2015-2016 Season Chatter: January 4th-10th

[Andrew]

It's a new week of NBA action, so if you want to discuss the games taking place from January 4th through 10th, here's a thread just for you!

[I Hate Mondays]

Rumours about Cavs being interested in Markieff Morris to "match" Draymond Green's playstyle. Buy or sell everyone ?

[NovU]

Might be a sound idea depending on Markieff's willingness to put past behind him and mature. Cavs are safe in East but might need that upgrade come the playoffs against Spurs or warriors. But for sure Markieff takes a hit in his value as he will be behind Love and Irving. Do you own him, mondayz? I will send my long due shitty offer your way during ur class time.

[Kevin]

Morris = Green? Ha, sure.

[Andrew]

He might bolster their roster somewhat, but him being their version of Draymond Green seems overly optimistic, to say the least.

[Kevin]

Wade lays it in to force OT!

[benji]

Elton Brand signed a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, with the hope he can be a mentor to rookie Jahlil Okafor.

https://thecauldron.si.com/because-i-m- ... 4382612e71

The truth is, my decision to return to the NBA isn’t about money, and it isn’t about rings. It isn’t even about me, really, although every athlete would like to go out on his or her own terms. It’s about repaying what’s owed, about making sure that the young men who follow in my footsteps get what they’re entitled to (and what I haven’t always given them).

It’s not so much that I failed the guys I was tasked with mentoring over the years; it’s that I barely even tried. I never took the time to share the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s writing with them. I never sincerely answered their questions about what David West was trying to warn them about during NBPA meetings. I didn’t tell them why they should be reading Etan Thomas’ essays.

I was simply too busy following the NBA blueprint that had been engrained in me from the beginning: Play well, keep your head down, offend as few people as possible, and get paid. Now, here in Philadelphia, my adopted hometown, I’m excited to have a chance to do things differently — be a positive influence and help the organization get back on track.

You might’ve noticed we’ve got a pretty talented kid on the roster in Jahlil Okafor, someone I happen to share some things in common with. Despite how he’s been portrayed, I know Jahlil. He’s a good kid with a good heart. He’s not unlike most 20-year-olds you probably know, and he’s definitely not at all different than most of his fellow players. Hell, if camera phones were around when Brad Miller, Ron Artest, and I were Jahlil’s age, we might’ve been banned from the league altogether, never mind suspended for a few games.

[NovU]

Dude. That was a thread worthy topic.



DID ANYONE WATCH WADE'S GAME TYING PLAY? Wow! Paul George + help D could NOT contain him. Shit, the Heat ended up winning the game too with Whiteside in street clothe.

[Kevin]

Stuckey burned 3 straight timeouts because he couldn't inbound the goddamn ball. Wish they went to other players to tie the game like Ellis (who came up big for them multiple times tonight, btw)

[Andrew]

Good for Brand, hopefully he can help out the Sixers' young bigs.

[NovU]

You know what though. I thought Christian Wood was somewhat interesting prospect. But I guess they overloaded B level talent at pf/c so much they don't need to keep anymore around.

KG for Wolves. Mourning for Heat. Brand for 76ers? I haven't really followed Elton while he was in the league so I wouldn't know much about his leadership and reputation but KG and Mourning are on different level I assume.

[Andrew]

I remember him being pretty level-headed and staying out of trouble. If there were ever any incidents involving him, they aren't infamous enough to spring immediately to mind. Fine player, too; on paper, good mentor material.

[Spree#8]

Hard for me to judge his mentor capabilities, but by all accounts Brand was a consummate professional during his first stint in Philly, so I suppose you can do a lot worse than him. It's a shame about Wood, though. Kid has legit talent, but apparently that has never been questioned. The concerns about him stem from the reported shitty attitude and work ethic. His involvement in the Boston nightclub mess with Jah certainly didn't help him either. I'd still rather cut Canaan or Marshall instead, but it is what it is. It's not like we're hurting for young bigs.

3-3 with Ish, by the way. More importantly, our old-new point guard has revived Noel, as I expected. Nice to be back to competing on a nightly basis, but I'm very glad that the Lakers are picking up some wins too. After suffering through the 1-30 shitfest, the last thing I want is to cough up all those ping pong balls now. Keeping in mind that top3-protected LAL pick, it would hurt double.

Anyway, it seems that Smith will single-handedly ensure that the Sixers will again avoid breaking the worst record ever. If the Sixers have about 20 wins by the end of the season, he should get an MVP vote or something.

[NovU]

It's indeed a weird time that we have to consider Kobe as a great Tank General while Ish is an anti-Tank general.

BTW, Noel's turnaround is quite amazing. It's also funny some 76ers fans are saying "Look what monster ish turned Noel into. Imagine what he could do with Joel Embiid." This is hilarious. Looks like 76ers fans are enjoying this short outburst provided by Ish.

It's not like we're hurting for young bigs.

Yep. That's what it really boils down to. Wood is pretty much epitome of second round quality(though he was first) talent that needs huge developing. And you guys have tons more going forward.

Okafor
Noel
Embiid
Saric
Holmes

That's not even including Jerami Grant who could be a splendid four in this small ball era. It's just too many mouth to feed and I am not even sure there will be enough PT and possessions to go about, to develop these talents to their fullest. Might want to turn couple of these into a nice Point Guard and a Wing in next couple years, perhaps then 76ers will see some playoffs action.

[Andrew]

Meanwhile, Draymond Green has already picked up another triple double to start out the week, extending his streak to three with a chance to make it four against the Los Angeles Lakers today. On the season, he's averaging 15 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and 7.5 apg.

[Kevin]

Triple-Double streak has ended, unfortunately.

Meanwhile, two of the best traveling violations that wasn't caught by the referees.



1st one is better than Wade's travel in NovU's sig, imo.

[Kevin]

Crazy ending in Dallas versus Sacramento.

phpBB [video]

+ points for knocking over the whole coaching staff after that

[Andrew]

Cold-blooded. Great shot.

[Kevin]

5-8 3PT in the 4th quarter.

phpBB [video]

[NovU]

He was called a mr clutch but he faltered this year. Hope this is a sign he's back.

[Jeffx]

R.I.P. to former Sonic John Johnson. He was a valuable member of those Seattle teams that went to the Finals in '78 & '79.

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/n...mpaign=RSS_nba

[Andrew]

So, looking back at the poll...the Suns did manage to break their losing streak, but Green did get another triple double. Butler also now has the second longest streak of games with at least one steal in Bulls history, so that's sort of another team record. The Lakers lost, and Howard didn't demand a trade.