Thread: 2015-16 NBA Thread

Originally Posted by dogfish

sadly, we just aren't on the basketball map. . . i think a lot of people don't realize how much more metropolitan denver is compared to ten years ago. . . but even though it's a great place to live, we don't present the same media footprint and marketing opportunities as the biggest markets-- or the nightlife of new york or LA. . . it wouldn't matter as much if we had basketball history, but we don't. . . guys like durant want to team up with other superstars, because it's the only way to win championships in today's NBA. . . he's just not going to come here and teach a bunch of striplings how to win, no matter how nice the skiing is. . . i honestly think it just takes one lucky draft pick to turn that around, though. . .

it's too bad they effed up the all-star game five or six years ago when it was here. . . nothing to say "we're not a fly-over cow town anymore" like having a bunch of freakin' cowboy BS for entertainment when it's a group of wealthy young black guys. . . like, they couldn't have found some hip-hop acts or something? enh, wasted opportunity. . . i'm still relatively optimistic for the future, though. . . we'll see just how far mudiay and jokic can develop, and whether we've got something with murray. . .

I honestly don't think players think/care about all the "media footprint" and "marketing opportunities" stuff. Especially nowadays when everything is covered nationally as opposed to regionally. It just boils down to players want to 1.) get paid 2.) be closer to home and 3.) play for winners - and we've always been at a disadvantage on the latter 2 points.

Look at the Broncos - obviously no free agents were worried about limited opportunities in Denver when PFM was here.

@WoojVerticalNBA Dwight Howard would be open to a "reduced salary" if KD signs with the Knicks, sources tell @TheVertical

Dear Celtics - Promise KD millions of dollars a year under the table. Please.

Originally Posted by Buff

I honestly don't think players think/care about all the "media footprint" and "marketing opportunities" stuff. Especially nowadays when everything is covered nationally as opposed to regionally. It just boils down to players want to 1.) get paid 2.) be closer to home and 3.) play for winners - and we've always been at a disadvantage on the latter 2 points.

Look at the Broncos - obviously no free agents were worried about limited opportunities in Denver when PFM was here.

the NBA and NFL are vastly different beasts-- different athletes, much bigger rosters in the NFL, NBA is even more star-driven, etc. . . the broncos have never had problems getting free agents to sign here-- our first super bowl team featured key FAs like gary zimmerman, neil smith and romanowski. . . not counting the corpse of allen iverson, have the nuggets EVER landed a stud in free agency?

NBA stars are different, and they can afford to be super choosy. . . and they always seem to choose new york or california-- or sometimes miami, maybe chicago. . . but when chris paul was traded, it was between two LA teams. . . when melo forced his way out, he went to new york. . . when lebron left, it was miami. . . please give me any example of a prime NBA star forcing a trade to milwaukee, or indiana, or detroit. . . who did lemarcus aldridge meet with before choosing san antonio? the lakers and the knicks. . . durant is from washington, and he won't even meet with the wizards. . . he's reportedly going to meet with the warriors, clippers, lakers and heat, though-- and maybe the knicks. . . i think location is absolutely a factor in NBA free agency. . . guys' max deals are regulated by the CBA anyway, so the money's going to be the same anywhere for the top guys, unless they're re-signing with their current team. . .

The sports do matter, too. In the NBA the Wizards are a joke. In the NFL the Redskins have the highest net worth of almost any sports team in the world.

holy shit, the dumb lakers are giving mosgov 64 million over four years. . . bwahahaha!

Originally Posted by dogfish

holy shit, the dumb lakers are giving mosgov 64 million over four years. . . bwahahaha!

Contracts are going to be massive. Although that seems a little much.

@tomhaberstroh: KP points out that by paying $64M, Lakers basically punted on '17 2-max cap space ... for the Cavs' 10th man.

Chandler Parsons getting 4 years, 94 mil from Memphis. Dayum. Looks like they will re-sign Conley as well. I guess their window might not be as shut as I thought it was.

I wish that team could get a legitimate top five player.

They paid Conley how much?

Originally Posted by Von Kinger

I wish that team could get a legitimate top five player.

it's the NBA. . . top five isn't even good enough-- right now it's top three or bust. . . either you got lebron, durant or curry, or you're an afterthought whose best hope is getting the "you tried hard" pat on the head. . . hell, durant along with the fourth best player wasn't even enough. . . throw a demarcus cousins or chris paul on memphis, they'd still have to get lucky to make the conference finals in the west. . . i almost wish they could tweak the rules to make it a little less utterly dominated by the top mega-stars, but it'll never happen. . .

NBA free agency has been making me laugh, it's such a huge joke. . . i think every team in the league has a pile of cap space to spend, and there is a grand total of ONE impact free agent available this year who isn't durant. . . that leaves about twenty-five teams who need a bigger star all fighting to sign freakin' thirty year old al horford, who's like the third best guy on a title team. . . seriously, three out of the top five free agents are solid role players at the very best-- and that's the best of what's available, meaning most teams won't be able to improve their talent in any significant way at all, despite having twenty or thirty million in cap space to waste. . . i love the product on the floor, but the NBA is a just a painful league to be a fan of if you don't follow one of a small handful of privileged teams. . .

The Spurs can usually get there with several top twenty players and good coaching. But they signed a guy who makes top ten lists, so yeah..I gotcha.

Originally Posted by Von Kinger

The Spurs can usually get there with several top twenty players and good coaching. But they signed a guy who makes top ten lists, so yeah..I gotcha.

yes, the spurs. . . i almost edited my post, since we all know they're the one exception. . . but yea, right now they're not good enough either. . . they only have two top ten, top twelve kind of players, plus the best coach and best system in the game, and a deep bench. . . that's good enough to put them in third or fourth place, with an outside shot at the brass ring. . . anything less than that, you may as well not even bother when it comes to championship contention. . . hell, it's been seven or eight years since anyone but the Wherever LeBrons came out of the east. . .

durant's a generational talent, playing alongside another guy who's just a tick behind that, and they ain't even got no rings-- they've only gotten there once! rough freakin' league, for sure. . .

My Celtics are doomed. Doomed.