Whose playoff spot are the Lakers taking, tbh?

[TheGreatYacht]

Interesting question to be asked considering we had to watch the very last day of the regular season to find out if we finished above the 8th seed to avoid Golden State.

The Clippers were the only western conference playoff team with a worse record than ours and they're tied with Toronto as the highest Vegas odds to land Kawhi Jordan.

Golden State will be without Durant next year and Klay will possibly be out until March/April. Curry will be the favorite to win MVP knowing he'll have the greenest of lights.

Utah has the lowest probability to miss the playoffs out of the two previous teams mentioned since their defense will always be among the best in the league with Gobert as the anchor. They've targeted Conley in years past and with the arrival of Ja in Memphis, will be interesting to see if they'll finally get their wish.

[mo7888]

It's too early to say. LA doesn't have enough yet but, after they spend their cap space they should be fine (unless they get players that don't fit like last year), the bigger problem is NOLA, if they can move the #4 for the right player they could be a playoff team too. We could very well be looking at two teams getting knocked out of the playoffs.

[cool cat]

If they get Jimmy Butler they are a solid 6th seed.

[DC23]

Warriors do not have enough offense next year to make the playoffs IMO.

[TheGoatishere]

Utah

[r0drig0lac]

If they get Jimmy Butler they are a solid 6th seed.

lmao what?

[picnroll]

Spurs should make significant improvement with returning Murray and improved White andcWalker who could all make big jumps. Poetl should show improvement too. I think they're safe.

[GreekSpursfan]

If i'm the Dubs i'm tanking next season.

[TD 21]

With Davis' lack of durability and James' age, if they're not able to surround them with quality depth (no sure thing when you're as thin as they now are), they're not locks.

The real answer is, it's too early to say though, but the Warriors could easily be in trouble. No flexibility/youth, another year older Curry, Green, Iguodala. From perennial finalists to having to kill themselves just to get in, with no chance of contending. I question how motivated they'll be.

If Scumbag signs with the Clippers, Spurs will again be a popular pick to miss, but their continuity/depth/stability should serve them well in the regular season. The flipside to having to wait until game 82 to avoid 8th is, they never had their starting PG, had 8 new players, started 11-14, but finished 37-20 once they began to figure things out.

[DAF86]

In a couple of months I was going to start a "Is this the year the streak ends?" Thread.

[slick'81]

Warriors tbh

[itzsoweezee]

Spurs or warriors. I'm guessing Spurs because the warriors can make the playoffs work Curry, Green, and Iggy. But if they trade the latter two, the Spurs have a chance at the 8 seed

[ducks]

Ad is injury prone
James is older lots of mileage
Easily could do a Durant soon

[talkspurs]

You also have to remember Dallas could move up with KP joining their team. That being said Could Houston miss? Paul and tucker a yr older. They also were struggling towards the end. I think Denver will make it but dont see them getting much better as their players are all in their early prime. Early ranking I would do Portland, Denver, OKC, Lakers, Spurs, Dallas, GS, Houston. If Kawhi goes to Clippers I would put them at 2 and bump everyone down 1. This can obviously change due to draft/FA/injuries and just me not being able to see the future.

[Dennis the Menace]

In a couple of months I was going to start a "Is this the year the streak ends?" Thread.

Just start it now, tbh

[TheGreatYacht]

In a couple of months I was going to start a "Is this the year the streak ends?" Thread.
Can't believe the third world country hater is from just did you in smh... but hey; Qatar won't know what hit them

[cjw]

The better question is who are the locks to make the playoffs from the west next year (barring any additional injuries)? Denver, OKC (unless Westbrook continues falling off a cliff) and Portland should be there. Houston could implode

[spurraider21]

spurs should be better than last year with dejounte back and a summer of development for white, who went from g-leaguer to one of our most important players midway through the season

[DAF86]

Can't believe the third world country hater is from just did you in smh... but hey; Qatar won't know what hit them
hater is from Bolivia, tbh.

[RC_Drunkford]

the Spurs spot if they don't improve the roster. We were already the 7th seed, now LA got AD, Utah might get Conley or Russel, Mavs are looking for a 3rd piece to add to Doncic/Porzingis, Nephew will join the Clippers and the Spurs think about signing Bojan Bogdanovic, but don't have cap space. This better be the year where they finally decide to get rid of the wombat or else this team will not see the postseason. You can't just stand pat after 2 years of getting bounced in the first round and barely making the playofffs, putting your hopes on a 22 year old coming off an ACL tear

[Chinook]

Spurs are going to have to improve beyond just Murray and Walker. If their goal is just to make the playoffs, they don't have to do a ton. Upgrading the fifth starter from Forbes and especially the fourth starter from Poeltl probably gets it done. Ideally you have a rotation of:

White, Forbes
Murray, Walker
DeRozan, (Point-SF)
(3/D PF), Gay
Aldridge, Poeltl

Thing is, I think they could legit draft someone who could fill at least that bench blank. This is a great front court draft, maybe the best I can think of in terms of possible depth. I don't want to see the Spurs piss it away chasing a minor upgrade.

This is what I propose:

Mills, Metu, Belinelli and Bertans and 19 for Batum, 12 and two future seconds.

Batum's a terrible contract, but with the Spurs getting rid of Mills, he's only $10 Million in extra money. That's worth the jump in draft stock. Batum can come off the bench and had some ball-handling, and if the Spurs draft Doumbouya at 12, Nic would probably be a good mentor to have. Then you draft Wyndler at 29 to be that shooter you can plug in if the guys can't space the floor (very possible) and as a potential successor to Gay or Batum. Then you use 49 on Matthews, Okeke or Porter or a guard who can eventually rise up to replace Forbes. Then in free agency, you give Gay a two-year deal totaling about $28 Million. Then you try to pry Aminu over for a two-year MLE deal. You also sign a vet PG to platoon in case the young guards can't handle it. Round out the roster by signing on Eubanks, and that leaves:

White, Forbes, Vet PG
Murray, Walker, (Second-Round Pick)
DeRozan, Batum, Windler
Aminu, Gay, Doumbouya
Aldridge, Poeltl, Eubanks

That feels like a very well-balanced club. Just sign another big and guard as two-way depth. They can afford to wait on a guy to heal up for 2020. They'll still have some mildly tradeable contracts if they want to make a win-now trade, and if they fail and decide to blow it up, they still have a future. They do all that, and they stay under the tax. Here's the Capulator link: http://www.shamsports.com/capulator?id=3398419255d05cdf834576339348682

[apalisoc_9]

Can't believe the third world country hater is from just did you in smh... but hey; Qatar won't know what hit them

Qatar is Japan level good I think. So its not a given Messi would beat Qatar :lol

[RC_Drunkford]

Spurs definitely have to move Mills and one of Bertans/Belinelli if they want to improve the team

[cd021]

1. Golden State
2. Denver
3. Portland
4. Rockets
5. Jazz
6. Thunder
7. Spurs
8. Clippers
--------------------------
Lakers
Mavs
Kings


Tempted to say OKC drops out; PG-13 can't and couldn't sustain his MVP level performance and they finished with 49 wins. If George is closer to regular Paul George and Westbrook continues to decline they could be in serious trouble, they also really don't have ways to improve beyond trading Adams.

GSW would also be a strong candidate; teams are going to hound Curry and dare the other non splash brother scrubs to hit a shot. Their offense will be significantly worse as well as their D without KD and Klay. Looney who was their best center defensively may get signed away so they could really struggle on that end.

Think the Clippers are on the bubble too, they had a great year but I think they took teams by surprise last year and lack of an all-star caliber player is going to hurt them in a crowded west.

[anon]

It's settled then. The Spurs championship for 2020 is edging out the ex-champs Golden State for the 8th seed.

[Manong Ginobili]

Curry + Draymond? Good for 9th seed. Unless they rush Klay again.

[anon]

:lol A 1LAL-8SAS quarterfinals
Pop probably never thought he would taste another playoff elimination from the archrival franchise after the retirements of Kobe and Dr. Buss, and Jerry West's defection in this decade yet here we are faced with that very real possibility.

[kobyz]

Who are spurs getting this off season? If spurs not bringing a nice addition they not making the playoffs! Don't count on Murray to improve the team...

[picnroll]

Who are spurs getting this off season? If spurs not bringing a nice addition they not making the playoffs! Don't count on Murray to improve the team...
Sorry, I’m counting on Murray improving the team, plus White, plus Walker, plus Poetl.
Haters gonna hate.

[TimmyBuckets]

Spurs are out.

[RC_Drunkford]

Who are spurs getting this off season? If spurs not bringing a nice addition they not making the playoffs! Don't count on Murray to improve the team...

anybody who's 35 and over. Take your pick

[John B]

Spurs or warriors. I'm guessing Spurs because the warriors can make the playoffs work Curry, Green, and Iggy. But if they trade the latter two, the Spurs have a chance at the 8 seed
With no shooters to pass, I doubt Curry would be effective. Teams would be double-teaming him, and could even get hurt trying too hard. Already Murray/White/Poeltl could check Curry’s pnr. Dubs would be 6th, Spurs even #1 seed if everything goes well.

[Seventyniner]

The West is going to be a bloodbath. We could see the top 10 teams finishing within 10 wins of each other.

[Capt Bringdown]

Gay is the canary in the coal mine. If the Spurs bring him back...that'll tell you how serious they are about improving the team.

[MultiTroll]

Warriors do not have enough offense next year to make the playoffs IMO.
Is either Twinky expected to come back more or less for sure for the playoffs?
Thompsan and Durant.

[rascal]

Spurs should make significant improvement with returning Murray and improved White andcWalker who could all make big jumps. Poetl should show improvement too. I think they're safe.

The Spurs will win fewer games next year than they did this year. Believing everyone gets better is not realistic.

[DC23]

Is either Twinky expected to come back more or less for sure for the playoffs?
Thompsan and Durant.
Durant will miss all of next year. Thompson may come back in February. It doesn't matter though as Green is not a scorer and his play making ability will take a serious hit. I think Warriors are a 30 win team.

[gambit1990]

mavs taking a spot too.

[SuperCam]

spur will be competing with the Kangz and Mavs for the 8th seed

[John B]

If healthy, Spurs easily could’ve been 2nd or 3rd seed last year. How could they be worst this year? I say Dubs 6th or even out defends if Curry’s legs hold out. Lakers don’t have the pieces, could be 2-5th seed depending. Denver could get the number 1, 2-Rockets, 3-Spurs, 4-Thunder, 5-Lakers, 6-Warriors, 7-Mavericks, 8-Trailblazers. 9-Jazz/Clippers depends if Warriors still in.

[Millennial_Messiah]

1. Golden State
2. Denver
3. Portland
4. Rockets
5. Jazz
6. Thunder
7. Spurs
8. Clippers
--------------------------
Lakers
Mavs
Kings


Tempted to say OKC drops out; PG-13 can't and couldn't sustain his MVP level performance and they finished with 49 wins. If George is closer to regular Paul George and Westbrook continues to decline they could be in serious trouble, they also really don't have ways to improve beyond trading Adams.

GSW would also be a strong candidate; teams are going to hound Curry and dare the other non splash brother scrubs to hit a shot. Their offense will be significantly worse as well as their D without KD and Klay. Looney who was their best center defensively may get signed away so they could really struggle on that end.

Think the Clippers are on the bubble too, they had a great year but I think they took teams by surprise last year and lack of an all-star caliber player is going to hurt them in a crowded west.

Clips are getting Leonard + another solid second tier All star

[Millennial_Messiah]

Spurs or warriors. I'm guessing Spurs because the warriors can make the playoffs work Curry, Green, and Iggy. But if they trade the latter two, the Spurs have a chance at the 8 seed

Iggy is broken down and dilapidated as your average East Detroit area shack tbh

[Rummpd]

They will be first seed when they add 2 stars

[r0drig0lac]

They will be first seed when they add 2 stars
no doubt

[John B]

Oh man if I have to suffer another 5 years of bandwagon fans. :shootme

[Millennial_Messiah]

Houston is done. Harden and Paul both want out. They're done.

[r0drig0lac]

Houston is done. Harden and Paul both want out. They're done.

Harden?

[cd021]

Clips are getting Leonard + another solid second tier All star

Doubt it tbh, Nephew will either stay cold or come to the Lakers. Kemba is looking like he's staying or maybe the Lakers. Philly may keep both Butler and Harris and trade one later, Kyrie to BK looks like a done deal, KD and Klay look like their staying.

[Genovaswitness]

I really couldn't stomach kawhi with doc rivers. I hope he stays in toronto tbh

[cd021]

Spurs or warriors. I'm guessing Spurs because the warriors can make the playoffs work Curry, Green, and Iggy. But if they trade the latter two, the Spurs have a chance at the 8 seed

Teams are going to load up on Curry and dare the others to knock down shots- something that Golden State has had major issues with outside of Klay and KD. Their offense is gona struggle and their defense is going to be worse without Klay, KD, and possibly Livingston-if waived.

[Genovaswitness]

for the record I think the spurs are a top 4 seed next year. that said, our super loser duo's capped at the first round. we have to move one of them this offseason, preferably derozan. I hope he does molly or coke this offseason and fails a drug test so we could cut him tbh

[Millennial_Messiah]

Teams are going to load up on Curry and dare the others to knock down shots- something that Golden State has had major issues with outside of Klay and KD. Their offense is gona struggle and their defense is going to be worse without Klay, KD, and possibly Livingston-if waived.

Yeah GS didn't have major success until they signed Livingston. If they cut Livingston it's a big mistake, it means they're going to run Curry into the ground and he's bound to get hurt or wear down.

[GusT15]

Yeah GS didn't have major success until they signed Livingston. If they cut Livingston it's a big mistake, it means they're going to run Curry into the ground and he's bound to get hurt or wear down.

They won't cut him but

https://twitter.com/MarcJSpearsESPN/status/1139386459373223936

[cd021]

Yeah GS didn't have major success until they signed Livingston. If they cut Livingston it's a big mistake, it means they're going to run Curry into the ground and he's bound to get hurt or wear down.


They won't cut him but

https://twitter.com/MarcJSpearsESPN/status/1139386459373223936

Read somewhere that if they cut him then they save $20 million. Probably makes sense to cut him then sign a vet guard that can shoot for a lot less.

[GusT15]

Read somewhere that if they cut him then they save $20 million. Probably makes sense to cut him then sign a vet guard that can shoot for a lot less.

He's been saying that his body is breaking down all year long and that he has been considering retirement since April before the Playoffs.

I mean he is only 34 but when you have practically snapped your knee in two when younger,it will shorten your career even if you managed to make a comeback.

If they want to cut him he's retiring.But why would he put his body through another NBA season without Klay and KD? GSW saves their money and Livingston saves his body.

[gambit1990]

livingston said he’s seriously considering retirement but may play one more year. i do think the warriors will cut him loose.

[Millennial_Messiah]

Read somewhere that if they cut him then they save $20 million. Probably makes sense to cut him then sign a vet guard that can shoot for a lot less.
Little guards who can shoot are a dime a dozen... Livingston is unique because he's a 6'7" Andre Miller basically, a guy who can distribute like the best of them, post up and dominate smaller guys in the paint, and his length provides a heck of a lift to their second unit on defense as well. He is invaluable despite the fact his range is limited to 16-17 feet. He is an old school player and arguably the last of his kind left in today's NBA.

[PoppaP]

����������

[DPG21920]

Spurs are going to have to improve beyond just Murray and Walker. If their goal is just to make the playoffs, they don't have to do a ton. Upgrading the fifth starter from Forbes and especially the fourth starter from Poeltl probably gets it done. Ideally you have a rotation of:

White, Forbes
Murray, Walker
DeRozan, (Point-SF)
(3/D PF), Gay
Aldridge, Poeltl

Thing is, I think they could legit draft someone who could fill at least that bench blank. This is a great front court draft, maybe the best I can think of in terms of possible depth. I don't want to see the Spurs piss it away chasing a minor upgrade.

This is what I propose:

Mills, Metu, Belinelli and Bertans and 19 for Batum, 12 and two future seconds.

Batum's a terrible contract, but with the Spurs getting rid of Mills, he's only $10 Million in extra money. That's worth the jump in draft stock. Batum can come off the bench and had some ball-handling, and if the Spurs draft Doumbouya at 12, Nic would probably be a good mentor to have. Then you draft Wyndler at 29 to be that shooter you can plug in if the guys can't space the floor (very possible) and as a potential successor to Gay or Batum. Then you use 49 on Matthews, Okeke or Porter or a guard who can eventually rise up to replace Forbes. Then in free agency, you give Gay a two-year deal totaling about $28 Million. Then you try to pry Aminu over for a two-year MLE deal. You also sign a vet PG to platoon in case the young guards can't handle it. Round out the roster by signing on Eubanks, and that leaves:

White, Forbes, Vet PG
Murray, Walker, (Second-Round Pick)
DeRozan, Batum, Windler
Aminu, Gay, Doumbouya
Aldridge, Poeltl, Eubanks

That feels like a very well-balanced club. Just sign another big and guard as two-way depth. They can afford to wait on a guy to heal up for 2020. They'll still have some mildly tradeable contracts if they want to make a win-now trade, and if they fail and decide to blow it up, they still have a future. They do all that, and they stay under the tax. Here's the Capulator link: http://www.shamsports.com/capulator?id=3398419255d05cdf834576339348682

I would do that if SA got to keep 19...it’s sort of the opposite of my trade with CHA; this is more of a win now move hopefully while mine included moving DeRozan and not pushing as hard (while keeping the draft assets)

[phxspurfan]

Dubs will never survive next season w/o KD and Klay. Everyone will take turns bukkakeing them for funsies tbh. And they'll have a great time watching them cry. Curry will probably "injure" his ankle and sit out half the year tbh

[phxspurfan]

livingston said he’s seriously considering retirement but may play one more year. i do think the warriors will cut him loose.

Dubs won't mind. He's really bad now.


https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/carmelo/shaun-livingston/

Wins above replacement projection: -0.4 (that's worse than a replacement level player.)
CATEGORY: SCRUB

[cjw]

Dubs won't mind. He's really bad now.


https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/carmelo/shaun-livingston/

Wins above replacement projection: -0.4 (that's worse than a replacement level player.)
CATEGORY: SCRUB

Livingston was unplayable in playoffs as he fell off a cliff. He’ll almost certainly retire.

Given partially or nonguaranteed contracts only count for guaranteed portion in trades under the new CBA, the Warriors would be able to take back a sizeable contract in a trade if they move him before the league year starts. That team could cut him for $2mm after July 1. Correct me if I’m wrong on that.

Add in the taxpayer (?) MLE and and possibly 1-2 disabled player exceptions that will be one-year MLE, this could be an opportunity for GS to reload a bit.

[monty4329]

So far only LAL improved, and we don't know how much until they sign somebody. And maybe -maybe- NO with Zion.
DAL is a question mark, Luka is not a novelty anymore, it is no guaranteed he'll have a star season and Porz was out for ages, so they might miss again the playoffs.

As of now, LAL for SA is quite reasonable, but by mid-July time everything might change massively.

[mo7888]

So far only LAL improved, and we don't know how much until they sign somebody. And maybe -maybe- NO with Zion.
DAL is a question mark, Luka is not a novelty anymore, it is no guaranteed he'll have a star season and Porz was out for ages, so they might miss again the playoffs.

As of now, LAL for SA is quite reasonable, but by mid-July time everything might change massively.

That's the right perspective... until all of the major moves happen next month we just don't know.... lots of questions right now...

[rascal]

Who are spurs getting this off season? If spurs not bringing a nice addition they not making the playoffs! Don't count on Murray to improve the team...

good post

[SuperCam]

Degoat still doesn't think Laker is any good, though :lol