2024 NBA Season

[OgNasty]

I read that Al Horford has finally decided to call it quits. I thought he said after the season he wanted to run it back, but it seems old age may have gotten the best of him as it seems his mind has been made up and he’s retiring an NBA champion. Can’t hate the man for going out on top. I wonder what this says about the Celtics…

Are you sure abut that? I didn't hear anything about it and just checked google and couldn't find anything. But yeah, despite him saying he wants to run it back it would also make sense to call it quits now, couldn't have a better timing.
He still looks good on the field but after all he is already 38 years old.
Going out on top is always a great decision. If you don't need the money and have finally fulfilled the one goal in the league, getting a ring, it's no shame to retire and spend time with the family. Fun fact, he is married to 2003 Miss Universe. Not a bad woman to hang out with more from now on.  

Here’s the post (tweet?) where it was announced that I saw. I see now that it was reported by Legon Sports and not Legion Sports, so it is very possibly not true. The post has 35K likes, so I figured it was legitimate, but now I believe that many people were bamboozled by it. I need to start blocking these lookalike accounts. Getting 35K likes on fake news is wild.

https://x.com/legonhoop/status/1833268109677117926

[fullhdpixel]

We will see then what Westbrook can bring in the table, he signed a 2 year contract so maybe in the beginning we might not see the impact, but for sure he would be a great mentor to the younger guys as you have said. KCP is no longer with the team though, he is moving to Orlando Magic, so that is one piece of their back court that is gone.

He needs to jive his game with those young stars and role players as he signed 2-year deal expecting him to bring something if he will be coming from the bench or maybe he might be include with the core playing alongside with Jokic,Jamal,Porter Jr and Gordon let see if how coach Malone will use him, with Jokic he's offensive mentality might work just rotate and find his space surely Jokic will pass the ball to him.

There are too many players that got worse over time and their playing style doesn't fit the aging issue, Westbrook could be one of them. Denever is a great team but they are not a dominant team and I think it's clear that we are not going to see them have something that could change so much.

We should consider the situation to be a little bit different and we could be considering the situation very sensitive for Denver because if they can use their cards right and win one or two more rings that would be awesome for them, if not they are going to end up god knows how long until they can get another ring again in the future. They have what it takes to win one right now, with additions and all ,they can make that work, it's possible, but that would be something they have to do now, right away.

[wheelz1200]

Jamal's comeback is like the case of Klay Thompson, he was out a season and then both of them have a spectacular season after that winning the champion. And then they had difficulty defending the championship. And I guess it shows how difficult it is to defend though, much more three peat and then established dynasties. So they really have to focus again if they want to get that ring back. But we have the Celtics, who I think is the favorite to win back to back because of how strong they are last season. But let's see, as  I have said, defending that championship is hard, many teams are goin to make it difficult for the Celtics, including former champion Denver Nuggets with Jokic and Murray at the helm.

It’s very hard to depend their title since Nuggets toss a lot of key players especially bench players that give huge contributions during their championship run. KCP and Porter Jr is not that productive either while their bench is weak as fuck.

They even make Braun a starter which is just a bench before. Nuggets didn’t even bother to maintain their roster for this year after their Championship run because they become cocky that Jokic and Jamal alone can carry the tram which didn’t happened.

Nugget should focus on building again their 2nd unit team since Porter Jr play is always on and off same with KCP.

I think that’s why they brought in Westbrook. He’s going to mentor the younger guys and help build up the second unit. I disagree about Porter Jr. I think he’s a major reason why they are as good as they are and he’s fought off horrific injuries that would have ended most people’s careers. He is a bargain and would be a superstar if he was never injured.

We will see then what Westbrook can bring in the table, he signed a 2 year contract so maybe in the beginning we might not see the impact, but for sure he would be a great mentor to the younger guys as you have said. KCP is no longer with the team though, he is moving to Orlando Magic, so that is one piece of their back court that is gone. I do agree with Michael Porter Jr, I think he is still a work in progress, if not for his back injuries that have been nagging him, and that cost his game to be inconsistent, he could be the 3rd guy for them. Perhaps after winning, it's really hard to maintain that focus and defend it. We have seen going to that phases as they don't have the competitiveness inside of them.

I didn't think kcp was going to be a huge loss and not convinced he is the missing piece for orlando.  Russ will be fine so long as he just plays that energy role.  But make no mistake about it, this team lives and dies with jokic, Murray and MPJ.  Everyone else around them are just pieces to the puzzle amd are interchangeable.  Should be a huge change either way

[danherbias07]

Every coach job is on the line even if they bring them championship.

Frank Vogel won a NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020. In 2022, he was no longer the coach and was fired.
Mike Budenholzer won a ring with the Bucks in 2021, but in 2023 he was out of the job.

So management doesn't value coaches in my opinion, it's what they can bring, and if they can't win a ring then they will be fired including Malone here. Steve Kerr is different, he built a dynasty with the Dubs, winning 4 championships.

This is true and that's reality and I think every Coach knows that.

Their jobs are always on the brink whenever they make a bad season. I think it's Coach Spoelstra and Coach Popovich which was loved by their management because whatever happened to their teams, they still kept their job.
But for others, it's always like their one foot in the grave for their jobs. I was actually shocked when Coach Budenholzer was fired, that was just some nasty management unable to take the blame on themselves and that's why they pinned it all on their coach but I know people/fans already know about this.
For Coach Malone, he should be ready for anything because I bet they are just waiting for him to make a mistake. Just like the other coaches you mentioned, they are fired after 2 years of being a champ and it looks like it's becoming a norm in the league.

[TravelMug]

What they can look forward with Westbrook is he not a injury prone type of player and he played a lot of games with Clippers. Imagine he played more with their main star and in that case they get what they paid for Westbrook.

He may not be injury-prone, but he's inconsistent. That's the reason why he's been moving from team to team after being a superstar with OKC. If you look at his production, it's really going down, he averaged only 11 PPG last season with the Clippers. Well, that's understandable since his minutes were limited, but from being a triple-double machine, this is where he's at now.

A big problem I see with Westbrook is his poor 3-point shooting, he only shot 27% last season. Sometimes, defenders just let him take the shot, and that can really hurt his confidence, especially when they leave you wide open and you still can't make the shot.

He is not injury prone with the Clippers because he wasn't given enough playing time, unlike when he was with the Wizards, prior to joining the Lakers, he was still like a prime version of him and the first or second option with the team. But with a lot of superstars in the Clippers when he was still there, his playing time diminishes.

Not just 3 point shooting, his outside shooting in general. We have seen teams daring him to shoot that 3 and it was all bricks. That's why they call him Westbrick because of his bad shooting percentage. But he signs a 2 year contract so enough time for him to have this extend his career and it hangs whether what role he will do with them and help the team to win another ring.

[Yaunfitda]

Jamal's comeback is like the case of Klay Thompson, he was out a season and then both of them have a spectacular season after that winning the champion. And then they had difficulty defending the championship. And I guess it shows how difficult it is to defend though, much more three peat and then established dynasties. So they really have to focus again if they want to get that ring back. But we have the Celtics, who I think is the favorite to win back to back because of how strong they are last season. But let's see, as  I have said, defending that championship is hard, many teams are goin to make it difficult for the Celtics, including former champion Denver Nuggets with Jokic and Murray at the helm.

It’s very hard to depend their title since Nuggets toss a lot of key players especially bench players that give huge contributions during their championship run. KCP and Porter Jr is not that productive either while their bench is weak as fuck.

They even make Braun a starter which is just a bench before. Nuggets didn’t even bother to maintain their roster for this year after their Championship run because they become cocky that Jokic and Jamal alone can carry the tram which didn’t happened.

Nugget should focus on building again their 2nd unit team since Porter Jr play is always on and off same with KCP.

I think that’s why they brought in Westbrook. He’s going to mentor the younger guys and help build up the second unit. I disagree about Porter Jr. I think he’s a major reason why they are as good as they are and he’s fought off horrific injuries that would have ended most people’s careers. He is a bargain and would be a superstar if he was never injured.

We will see then what Westbrook can bring in the table, he signed a 2 year contract so maybe in the beginning we might not see the impact, but for sure he would be a great mentor to the younger guys as you have said. KCP is no longer with the team though, he is moving to Orlando Magic, so that is one piece of their back court that is gone. I do agree with Michael Porter Jr, I think he is still a work in progress, if not for his back injuries that have been nagging him, and that cost his game to be inconsistent, he could be the 3rd guy for them. Perhaps after winning, it's really hard to maintain that focus and defend it. We have seen going to that phases as they don't have the competitiveness inside of them.

I didn't think kcp was going to be a huge loss and not convinced he is the missing piece for orlando.  Russ will be fine so long as he just plays that energy role.  But make no mistake about it, this team lives and dies with jokic, Murray and MPJ.  Everyone else around them are just pieces to the puzzle amd are interchangeable.  Should be a huge change either way

But you have to find that another piece to make the team great again. It was a blue print set up by the great Phil Jackson. So it one piece has left like KCP, they will have to find a replacement, but can WB that kind of player? They totally play different, that's why I think mentorship might be the role of WB with them. Yes, high octane player, maybe it could translate to more points for him or his team. He was one a great passer, and could still be if given enough time in the court. That's why the first year of WB will be critical for the Nuggets, and then the issue with their coach and management could be a background noise that could affect the psychology of the team.

[Baofeng]

I don't think that Coach Malone bothers if he's getting fired or not. After all, their GM did all these bad decisions enough for his will to get another title with Denver dissipate. Their GM isn't that popular TBH, and I will not know him as well if only I didn't watch any NBA-related videos on YouTube.

Of course, you should be bothered, you brought a ring in the city and at least the management should value it. However, and I think others will agree that coaches are the first to suffer and the first one to blame.

As for who will be the number 1 during the regular season with the West, I will not be surprised if it will be the Thunder again because they just acquired Caruso which is a good defender, and Hartenstein which is a good back-up center alongside young and talented players. The Nuggets? With their current roster, I predict they will be at the bottom 4 unless they will get good role players mid-season.

It's going to be a great Western conference battle, I like the Thunder chances again and I think they have matured and still very solid team even if they traded Josh Giddey, they still have SGA to lead the team. And we all know that Klay is with the Dallas now, so they also could have a good run at the position, they haven't been in top 3, so this could be their first time under Luka. And we have the Wolve's as well with KAT, also improving so let's see how's his form this season. Just a month to go though, and for sure NBA fans are excited one again.

[Dave1]

Every coach job is on the line even if they bring them championship.

Frank Vogel won a NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020. In 2022, he was no longer the coach and was fired.
Mike Budenholzer won a ring with the Bucks in 2021, but in 2023 he was out of the job.

So management doesn't value coaches in my opinion, it's what they can bring, and if they can't win a ring then they will be fired including Malone here. Steve Kerr is different, he built a dynasty with the Dubs, winning 4 championships.

This is true and that's reality and I think every Coach knows that.

Their jobs are always on the brink whenever they make a bad season. I think it's Coach Spoelstra and Coach Popovich which was loved by their management because whatever happened to their teams, they still kept their job.
But for others, it's always like their one foot in the grave for their jobs. I was actually shocked when Coach Budenholzer was fired, that was just some nasty management unable to take the blame on themselves and that's why they pinned it all on their coach but I know people/fans already know about this.
For Coach Malone, he should be ready for anything because I bet they are just waiting for him to make a mistake. Just like the other coaches you mentioned, they are fired after 2 years of being a champ and it looks like it's becoming a norm in the league.

Yes, sad but true, even if they were offered big contracts, at the end of the day, they are still vulnerable to the management's decision and I do not think that they can win against them. So Malone not seeing eye to eye with the GM will have it's consequences sooner or later.

We can add to that list is Monty Williams. He brought the Suns to the finals against the Bucks, unfortunately, they didn't win because Giannis did play a monster championship finals. But the same outcome, 2 years later he is gone as well.

[avp2306]

He may not be injury-prone, but he's inconsistent. That's the reason why he's been moving from team to team after being a superstar with OKC. If you look at his production, it's really going down, he averaged only 11 PPG last season with the Clippers. Well, that's understandable since his minutes were limited, but from being a triple-double machine, this is where he's at now.

A big problem I see with Westbrook is his poor 3-point shooting, he only shot 27% last season. Sometimes, defenders just let him take the shot, and that can really hurt his confidence, especially when they leave you wide open and you still can't make the shot.

He is not injury prone with the Clippers because he wasn't given enough playing time, unlike when he was with the Wizards, prior to joining the Lakers, he was still like a prime version of him and the first or second option with the team. But with a lot of superstars in the Clippers when he was still there, his playing time diminishes.

Not just 3 point shooting, his outside shooting in general. We have seen teams daring him to shoot that 3 and it was all bricks. That's why they call him Westbrick because of his bad shooting percentage. But he signs a 2 year contract so enough time for him to have this extend his career and it hangs whether what role he will do with them and help the team to win another ring.

His inconsistency is really a problem with Westbrook and I guess there's something bad happen on his mental side since maybe he can't take to much bashing and maybe that affect his total performance.

Maybe he just need to have a good role on the team and also a good atmosphere then maybe we can see a Mr triple double Westbrook. But I also think that if Nuggets cannot release a superstar Westbrook and he remain to be inconsistent even if he is in strong team now, maybe the Nuggets will be the last team he play since for sure that lots of NBA teams will avoid to sign him due to those issues he currently facing inside the court.

[Natalim]

Yes, sad but true, even if they were offered big contracts, at the end of the day, they are still vulnerable to the management's decision and I do not think that they can win against them. So Malone not seeing eye to eye with the GM will have it's consequences sooner or later.

We can add to that list is Monty Williams. He brought the Suns to the finals against the Bucks, unfortunately, they didn't win because Giannis did play a monster championship finals. But the same outcome, 2 years later he is gone as well.

I remember Monty Williams, he coach the Pistons after the suns with a huge conract.
Monty Williams’ $78M Contract Impact Endures After Pistons Firing


There was a chance to win a championship with the Suns, but they really struggled against the Bucks. Actually, they were the first to score at home, starting 2-0, and then the Bucks won four consecutive games to become champions. A coach is never really safe, and their salary isn't as high compared to the players, so it's easier to replace them. There are many skilled coaches just waiting for their chance to sign as head coach. Just like Joe Mazzulla, when Ime Udoka was terminated due to an internal affair, Mazzulla got the opportunity to take the team to the finals and eventually won the championship last season.

As they say, nothing personal, just pure business.

[dwyane36]

Their jobs are always on the brink whenever they make a bad season. I think it's Coach Spoelstra and Coach Popovich which was loved by their management because whatever happened to their teams, they still kept their job.

Yes, a good relationship between management and coaches/players definitely affects the size and length of contracts. In Pop's case, it's no surprise because he's undoubtedly a legendary coach who has significantly contributed to the Spurs franchise. By the way, he's been with the Spurs for 27 seasons.
As for Spoelstra, he is definitely one of the best coaches at the moment, but in his case, luck was involved. He was an assistant coach in the 05/06 season when the Heat won their first Finals, and then he was lucky enough to lead the big trio that brought him and the Heat a couple more rings.

[Fredomago]

We will see then what Westbrook can bring in the table, he signed a 2 year contract so maybe in the beginning we might not see the impact, but for sure he would be a great mentor to the younger guys as you have said. KCP is no longer with the team though, he is moving to Orlando Magic, so that is one piece of their back court that is gone.

He needs to jive his game with those young stars and role players as he signed 2-year deal expecting him to bring something if he will be coming from the bench or maybe he might be include with the core playing alongside with Jokic,Jamal,Porter Jr and Gordon let see if how coach Malone will use him, with Jokic he's offensive mentality might work just rotate and find his space surely Jokic will pass the ball to him.

There are too many players that got worse over time and their playing style doesn't fit the aging issue, Westbrook could be one of them. Denever is a great team but they are not a dominant team and I think it's clear that we are not going to see them have something that could change so much.

We should consider the situation to be a little bit different and we could be considering the situation very sensitive for Denver because if they can use their cards right and win one or two more rings that would be awesome for them, if not they are going to end up god knows how long until they can get another ring again in the future. They have what it takes to win one right now, with additions and all ,they can make that work, it's possible, but that would be something they have to do now, right away.

Getting the point yes indeed, Denver might have another shot for the title if they all perform well this upcoming season considering that there's no major injuries, not sure if how coach Malone will use his key players and jive the players together and be more competitive, though as we know from time to time teams from both sides are really catching up and will try their best to be more competitive, so with Denver.

Speaking about WB, not concluding yet but let see if what he can bring for them and if he can bring that help that the sqaud needs out from him.

[LogitechMouse]

Getting the point yes indeed, Denver might have another shot for the title if they all perform well this upcoming season considering that there's no major injuries, not sure if how coach Malone will use his key players and jive the players together and be more competitive, though as we know from time to time teams from both sides are really catching up and will try their best to be more competitive, so with Denver.

Speaking about WB, not concluding yet but let see if what he can bring for them and if he can bring that help that the sqaud needs out from him.

The Nuggets have been known for their depth when they won the title 2 years ago. Now? Who's the most reliable bench player that they have right now? What's worse is that, they gave a 4-year contract to somebody that doesn't have that much playing time at all. They gave Nnaji a 4-year $32M contract, but he only has an average playing time last season of 9.9 Minutes with only 3.2 PPG. You're too optimistic about them TBH, and yes they have a good starting 5, but their bench is like... MEH!!!. You see them having another shot at the title? I see them ending the regular season at the 6th-8th spot. No offense, but it's my opinion. I've seen them how they won that title, and they don't have it currently.

As for Westbrook, he averaged 11.1 PPG, 5 APG, 4.5 RPG with around 22 minutes of playing time per game. He's the best role player that the Nuggets have right now, but can they rely on him? Now in his current state? It's too early to predict, but let's see how the acquisition of Westbrook will improve their roster.

[bitgolden]

Westbrook was never a good three point shooter, and while he had a marvellous career at OKC, it was done as soon as he left because he was getting stat padding and friendly leadership benefits there, the moment he left it meant that nobody cared about what they can do for westbrook and only cared about what westbrook could do for them. He got famous for a moment about being mad at "westbrick" memes, and the reality is that if he doesn't want to be memed, then he should stop shooting so awful from three point line.


The exchange for getting paid tens of millions of dollars a year, maybe even near 100 million at his peak with his endorsement deals, is that if he plays awful then he will be mocked, you take that deal when you sign the contract, if you do not want to be mocked then do not do this job, it's that simple, it is not a shock to any player that when they play badly they will be mocked, this has been the case for the past fifty years, learn to live with it. He is one of the few players I truly hate, not just dislike or anything, like truly hate.

[OgNasty]

I’ve officially chosen the Minnesota Timberwolves as my pick to win the 2024-2025 NBA season. I think they may have peaked last year but Ant is certain to be better. With the right coaching I think they can get it done. As long as Giannis and Embiid get injured at some point and the Suns don’t figure out how to play together…

[el kaka22]

While some GM's may not be valuing some coaches, I think there is a huge difference between Mike Budenholzer situation and Frank Vogel situation. Yes Frank won a title with Lakers, but it was Lakers with Lebron and AD and they were in bubble and had a great squad around them, give that squad to me this year (and ages reverted back) and I would do at least playoffs and I am not even a coach, add in a coach and bubble, suddenly you have a team that can win it, so Frank wasn't really considered the main reason for that win, he was never considered any part of that equation, people thought any coach could have done that.

The thing is that Mike was not in a team because he couldn2t find one that fits him and his requirement, he requires championship coach money, and he wants a team that could be champions as well, not some rebuilding team. So that is why he hasn't found a place yet but I am sure that he will find it eventually and he will be hired by some team for sure.

[jossiel]

I’ve officially chosen the Minnesota Timberwolves as my pick to win the 2024-2025 NBA season. I think they may have peaked last year but Ant is certain to be better. With the right coaching I think they can get it done.

They're good and they're able to reach that far with that young Edwards.

As long as Giannis and Embiid get injured at some point and the Suns don’t figure out how to play together…

You've mentioned Suns, there were likely the most favored team last season before it started. They're packed with superstars and yet didn't go far so I agree to that.

[boyptc]

I think OP needs to edit the original post as we've got the 2024 NBA champs already - the Boston Celtics.

Also, he needs to change the poll and let's see the pulse of everyone in the forum that are also into NBA to see who are they eyeing for this upcoming season.

[Natalim]

I think OP needs to edit the original post as we've got the 2024 NBA champs already - the Boston Celtics.

Also, he needs to change the poll and let's see the pulse of everyone in the forum that are also into NBA to see who are they eyeing for this upcoming season.

The OP will surely update the thread title, so give him time. It should be edited once the new regular season officially starts.

so Frank wasn't really considered the main reason for that win, he was never considered any part of that equation, people thought any coach could have done that.

The decision made by the Lakers was still wrong because they did not improve after firing Vogel. It was also a mistake to release the players who helped them win the championship, such as Howard, Rondo, McGee, Kuzma, and KCP.

[boyptc]

I think OP needs to edit the original post as we've got the 2024 NBA champs already - the Boston Celtics.

Also, he needs to change the poll and let's see the pulse of everyone in the forum that are also into NBA to see who are they eyeing for this upcoming season.

The OP will surely update the thread title, so give him time. It should be edited once the new regular season officially starts.

Yeah, he's logged in recently so for sure that he's going to check into this thread and will change what has to be changed.

The decision made by the Lakers was still wrong because they did not improve after firing Vogel. It was also a mistake to release the players who helped them win the championship, such as Howard, Rondo, McGee, Kuzma, and KCP.

If they had kept most of these players, they're for sure going to reach that far but.....