NBA Preseason Games

[Mr. Body]

I know this belongs in the NBA section, but no one uses it. Be interesting to record initial glimpses at opponents, at least for now.

Minnesota is cruising against Dallas in Abu Dhabi without Anthony Edwards. Sure, it's preseason but Dallas is getting crushed inside by Gobert and Townes inside. They'll have to depend on rookie Derek Lively II and... checking my notes... not much else. This could be a rough year for the Kyrie-Luka show.

[spurs10]

Is this nationally broadcasted.

[Mr. Body]

Is this nationally broadcasted.

NBATV

[Mr. Body]

Our boy Wieskampf chatting with teammate Luka Doncic on the bench.

[Ariel]

I know this belongs in the NBA section, but no one uses it. Be interesting to record initial glimpses at opponents, at least for now.

Minnesota is cruising against Dallas in Abu Dhabi without Anthony Edwards. Sure, it's preseason but Dallas is getting crushed inside by Gobert and Townes inside. They'll have to depend on rookie Derek Lively II and... checking my notes... not much else. This could be a rough year for the Kyrie-Luka show.
They could try and get Capela somehow it they get desperate.

[Mr. Body]

They could try and get Capela somehow it they get desperate.

Their fanbase was wanting that all summer.

[rjv]

leonard miller looks very raw, weiskamp likely bound for the g league again. dereck lively II looked lost out there. towns and gobert destroyed him. the mavs are going to be vulnerable at the five spot.

[Obstructed_View]

leonard miller looks very raw, weiskamp likely bound for the g league again. dereck lively II looked lost out there. towns and gobert destroyed him. the mavs are going to be vulnerable at the five spot.
Talk radio was super pumped about the bigs up here last week.

[Mr. Body]

Minnesota handling Dallas for a second time in UAE. It's a preseason game, obviously, and this matchup looks horrible for Dallas, but there's real problems here for the Mavs that adding two rookies can't help. Grant Williams isn't big enough to help guard Townes and Gobert. Dallas needs a real coach to balance Irving's potential here, but ultimately their roster just doesn't have good players. It gets really bad after the top few.

[JPB]

Minnesota handling Dallas for a second time in UAE. It's a preseason game, obviously, and this matchup looks horrible for Dallas, but there's real problems here for the Mavs that adding two rookies can't help. Grant Williams isn't big enough to help guard Townes and Gobert. Dallas needs a real coach to balance Irving's potential here, but ultimately their roster just doesn't have good players. It gets really bad after the top few.

If they have another down year, Luka is gone. Too much work to do with to little leeway.

[Leetonidas]

Dallas has absolutely no front court depth so it's not surprising they're getting demolished

[Mr. Body]

If they have another down year, Luka is gone. Too much work to do with to little leeway.

I almost think they would have been better trading the #10 pick for a basket of good role players and maybe SRPs or something later in the round. Derek Lively will be a good weak-side shotblocker and dunker-spot find for Doncic's drives, but doesn't do nearly enough to fix this team's roster problems.

[Bruno]

That Mavs team is weirdly built. It's Doncic, Irving and a bunch of so-so players. Doncic and Irving are damn talented but I'm not sold on their pairing. They also have a suspicious perimeter defense with no inside defensive presence to cover it.

[buttsR4rebounding]

That Mavs team is weirdly built. It's Doncic, Irving and a bunch of so-so players. Doncic and Irving are damn talented but I'm not sold on their pairing. They also have a suspicious perimeter defense with no inside defensive presence to cover it.

Knicks may not get the pick again this year. I believe it is top 10 protected this year as well.

[spurraider21]

That Mavs team is weirdly built. It's Doncic, Irving and a bunch of so-so players. Doncic and Irving are damn talented but I'm not sold on their pairing. They also have a suspicious perimeter defense with no inside defensive presence to cover it.
Their offseason was a valiant attempt to put together a defense. Grant Williams acquisition then drafting Lively and Prosper. Also got Thybulle to sign an offer sheet though it was matched.

buy relying on 2 rookies to be impact defenders… suspect

[exstatic]

Their offseason was a valiant attempt to put together a defense. Grant Williams acquisition then drafting Lively and Prosper. Also got Thybulle to sign an offer sheet though it was matched.

buy relying on 2 rookies to be impact defenders… suspect

Timing is everything. If Portland had known about Dame at the time, they may not have matched. Thybulle isnt a rebuilding piece, he’s a final add on to a contender. He’s a defensive specialist, and the team is too young to cover for his zero offense. He makes it difficult for his team to score, because they’re playing 4 on 5

[Mr. Body]

Chris Paul was a great pick-up for the Warriors. Kuminga might be turning a corner. He's still only 21, but still has a ways to go. Podziemski looks good. Still depends on their aging core.

Lakes supposedly 'won' the offseason but some of their pick-ups look questionable. Cam Reddish and Christian Wood are two of the stupidest players out there. Hood-Schifino looks pretty good though I don't know how much he'll be able to contribute yet. Gabe Vincent was an alright signing but doesn't move the needle for me a ton. Team will depend entirely on an ancient LeBron and whether Anthony Davis decides to play basketball.

[Dex]

Team will depend entirely on an ancient LeBron and whether Anthony Davis decides to play basketball.

Same as every year since he left Cleveland. Lakers lucked out that the world got struck with a generational pandemic so that they could get a nice rest before a playoff run and championship.

IF Lebron and Davis are healthy, they are a force to be reckoned with. But LeBron isn't invincible anymore and Davis is...well, you don't earn the nickname Street Clothes for no reason.

Same thing goes for the Clippers with Kawhi and PG who both seem to be perpetually plagued by injury. It's a roll of the dice for both teams in L.A.

[spurraider21]

Chris Paul was a great pick-up for the Warriors. Kuminga might be turning a corner. He's still only 21, but still has a ways to go. Podziemski looks good. Still depends on their aging core.

Lakes supposedly 'won' the offseason but some of their pick-ups look questionable. Cam Reddish and Christian Wood are two of the stupidest players out there. Hood-Schifino looks pretty good though I don't know how much he'll be able to contribute yet. Gabe Vincent was an alright signing but doesn't move the needle for me a ton. Team will depend entirely on an ancient LeBron and whether Anthony Davis decides to play basketball.
You didn’t even mention the lakers best signing

[John B]

Same as every year since he left Cleveland. Lakers lucked out that the world got struck with a generational pandemic so that they could get a nice rest before a playoff run and championship.

IF Lebron and Davis are healthy, they are a force to be reckoned with. But LeBron isn't invincible anymore and Davis is...well, you don't earn the nickname Street Clothes for no reason.

Same thing goes for the Clippers with Kawhi and PG who both seem to be perpetually plagued by injury. It's a roll of the dice for both teams in L.A.

I suspect this year is Lakers last hurrah before they make a total rebuild. I don’t see Lebron and AD playing more than 60 games.

[Mr. Body]

Phoenix had a great summer other than the Beale thing - I'm not sure about that. The vets they picked up for cheap are great, guys like Gordon and Keita. Getting rid of Ayton was a plus.

Detroit, man, I feel sorry for them. Worst record last year by several losses and all they get out of it is Ausar Thompson. Killian Hayes has never improved, Duren was a good get but probably has a ceiling, the year they won the lottery was Cunningham and he's a nice player but I doubt will even become an All-Star. Jaden Ivey won't move the needle too much. Other than Hayes I don't think those were bad choices at those spots. Well, I think Sochan should have gone #4 in 2022 instead of Ivey.

[baseline bum]

Phoenix had a great summer other than the Beale thing - I'm not sure about that. The vets they picked up for cheap are great, guys like Gordon and Keita. Getting rid of Ayton was a plus.


Can't say I have high expectations for them. Every time Chris Paul joins a team they become better and every time he leaves one they fall off. Beal seems like empty calories and will take better shots away from Booker and Durant. I think it's going to end up like a worse version of Melo in OKC.

[Mr. Body]

Lmao Dillon Brooks gets ejected from his first preseason game for punching Daniel Theis in the nuts.

[Mr. Body]

Jock has shaved his head.

[spurraider21]

whitmore's medical red flags musta been something special, because there's no way he should have fallen like he did

[exstatic]

whitmore's medical red flags musta been something special, because there's no way he should have fallen like he did

Whitmores flage were more than just medical.

[Mr. Body]

whitmore's medical red flags musta been something special, because there's no way he should have fallen like he did

Bad BBIQ. Also might have a really poor personality. There were some bad rumors floating out from his workouts.

[Mr. Body]

Rockets have some choices coming up. FVV helps this team a great deal. They actually have a semblance of a working offense. Jalen Green ain't that guy. Tunnel vision to the extreme. Just don't think he'll ever get it. Jabari Smith is pretty good, but both he and Green are on very expensive rookie salary scales. You can tell there are players Udoka will like (FVV, Landale, Sengun, Eason, etc.) and those he won't.

[Mr. Body]

The reason Charlotte might have a shot at the playoffs is Mark Williams.

[spurraider21]

Rockets have some choices coming up. FVV helps this team a great deal. They actually have a semblance of a working offense. Jalen Green ain't that guy. Tunnel vision to the extreme. Just don't think he'll ever get it. Jabari Smith is pretty good, but both he and Green are on very expensive rookie salary scales. You can tell there are players Udoka will like (FVV, Landale, Sengun, Eason, etc.) and those he won't.
i really dont see the writing off of Jalen Green. he's 21 years old, uber athletic talent, and has shown he knows how to score in the league. he obviously has things he needs to put together, but they have also been a rudderless ship since he's been there... not really the environment where you'd expect 19 and 20 year olds to be able to develop well

FVV only has 2 years guaranteed on his deal (3rd year is club option). it is during that 3rd year where Sengun/Green would be under new contracts, so they have some flexibility there. i think they only want FVV while Amen develops, and that 3rd year club option is a hedge in case that goes poorly.

dillon brooks is the albatross piece imo, on a 4 year fully guaranteed deal, albeit with declining salaries

i also dont know how they protect the rim with Sengun/Smith at the big spots, even though they're both talented players

[Mr. Body]

i really dont see the writing off of Jalen Green. he's 21 years old, uber athletic talent, and has shown he knows how to score in the league. he obviously has things he needs to put together, but they have also been a rudderless ship since he's been there... not really the environment where you'd expect 19 and 20 year olds to be able to develop well

FVV only has 2 years guaranteed on his deal (3rd year is club option). it is during that 3rd year where Sengun/Green would be under new contracts, so they have some flexibility there. i think they only want FVV while Amen develops, and that 3rd year club option is a hedge in case that goes poorly.

dillon brooks is the albatross piece imo, on a 4 year fully guaranteed deal, albeit with declining salaries

i also dont know how they protect the rim with Sengun/Smith at the big spots, even though they're both talented players

I never believed in Jalen Green. He has that haughty "AAU god" personality. He'll need to be broken down at some point but I don't see it happening. He'll have games where he goes off but he doesn't do anything else and is a net negative overall because he doesn't understand basketball. Reminds me of another previous high flier who eventually settled on being a role-player: Gerald Green. Jalen is a #2 pick and so will be horrendously expensive before long.

Smith was supposed to be a shotblocker, but he's too slight and smallish. He's also not much of a rebounder. Very very expensive as a #3 pick.

[Mr. Body]

Anecdotally the Pelicans have not looked good this preseason so far. Not sure what the issue is. They're running starters and Zion but they aren't playing well or cohesively.

[CGD]

Anecdotally the Pelicans have not looked good this preseason so far. Not sure what the issue is. They're running starters and Zion but they aren't playing well or cohesively.

BI and Zion don’t work together

[Mr. Body]

BI and Zion don’t work together

That may play a role, and they're missing Murphy and that little defensive starting guard, but there's something deflated about the team. Chemistry problems or walling off the coach. Just no energy.

[Mr. Body]

Portland -- assuming they move Brogdan, and they should. They might be my vote for the worst team in the league. They're not scaring anybody on offense and their defense is terrible. Bad coach, too.

Utah -- went 37-45 last season and I'm not sure they improve on that mark. Well-coached team but the front office seems to be developing slowly for the future hoping those Minnesota and Cleveland picks hit.

[R. DeMurre]

Smith was supposed to be a shotblocker, but he's too slight and smallish. He's also not much of a rebounder. Very very expensive as a #3 pick.

The interesting thing to me is that Smith got off to a very slow start in his career, while Banchero seemed to adapt more easily out of the gate-- but even with this being the case, Smith still averaged more rebounds and blocks per minute and per game than him. I think this season could see the gap between them close. Banchero was an understandable pick for ROY in a weak year, but I think lots of people are overhyping him. His rebounding & block #s are anemic and don't look like they're going to change much going forward, whereas I think Smith's will jump dramatically this year.

[buttsR4rebounding]

I think Holmgren would have won ROY if hadn’t been injured.

[Mr. Body]

Charlotte looks alright. LaMello changes everything for them and big Mark Williams is a great anchor. I don't think Ball is disciplined enough to win playoff series. They have enough assorted other parts they could sneak into the play-in range in the east, including Brandon Miller, who will be good but I think wildly overrated (for a #2 pick).

The possibilty of the Spurs getting three picks in the mid-to-late teens in this draft would be hilarious. What then?

[spurraider21]

Portland -- assuming they move Brogdan, and they should. They might be my vote for the worst team in the league. They're not scaring anybody on offense and their defense is terrible. Bad coach, too.

Utah -- went 37-45 last season and I'm not sure they improve on that mark. Well-coached team but the front office seems to be developing slowly for the future hoping those Minnesota and Cleveland picks hit.
the west is going to be interesting... at first glance you think man, this is a gauntlet. with all these good teams, how could a surprise team like the spurs even get into the picture. but on that same token, with it being such a slugfest, its pretty unlikely that any one team gets 55+ wins and you might see a fairly compressed final standings. the difference between the 13th spot and 6th spot (clinching a playoff birth and missing the play-in altogether) might only be 5 or less games

[RC_Drunkford]

I don‘t even think there are a lot of good teams in the west. Only the Nuggets and Suns are real contenders. The middle of the pack teams like the Warriors, Lakers, Clippers are old and can fall off anytime. Especially with their injury prone top players in their late 30s. The Mavs don’t have bigs or defense. Utah and the Blazers are trash. The T-Wolves 2 big pairing doesn’t work. New Orleans roster is also really questionable as is Zions availability. Memphis is probably the 3rd best team in the west, but Ja is missing at least 25 games.

The top 4 looks like Nuggets, Suns, Grizzlies, Kings. Everything after that is up for grabs

[Mr. Body]

Just more random thoughts on preseason games involving teams that will be important to the Spurs, mostly due to standings:

Houston Rockets. They were missing Jalen Green, a highly important scorer. Otherwise, FVV seemed the only player they could run plays through. Once the Spurs blunted his attack, it was hard going. Missed Tari Eason, who is a playmaker of another kind, and he would have impacted the game.

I believe they should pull Amen Thompson into the starting unit, but Udoka probably wants a playmaker off the bench. Jabari Smith struggled... I want to say 'against the size of Zach Collins,' but Zach ain't even that big. Sengun can be a productive hub on offense but the Spurs collapsed on him extremely well.

In retrospect, throwing a wad at Van Vleet wasn't a bad decision. They don't need to pay their draft picks big money for another few years and they'd be lost without him. Udoka can whip them into some defensive shape. Still seems like a mismatched roster with less talent than advertised, but some of these guys like Amen might start popping. I think overall it's going to be a rough year.