2017-2018 NBA Discussion Thread

Yeah I definitely like the vets the Kings picked up, and Justin Jackson, and De'Aaron Fox are good pickups in the draft as well. The west is just too stacked to think they'd make the playoffs though.

Lavar Ball: "Look, my son just played his worst game ever, and they lost by 2 points, so if he just plays alright, then they'll win"

Lonzo drops a triple double, and they still lost lol. I love Lavar though, no hate because he's the G.O.A.T.

 

Yeah it is too bad because the Kings would definitely have potential in the East IMO in the next couple years.

 

The west is just too stacked right now. The Warriors, Spurs, Rockets, and , Thunder, and Clippers (even without CP3 because they got Beverly, Lou Williams, and Gallinari) are a lock in the playoffs. Then you got 3 teams left, well look at the Timberwolves with Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford, etc. You can't count them out, and what about Portland? That's 7, and then you still have New Orleans, Memphis, Denver, Sacramento, Phoenix, etc. The east the only true locks you really have are Boston, Cleveland, Toronto, and Washington to make the playoffs because every other team is trash.

 

The fact that Zo is sitting this game has me feeling some type of way...

 

Yeah I feel you, but its summer league, so we'll let it slide for now. Hopefully he doesn't pull that in the NBA season.

 

DSJ also looking like a beast

 

Honestly I'm not sure why the Knicks didn't pick him, but it is the Knicks. Remember when they passed up on Curry back then as well? Dennis Smith JR has the potential to be the best player in this draft class, too many people sleeping on him.

 

They didn't pass up on Curry. Curry was their pick he didn't even want to workout with the Warriors and publicly wore Knicks attire. They stole him with the pick before. Everyone in NY wanted Curry including the FO and the media booked him as the pick months in advance. They were the only ones who saw the potential, Warriors bought into the hype because of the Knicks.

 

Yeah I completely thought he was the pick after, not the pick before. You're right, my bad on that, but yeah looking back at that draft it was pretty solid with Blake Griffin, James Harden, Stephen Curry, DeMar Derozan, etc.

 

Yeah pretty crazy draft almost on par with '03

 

That draft was very good as well, featuring notable players such as Dwayne Wade, Carmelo, LeBron, and Chris Bosh, and 4 superstars is crazy to have in one draft alone. I think they both have the same talent, and you could possibly argue the 2009 NBA draft was better when all is said and done, but yeah definitely they're on par with each other.

 

I think the '03 draft was better than any of those. At that age, everyone from Melo to Wade to LeBron were putting up 27+ a game. Harden is good but he isn't no prime Wade. Demar will never be on the level of a prime Melo. No one comes close to the greatness of LBJ of course.

 

Top 4 of 2009 NBA Draft:

• Blake Griffin
• James Harden
• Stephen Curry
• DeMar Derozan

Top 4 of 2003 NBA Draft

• LeBron James
• Dwayne Wade
• Chris Bosh
• Carmelo Anthony

Steph is better than everyone besides LeBron to be honest, and James Harden was definitely better than wade. Wade couldn't lead as good as Harden imo. You could definitely reflect to the 2006 NBA Finals, but the Heat had Shaq, Alonzo Mourning, etc, and James Harden consistently has 50+ win seasons where Dwayne Wade would struggle to make the playoffs every year after Shaq and Alonzo left. Blake and prime Bosh are similar even though there playstyles were different. I agree though DeMar isn't on prime Melo level.

 

Woahh Wade > Harden bro. He lead the Heat to 3 rings! He was unstoppable in 06 and robbed of MVP several years. Harden can't play D for the life of him, Wade was an all-time defensive guard.

 

Offensively Harden > Wade any day. Sure, defense is a great liability, but nowadays it's about a run n gun play style, and Harden fits that perfectly. You can't say Wade led them to 3 rings alone though. Like I said in 06 he had great help with Shaq, Alonzo, and Gary Payton (even though he was old), etc. The other 2 rings were with prime LeBron and Bosh, along with solid role players in a time where the only other competition was the Spurs, and possibly the Thunder since the East was, and still is weak. Chicago was the only decent team in the East, and lost to the Heat everytime. Imagine where OKC would've been if Harden never got traded, but then again he wouldn't have been able to show how great he was offensively because he was best served as a sixth man to give some firepower on the bench in his OKC days.

 

Wade by far was the leader on those teams. You could tell in crunch time

 

James Harden is not a better sg than Wade if we're comparing careers. Wade plays defense, doesn't disappear in the clutch, and has led (yes led), a team to the finals and won a ring and finals mvp in his 3rd season. Please don't come to me about Shaq and Mourning. James Harden had so much help this year and disappeared like a magician.

 

Exactly what I'm trying to say. Harden folds like a piece of origami paper in the clutch. I'm the furthest thing from a Heat fan and I had nothing but respect for Wade and what he did throughout his Heat career. Man was unstoppable when he drove the lane and was such a creative finisher. Best blocking guard of all time as well.

 

I'd take Wade in his prime over Harden. Dude was a complete beast.

 

So much help? He was the only all star on the team. Sure he had some pretty solid starts / role players in Trevor Ariza, Lou Williams, Eric Gordon, Nene, Beverly, but you can't tell me him dissapearing is completely his fault... Beverly is so great on defense, but James Harden does everything, and I mean EVERYTHING on offense because he's the only floor general / all star they have. Same goes for Russell Westbrook before the PG13 trade he was the only floor general / all star they had.

Look at Shaq and Alonzo's stats that season when Wade got the title. You can't tell me that prime Harden would've lost to those Mavs had he had the same roster around him.

Shaq - 20 PPG ; 9 RPG ; 2 APG ; 2 BPG

Also Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Alonzo Mourning, Udonis Haslem, and Gary Payton were very good role players / veterans at the time. I'm not discrediting Wade for his outstanding performance, and I probably think Wade is a way better two way player, but man James Harden is something special...