NBA Continued - Conference, Finals, and Beyond

[Jabronius Maximus]

OKC desperately needs a strategist at coach, because Brooks just isn't good enough. Sure he can develop the guys well, but just can't seem to put them in the right role (or even sticking with something that works).

If I'm not mistaken, both Russ and KD's contracts are up next year. If they don't win, then things could get interesting. I wonder if they will remain together and just go to the same team, whether it's OKC or somewhere else. Maybe the Lakers?

[C0bR]

About the fatigue factor for the Heat - this is easily their best year coming into the Finals when it comes to fresh legs.

Last year, they played G7 in ECF and had only 2 days of rest (compared to the Spurs' 9! days) before the Finals, Wade was broken, Bosh had an ankle injury and Lebron was playing 4 more minutes per game than this year. The 27 win streak also visibly took toll on them, especially on Wade.

This year they are healthy, have 5 days of rest before the Finals and Lebron did not have to do all the heavy lifting against the Pacers. I expect them to come out much fresher. The Spurs may have more depth, but the Heat's 8 men rotation is better than the Spurs' and they won't be going much deeper in the Finals with Lebron playing 44mpg and Wade and Bosh close to 40. Their defense has also become less aggresive and more "normal", as was shown against the Pacers.

I am really interested in who will be dictating the pace in this series. The Heat have been playing at an absolutely sluggish tempo while still posting insane offensive numbers while the Spurs are a surprisingly uptempo team.

[Sir Thursday]

Aaaaand that's the game. Spurs in finals. Preseason prediction holds true. Collecting on some bets real soon :)

Congrats. My profile is all World Cup-ified at the moment - do you want to give me a title now or wait until the WC is over?

ST

[Relic]

Congrats. My profile is all World Cup-ified at the moment - do you want to give me a title now or wait until the WC is over?

ST

Nah, enjoy the World Cup festivities. We can reconvene when it's over. Will give me time to think of something suitably cruel. =P

[Calibandar]

OKC desperately needs a strategist at coach, because Brooks just isn't good enough. Sure he can develop the guys well, but just can't seem to put them in the right role (or even sticking with something that works).

If I'm not mistaken, both Russ and KD's contracts are up next year. If they don't win, then things could get interesting. I wonder if they will remain together and just go to the same team, whether it's OKC or somewhere else. Maybe the Lakers?

Their contracts aren't up until the end of the 2015-2016 season, so two more tries for them at least.

After that it's Unrestricted.

Totally unrelated: I was linked to this very recent workout video of Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart and Aardon Gordon. Very cool to see, I like these sort of videos. But anyway, Embiid looks remarkably effortless, most experts are expecting him to be picked at 1 by the Cavs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp7PX7hYUFQ

[Jabronius Maximus]

Their contracts aren't up until the end of the 2015-2016 season, so two more tries for them at least.

After that it's Unrestricted.

Ah ok, I was getting ahead of myself then. The one major change I hope to see is Brooks being let go. What are the chances that happens?

[Rhom]

Their contracts aren't up until the end of the 2015-2016 season, so two more tries for them at least.

After that it's Unrestricted.

Totally unrelated: I was linked to this very recent workout video of Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart and Aardon Gordon. Very cool to see, I like these sort of videos. But anyway, Embiid looks remarkably effortless, most experts are expecting him to be picked at 1 by the Cavs.

Taking the next in the long list of big men taken high in the draft only to succumb to career ending injuries sounds precisely like something the Cavs would do.

[Calibandar]

Ah ok, I was getting ahead of myself then. The one major change I hope to see is Brooks being let go. What are the chances that happens?

Slim I fear.

By the way, we were talking ( again) recently about the Harden trade. Here's another article from Grant;and's NBA expert Zach Lowe on whether or not that was..... necessary.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/ibakas-return-fuels-more-what-if-questions-about-james-harden/

[Andriy Czarchenko]

I am really interested in who will be dictating the pace in this series. The Heat have been playing at an absolutely sluggish tempo while still posting insane offensive numbers while the Spurs are a surprisingly uptempo team.

The thing that most people seem unable to understand about Spurs is that on average they run more than any other team in the league. Spurs players have so far in playoffs traveled 17.6 miles/48 at 4.4 mph while next teams are at 16.8/4.2. After meeting Nets and Pacers Heat are at 15.9/4.0.

[Jaime L]

Totally unrelated: I was linked to this very recent workout video of Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart and Aardon Gordon. Very cool to see, I like these sort of videos. But anyway, Embiid looks remarkably effortless, most experts are expecting him to be picked at 1 by the Cavs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp7PX7hYUFQ

I love watching draft workouts. Woe be unto the team who tries to man up Embiid with Brian Scalabrine. Also tells me next to nothing when half his shots are dunks. Really a 7'1" guy can dunk - who knew?!

That said, I'm with you that the one thing I did get out of that video is his fluidity. He moves very well for a big guy. He'll be a terror on the defensive end from the start which gives him time to add polish to his offensive game.

[Maithanet]

I love watching draft workouts. Woe be unto the team who tries to man up Embiid with Brian Scalabrine. Also tells me next to nothing when half his shots are dunks. Really a 7'1" guy can dunk - who knew?!

That said, I'm with you that the one thing I did get out of that video is his fluidity. He moves very well for a big guy. He'll be a terror on the defensive end from the start which gives him time to add polish to his offensive game.

Assuming he can stay on the court, yes. I think the medical red flags for Embiid are much bigger than they were for Oden.

As for the Finals...I dunno, I am having a lot of trouble getting excited for Spurs-Heat. The Spurs were my least favorite Western playoff team, and the Heat were preferable only to the Nets. I was really hoping that there would be some potential newcomer in the Finals this year, and instead it's just more of the same. Of course both teams are great, and it'll probably be a good series, but it is difficult for me to get excited about two teams I've been rooting against all playoffs.

[David Selig]

Their contracts aren't up until the end of the 2015-2016 season, so two more tries for them at least.

After that it's Unrestricted.

Westbrook's is over in 2017.

As for Durant, next summer he may well be traded if he wants out, that's what happened with Dwight and other big stars when their teams didn't want to lose them for nothing.

[sperry]

I'm not the biggest Brooks fan. But in fairness to him, he had a terrible roster to work with this past season. The bench getting out scored 51-6 in Game 6 tells you all you need to know.

Allegedly, the owners cheaped out this year to avoid repeat offender status under the salary cap. We will see if that's the case this year. I really think they need to spend this year and prove to KD that they are committed to winning and not just makign money. And they would be idiots not to do so, considering if they lose Durant in two years to free agency they are going to lose 10 times what they would have paid in tax penalties.

And I dont' think Brooks is going anywhere, because Kevin Durant absolutely loves the guy. When you have a superstar who has the option to go anywhere he wants in two years if he wants, you don't fire the coach that he backs 100%. People get caught up on the offense that the Thunder run, but I think a ton of problems get solved if they just add some jump shooters to the roster. Russell Westbrook in particular can create wide open shots for guys on the perimiter. The current Thunder roster just doesn't have anyone who can knock those shots down.

[Jaime L]

Assuming he can stay on the court, yes. I think the medical red flags for Embiid are much bigger than they were for Oden.

As for the Finals...I dunno, I am having a lot of trouble getting excited for Spurs-Heat. The Spurs were my least favorite Western playoff team, and the Heat were preferable only to the Nets. I was really hoping that there would be some potential newcomer in the Finals this year, and instead it's just more of the same. Of course both teams are great, and it'll probably be a good series, but it is difficult for me to get excited about two teams I've been rooting against all playoffs.

I dunno about that. There were reports at the time of Oden having legs of different lengths and walking around like an old man post-draft. Both have had back issues, which is nothing to sleep on when it comes to 7 footers, but from what I understand Oden's were more concerning. Anyway it's not like Portland will be taking Embiid...so...

As for Spurs-Heat, I'm with you to a degree. I have no love of either team. I've spent years hating both teams and though I've come to grudgingly respect their artistry on the court, I can't bring myself to love or root for either. That said, last year's finals was the most entertaining that I can recall. If styles make the fight, those two make a beautiful one. I mean Broncos-Seahawks was the perfect Superbowl matchup on paper - I was so insanely psyched for it - but we ended up with the worst Superbowl in a decade. I'll give up my dream matchup if we get good drama. But if we get a rout, I'm gonna be bitter.

[Maithanet]

I'm not the biggest Brooks fan. But in fairness to him, he had a terrible roster to work with this past season. The bench getting out scored 51-6 in Game 6 tells you all you need to know.

Allegedly, the owners cheaped out this year to avoid repeat offender status under the salary cap. We will see if that's the case this year. I really think they need to spend this year and prove to KD that they are committed to winning and not just makign money. And they would be idiots not to do so, considering if they lose Durant in two years to free agency they are going to lose 10 times what they would have paid in tax penalties.

And I dont' think Brooks is going anywhere, because Kevin Durant absolutely loves the guy. When you have a superstar who has the option to go anywhere he wants in two years if he wants, you don't fire the coach that he backs 100%. People get caught up on the offense that the Thunder run, but I think a ton of problems get solved if they just add some jump shooters to the roster. Russell Westbrook in particular can create wide open shots for guys on the perimiter. The current Thunder roster just doesn't have anyone who can knock those shots down.

I agree that the Thunder roster needs 2-3 more guys who can play solid defense and space the floor. All championship teams need guys like that, and in years past Sefalosha was the only guy the Thunder had in that role. But this year, his shot wasn't falling, so he became yet another Thunder player who can't even hit open shots. I remember in the 2011 Finals the Heat had trouble with having Joel Anthony on the floor because he was such a liability on offense. But the Thunder took that to a whole new level, at times having THREE guys on the floor who can neither create for themselves nor make open jump shots. It just puts ridiculous pressure on Westbrook and Durant to be playing 2v5 all the time.

[sperry]

I agree that the Thunder roster needs 2-3 more guys who can play solid defense and space the floor. All championship teams need guys like that, and in years past Sefalosha was the only guy the Thunder had in that role. But this year, his shot wasn't falling, so he became yet another Thunder player who can't even hit open shots. I remember in the 2011 Finals the Heat had trouble with having Joel Anthony on the floor because he was such a liability on offense. But the Thunder took that to a whole new level, at times having THREE guys on the floor who can neither create for themselves nor make open jump shots. It just puts ridiculous pressure on Westbrook and Durant to be playing 2v5 all the time.

Yes it does. And while I loved the addition of Caron Butler, he played terribly and it didn't pan out. He will be gone. They need a two guard that can hit open shots desperately. That's essentially all he needs to be able to do. Sefolosha was never that guy, despite his misleading regular season 3 pt% (40% on completely wide open uncontested shots is actually not a very good percentage).

Who that guy is going to be, I don't know. Vince Carter is a guy I'm very interested in. He's an unrestricted free agent, and a guy who desperately wants a ring. Honestly, I think the Thunder is the perfect situation for him, and I think he would be willing to accept a Ray Allen type deal to come to OKC. The risk is that he's old, and while he played very well the past few years, a precipitious decline could come at any time.

Outside of that, knock down 3 point shooters of any variety would be welcome. With Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, and Stephen Adams you have an incredibly solid 4 starters. A guy who stands around and knocks down 3s is really all you need.

[Jaime L]

Outside of that, knock down 3 point shooters of any variety would be welcome. With Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, and Stephen Adams you have an incredibly solid 4 starters. A guy who stands around and knocks down 3s is really all you need.

Even better one who is also a strong wing defender. That's the holy grail of wing players in the modern NBA - one who can shoot 3's and play bulldog defense. Guys like James Posey and Shane Battier at their peak who absolutely were difference makers on title teams.

I hate to say it but they'd be wise to target Trevor Ariza though I doubt they'll be able to offer him enough to lure him to OKC. He already has a ring. Not sure if there are other FAs out there with that skillset but fuck that's the gold standard for difference-making role players.

[Maithanet]

Even better one who is also a strong wing defender. That's the holy grail of wing players in the modern NBA - one who can shoot 3's and play bulldog defense. Guys like James Posey and Shane Battier at their peak who absolutely were difference makers on title teams.

I hate to say it but they'd be wise to target Trevor Ariza though I doubt they'll be able to offer him enough to lure him to OKC. He already has a ring. Not sure if there are other FAs out there with that skillset but fuck that's the gold standard for difference-making role players.

Yeah, I imagine that the Thunder could get away with having Ariza as the 2. He can certainly guard Shooting Guards or Small Forwards. Don't know if they want to pay him though.

Hell, I think even Martell Webster would help the Thunder a lot, and he's a bench player for the Wizards.

[Rhom]

Jodie Meeks is a free agent. You could do far worse than to pick him up.

[Sir Thursday]

Even better one who is also a strong wing defender. That's the holy grail of wing players in the modern NBA - one who can shoot 3's and play bulldog defense. Guys like James Posey and Shane Battier at their peak who absolutely were difference makers on title teams.

I hate to say it but they'd be wise to target Trevor Ariza though I doubt they'll be able to offer him enough to lure him to OKC. He already has a ring. Not sure if there are other FAs out there with that skillset but fuck that's the gold standard for difference-making role players.

Maybe it's worth the Thunder going for a Morey-style approach of hiring 3-4 different potential players on short/cheap contracts and seeing if they can get them to fill the void appropriately? This year the Rockets tried out Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi, Jordan Hamilton, Reggie Williams, Robert Covington and Troy Daniels in search of someone who could fill that 3-and-D role. Throughout the year they got useful contributions from several of those players (although not quite enough at the end of the day).

This strategy is less likely to get you a huge difference maker (although last year the Rockets did very well out of Carlos Delfino, who they signed via this approach), but as you say the Thunder don't have particularly ambitious needs here. Especially since they are reportedly under budget constraints, it might make more sense to spread their bets on a larger number of slightly less well-known names as opposed to bringing in fewer, more expensive veterans.

ST