The NBA Thread

Butler, yes. But Tatum was never going to be a Sixer so get that out of your mind. If they don't trade up best case they end up with Lonzo or Fox. Most likely the failson picks Josh Jackson.
I mean I get that Boston wouldn't of traded the pick if they knew the Sixers were picking Tatum, but a good front office makes them think they want Fultz while taking Tatum. He doesn't bother me as much as Butler, but he is another reminder of the Sixers front office failings.
 
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No way a contender wants to take on the project of fixing Fultz. Tatum would’ve never gone to Philly.

God, the Sixers picked Tobias Harris instead of Jimmy. What a disaster.
i look forward to Giannis doing work with our training staff. He’s limited on offense. Dunks and Eurosteps galore but he’s got a ways to go.
 
No way a contender wants to take on the project of fixing Fultz. Tatum would’ve never gone to Philly.

God, the Sixers picked Tobias Harris instead of Jimmy. What a disaster.
i look forward to Giannis doing work with our training staff. He’s limited on offense. Dunks and Eurosteps galore but he’s got a ways to go.
Huh?
 
Yes but also... I still don’t know how Giannis and Bam co-exist. So I’m skeptical.
They don't. I'd be pretty surprised if Giannis goes to Miami. We'll see what the Bucks do in the offseason. Bud might get canned and the Bucks will have to have a hell of an offseason somehow to get Giannis to buy into the supermax extension. It's also possible he signs the extension and then gets traded in the next year or two if the Bucks go nowhere...

I could see Dallas try to make a run at him, especially if they somehow can offload Tingis Pingis for any assets. I think Giannis is great but he has gigantic holes in his game and it's crazy he hasn't fixed them really yet.
 
Middleton is a boss. Hope they keep it up and make this series interesting. Raps coming back too was great to see. Lowry is so underrated. Playoffs have been fun so far this season.
I'm rooting Raptors the rest of the way. I've been a fan of Lowry since his days at Villanova and would love to see him win back to back championships.
 
Ah you’re one of THOSE heat fans haha. “We’ll just get Donovan Mitchell and Giannis and maybe AD too.”
We already have two all-stars. I don’t see why we can’t add a third with the cap space we’ll have in 2021. And it’s not like it hasn’t been reported as nauseum that Giannis has an interest in the Heat. Same with the Dipo rumors. Like, it’s a no-brainer.
 
And it’s not like it hasn’t been reported as nauseum that Giannis has an interest in the Heat.
The reporting is that the Heat have interest in Giannis. Just like how the Warriors do and all other 28 teams do. A lot of Heat fans seem to think that Giannis is already theirs which is just funny haha. Reports are saying Donovan Mitchell is going to sign a 5 year extension with the Jazz this summer too. Giannis is up for his supermax extension this summer. If he doesn't want to stay in Milwaukee, I bet he gets traded and if the Heat want to get in on that trade, they will lose a LOT of their current pieces. I don't see any way Giannis gets traded for anything less than Bam and Herro plus picks but I don't think Miami can trade any picks until at least 2025 because of the Stepien rule. And even then, they can only trade 1 1st rounder because you can't trade picks more than 5 years out. I would be absolutely shocked if the Bucks let Giannis walk for nothing and other teams can offer more for Giannis.
 
If Giannis doesn’t get traded and sign an extension next year, I could possibly see him heading to the Raptors actually. He has been involved with the “Giants of Africa” program that Masai Ujiri has been doing the last several years, so they already have a relationship there.

That being said, it’s not a natural fit unless they play him in the five which may not fit what Giannis wants to play.
 
If Giannis doesn’t get traded and sign an extension next year, I could possibly see him heading to the Raptors actually. He has been involved with the “Giants of Africa” program that Masai Ujiri has been doing the last several years, so they already have a relationship there.

That being said, it’s not a natural fit unless they play him in the five which may not fit what Giannis wants to play.
He's an interesting player because of how unique his skillset is. He's a beast at getting to the rim. He's awesome in a fast paced offense and in the open court and is a good defender. But he can't shoot for shit, doesn't really have any post moves and can't stretch the floor and he seems to be the best with the ball in his hands, yet isn't the best decision-maker. He still tends to just try to plow through players instead of making the right play all the time. So for him to be really effective, you need to just surround him with shooters. I don't think the 5 is a natural fit either (although basketball is moving more toward being positionless). I love Giannis but I'm not sure he can be the best player on a championship team. I'd love to see Dallas go after him personally...try to get someone to take Porzingis (or pray that he can stay healthy and make him into a spot up shooting center) and play Giannis at the 4. Luka and Giannis together would be pretty rad to watch.
 
He's an interesting player because of how unique his skillset is. He's a beast at getting to the rim. He's awesome in a fast paced offense and in the open court and is a good defender. But he can't shoot for shit, doesn't really have any post moves and can't stretch the floor and he seems to be the best with the ball in his hands, yet isn't the best decision-maker. He still tends to just try to plow through players instead of making the right play all the time. So for him to be really effective, you need to just surround him with shooters. I don't think the 5 is a natural fit either (although basketball is moving more toward being positionless). I love Giannis but I'm not sure he can be the best player on a championship team. I'd love to see Dallas go after him personally...try to get someone to take Porzingis (or pray that he can stay healthy and make him into a spot up shooting center) and play Giannis at the 4. Luka and Giannis together would be pretty rad to watch.

If you swapped Siakam for Giannis then the Raptors would be considered title favorites along with the LA teams. So I think it’s fair to say that yes, Giannis could definitely be the best player on a championship team. Most teams that win championships are flawed in one way or another (other than the ludicrous first two years of the Durant-era Warriors).
 
If you swapped Siakam for Giannis then the Raptors would be considered title favorites along with the LA teams. So I think it’s fair to say that yes, Giannis could definitely be the best player on a championship team. Most teams that win championships are flawed in one way or another (other than the ludicrous first two years of the Durant-era Warriors).
Fair enough but if he was on either LA team he wouldn’t be the best player. Bron and Kawhi would be. Raps would be the perfect situation for him but would also have to give up a bunch of pieces to afford him. If they lose FVV and Lowry but gain Giannis, for example, are they still favorites?
 
Fair enough but if he was on either LA team he wouldn’t be the best player. Bron and Kawhi would be. Raps would be the perfect situation for him but would also have to give up a bunch of pieces to afford him. If they lose FVV and Lowry but gain Giannis, for example, are they still favorites?

No, because Giannis needs playmaking guards. That doesn’t mean the guard will be the best player on the team. Brogdon was a fine piece for the Bucks but then they left him go. If he was still on the team, they would probably be doing better.

Anyway, my main point is still that yes, Giannis is absolutely good enough to be the best player on a championship team. So are at least 7-8 other players (Lebron, Kawhi, KD, Steph, Harden, Luka, maybe also Tatum and Booker (at some point)... and I guess Jimmy Butler?).

Just think back to last year: the Bucks were up 2-0 vs the Raptors in the ECF, and lost Game 3 in OT. If the Bucks win that game and the series, they probably win the finals too because of the KD and Klay injuries. FWIW the same goes for Butler, who was the best player on the Sixers team that almost beat Toronto. As for Harden, he stinks in high stakes games but was a CP3 injury away from dethroning the 2017 Warriors, and probably beating Cleveland in the finals.
 
No, because Giannis needs playmaking guards. That doesn’t mean the guard will be the best player on the team. Brogdon was a fine piece for the Bucks but then they left him go. If he was still on the team, they would probably be doing better.

Anyway, my main point is still that yes, Giannis is absolutely good enough to be the best player on a championship team. So are at least 7-8 other players (Lebron, Kawhi, KD, Steph, Harden, Luka, maybe also Tatum and Booker (at some point)... and I guess Jimmy Butler?).

Just think back to last year: the Bucks were up 2-0 vs the Raptors in the ECF, and lost Game 3 in OT. If the Bucks win that game and the series, they probably win the finals too because of the KD and Klay injuries. FWIW the same goes for Butler, who was the best player on the Sixers team that almost beat Toronto. As for Harden, he stinks in high stakes games but was a CP3 injury away from dethroning the 2017 Warriors, and probably beating Cleveland in the finals.
I don’t like saying “well if team A had just won one more game they would have won it all”. I guess I mean that I don’t see Giannis winning it all without some other star player(s) alongside him. There are very few guys and teams that can win it all without having a star running mate. I like Middleton but he’s not it. The Mavs, Pistons, Raptors and maybe you could say the Spurs, are the only teams that have won a championship with one superstar and an ensemble cast the past 20 years. It’ll be interesting to see who wins this season though. But the Bucks and Raps are the only two teams left without multiple superstars.
 
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