NBA 2019-20 thread.

From Marchand

https://nypost.com/2019/11/20/the-schedule-shakeup-nba-may-make-to-combat-struggling-ratings/

 

Aside: Saddened to learn at the bottom of that article that Rob Tobias died. He was a really, really good guy who helped me tremendously while we were colleagues at the WWL.

 

I was really initially skeptical of the Lakers, even with LeBron and AD, I mean McGee? Rondo? Caruso? But watching them last night, if Kuzma can keep progressing, they might have something with how great LeBron and AD can be together.

 

I realize he was kind of a punch line for a while, but JaVale McGee has low-key turned into a damn good player.

I still think the Clippers are ultimately going to be the better team but the Lakers are right there. Dwight Howard's been amazing (and I'd find it kind of hilarious if a guy who is already a lock for the Hall of Fame got consideration for Most Improved). I love McGee and Rondo, even if Rondo misses 60 games every season. Caruso can play. I think Kuzma has been pretty overrated but he's still very young and you're right, his progress would be huge for them.

 

I have as much a chance to appear in the playoffs as the two of them together do. Injuries will come. Sadly.

 

What an archetypical Marcus Smart game. Incredible, game-saving defense while shooting 1-11 from three.

 

Man, Doncic is killing it this season. He’s 20 and had like six or seven triple doubles this season. Saw a graphic that showed that the only other guys to have back-to-back 30-point triple doubles are in the Hall of Fame or headed there (Westbrook is still playing).

I have to ask resident Suns fan @PCLoadLetter, how bad did Phoenix blow it by passing on him last year?

 

/wasn't asked
//not too early

 

I don't know. Jury's still out on Ayton, who has been pretty damn good when he hasn't been roiding it up and taking 25-game suspensions. Doncic is incredible, but this isn't a Oden-Durant or Trubisky-Mahomes/Watson situation.

The team that should be more pissed about passing up on Doncic is Sacramento. I don't know if Bagley's ever going to be a great player.

 

I didn't even love the Ayton pick at the time because he's the type of player that the NBA has been migrating away from the past decade. Bagley and Young over Doncic are both even more indefensible to me, though.

 

It was absolutely a mistake, but as @Cosmo said, Ayton is probably going to be pretty damn good. I suspect part of it was that Ayton went to Arizona and attended fake high school in Phoenix and they didn't want to pass on the highly-touted semi-local kid. I thought they should have taken Doncic at the time but it was probably a minority view.

Sacramento taking Bagley was a colossal mistake.

 

Uggh.

Kemba Walker stretchered off with what looks to be a potentially severe neck injury. Ran into a teammate's chest with his head down and just dropped.