NBA Offseason Kickoff / Draft Talk
June 23, 2016 5:25 PM - Subscribe

With Cleveland taking the championship, the offseason is now in full-swing!

A user at /r/nba has compiled a list of Free Agents, and relevant deadlines, and a live list of the draft.

The draft takes place Thursday, June 23rd. 7:30 EST.

The number one pick, as expected was LSU's Ben Simmons to Philadelphia.
posted by lkc to NBA Club (20 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
This is going to be one of those drafts were we look back 10 years later and the top 5 guys were picked 10 through 35.

Look at the immense trouble teams had trading picks. Nobody was buying. Not necessarily a weak class but a flat class after 1 and 2. The 3rd pick was on some boards in the teens and everyone just kind of shrugged. (everyone but Boston fans, who are mad)
posted by French Fry at 8:12 AM on June 24, 2016


Yeah, more interesting I think is the Free Agent/Trades group this year. Derrick Rose going to the Knicks really surprised me, since they got a bunch of so-so older players, as well as the hornets picking up a bunch of cap sandbags right after they said they needed space to re-sign their current FA's.

I get the feeling some crazy stuff is going to be happening, since the last couple years were overshadowed by The Return.
posted by lkc at 11:55 AM on June 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


Brown can't shoot

He sure can't. "Learn to shoot" is a thing GM's say that I just never believe because it doesn't often happen. It just doesn't. So I get why Boston fans are mad, also illustrates that picks should be sold off early as you can, because as possibility ticks down to reality it's almost always a let down.

I do think the Celtics are radically overvaluing their current talent. Crowder, Bradley and Thomas all had good years but would any of them have even started in the Finals? Maybe Crowder in place of JR Smith or Love?

I think in the NBA if you can get the best player in a Deal (and he's not old/hurt) you are getting a good deal no matter how many people you give up.
posted by French Fry at 12:56 PM on June 24, 2016


Also a thing to be mad about the Pacers got Thaddeus Young for the 20th pick and the C's couldn't get anything for the 16th?
posted by French Fry at 1:01 PM on June 24, 2016


Everyone's looking for Draymond Green it seems. I don't really follow college ball or the draft.

Ibaka coming to the East, I wonder if it will be enough to get Orlando in the playoffs. They were a super fun team to watch this year.

Bunch of other outstanding questions in the east:
-How good will NY be?
-Will the raps keep Bismack
-Who's going to pay Delly :'(
-Can we keep JR?
-The Heat always do something. What will the Heat do?
-New coaching situation in Orlando and Indy!
posted by yeahwhatever at 10:46 PM on June 24, 2016


-How good will NY be?
Melo, Rose and Porzingis could be good together. Who else are they gonna get?

-Will the raps keep Bismack
Will they keep DeRozan?

-Who's going to pay Delly :'(
Probably not the Cavs.

-Can we keep JR?
If by "we", you mean the Cavs, then yeah, probably.

-The Heat always do something. What will the Heat do?
Whiteside said he'll announce by July 1st. Bosh will want to stubbornly come back, I doubt Wade goes anywhere, their situation is complicated. I'm with you!

-New coaching situation in Orlando and Indy!
New players, too! Ibaka is now on a short-timer contract with the Magic, and the Pacers have to give Paul George something to work with.

Other observations:
What the hell are the Rockets going to do? They made the playoffs, but weren't good at all.

Are the Clippers cursed? Could any of their players do better shuffled in a different team?

Other interesting teams: Suns, Jazz, Bucks, Wolves -- all of them are young teams with promising players.

Wizards have Wall and will hopefully keep Beal. They're a better team than they've been (IMHO), will a change in coaching at least get them to "adequate"?

And the Denver Nuggets. What will become of Kenneth Faried? He's better than what the team is, but not good enough to get them anywhere in the West.

And the Kings are like a puzzle from a thrift store: a lot of good pieces that don't fit together.

Also, Blazers totally kicked ass this year. I look forward to their offseason moves.
posted by lkc at 2:45 AM on June 27, 2016


Yeah, I'm a cavs fan.

Who else are they gonna get?
Dwight? Whiteside? Durant?

Will they keep DeRozan?
Probably. If he plays like he did in the playoffs this year, I'm exceedingly happy to keep him in the east.

Probably not the Cavs.
Enjoy Milwaukee or Detroit Delly. I'm positive he will never pay for another meal or drink in Cleveland for the rest of his life.

What the hell are the Rockets going to do? They made the playoffs, but weren't good at all.
I don't know. I wonder how much longer they want Morey's magic ride to last though.

Are the Clippers cursed? Could any of their players do better shuffled in a different team?
Probably. I dislike Chris Paul's flopping, and am exceedingly happy when they fail. Blake really fucked over their season when he punched that dude. Amazing waste of what would have otherwise been a make of break season (at least according to Doc at the start of the year). Now they have to try again, and I'm not particularly convinced they'll have what it takes to beat two of GSW, Spurs, OKC in a seven game series. Jamal and Pierce certainly aren't getting any younger, and Rivers is a free agent I think.

I don't really follow the other teams in the west. I always hope to see Portland do well, and think the playoff experience for them will be huge. Considering this was supposed to be a rebuilding year, I'd love to see their core grow into a strong championship contender over the next couple years. Dame is criminally slept on, dude is an assassin.
posted by yeahwhatever at 12:07 AM on June 28, 2016


As a Bulls fan, I have given up on this team for as long as Gar/Pax are running things. I don't trust them to get good free agents as they have not done so for the 13 odd years they have been in charge.

They go after all the big guys when they become available, but always end up with the Carlos Boozer, Pau Gasol type second rung players. Now that Rose, Gasol, Noah are all gone; I cannot see this team winning more than 20 as constituted. Who can they get from this years Free Agent class that is going to make them significantly better than last year? The Big Guns in the FA market are not coming. All they can do is fill roster spots. We still don't have a PG who can run Hoiberg's offense the way he wants. The Brass is selling some BS about how Denzel can do it; which is utter, unadulterated BS. I saw him play with the Spartans; and he does not have the handle to be a NBA PG who can run a GS-style offense that Hoiberg wants to run.

I will still watch some games as I am a fan, but man this thing has gone south so fast it is unbelievable. 2 years ago; Gar/Pax fired Thibs and sold the fanbase that the Bulls as constituted then could contend and all they needed was a new player friendly, offense friendly coach. After the dumpster fire of a season; GarPax had a press conference where they 'accepted blame' (whatever that means); except they haven't shown anything that they have changed their thinking on how to put together a team?!? The amazing thing is that the fans still fill the place up? The Bulls are among the league leaders in attendance every year.
posted by indianbadger1 at 11:49 AM on June 30, 2016


Ahahahahahah Mozgov got 65 million, this is amazing. Get paid Mozzy, you were amazing last year.

TT's 82 million looks practically reasonable now.

Also Raps locked up DeRozan. Good for them, hope he and skinny Kyle Lowry continue to promote basketball in Canada.

As for the Bulls, Butler is amazing, but I would like to see Rose continue to do well. This video is still one of my favorites, dude is crazy. Hey, Obama is interested in partial ownership of a basketball team, maybe he'll bail you guys out.

"Let me be clear: the Bulls will bring the Jordan-era greatness back to Chicago"

I wouldn't even be that mad, esp. now that Noah is gone.
posted by yeahwhatever at 12:39 AM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


Re: Clippers.
Their current squad has bugged me. There is no reason for CP3 and Griffin to flop and cry as much as they do, and Griffin has always bugged me, but his behavior last season was just reprehensible. I'm surprised that they and the Rockets have both had so many troubles when they were both borderline great teams a couple years ago.

Dame is criminally slept on, dude is an assassin.
Totally agreed, but he's also currently got the most guaranteed money in his contracts. There's an awful lot of good point guards in the west, though.

The Mozgov signing is ... confusing to say the least.
DeRozan and Beal are both locked up. Lin to the Nets I guess to be a starter, and Whiteside went from the Min to the Max in one season.

Crazy crazy. I can only imagine what happens when the other shoe drops on Durant.
posted by lkc at 2:01 PM on July 1, 2016


I think the players are going to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement as soon as they legally can and we are headed for a loooooong lockout/strike (is it a player strike if they opt out of a agreement early?).

The new players rep Michelle Williams (?) has been calling out bad ownership and the league for a couple of years now. Expect this to become heated. One of the things that the superstars really hate is not exactly the cap itself, but the cap on individual salaries. LeBron knows that he is worth far more than what he is paid. This thing is going to degenerate not only into a players vs. owners fight; but also a superstars vs. scrubs fight; like what happened in 98-99. The story was that the superstars were being led around by their noses by agents, especially David Falk; and Oakley barged into a players session and threatened to punch Ewing out if he did not sign the deal as the scrubs were hurting.

Enjoy the next season as it may be a while before the League comes back!!
posted by indianbadger1 at 2:31 PM on July 1, 2016


Kevin Durant is signing with the Warriors for 2 years.

AhhhhahahahahhaahhAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHA.

Lil B has lifted the curse.
posted by lkc at 12:14 PM on July 4, 2016 [1 favorite]


More seriously:
The Warriors are giving up Barbosa, Speights, Barnes, Bogut, and Ezili.
I can't imagine Varejao as the starting center, so something has to be done there.

But still, wow!

I hope Westbrook goes to a team I like so I can just drink my full-on haterade on the Thunder forever.

Or until everyone there goes back to watching college football and they move the team back to Seattle.
posted by lkc at 12:34 PM on July 4, 2016


(I like Steve Adams, too. Dude has an amazing story even by NBA rags-to-riches standards)
posted by lkc at 12:35 PM on July 4, 2016


Ahahahah the dubs just blew up the bench of the team with the best NBA regular season of all time because of LeBron.

And please, to "lighten the offensive load on Curry", my ass. How many 4th quarters did he sit out this year? What a delicate snowflake.

Con: The dubs bench was really productive and an under rated part of their success
Pro: The dubs bench will now be filled with vet mins chasing a ring

Con: Egos are more important than people think... I wouldn't be surprised if there was growing period, e.g Celts Big 3, Heatles, etc
Pro: Lol it's Kevin fucking Durant.

Con: I legit feel bad for Zombie Sonics fans.
Pro: Get fucked Clay Bennet

While I wouldn't be surprised if the dubs struggle a bit initially, christ that team should be good.
posted by yeahwhatever at 12:38 AM on July 5, 2016


All super teams have been less successful than people first imagine. Many much less successful.

But there has never been a case like this. This is equivalent to mid 90's Karl Malone joining the Bulls.
posted by French Fry at 6:26 AM on July 5, 2016


Wade to the Bulls!
posted by cashman at 7:58 PM on July 6, 2016


I think Wade to the Bulls is some outside the box thinking.
Really brilliant when you think about it.
It's a novel approach but one I think will work really well.
By traveling back in time to mid 80's basketball they can destroy Lebron and the Warriors before Skynet is fully operational, winning the championship before those guys are even born.

#comewithmeifyouwanttowin
posted by French Fry at 7:24 AM on July 11, 2016


So,
2 franchise players retired: Kobe, Tim Duncan.
2 franchise players moved: KD, DWade.

Dirk is still kicking it in Dallas.
Kevin Garnett is even older and seems happy on the bench back at home. He might be the first player to play 22 seasons. He's been in the NBA longer than he hasn't.

Rose and Noah got moved to the Knicks.
Bazemore (hurrah!) and Howard both teared up just talking about playing in Atlanta.

I'm surprised the Clippers and Rockets haven't ... blown up more.

Suns, Jazz, Wolves, Bucks, Celtics and Magic all have good young teams. The 76'ers and Kings can get in a big man arm wrestling contest, but the Kings seem to not know wtf they are doing, like ... ever. The 76'ers are harvesting from The Process, but had a major management shift.

Anyway, the young western teams are all poised to fight to the playoffs. The rockets had no business in the first round when the Jazz actually fought a hell of a lot harder in the second half of the season.

The eastern 4-8 were almost tied at the end of the season and I don't think that's a good thing. The Cavs/Raptors were way ahead of the rest of the teams. I hope this next season we see the hawks, pacers, and wizards get over their respective humps and get out of the "not-terrible/good" range.
posted by lkc at 2:21 AM on July 14, 2016


i'm bummed about the dubs losing a lot of depth in their bench (especially mo and barbosa) but i think it's going to be really fun to see KD playing with dre/dray/klay/steph. too bad ticket prices jumped AGAIN after KD signed - this past season already meant dropping $90+ on a standing room only ticket for a game against like the sixers or something. i basically can't afford to go to any games next season without planning and saving for it ugh. also ughhh i can't believe we re-signed varejao. what a waste

my favorite "looool" moment of the off season though has been the bucks getting delly for $38 million. god i hate that chipmunk man
posted by burgerrr at 4:02 PM on July 18, 2016


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