2024 NBA Season

[jakelyson]

I really think James Harden will do anything, to get a shot at the finals, and the cutting of salary is 1 proof of it but does he still play the same or he is completely different now, but judging from what he did, I think he is surely feeling it now, so he needs to do everything to his power for him to get to close to the rings, apparently I really think his age has gotten him good,

He's done almost everything but I think that's not all that he can do. It's true that he's really taking a shot for the finals and that's why anything that he can sacrifice, he'll do it.
He wants to do it in his own way by pushing himself to the top, he's getting older and that's one of the achievements that he wants to have. Unlike some other players, they've got a reliable teammates and that's what he's lacking of.

I wonder how he looks right now. I feel like he was out of shape last season going to sixers. If he wants to win, that should be since he took a cut, he also should put some work on his conditioning. He is not that young anymore, so he really needs to put real effort to keep in shape for this season. Hopefully, they won't suffer any major injury, especially Embiid since he is prone. If they could stay healthy, they have a good chance to win the conference. For the Finals, let's wait and see. The west is quite stacked right now.

Why would they get Westbrook? Just like you said, they are on a rebuilding process and surely they wouldn't get a veteran player who is not on his prime years anymore. It's much better for the Jazz if they bet on the younger ones rather than the veterans, and if they get some veterans, that should be reliable enough to lead the team. Rumors are saying that Jordan Clarkson might receive an extension rather than a trade.

I guess if the Lakers offered Westbrook and a lot of draft picks, the Jazz would probably take him. It would be an attractive deal for both teams. Besides, as mentioned earlier, the Jazz management is rebuilding the roster anyway, and they obviously don't care much about where they finish in the upcoming regular season. So Westbrook, who has only 1 season left on his contract, wouldn't ruin anything for the Jazz because the Jazz would be outsiders either way.

The Lakers do not have any draft picks to offer though. They gave away all their future picks to the Pelicans to get Anthony Davis. The nearest first-round pick they have is in 2026. I doubt Jazz is interested to wait that long. They do not have anything that they can offer to go with the humungous contract WB has, especially to a rebuilding team like Jazz.

[Baofeng]

Right now, I think the 76ers are the better team to win right now in the East. I believe that Harden, Embiid and Maxey will be a good trio and add Tucker who is a great role player and defender. I also have doubts with the Nets as well. Will the chemistry as a team there after the drama that Kyrie and KD did? Will Simmons play the whole season and is there any changes in his playstyle? Let's just see during the regular season but I'm predicting the 76ers to win the East. Too early .

I have different rankings when it comes to the East. Yes, the 76ers are a strong team now but I think the Miami Heat will be hungry again.

I don't know about the 76ers though, I still have my qualms about Embid and Harden's combo, I don't know, I have a feeling that it they play the whole season, there could be some disconnect between the two, I do hope that I'mw wrong though.

I be more interested on Miami Heat, it was such a disappointment playoff for them, some of their key players have been injured or just play below expectations. Expecting that Jimmy to play with the leader mentality and bring the team to the next level.

[Smack That Ace]

Blake Griffin just signed a one year deal with the Celtics. Seems like the Celtics are the team for veterans to try and win a chip with now. I’m not so sure they’re the team to beat in the east. I think the 76ers, Bucks, & Nets all have better teams, but with Nash being strict on the old guys maybe the Celtics are the only place willing to take the old ring chasers. Hope Blake has a good season. Last year was a bit embarrassing.

Young and talented players plus a player who isn't in his post-prime years yet (he is only 33 years old) and with Gallinari getting injured, I guess the Celtics found a replacement in Griffin.

With Coach Udoka out this season, many have doubts with the Celtics already. Will they repeat their previous run? Will they repeat what they did last season, but now with a different head coach. Questions that will be answered during the Regular season.

Right now, I think the 76ers are the better team to win right now in the East. I believe that Harden, Embiid and Maxey will be a good trio and add Tucker who is a great role player and defender. I also have doubts with the Nets as well. Will the chemistry as a team there after the drama that Kyrie and KD did? Will Simmons play the whole season and is there any changes in his playstyle? Let's just see during the regular season but I'm predicting the 76ers to win the East. Too early .

I am doubtful about the Celtics as well. With coach Ime Udoka not being there, I think it will take a huge toll on their performance.

The Philadelphia 76ers team looks really good. The quality of the team is better. So, I am expecting a good performance from them. Almost all the other teams seemed to have some kind of problems between themselves and the Nets players had a lot of drama going on with the team. All these things suggest that Philadelphia 76ers should be the best performer going into this season.


regards

duke

[Pamadar]

Right now, I think the 76ers are the better team to win right now in the East. I believe that Harden, Embiid and Maxey will be a good trio and add Tucker who is a great role player and defender. I also have doubts with the Nets as well. Will the chemistry as a team there after the drama that Kyrie and KD did? Will Simmons play the whole season and is there any changes in his playstyle? Let's just see during the regular season but I'm predicting the 76ers to win the East. Too early .

I have different rankings when it comes to the East. Yes, the 76ers are a strong team now but I think the Miami Heat will be hungry again.
They've seen their weaknesses last season so now they know how to strengthen them. Plus, they are a young team with so much talent on their roster.
So it's either Heat or 76ers on the top and next to them are Celtics, Bucks, and Nets fighting for the 3rd.
But that's only for the season, the difference will be seen in the playoffs as the Heat are shaky when that event comes.

It's really hard to predict the East, if they are all healthy, I would agree that maybe the Sixers or Heat will be on top. And then Joel putting MVP numbers, but Butler being the leader of the Miami will push once more. And of course there is still Giannis, also putting great statistics and the big 3 of Nets seems to be enjoying their camp with KD, Harden and Simmons already saying praises for each other as if they have played together, Lol. Celtics might be the big underdog here, eventhough they have reach the finals, the shakeup in the organization might have put a dent on some of their players. Blake though might be good addition because Robert Williams is injured.

It might be a typo error, but instead of Harden it's Kyrie that is still in with the Nets.

and I'm also optimistic if all the 3 stars will play professionally and they will keep being healthy this season. The winning chance and advancing to the next round is not tough for the Nets. I like the way they are now hyping the possible trio and maybe they already have something that bonds them up. It will be shown once we see them sharing the floor, the east side does have competitive teams that are ready to compete with the west.

[YuginKadoya]

I really think James Harden will do anything, to get a shot at the finals, and the cutting of salary is 1 proof of it but does he still play the same or he is completely different now, but judging from what he did, I think he is surely feeling it now, so he needs to do everything to his power for him to get to close to the rings, apparently I really think his age has gotten him good,

He's done almost everything but I think that's not all that he can do. It's true that he's really taking a shot for the finals and that's why anything that he can sacrifice, he'll do it.
He wants to do it in his own way by pushing himself to the top, he's getting older and that's one of the achievements that he wants to have. Unlike some other players, they've got a reliable teammates and that's what he's lacking of.

He surely can not get it all, he may have the perseverance, and the mindset but those reliable teammates that he is longing to have he can not get those, that is why he decided to cut his salary, but does he? well ultimately the Philadelphia 76ers are having a hard time getting good teammates, but for me, the Philadelphia 76ers are still good and right now this season James Harden will be playing with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and P.J. Tucker I think that is a good sign in getting into the finals,


Preseason 2nd match

Milwaukee Bucks VS Memphis Grizzlies SCORE 102 - 107

Even though it was a close match both star players from both teams didn't play Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the Bucks and Jo Morant for the Grizzlies, although Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday played for the Bucks they really don't to much but still, I think this has pushed them to win the preseason game, but as I have said preseason games isn't really that important it doesn't matter what has happen to the game, but I love small details even if its just the preseason,

[FanEagle]

The weird thing is, who did Sixers get instead of paying Harden? I am looking at the roster of Sixers and all I can see is PJ Tucker and I feel like that’s not a huge deal as people make it out to be. They have Embiid, Harden, Harris is a good player, now PJ Tucker and that’s about it? Do you really think that they could make it to finals with these players?

I am not saying it’s impossible, of course they could still be a good team, but not like getting a cut suddenly made them insanely good, not like they got another superstar. It would have been awesome if they somehow got a third star to the team, that would make sense, but PJ Tucker is the place where that extra money went.

[danherbias07]

The weird thing is, who did Sixers get instead of paying Harden? I am looking at the roster of Sixers and all I can see is PJ Tucker and I feel like that’s not a huge deal as people make it out to be. They have Embiid, Harden, Harris is a good player, now PJ Tucker and that’s about it? Do you really think that they could make it to finals with these players?

I am not saying it’s impossible, of course they could still be a good team, but not like getting a cut suddenly made them insanely good, not like they got another superstar. It would have been awesome if they somehow got a third star to the team, that would make sense, but PJ Tucker is the place where that extra money went.

Well, they have Tobias Harris as their third star and Maxey and Thybulle are getting better at their skills.
Thybulle is a perfect defender for superstars and Maxey helps in their offense by using his speed. They are one of the most powerful teams in the East but I doubt when it comes to the Finals. That is where everything gets rough and we know James Harden has a history of being shaky during clutch times.

Even though it was a close match both star players from both teams didn't play Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the Bucks and Jo Morant for the Grizzlies, although Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday played for the Bucks they really don't to much but still, I think this has pushed them to win the preseason game, but as I have said preseason games isn't really that important it doesn't matter what has happen to the game, but I love small details even if its just the preseason,

Yeah, don't expect too much. Mostly, it will be a skill show from their bench players.

[Pamadar]

The weird thing is, who did Sixers get instead of paying Harden? I am looking at the roster of Sixers and all I can see is PJ Tucker and I feel like that’s not a huge deal as people make it out to be. They have Embiid, Harden, Harris is a good player, now PJ Tucker and that’s about it? Do you really think that they could make it to finals with these players?

I am not saying it’s impossible, of course they could still be a good team, but not like getting a cut suddenly made them insanely good, not like they got another superstar. It would have been awesome if they somehow got a third star to the team, that would make sense, but PJ Tucker is the place where that extra money went.

I understand your opinion, but for me they already have enough scoring machines,

Harden, Embiid, Harris and Maxey all are capable of bringing you decent scoring stat, while adding tucker and Harrell
as defensive stopper which they are really missing after letting Green to be traded. It will be the rotations that are
important now for the Sixers, but like what I have said, in scoring end, they are complete in my opinion.

[hashrateproducts]

I understand your opinion, but for me they already have enough scoring machines,

Harden, Embiid, Harris and Maxey all are capable of bringing you decent scoring stat, while adding tucker and Harrell
as defensive stopper which they are really missing after letting Green to be traded. It will be the rotations that are
important now for the Sixers, but like what I have said, in scoring end, they are complete in my opinion.

Sixers can still come together as a team to target an achievement this season, afterall they have high quality finishers and all areas looks strong. On the records, letting Green to be traded, doesn't suit my idea, but it has already been done so they will try to scope without him and look for a good replacement for him. If one check their frontlines, they have good goal scoring machines in the team and they're not relenting in games and always took the winning points when they have the chance.

[stadus]

Let's see if this new coach can guide the team more than Ime so that their efforts won't be in vain.

The new coach needs to work more since they are the runner-up and the expectation for this team is high.

He needs to make sure that the team is still intact and the chemistries that they've established while coach Udoka still
around should be remain or better to be enhanced now that it's the assistant coach term to mentor the entire team
they need to work together and continue the chase on the winning the NBA crown.

After reaching the NBA Finals, we are expecting that they will start stronger this season but I'm afraid that is not the case for them this season because as we know, the Boston Celtics now are so fed up with many incidents that have happened lately. Not just in the coaching staff but including the players as well that played a vital role last season.

Danilo Gallinaro - Injured (expected to miss the whole season)
Robert Williams III - Injured (expected to miss the first two months of the season)
Ime Udoka - Suspended for the whole season

I get it that Boston has had an up and down offseason especially lately but I don't think it effects them that much.  Danilo was t even on the finals team last year so he would have given them a boost but they made it there without them.    Robert Williams has pretty much always been hurt and been in and out of the lineup so long as he can get back after the new year they will be fine especially with the pickup of Griffen lately.  And yeah the coach got it. We don't know what we don't know, the coaching staff might end up being better off without him time will tell.

I’m not a fan that much of Blake Griffin anymore but having him in the roster will surely give a boost especially during clutch time since Boston trio usually play so long that makes them exhausted during the last quarter of the game. Griffin experience might help them to win on late quarters which is there known weakness on there fight against GSW.

I’m sure that they will be alright on regular season even with known missing coach and players since there key players is still available to play.

There's a reason why they signed Blake Griffin and that's because they are quite handicap right now because two of their players who had a vital role last season is now injured, namely Gallinaro and Robert Williams. The Celtics signed Griffin for that fact, he may not lead the team but he can fill those roles in the meantime. The biggest challenge for the team right now is if Mazzulla can really guide and lead the team.

[yazher]

Sixers can still come together as a team to target an achievement this season, afterall they have high quality finishers and all areas looks strong. On the records, letting Green to be traded, doesn't suit my idea, but it has already been done so they will try to scope without him and look for a good replacement for him. If one check their frontlines, they have good goal scoring machines in the team and they're not relenting in games and always took the winning points when they have the chance.

If Embiid can still execute those amazing plays like he did last year and he is fully recovered this upcoming season. To reach the NBA playoffs this time is really hard compared to last season and if they are able to maintain more wins, they will have a chance to compete in the playoffs again. Hoping to see them play well with Harden and others this time and I'm sure Embiid has already improved his step-back shooting ability this upcoming season.

[Iranus]

The Lakers reported that they are still open to trade their future first round picks but they want long term returns. We are referring to their 2027 and 2029 future first round draft picks. The Lakers are giving a sign that they want a young high potential player that can carry the team when Bron and Davis are gone or old. No wonder all their previous talks to unload Russ and acquire any players from Kyrie, Clarkson, Hield, Turner and Bogdanovich ended in failures.
Does the Lakers 2027, 2029 first round drafts and Russ' $47 million payrate enough to acquire a young star potential like Mitchell?

Well that's why they are future picks, because we don't know if they are going to be a great player in the NBA. But it's risk that any team are willing to take though or maybe they have scouting teams as well looking for the next prospect in high school that will be the potential picks. So we will see, Russ is still a big problem in their shoulder right now, but they can't do anything about that huge contract and they might be willing to let Russ play this season.

-snip

Lakers really have to look for future in my opinion too. Their young players are not so promising and it is doubtful how old star players will perform. I love Lebron a lot and respect him hugely but it is not certain that he can play as maximum performed Lebron for a long time. We can already see the old age taking its toll. Russ is also almost 34 years old and we know he is not how he used to be. Anthony Davis is 29 years old and I like his potential but I don't think he is a player that you can build your team around. Lakers obviously will have rebuild in couple of years but they are already losing time. They should start to think about future now. They should indeed look for young and promising players instead of thirty years old questionable ones.

I have not heard of any new players joining the Lakers who are young and have great potential. LeBron James is getting old and it is obvious that his age is taking a toll on his performance. Looking at the Lakers team right now, we will see good experience and good players who have been around before. Anthony Davis is probably the only player who is reliable but I don't know if he is someone whom you can build a team around. Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are just too old right now. The Lakers are obviously going to have big changes in the future but till then it will be interesting to see how they can perform.

[Reid]

I have not heard of any new players joining the Lakers who are young and have great potential. LeBron James is getting old and it is obvious that his age is taking a toll on his performance. Looking at the Lakers team right now, we will see good experience and good players who have been around before. Anthony Davis is probably the only player who is reliable but I don't know if he is someone whom you can build a team around. Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are just too old right now. The Lakers are obviously going to have big changes in the future but till then it will be interesting to see how they can perform.

Yes, Anthony Davis is a player whom they can build a team around. Maybe Lakers will keep him for long even after Lebron James retires. It's not easy to find a big man like him who can shoot outside, has good freethrow percentage, and can-do post up plays perfectly.
It could because of what happened before when they have Lonzo, Randle, Kuzma, DLo in their roster, it failed, and it traumatized them to repeat that kind of mistake again. That's why they are not recruiting young guns.

[Japinat]

I have not heard of any new players joining the Lakers who are young and have great potential. LeBron James is getting old and it is obvious that his age is taking a toll on his performance. Looking at the Lakers team right now, we will see good experience and good players who have been around before. Anthony Davis is probably the only player who is reliable but I don't know if he is someone whom you can build a team around. Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are just too old right now. The Lakers are obviously going to have big changes in the future but till then it will be interesting to see how they can perform.

Yes, Anthony Davis is a player whom they can build a team around. Maybe Lakers will keep him for long even after Lebron James retires. It's not easy to find a big man like him who can shoot outside, has good freethrow percentage, and can-do post up plays perfectly.
It could because of what happened before when they have Lonzo, Randle, Kuzma, DLo in their roster, it failed, and it traumatized them to repeat that kind of mistake again. That's why they are not recruiting young guns.

No doubt he can be effective, probably one of the best centers now, however, if he gets injured most of the time, that would make the Lakers struggle especially in the playoffs because it was very evident that without Davis they cannot win against good teams in the NBA.

Hopefully this season to come he will be able to play more games, especially in the playoffs where he is needed the most.

[jakelyson]

Yes, Anthony Davis is a player whom they can build a team around. Maybe Lakers will keep him for long even after Lebron James retires. It's not easy to find a big man like him who can shoot outside, has good freethrow percentage, and can-do post up plays perfectly.

If healthy, he is the best player you can get in his position. He is very talented and competitive. But he is always on the injury list, the one problem that prevents him from performing at his peak. He was lucky during 2020, because of the pandemic, he was well rested and was able to perform at his best during their championship run. But now that NBA is back at its regular full season, his availability is a real problem. Last season he only played 40 games. He is still very young and with proper conditioning he should be able to avoid injury. Hopefully, he focusses on it more.

It could because of what happened before when they have Lonzo, Randle, Kuzma, DLo in their roster, it failed, and it traumatized them to repeat that kind of mistake again. That's why they are not recruiting young guns.

I think the Lakers is not the organization that develops young guns but just acquires stars that will secure them championships immediately. They are not the type of team that wants to go through rebuilding.

[YuginKadoya]

Yeah, don't expect too much. Mostly, it will be a skill show from their bench players.

Yup! we can not expect much on a preseason, but surely we can see the skills of those bench players that we don't usually see, I think that is one point to this that is why there is preseason but I am surely excited about the regular season and this preseason is a good opportunity to look for bright future players on that particular team,

I understand your opinion, but for me they already have enough scoring machines,

Harden, Embiid, Harris and Maxey all are capable of bringing you decent scoring stat, while adding tucker and Harrell
as defensive stopper which they are really missing after letting Green to be traded. It will be the rotations that are
important now for the Sixers, but like what I have said, in scoring end, they are complete in my opinion.

I totally agree, Harden now has teammates that he can trust and if this is what he wants I think he needs to train with them so he is not left behind with the team chemistry and plays he needs to adjust if he really wants a championship ring so much, I think that those players are best and fit the bill for the way he plays, and yes Danny Green is a big let go he is now on the Memphis Grizzlies,

If Embiid can still execute those amazing plays like he did last year and he is fully recovered this upcoming season. To reach the NBA playoffs this time is really hard compared to last season and if they are able to maintain more wins, they will have a chance to compete in the playoffs again. Hoping to see them play well with Harden and others this time and I'm sure Embiid has already improved his step-back shooting ability this upcoming season.

In actuality, I mostly like Joel Embiid more than James Harden, because I can put my whole trust in Embiid than with Harden over on know to pass the ball, and if Joel Embiid really has recovered from his injuries 100% then right now Philadelphia 76ers will be an extraordinary team base on the new players that I am seeing right now, 

[Russlenat]

I think the Lakers is not the organization that develops young guns but just acquires stars that will secure them championships immediately. They are not the type of team that wants to go through rebuilding.

Agree with that, they are a team that can afford to sign superstars, so why would they start with the young guns? They were able to do that with Kobe, he got O'neil, and when O'neil left the team, they got Gasol and Odom. Now that they have Lebron James, they'll make sure that he will be surrounded by great star players and they won't mess up again this season for sure.

[Iranus]

I have not heard of any new players joining the Lakers who are young and have great potential. LeBron James is getting old and it is obvious that his age is taking a toll on his performance. Looking at the Lakers team right now, we will see good experience and good players who have been around before. Anthony Davis is probably the only player who is reliable but I don't know if he is someone whom you can build a team around. Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are just too old right now. The Lakers are obviously going to have big changes in the future but till then it will be interesting to see how they can perform.

Yes, Anthony Davis is a player whom they can build a team around. Maybe Lakers will keep him for long even after Lebron James retires. It's not easy to find a big man like him who can shoot outside, has good freethrow percentage, and can-do post up plays perfectly.
It could because of what happened before when they have Lonzo, Randle, Kuzma, DLo in their roster, it failed, and it traumatized them to repeat that kind of mistake again. That's why they are not recruiting young guns.

No doubt he can be effective, probably one of the best centers now, however, if he gets injured most of the time, that would make the Lakers struggle especially in the playoffs because it was very evident that without Davis they cannot win against good teams in the NBA.

Hopefully this season to come he will be able to play more games, especially in the playoffs where he is needed the most.

It is likely that he will be the most important player for the Lakers if he can stay healthy. The only problem is that he is quite prone to injuries. The only reason I said that he is not someone reliable around whom a team can be built is because he is quite injury-prone. There is no doubt that the Lakers need him this season because without him I believe that the Lakers are going to be a failure in the playoffs this year. Furthermore, he is not an old man either. As a result, he will be able to provide his services to the team for a longer period of time. It is at least a long period of time compared to LeBron James and Russell.

[carlisle1]

I think the Lakers is not the organization that develops young guns but just acquires stars that will secure them championships immediately. They are not the type of team that wants to go through rebuilding.

Agree with that, they are a team that can afford to sign superstars, so why would they start with the young guns? They were able to do that with Kobe, he got O'neil, and when O'neil left the team, they got Gasol and Odom. Now that they have Lebron James, they'll make sure that he will be surrounded by great star players and they won't mess up again this season for sure.

Lakers are a big business organization, so they are capable of hiring and signing players and every piece that they are needed
to be there and be a good, competitive team.

Like both of you, we already did it before and they can redo things if they need to do it. We will see if how they will perform
this season if they will come up with good chemistries and good bond together.

With the new head coach, it will be a big challenge for all of them. Fans and critics are all watching with how they will perform.

[wheelz1200]

I have not heard of any new players joining the Lakers who are young and have great potential. LeBron James is getting old and it is obvious that his age is taking a toll on his performance. Looking at the Lakers team right now, we will see good experience and good players who have been around before. Anthony Davis is probably the only player who is reliable but I don't know if he is someone whom you can build a team around. Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are just too old right now. The Lakers are obviously going to have big changes in the future but till then it will be interesting to see how they can perform.

Yes, Anthony Davis is a player whom they can build a team around. Maybe Lakers will keep him for long even after Lebron James retires. It's not easy to find a big man like him who can shoot outside, has good freethrow percentage, and can-do post up plays perfectly.
It could because of what happened before when they have Lonzo, Randle, Kuzma, DLo in their roster, it failed, and it traumatized them to repeat that kind of mistake again. That's why they are not recruiting young guns.

No doubt he can be effective, probably one of the best centers now, however, if he gets injured most of the time, that would make the Lakers struggle especially in the playoffs because it was very evident that without Davis they cannot win against good teams in the NBA.

Hopefully this season to come he will be able to play more games, especially in the playoffs where he is needed the most.

It is likely that he will be the most important player for the Lakers if he can stay healthy. The only problem is that he is quite prone to injuries. The only reason I said that he is not someone reliable around whom a team can be built is because he is quite injury-prone. There is no doubt that the Lakers need him this season because without him I believe that the Lakers are going to be a failure in the playoffs this year. Furthermore, he is not an old man either. As a result, he will be able to provide his services to the team for a longer period of time. It is at least a long period of time compared to LeBron James and Russell.

That's the key, injury free.  If he can stay on the court there aren't too many players with his skill set.  Force underneath but can drag opposing centers outside of the paint because his shooting.  He can dominate down low, etc.  I always loved AD'S game.  With that being said, pre season is here!! Feels like forever during the offseason.