2024 NBA Season

[Reid]

^^ Yeah, I think there is still some revenge in this game and the Warriors wanted to eliminate James for good and not give them any chance this year.

Plus, Klay has found his touch together with Jordan Poole and Draymond is back so this is going to be fun. And it seems that the Lakers are giving up, so the chance of Warriors to win even at double digit handicap is huge.

But we need to see the consistency from Klay Thompson first before we could say his touch is really back just like old times. Against the Suns, he shoot 1/10 from deep and that's the worst I have seen him play. 5/21 field goals in 34 minutes, he is not even helping at all unlike what Curry did when he is off night. He doesn't shoot that much knowing it will be a miss and just became a point guard who facilitates and scrambles the defense of the opposing team with his off the ball movements.
They may have win against the Kings but the struggle is there without Curry running everywhere.

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[wheelz1200]

No. It's people who created a lot of expectations for them. Did they say they will be in the Finals this season prior to opening? Did they say they will be the champion this season? There are lots of people who put good expectations on them without realizing that most part of their roster is already past their prime and seem old to compete except for an aging Lebron James.

Yes, they will come back next season but they have to remove and replace those things that are necessary to remove. Vogel is a pain in the ass and doesn't know how to make effective plays. He is just relying on Lebron too lol.

That's a fact, most fans created a huge expectation with this current Lakers roster (including me), that's clear, most fans were already imagining a final between Lakers and Nets.

Basketball is a box of chocolates, anything can happen. Including Lakers' with poor performance, several players injured during the regular season and there was not that chemistry that "everybody" expected with this ""Dream Team" of the Lakers.

The writing was on the wall with the Lakers from day one.  They constructed the oldest team they could which in nba doesn't work need young legs out there.  If this was 2015 this team would have been amazing but unfortunately it's not lol.  This team was injuries waiting to happen.  The x factor was russ which was always gonna be a bad fit with lebron and AD even though ad never really played.  With those 2 you need off ball shooters and defenders.  GM should be the one who should go.  Vogel was set up to fail to begin with.

[Questat]

No. It's people who created a lot of expectations for them. Did they say they will be in the Finals this season prior to opening? Did they say they will be the champion this season? There are lots of people who put good expectations on them without realizing that most part of their roster is already past their prime and seem old to compete except for an aging Lebron James.

Yes, they will come back next season but they have to remove and replace those things that are necessary to remove. Vogel is a pain in the ass and doesn't know how to make effective plays. He is just relying on Lebron too lol.

That's a fact, most fans created a huge expectation with this current Lakers roster (including me), that's clear, most fans were already imagining a final between Lakers and Nets.

Basketball is a box of chocolates, anything can happen. Including Lakers' with poor performance, several players injured during the regular season and there was not that chemistry that "everybody" expected with this ""Dream Team" of the Lakers.

The writing was on the wall with the Lakers from day one.  They constructed the oldest team they could which in nba doesn't work need young legs out there.  If this was 2015 this team would have been amazing but unfortunately it's not lol.  This team was injuries waiting to happen.  The x factor was russ which was always gonna be a bad fit with lebron and AD even though ad never really played.  With those 2 you need off ball shooters and defenders.  GM should be the one who should go.  Vogel was set up to fail to begin with.

Lakers should have stayed with the old roster that won them a championship. Trading a bunch of players for Westbrook turns out a bad idea. Now, their season is over (although not officially) and they need to make changes for the next season, and I'm guessing that WB will be traded again.

[Oasisman]

No. It's people who created a lot of expectations for them. Did they say they will be in the Finals this season prior to opening? Did they say they will be the champion this season? There are lots of people who put good expectations on them without realizing that most part of their roster is already past their prime and seem old to compete except for an aging Lebron James.

Yes, they will come back next season but they have to remove and replace those things that are necessary to remove. Vogel is a pain in the ass and doesn't know how to make effective plays. He is just relying on Lebron too lol.

That's a fact, most fans created a huge expectation with this current Lakers roster (including me), that's clear, most fans were already imagining a final between Lakers and Nets.

Basketball is a box of chocolates, anything can happen. Including Lakers' with poor performance, several players injured during the regular season and there was not that chemistry that "everybody" expected with this ""Dream Team" of the Lakers.

The writing was on the wall with the Lakers from day one.  They constructed the oldest team they could which in nba doesn't work need young legs out there.  If this was 2015 this team would have been amazing but unfortunately it's not lol.  This team was injuries waiting to happen.  The x factor was russ which was always gonna be a bad fit with lebron and AD even though ad never really played.  With those 2 you need off ball shooters and defenders.  GM should be the one who should go.  Vogel was set up to fail to begin with.

The experimental X factor Russ didn't work, and you're right he just don't fit with LeBron and AD. Plus, the Lakers didn't become complete as a roster even once this whole season. AD just became worse and hopeless. It's pointless for them to pursue the playoffs, they should better rest and let the bench warmers finish the season.
The Lakers has zero chance on winning the power house teams in the West even If they make it to the 8th spot.

[gagux123]

The Golden State Warriors continue to show that the team can do something without Curry who beat the Sacramento Kings without difficulty and won their second straight win. This team can perform very well when the playoff time comes and be one of the biggest candidates for the championship it will be nice to watch

I don't know if this is conclusive, but we can't rush into these last few games

I'm not belittling the team, but the Warriors will only be tested if they play against a team of excellent quality, or even in the first rounds of the playoffs.
If the team progresses without Curry, yes, we can conclude the GSW are mature and good enough to be a competitive team without Curry.

[wheelz1200]

No. It's people who created a lot of expectations for them. Did they say they will be in the Finals this season prior to opening? Did they say they will be the champion this season? There are lots of people who put good expectations on them without realizing that most part of their roster is already past their prime and seem old to compete except for an aging Lebron James.

Yes, they will come back next season but they have to remove and replace those things that are necessary to remove. Vogel is a pain in the ass and doesn't know how to make effective plays. He is just relying on Lebron too lol.

That's a fact, most fans created a huge expectation with this current Lakers roster (including me), that's clear, most fans were already imagining a final between Lakers and Nets.

Basketball is a box of chocolates, anything can happen. Including Lakers' with poor performance, several players injured during the regular season and there was not that chemistry that "everybody" expected with this ""Dream Team" of the Lakers.

The writing was on the wall with the Lakers from day one.  They constructed the oldest team they could which in nba doesn't work need young legs out there.  If this was 2015 this team would have been amazing but unfortunately it's not lol.  This team was injuries waiting to happen.  The x factor was russ which was always gonna be a bad fit with lebron and AD even though ad never really played.  With those 2 you need off ball shooters and defenders.  GM should be the one who should go.  Vogel was set up to fail to begin with.

Lakers should have stayed with the old roster that won them a championship. Trading a bunch of players for Westbrook turns out a bad idea. Now, their season is over (although not officially) and they need to make changes for the next season, and I'm guessing that WB will be traded again.

Trading Westbrook is going to be next to impossible.  They will either have to take on a longer contract for a player some other team doesn't want or package WB with young talent and/or draft capital so that another team will take on Westbrooks contract.  Either way Lakers are in a lose/lose situation.

[Reid]

Trading Westbrook is going to be next to impossible.  They will either have to take on a longer contract for a player some other team doesn't want or package WB with young talent and/or draft capital so that another team will take on Westbrooks contract.  Either way Lakers are in a lose/lose situation.

Certainly. Stats base he is down by a high percentage. His shooting is also unacceptable but he still have the agility to attack the paint which we can still witness up until now. Teams on the lower seeds now will just risk it with the draft for a younger player and not expensive rather than an old one with his contract intact.
A good comparison of a difference is CP3 and WB. Both do not have a championship yet and with high stats on their prime but I think most team owners would pick the former. Even OKC did great when CP3 was inserted in it and even went to the playoffs with no chemistry whatsoever just the leadership.

[OgNasty]

Trading Westbrook is going to be next to impossible.  They will either have to take on a longer contract for a player some other team doesn't want or package WB with young talent and/or draft capital so that another team will take on Westbrooks contract.  Either way Lakers are in a lose/lose situation.

Certainly. Stats base he is down by a high percentage. His shooting is also unacceptable but he still have the agility to attack the paint which we can still witness up until now. Teams on the lower seeds now will just risk it with the draft for a younger player and not expensive rather than an old one with his contract intact.
A good comparison of a difference is CP3 and WB. Both do not have a championship yet and with high stats on their prime but I think most team owners would pick the former. Even OKC did great when CP3 was inserted in it and even went to the playoffs with no chemistry whatsoever just the leadership.

I’m sure a deal with his and John Wall’s terrible contracts is always a possibility. Looking back, like Magic Johnson is, it’s easy to place blame after the Westbrook trade. With the Lakers playing the Suns tonight and 2 games out of the play-in tourney, it’s not looking good for them. If the Spurs win another game and the Lakers lose tonight, it’s all over. I’m expecting James to come back and try to put up 50 on the Suns, but at this point it’s about him getting a scoring title and not reaching the postseason. A shame. I had hoped he’d get 6 rings to tie Jordan, but it doesn’t look like his career is going to pan out that way.

[Yogee]

Trading Westbrook is going to be next to impossible.  They will either have to take on a longer contract for a player some other team doesn't want or package WB with young talent and/or draft capital so that another team will take on Westbrooks contract.  Either way Lakers are in a lose/lose situation.

Certainly. Stats base he is down by a high percentage. His shooting is also unacceptable but he still have the agility to attack the paint which we can still witness up until now. Teams on the lower seeds now will just risk it with the draft for a younger player and not expensive rather than an old one with his contract intact.
A good comparison of a difference is CP3 and WB. Both do not have a championship yet and with high stats on their prime but I think most team owners would pick the former. Even OKC did great when CP3 was inserted in it and even went to the playoffs with no chemistry whatsoever just the leadership.

I’m sure a deal with his and John Wall’s terrible contracts is always a possibility.

John Wall acquisition would be problematic if Lakers pair him to Lebron or AD. It's probably much worse than what they have right now. Westbrook may have been a disappointment but he still tried to "blend" with the team to be fair. I don't think Wall is someone will do that. He's like one of those Alpha and will struggle if he doesn't get most of the ball.

[Maslate]

Trading Westbrook is going to be next to impossible.  They will either have to take on a longer contract for a player some other team doesn't want or package WB with young talent and/or draft capital so that another team will take on Westbrooks contract.  Either way Lakers are in a lose/lose situation.

Certainly. Stats base he is down by a high percentage. His shooting is also unacceptable but he still have the agility to attack the paint which we can still witness up until now. Teams on the lower seeds now will just risk it with the draft for a younger player and not expensive rather than an old one with his contract intact.
A good comparison of a difference is CP3 and WB. Both do not have a championship yet and with high stats on their prime but I think most team owners would pick the former. Even OKC did great when CP3 was inserted in it and even went to the playoffs with no chemistry whatsoever just the leadership.

I’m sure a deal with his and John Wall’s terrible contracts is always a possibility.

John Wall acquisition would be problematic if Lakers pair him to Lebron or AD. It's probably much worse than what they have right now. Westbrook may have been a disappointment but he still tried to "blend" with the team to be fair. I don't think Wall is someone will do that. He's like one of those Alpha and will struggle if he doesn't get most of the ball.

I see the other way, for me, John is a great captain than Westbrook, if LA will give Wall the real position of a PG, let him manage the floor, things will be better for the Lakers by next season. These players (Lebron, AD, and Wall) may have past their primes but their experience and chemistry are enough to make a successful team.

[doomloop]

The writing was on the wall with the Lakers from day one.  They constructed the oldest team they could which in nba doesn't work need young legs out there.  If this was 2015 this team would have been amazing but unfortunately it's not lol.  This team was injuries waiting to happen.  The x factor was russ which was always gonna be a bad fit with lebron and AD even though ad never really played.  With those 2 you need off ball shooters and defenders.  GM should be the one who should go.  Vogel was set up to fail to begin with.

Another thing that was 100% obvious from the start is the fact that Lebron likes to get one great rebounder, himself, and 3 people who can shoot around him. I mean that's what he did literally all his life and that is when he gets to be the best he can be. Even at a very old age, any players who are shooters would have been a lot more awesome. Instead, they got westbrook, a guy who gets pissed off when you call him westbrick.

I mean why would you get a player who likes to drive to the rim and score there, when you have lebron on your team? Lebron is the king of doing that, you just got to get players who would shoot when Lebron passes outside when he gets in. Buddy Hield was talked about, if they got him, we would be talking so much differently.

[OgNasty]

Trading Westbrook is going to be next to impossible.  They will either have to take on a longer contract for a player some other team doesn't want or package WB with young talent and/or draft capital so that another team will take on Westbrooks contract.  Either way Lakers are in a lose/lose situation.

Certainly. Stats base he is down by a high percentage. His shooting is also unacceptable but he still have the agility to attack the paint which we can still witness up until now. Teams on the lower seeds now will just risk it with the draft for a younger player and not expensive rather than an old one with his contract intact.
A good comparison of a difference is CP3 and WB. Both do not have a championship yet and with high stats on their prime but I think most team owners would pick the former. Even OKC did great when CP3 was inserted in it and even went to the playoffs with no chemistry whatsoever just the leadership.

I’m sure a deal with his and John Wall’s terrible contracts is always a possibility.

John Wall acquisition would be problematic if Lakers pair him to Lebron or AD. It's probably much worse than what they have right now. Westbrook may have been a disappointment but he still tried to "blend" with the team to be fair. I don't think Wall is someone will do that. He's like one of those Alpha and will struggle if he doesn't get most of the ball.

I think John Wall is a better basketball player at this stage in their careers and would likely do more than Westbrook could, not to mention the Westbrook experiment is a failure, so anything to make a change might be good.

The big news of the day is that the Lakers have already started looking into making a coaching change in the offseason.  The candidate right now is Doc Rivers: https://sports.yahoo.com/report-sixers-coach-doc-rivers-182013950.html

I think a coaching change is a must and I think it's likely that Doc Rivers could be coaching a big 3 of Lebron James, Russell Westbrook, & Demar DeRozan next season.  Hopefully Carmelo is willing to run it back and if Dwight Howard can stay healthy for one more year then they might actually have a shot at redemption.  We'll see though...  I think the Denver Nuggets are going to be tough to beat next year.

[24Kt]

The Golden State Warriors continue to show that the team can do something without Curry who beat the Sacramento Kings without difficulty and won their second straight win. This team can perform very well when the playoff time comes and be one of the biggest candidates for the championship it will be nice to watch

I don't know if this is conclusive, but we can't rush into these last few games

I'm not belittling the team, but the Warriors will only be tested if they play against a team of excellent quality, or even in the first rounds of the playoffs.
If the team progresses without Curry, yes, we can conclude the GSW are mature and good enough to be a competitive team without Curry.

Came here for discussion of the teams as I am looking for insights how they will be performing inside the court. Betting a lot this season. So small clues would help.   Sometimes you can get valuable insights from the eyes of the bettors here that you can't read from the sports websites. People here are very active with what they have to say, I can say that.

[Yogee]

Trading Westbrook is going to be next to impossible.  They will either have to take on a longer contract for a player some other team doesn't want or package WB with young talent and/or draft capital so that another team will take on Westbrooks contract.  Either way Lakers are in a lose/lose situation.

Certainly. Stats base he is down by a high percentage. His shooting is also unacceptable but he still have the agility to attack the paint which we can still witness up until now. Teams on the lower seeds now will just risk it with the draft for a younger player and not expensive rather than an old one with his contract intact.
A good comparison of a difference is CP3 and WB. Both do not have a championship yet and with high stats on their prime but I think most team owners would pick the former. Even OKC did great when CP3 was inserted in it and even went to the playoffs with no chemistry whatsoever just the leadership.

I’m sure a deal with his and John Wall’s terrible contracts is always a possibility.

John Wall acquisition would be problematic if Lakers pair him to Lebron or AD. It's probably much worse than what they have right now. Westbrook may have been a disappointment but he still tried to "blend" with the team to be fair. I don't think Wall is someone will do that. He's like one of those Alpha and will struggle if he doesn't get most of the ball.

I see the other way, for me, John is a great captain than Westbrook, if LA will give Wall the real position of a PG, let him manage the floor, things will be better for the Lakers by next season. These players (Lebron, AD, and Wall) may have past their primes but their experience and chemistry are enough to make a successful team.

Yes they have the experience and all that but who will be the floor general is the first problem they have to deal with. It's not something the coach can decide on his own since players have so much power today. I seriously doubt Lebron would give way like what D. Wade did when they played in Miami. I also don't see Wall swallowing his ego and pride to accept a secondary role.

They can think of chemistry next.

[agustina2]

Trading Westbrook is going to be next to impossible.  They will either have to take on a longer contract for a player some other team doesn't want or package WB with young talent and/or draft capital so that another team will take on Westbrooks contract.  Either way Lakers are in a lose/lose situation.

Before trading Westbrook, they should replace Vogel first. The Lakers can give a chance for Westbrook to get back in his shape. When Lebron James and Anthony Davis are healthy and playing alongside Westbrook, the Lakers have a good record.

The problem is their backup players and the distribution of playing time which is in Voge's role.

Trade their role players, and find good role players too. No need to be a former All-star or what. That can solve their chemistry issues.

[goinmerry]

I think John Wall is a better basketball player at this stage in their careers and would likely do more than Westbrook could, not to mention the Westbrook experiment is a failure, so anything to make a change might be good.

I think we can disregard John Wall being shifted or traded to any other teams.

It's reported before though I can't find the news now, that the Houston Rockets decided not to allow John Wall to play this season even though he is cleared to play. It's because they want to utilized him more next season while seeing the improvement of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. They allow their two young players to take over this season as part of the preparation for next season. They will also have a good ticket on the draft night and possibly can hunt good promising players to join their roster.

[Dave1]

Trading Westbrook is going to be next to impossible.  They will either have to take on a longer contract for a player some other team doesn't want or package WB with young talent and/or draft capital so that another team will take on Westbrooks contract.  Either way Lakers are in a lose/lose situation.

Before trading Westbrook, they should replace Vogel first. The Lakers can give a chance for Westbrook to get back in his shape. When Lebron James and Anthony Davis are healthy and playing alongside Westbrook, the Lakers have a good record.

The problem is their backup players and the distribution of playing time which is in Voge's role.

Trade their role players, and find good role players too. No need to be a former All-star or what. That can solve their chemistry issues.

I agree with the Vogel part, it seems that he has lost his touch already, we have seen that the small lineup is a failure, with Lebron playing at times the center position, it's not going to work because teams now are going to abused that mismatch. If he has ditch this one out early when it is not working and inserted Dwight or even DJ when he was still a Lakers, maybe the outcome should have played differently.

[Yogee]

....
I think John Wall is a better basketball player at this stage in their careers and would likely do more than Westbrook could,

He probably is but I'm talking from a team player perspective. I think Westbrook is better than him in that regard.

......
I think we can disregard John Wall being shifted or traded to any other teams.

It's reported before though I can't find the news now, that the Houston Rockets decided not to allow John Wall to play this season even though he is cleared to play. It's because they want to utilized him more next season while seeing the improvement of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. They allow their two young players to take over this season as part of the preparation for next season. They will also have a good ticket on the draft night and possibly can hunt good promising players to join their roster.

I can't find article that says that but that's a weird decision if they really planned to let him play next season. It makes more sense to have those three play together this season so they could develop chemistry as soon as possible. John Wall playing won't guarantee a playoff spot anyway. They could still end up at the bottom for all we know and get a better chance for the draft.

[ingiltere]

Heat finished first half ten points ahead but Hornets closed the gap in second half. Other Hornets players couldn't get same rhythm as LaMelo in first half. In third quarter it was head-to-head again, Miles Bridges did everything, but in last quarter Heat got two digits lead again. Things are hard for Hornets now. Butler and Herro plays really well, Robinson and Adebayo also helped. Heat is close to finish the game early.

[Pamadar]

Heat finished first half ten points ahead but Hornets closed the gap in second half. Other Hornets players couldn't get same rhythm as LaMelo in first half. In third quarter it was head-to-head again, Miles Bridges did everything, but in last quarter Heat got two digits lead again. Things are hard for Hornets now. Butler and Herro plays really well, Robinson and Adebayo also helped. Heat is close to finish the game early.

They close and complete the game with a win. It's that 4th quarter performance that really separates the game.

Heat dominated the last quarter with both offense and defense. There's no answer from the
Hornets, another great game from the young star, Herro and Robinson, jive well with the
core stars. These same stars who bring them to the finals from that last bubble against
the lakers..