Benigno was saying on WFAN that it's as bad as it's been since the beginning of the Mets franchise for this trifecta.
The Zen Master bater and the mythical triangle are no more... fuck outta here wit him. Wonder if this is Dolan siding with sMelo? Which is another fiasco altogether. Poor Hornacek. He's better than that crew.
Cheaper to buy out Phil than Melo, but if Dolan had any sense, which he's never shown to have before, he would have terminated Phil for cause and refused to pay Phil like Al Davis did to Lane Kiffin. Not hard to justify the cause the way Phil has behaved and turned his two best players against him and the organization.
Usually one of them is semi exciting to distract me from the others, but lately it's been an all around shit show.
The Thunder just pulled of an absolute heist. The Celtics were rumored to have offered three first round picks (excluding the Nets and Lakers/Kings likely lottery pick) and two starters (Jae Crowder and likely a one year rental of Avery Bradley). So they turned that's offer to get an average NBA shooting guard making $21 million through 2020-2021 and a youthful bigman that will likely end up being like Marreese Speights off the bench? They wanted to trade him out of conference but that much of a trade disparity was taken to get him out of the conference? Especially when it's not like they look remotely competitive for the next couple years anyway? Who cares if the picks were not top 10 picks? They were assets. In other news, Jimmy Butler and Paul George leave the East while CP3 stays in the West. Some of these free agents should think long and hard about building a superteam in the East where they at least guarantee themselves a spot in the ECF. I think this is going to prompt some changes in the setup of the conferences. I'm perplexed that the Pacers accepted that deal. A potential PG13 rental or not they could've gotten a loooot more. Danny Ainge must be pissed.
I'd like to add that I like the fit with Paul George on the Thunder. The Pacers had their best success when they paired him with two solid (at the time at least) big men in Hibbert and David West. He now gets to play with two 7 footers in Adams and Kanter. I also think he can play off the ball well enough to fit in with Westbrook. He doesn't seem to be as much of a diva as Durant was/is about not getting the ball in certain situations. Hopefully Brody remembers what it's like to not be forced to take 25 shots a game and get every rebound/assist.
As a Thunder fan, what's not to like? I can't wait for next season to have actual hope to make some noise again. Maybe they can get the 2 seed. Surely top 4 though.. From an East conference pov, I really like this for the Bucks. The Wizards might get worse potentially losing Porter, and Boston definitely is losing this offseason. The Bucks had Monroe opt in, resigned Snell, and with how young they are, are sure to take another step forward next year. Plus they have a feel for the playoffs now. I think they could sneak into the 3 or 4 seed.
I see the Wizards and the Heat (assuming they land Hayward) as the largest threats to the Cavs in an extremely early 2017-2018 prediction. Spoelstra is an excellent coach and they could've made some noise in the playoffs if not for injuries down the stretch. I don't think Riley lets Hayward leave without a deal. The Hornets are looking like a nice team moving forward. Dwight is starting to age, but he's back in a situation where his team has a bunch of shooters and also an explosive back court with Monk & Kemba. I think Dwight likes to fly under the radar. He's been under the microscope when with the Lakers/Rockets and was just a crappy fit in Atlanta. Still an incredibly weak conference though that lacks depth. 1. Cavs 2. Raptors (retaining Lowry?) 3. Wizards 4. Heat (with Hayward) 5. Celtics 6. Hornets 7. Bucks 8. 76ers I think 2-8 is truly interchangeable nearly everywhere. I also think they'll mostly all be separated within five games of each other. Celtics will take a step back. The Hawks will likely be garbage this year (just a feeling). The Raptors are lead by Lowry/Derozan whom both have the looks of career playoff failures. The Bucks are up and coming but played poorly down the stretch last year. Anddddd the Cavs will likely go undefeated into the Finals again as it's just an arms race for them and the Warriors.
Yeah it's really unfortunate, but it will be exciting to see the playoff race nonetheless. Also The Bucks played well down the stretch. They were out all together with just over a month to go, and they got up to number 6. It's weird how they got better after Parker went down. Middleton did come back though. He was beasting. If Lowry leaves, I can't see Toronto as a top 5 seed.
Time to eliminate teams, there is just not enough talent in professional basketball to fill out the rosters.
You're correct, I must've been thinking about a different team. As I said I can see 2/3 through 8 in the East all being separated by 5-7 games. I don't see Lowry leaving. They're going to give him more money than anyone else. I still don't see any team giving the Cavaliers any sort of issues in the playoffs though. The West is going to be wild. I'm hoping Iguodala leaves the Warriors. He's important to that second unit and defending the opposing team's best wing defenders.
I heard tonight Lowry is now likely to stay. I agree nobody will challenge the Cavs, and agreed again, really hoping Iggy just goes Literally anywhere else
Also to add on the Knicks. What a mess firing Phil after the draft. He drafts a player he sees as a fit for his stupid triangle offense. Passes on the more NBA ready talent in Malik Monk for a guy that might not see the court until Melo is gone or exiting his serviceable years. As a Nets fan I wonder if we'll be competitive before the Knicks. Probably not, but damn. What a damn shame for both New York franchises.
