loser. He's one of the best scorers in the league from all over the court. He shoots 45 % on three-pointers. What's totally F'd up is that 2 players on that lousy team take more shots per game than he does.
Seriously you are writing Cunningham off? Have you seen him play? No way he doesn't become an All Star and a superstar in this league. No way.
All Star perhaps. I don't see him becoming a superstar (which is a word up to interpretation, but I define as one of the five to ten most dominant players in the NBA).
Don't count out the Pistons yet. Cade had a good stat line tonight. They have lots of great young talent and if it comes together, they could sneak into the play-in. Add the Bucks to your list. Yes, they've had some injuries but they shouldn't come out this bad after winning a championship. They were expected my most to fly out of the gate with confidence. Hasn't happened. They are only 2.5 games ahead of the Pistons and 4 games behind the Wizards.
I wouldn't say a lot are tanking on purpose. Kings, Lakers, Grizzlies all have sights on playoffs this year. Pelicans too. I don't think they're trying to suck this year. They're just sucking.
I wouldn't say a lot are tanking on purpose. Kings, Lakers, Grizzlies all have sights on playoffs this year. Pelicans too. I don't think they're trying to suck this year. They're just sucking.
Yes I have, and I really want him to be good (I have a soft spot for the Pistons, living in Flint) and he just looks... unimpressive. I don't mind the terrible shooting - that'll come around, but his other stats are anemic. Even if your shot's not falling, get some rebounds, something. I get that he's got a great BBIQ, and seems to have real leadership qualities, but there's a limit to how good you can be when you're so plodding.
Well yeah depends on definition of guys like Paul George for example. I think he will be on that level eventually.
