NBA 2019-20 thread.

Almost thought of putting in "A Whole New World" in the hed, but didn't want to have to swap it out when necessary - or come up with new stuff.

I feel pretty bad about the Rockets, Morey and China - mainly because of the team's relationship with Yao. It is interesting how everyone is so hot and bothered about any interaction with China these days - as long as they keep supplying us with Iphones and other cheap consumer goods.


NBA on China-Rockets rift: Open flow of ideas key

 

I could be wrong, but I took Morey's initial tweet as a deliberate attempt to get fired.

(Not for a moment suggesting he did anything wrong, but he knows very well how valuable China is to the Rockets.)

 

By the way, the NBA's Chinese "translation" of its statement is apparently an entirely different statement.

 

Yo... Ben Simmons hit a three. A long three. With beautiful form.

Game changer.

 

Day Day shows rookie Jordan Poole who’s boss

 

Zion has a frigging Dad bod, but man, he is going to dominate the NBA.

 

He better insure his knees and feet for $200 million.

 

Now that the China trip's done, let's move back to main thread.

...with a reminder that the Lakers will not finish in the Top 4 of the west because their two superstars will repeatedly break down like a 1974 Jaguar E Type.

https://nypost.com/2019/10/12/anthony-davis-sprains-thumb-as-lakers-woes-begin/

 

I like how people were getting hot and bothered by the reports about how incredible LeBron and Davis were in practice together, but then they remembered that the rest of the Lakers' roster is trash, so they SHOULD beat the B-team by 60. Like, I think the Lakers are dangerous in the playoffs because they would (probably) have the two best players in most match-ups, but the west is ridiculous, and losing either guy for a month makes their playoff situation precarious.

 

Zion Oden?

 

I had a similar reaction when the injury was first reported. Big man with a leg injury is a huge red flag, but Embiid came back from his broken foot. Simmons missed a year.

 

I've honestly invested zero in getting excited about Zion. Seen too many top picks in the NBA flame out after a year or so of breathless coverage of how they will "change the game." In a lot of ways, meniscus is a bigger problem than a ligament since it involves the entire knee and will likely become "balky" and a chronic problem.