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What about Steph and Dame?? maybe trade Green, Wiggins, and draft picks.
I can's see Portland going for that.
Plus I think the thing with Klay is also he plays both ends of the court. He usually takes the other teams best perimeter player in addition to everything he does on offense. Dame couldnt replicate that part of the game. Plus as we saw in the Olympics, Dame has to be the man to be effective. Being just one of the guys you saw how diminished he was.
Losing prime Klay would just be a massive loss that isnt easy to replace. The only guy who could have softened the blow of losing Klay would have been...wait for it...KD. Alas.
If he's not coming back till December then I think you might as well write off this season for GSW. No one comes back and is on fire straight away after two years off. It's probably going to take him the rest of the season to get the rust off, and that's assuming he makes a full recovery. If he ends up being say 75% of what he was, then GSW is done as a contender IMO. So much of what they do revolves around the fact that they have TWO HOF shooters that you have to account for. Steph alone cannot carry this team to a chip.
That is a team you don't want to face in the playoffs. Say they end up a 7 seed or so. If Klay is getting back on track by then they could beat anyone in a series. And if Klay can hit shots, which I am sure he has been practicing nonstop the defense is not that critical.
I don't see GSW as a contender either. Steph playing at an MVP level wasn't enough to make them a playoff team. I don't see how a 1/2 season of Klay coming off two severe injuries moves the needle.
What else did they do to leapfrog the 8 teams ahead of them in the West?
I don't see GSW as a contender either. Steph playing at an MVP level wasn't enough to make them a playoff team. I don't see how a 1/2 season of Klay coming off two severe injuries moves the needle.
What else did they do to leapfrog the 8 teams ahead of them in the West?
They just need to make the playoffs. You get home court if you win one of the first two road games. If they are healthy going into the playoffs and Thompson has shaken off the rust look out.
Plus if Klay comes back in December its way more than 1/2 a season. And this team is more loaded than even the championship teams before KD. You have Wiggins. You have Winston who is much better than Javale McCoy. And they have two lottery picks. Who knows if one or both has an impact.
They were 39-33 last year without Thompson. Thompson coming back puts them in 5th-7th place easily. And again one road win and they have home court in a series.
Big factors in the west are when is Klay coming back. When is Kawhi coming back and when is Murray coming back.
Lakers have 6 of the 12 oldest players in the NBA . Their athletic trainers should get a raise dealing with all the banged up players this upcoming season. Also I had no idea Udonis Haslem was still in the NBA.
12 oldest players in the NBA right now:
Udonis Haslem (Miami Heat) - 41 years old
Andre Iguodala (Golden State Warriors) - 37 years old
Carmelo Anthony (Los Angeles Lakers) - 37 years old
LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) - 36 years old
Marc Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) - 36 years old
Paul Millsap (Free Agent) - 36 years old
P.J. Tucker (Miami Heat) - 36 years old
Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns) - 36 years old
Taj Gibson (New York Knicks) - 36 years old
Trevor Ariza (Los Angeles Lakers) - 36 years old
Dwight Howard (Los Angeles Lakers) -35 years old
Rajon Rondo (soon to be a Los Angeles Lakers member) - 35 years old
They just need to make the playoffs. You get home court if you win one of the first two road games. If they are healthy going into the playoffs and Thompson has shaken off the rust look out.
Plus if Klay comes back in December its way more than 1/2 a season. And this team is more loaded than even the championship teams before KD. You have Wiggins. You have Winston who is much better than Javale McCoy. And they have two lottery picks. Who knows if one or both has an impact.
They were 39-33 last year without Thompson. Thompson coming back puts them in 5th-7th place easily. And again one road win and they have home court in a series.
Big factors in the west are when is Klay coming back. When is Kawhi coming back and when is Murray coming back.
I admire the optimism. All that could happen to any team that makes the playoffs.
But calling that team "loaded" is not accurate. Wiggins is barely replacement level, he is a net negative on both sides of the court and has been for most (maybe every) season he has been in the league. I don't know who Winston is, I don't see anyone by that name on the roster. I think you mean JaVale McGee? Expecting Thompson to come back after two bad leg injuries and be a difference maker right away is not realistic. He will likely be on minute limitations and go from there.
This isn't 2014 or 2015 anymore, that core has aged, the role players are gone and other teams have more talent. It happens.
I admire the optimism. All that could happen to any team that makes the playoffs.
But calling that team "loaded" is not accurate. Wiggins is barely replacement level, he is a net negative on both sides of the court and has been for most (maybe every) season he has been in the league. I don't know who Winston is, I don't see anyone by that name on the roster. I think you mean JaVale McGee? Expecting Thompson to come back after two bad leg injuries and be a difference maker right away is not realistic. He will likely be on minute limitations and go from there.
This isn't 2014 or 2015 anymore, that core has aged, the role players are gone and other teams have more talent. It happens.
Optimism? No. I am a Lakers fan I hope what I am saying does not happen.
Wiseman, you knew who I was taking about. He is a big improvement over the centers they had during their championship years.
Here was their starting lineup 2015:
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Andrew Bogut.
Next season once Klay is back:
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond Green, Wiseman.
You really believe the 2015 starting lineup was better?
Curry scored 34 points a game last season. He is far from over the hill. Thompson does not have to be a difference maker the second he comes back. They just need to make the playoffs. They missed it by one game last season. With Thompson back even limited minutes that should be very possible. Especially with the Nuggets and Clippers with Murray and Leonard out perhaps all next year. And if between December and April Thompson is back in shape, the Warriors could do some damage next year.
Oddsmakers have them #2 in the West behind the Lakers in winning a championship.
Optimism? No. I am a Lakers fan I hope what I am saying does not happen.
Wiseman, you knew who I was taking about. He is a big improvement over the centers they had during their championship years.
Here was their starting lineup 2015:
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Andrew Bogut.
Next season once Klay is back:
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond Green, Wiseman.
You really believe the 2015 starting lineup was better?
Curry scored 34 points a game last season. He is far from over the hill. Thompson does not have to be a difference maker the second he comes back. They just need to make the playoffs. They missed it by one game last season. With Thompson back even limited minutes that should be very possible. Especially with the Nuggets and Clippers with Murray and Leonard out perhaps all next year. And if between December and April Thompson is back in shape, the Warriors could do some damage next year.
Oddsmakers have them #2 in the West behind the Lakers in winning a championship.
Wiseman? I know the player, but I assumed you would not list him as an asset who contributes to winning. He was among the worst players in the league last year, worth -5.4 points a game per basketball reference, and rated even worse at 538.com. He is a huge liability right now. Yes, he is young and will get better, but he is nowhere near ready to play minutes on a contender.
Harrison Barnes was better in 2014 than Wiggins is now. Again the difference between a literal net negative player and a neutral one. Barnes isn't a world beater, broke about even in BPM in 2014, but that is a lot better than Wiggins.
Green and Curry are 7 years older. I would choose the younger versions of them, especially Green. Nobody can predict how well Klay comes back from those bad injuries, but I will go out on a limb and say the 2021-2022 version of him will not match the 2014 Klay.
So, yeah, easy choice, give me the 2014-2015 championship starting line-up over this one any day. I linked to a lot of stats in this post, but I fully believe the eye-ball test proves what I am saying too about the relative worth of the players, and the decline of Green since 2014.
Those odds are based on the expectation that Curry plays out of his head next year like he did in the last part of this season. His season was historic, I expect regression there as well, which would be normal, although that is just a guess. He is still one of the top players in the league.
I say sell on those odds. Way too much risk and even at full strength I don't believe they are better than the Suns, Lakers, Nuggets, Jazz, or maybe even Mavs or Clips.
Okay, where are my Knicks in these odds? Anyway, I believe the Sixers and Clippers are rated too high. I would switch those 2 spots and put Atlanta and Miami in those slots above the Nuggets. I would slip the Knicks above the Mavs just for craps and giggles.
Curry played last year like he always does, he did not play out of his head. He is unguardable. You just hope he misses. When he had Klay or KD beside him he did not have to take so many shots. Curry's stats were about the same percentage wise, he just took more shots. He was almost on his career average for shooting percentage and 3 point percentage. Can he do that next year? Of course, why not? He is still in his prime. But if he has to score 34 points a game then he is not getting enough help. Its not the formula for going deep in the post season.
I would not put a depleted Nuggets or Clippers team ahead of the Warriors. If they get their stars back I would put the Clippers ahead but that is up in the air. I don't see Leonard rushing back quickly. Only thing that would change things radically would be if this rumored Simmons trade with GS happens. Wiggins and some of the young talent for him. In theory that would make them better. But they would have 2 starters who can't shoot very well. But excellent defense and passing.
We’re bullish on Golden State this year. You can’t ever count out a team featuring two of the game’s most historic shooters. Even with Thompson coming back from injury, his shooting ability shouldn’t be hindered in any way. Golden State is hoping Draymond Green was rejuvenated after playing the role of the defensive captain on this year’s Gold Medal-winning group.
James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga are both exceptionally raw. However, they both possess considerable upside. One could envision a scenario in which these two play next to each other. Athletically and length-wise, they represent a massive upgrade over what Golden State’s been trotting out over the last few seasons (particularly in transition).
Last edited by Oklazona Bound; 09-02-2021 at 08:57 AM..
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. Their athletic trainers should get a raise dealing with all the banged up players this upcoming season. Also I had no idea Udonis Haslem was still in the NBA.
Anyway, I believe the Sixers and Clippers are rated too high. I would switch those 2 spots and put Atlanta and Miami in those slots above the Nuggets. I would slip the Knicks above the Mavs just for craps and giggles.
