lol the whole team stacking hats on Daignault
Extremely depressing finish. Congrats to OKC
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Iâm no doctor but it was a massive looking snap/ripple
Yeah I mean, the Hali injury just killed it
Sucks for everyone involved
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Yeah I know just hoping
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Shai insuring that Hartenstein is appropriately supporting his infant sonâs head during the celebration just killed me
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That graph shows the classic Monty Williams bump down.
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Chet Holmgren
Jalen Williams
Alex Ducas
WCC where future NBA champions are grown
Monty is a BT
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This whole thing is really awful - OKC is a worth champion - you donât post the best net rating in the league (one of the better ever), and get within 1 game of the title without being deserving of it - but winning it with Haliburton on crutches will always make it feel slightly hollow. I like the Thunder - Shai and Williams are really likeable humble guys, you have out-of-nowhere dudes like Caruso and Dort, a lifer who just gorund his way to the top like Hartenstein, and then a slew of try-hard guysâŚa team that worked to the top without a massive FA or trade acquisitionâŚtheir two acquisitions were just (elite) role guys. Itâs sort of how a purist wants it to happen.
Indy really likeable - I find Hali irritating a bit, but obviously an awesome player, and a team that really built itself on canny scouting (Nesmith and Toppin were elite dumpster-diving finds, Nembhard just a great scout, the Hali trade an absolute fleecing) with one solid trade acquisition to put them over the top (Siakam) - totally indiosyncratic team, which is super fun, Carlisle is a genius. When the day began yesterday I was looking at the lay of the land and thought âhey, both these teams have a really good chance of being back next yearâ and if this injury is what it Iâm like 98.5% sure it is (you can see his muscle just roll up in slo-mo, itâs an achilles tear) that just canât happen. Super bummer - itâs almost like they lost 2 or 3 times last night. Like I went from rooting OKC to Indy in that moment because it sort of felt that putting a miracle together last night was going to be their last shot at this.
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https://x.com/shamscharania/status/1937133339707879775?s=46&t=jUj8hnpLNmWF-GGBEHlVUg
lol kroenkes are well on their way to ruining jokics tenure
Assume thereâs a Tim Connoly connection there, right?
I donât think Jalen Green is junk per se, heâs too young and productive to completely write off, but I do think this was a pretty awful trade for Phoenix (I say this as one of the pre-eminent Dillon-Brooks-respecters on earth, but Brooks is not elevating whatever the h*ll this roster is to the playoffs). Green, Beal, and Booker very clearly cannot play together (at least, shouldnât) and Iâm not sure Green possesses enough value today to re-flip for anything great.
I still think the trade that made the most sense for all involved (except I guess Durant, but he doesnât get to control it, or shouldnât) was to Minnesota for DDV, Randle, and whatever other goodies you have to throw in to facilitate it. Booker, Beal, DDV, Randle is a sort of cromulent core that could be a low-rung playoff team (which seems to be the aspiration in Phoenix) - Randle isnât a top notch winner in the playoffs but he gives another way for them to play and has always succeeded at piling up some regular season wins (which isnât what Iâd seek, but seems to perfectly fit what Phoenix wants).
I know Durant would swear up and down that he wouldnât re-sign in Minnesota, but you still get 1 year of Ant, Durant, Gobert, McDaniels, Conley, either NAW or Naz (likely canât keep both, would have leaned NAW), and youâre just hoping one of Dillingham, Clark, or Shannon can step up. If he leaves, wellâŚyouâre only on the hook for that money for 1 year, and now you can re-formulate on Antâs timeline (this team was always a weird combo of adhering old guys to a really young star). You either pull a Kawhi in Toronto (win big one year and lose him, which isnât the worst), or it fails and you can give him a firm hand-shake goodbye at the end of the year, all for the price of a dude you werenât re-signing anyway after next year (Randle).
Basically: all these teams (and Durant) treated his impending FA after this year as a cudgel, a negative, but given how mercurial he is, that almost seems like threatening me with a good time - his limited runway on his deal is attractive.
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Houston reportedly was shopping Green around and no one wanted him or at least for what the Rockets are looking for FWIW.
The Suns are desperately trying to get rid of Beal, but no one wants to take on his contract with his NTC. No idea how the Wizards managed to trade him away with this contract. They need to flip one of the 3 SGs for roster balance, but the only tradeable asset is Book.
The Suns are in trouble because theyâre $12 mil over the 2nd apron. Sure they can reconfigure the roster to get under it but they need 5 spots to fill out the roster when they do go to this route. Ishiba wants to win, but he meddles.
Yeah, Greenâs value is low (again, I think heâs too young and productive to write off, but I also donât think heâs the centerpiece of a major trade either).
Ishbia seems intent on basically doing the Bulls/Kangz relentless pursuit of the 9th seed, which is a weird move.
Speaking of which
Report: Bulls give contract extensions to front office
lol ok
KC Johnson (Bulls captive media member) reports that Michael Reinsdorf belives that AK âhitâ on his first rebuild (the 50 games before Lonzo died basically) and thus this extension. Amazing.
Final thought:
With Boston and Indiana (likely) swept to the side, if Iâm Detroit I wake up this morning feeling EXTREMELY differently about this coming year than I did yesterday (where Iâd have seen this as a consolidation year, give the young guys minutes and bank on in-house improvement). Now all of a sudden you can easily talk yourself into being the second best roster in the conference TODAY, and what happens if you can go get a Dude?
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The Magic also woke up to this feeling, just substitute âbetter shootingâ in for âgetting a Dude.â
Really wide open east - and jam packed west (Houston getting better - probably).
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Magic fired their bullets though
But like - I can see Indiana telling themselves they should re-sign Turner, find a quality starting guard somehow, and they can be right in it again while Tyrese heals.
I could also see them going âuh - DetroitâŚyou want Siakam for Harris, Holland, and a few firsts?â
A few plus a few.
But yeah, didnât think about Siakam. I donât think the Pacers move him though. Think they keep him and look for a guard (White or Holiday?).
I think Pistons end up looking at Markkanen or Collins.
I donât think the Pistons will make a big trade. It sounds like theyâll mostly run it back and trying to add a PF to their rotation.
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I really think Haliburton likely being gone for the entire season may change the calculus. At least, it would for me.
Siakam is 31, heâs really good (anyone that has read this thread knows I appreciate his game) but is at an age where probably from here on out the best year left in his career is the next one. Assuming Haliburton basically doesnât play next year, they have 1 more year of Siakam and Haliburton together, when Siakam will be 33. Iâm sure heâll still be good, but is 33 year old Siakam and Haliburton on his first bambi-steps back from recovery enough to contend, with Tatum back? In terms of next year, we saw what a team with a (younger) Siakam as itâs best player surrounded by some âpretty good guysâ (even with an inventive, good coach) - it was 48-34 (Siakam, OG, Barnes, FVV, Gary Trent). If Iâm Trajan, Iâm at least placing the call!
Obviously, Indianapolis can go either way here, and Iâm sure the FO has woken up to a world today that they hadnât contemplated (I shudder to think how much money Myles Turner possibly just lost, given them re-upping him was his path to max compensation), so weâll see.
Siakam is pricey, but is also sort of the best possible version of what the Pistons badly need.
Edit: looking at contracts, it looks like Harris, Holland, Tek basically gets you there. If youâre Indiana you could look at it as $34 mil coming off your books for the year Haliburton comes back, which you can use to fill the Siakam gap, plus you got an interesting young guy (Holland) and some draft capital to trade for more help or just use. I really think this makes sense.
(Also think John Collins is trash and causes more problems than he solves, if Markkanen is gettable at a lower price tag, sure fine go get him)