2016-2017 NBA Season Thread [ARCHIVED] Basketball • Page 258

It's better for it to happen when it did though and to make it through this season unscathed is a bonus. He's eased a lot of those concerns, but not entirely out of the woods. Every prospect has their questions this year. Even someone like Fultz. Scouts and NBA front office people are a bit concerned with his ability to make people around him better and not winning more games given the talent on their team. Same with Dennis Smith. Lonzo Ball has questions too. The nice thing is that being projected late in the lottery takes pressure off Giles. Rotation player on a playoff team is a perfectly fine comp on a near end of the lottery pick, which is where Giles is currently ranked. The risk mitigation is not a huge deal at that point. The upside and overall game becomes a lot more appealing than some of the overseas players or others that have limited skill sets.

 

Honestly think kennard, Allen, and Giles are probably gone too. I don't think any of them have any incentive to go back aside from trying to get a national championship (in Allens case a second one). Don't see any of them improving their draft stock by going back either.

 

Grayson Allen is gonna light up the D...G League. Cannot wait for him to be gone. I'm iffy on Kennard but I could see him following JJ Redick's path.

 

The nice thing about Kennard is that he can get the official draft evaluation and make a decision afterward. If the projection holds, I think he returns. He is a borderline first pick by most rankings I've seen. And with the way second round picks get swapped around on draft night, it's an uncertainty where you would actually go. If a team promises him they will take him in the 20's, he probably will declare.

 

There's no reason for kennard to stay longer unless he really just wants a degree.

 

I really hope Bridges stays one more year

 

I'm seeing projections for him the 20s, and unless next years class is weak, he will probably be gone.

For kennard

 

If you have NCAA eligibility and being projected end of first/second round I'm not so sure it's a good idea to declare for the draft. Most rankings I have seen have Kennard around 30th for eligible draft players. That doesn't feel like a ranking where you walk away from Duke to me. Therefore, you go through the draft process and get the official evaluation and make your decision at that point. I would be surprised to see him up and hire an agent.

 

I want LeBron to dunk on Ball that's all I want now.

 

Ball is desperately trying to create his brand right now. It's so annoying. Hearing him go on about the Big Baller brand partnering with Nike, but still have the triple B logo and pay the Balls at least $1B is so ridiculous. What have they done to earn any of that? All three kids are still potential at this point. It's like he doesn't acknowledge there is already a market in place.

 

I want to see what Draymond will do to him.

 

Because he's an egomaniac who is using his kids as a platform for himself.

 

At least his kids will be able to tell him to F off once a team drafts them and they can support themselves.

 

Celtics won tonight and the Cavs have given up 73 to Denver in the first half after spending their off day working on playoff defensive sets and adjustments. That's not good.

 

I've been saying for a while, the Cavs are a wreck defensively. Just a complete, shocking lack of effort.

Even if Cavs lose tonight, Boston still 2 back in loss column with only 11 games to go.

 

It's hard to know whether I'm rooting all that hard for the C's to steal first place without knowing if that means a matchup with the Bucks or the Heat.

 

Boston is 1.5 back now. It would be one back after a loss.

 

The loss column is what's important. They are still 2 back in the loss column.

 

Boston also has one of the easiest schedules left as well.

 

6th seeeed

 

Yes, they do. Seven games at home and only three on the road. BUT, they still have to finish at least two games better than the Cavs - three games better if they can't clinch the tie-breaker vs Cle. Cavs have 12 games left, Celtics have 10. So for Boston to clinch the 1 seed, one of the following scenarios would have to happen:

Boston 10-0; Cavs 10-2 *(and that's IF Boston has tie-breaker)
Boston 9-1; Cavs 9-3 *
Boston 8-2; Cavs 8-4 *
Boston 7-3; Cavs 7-5 *
Boston 6-4; Cavs 6-6 *

The big game is obviously April 6 when Cavs visit Boston for final time this season. Currently, the Cavs have the tie-breaker (2-1). So if the Cavs win that game, Boston would really need to finish 3 games better than Cle. With only 10 games to go, that'd be difficult to do. If Cavs lose that game, they'd be 2-2 vs each other and then I think the tie-breaker goes to conference record, which the Cavs also have that edge (as of now).

All that said, the No. 1 seed is rather meaningless for the Cavs. Truth be told, they could finish 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 in the East and still sleepwalk to the Finals. Even if Boston were to get No. 1 seed, would they still be guaranteed to even make it to the ECF? I'm not even sure about that. The Cavs are well equipped and have proven they can win on the road in the playoffs.

In addition, we all knew March was a death month for the Cavs, not only with schedule (5 home to 12 road with 5 back to backs), but in terms of implementing Love and JR back into the rotation as well as adding three new guys to their roster (four if you count Bogut and/or Sanders).

I'll be honest, I'm a bit uncomfortable with how the Cavs have played as late, especially on defense, but this team has proven it can turn it up when it needs to and most of the mistakes I've been seeing them make lately are a result of unfamiliarity with each other and just a shockingly display of a lack of effort.

 

Sure I have no doubt that the cavs will inevitably be in the ECF, regardless of seeding. I just think it's a nice change that a team lead by a 5'9 guard who balls out every night has the chance to take over the #1 seed.

 

I'm very much rooting for a playoff picture where we face the Wizards in the second round. Not because of how difficult/easy a team they are to beat. But because having a bad-blood, chippy basketball rivalry will be fun and Celtics-Wizards is very much developing into that.

 

can't wait for the bucks/warriors finals