2024 NBA Season

[btc_angela]

Fun game by the New Orleans Pelicans versus the Chicago Bulls.
The bench players' performance in the last quarter of the game made it look like it was a regular season. 
NOP 129 - Bulls 125

The Pelicans look great, and Zion looks good (I can't tell if some weight was lost). They are a solid team and their bench looks promising too with Willy Hernangomez who won the Fiba Eurobasket MVP.
If healthy, I think they have a great chance to make a top seed. They will probably be one of the favorites this season.

I don't usually watch pre-season games because they aren't serious games. But I'm also excited at how the healthy Pelicans will end up this season. Their line-up is already good so all they need now is to perform well. I heard that Zion is on a seafood diet. Hopefully, it's not a giant octopus or tuna per meal.

Yes, Zion losing weight is one of the biggest story this season. I think he listens to Barkley's criticism that he needs to lose up that belly, and in the end it will really benefit him and his team. They have a solid line up right now that is playoff bound with him and CJ in the side.

Not only with Barkley's criticism, but he listened to everyone's suggestion that he should lose some weight to unlock his full potential. Some people might have been starting to hate the kid for becoming so fragile after reaching the NBA, but I still believe he's not a bust and he'll eventually live up to the hype he once have after the draft night.
Hoping for him to bounce back and be as durable as LeBron.

Yes, as others mentioned he is not considered a bust, he is the future as we al know him to be since his college days. He was touted to be the next Shaq or Barkley in terms of size, but his body though, can't hold that weight and so he losses base on his contract and what a better way and then earn money isn't it? I guess there is no more hype around him, I mean he has proven himself that he can go and play in the big league, just a matter of protecting himself from injuries.

[carlisle1]

It's true, but for me this is a good chance to see how the player chemistry is, and of course if they are going to win their new team mates. I remember last year with the Lakers line up, highly anticipated and we say that it is not that important, as the impression on them is just like half baked. But look at how the team turns out to be in the regular season, but we can argue that it was due to injuries to their franchise like AD and Lebron that really contributed to their downfall.

They may face the same situation this season. I mean, we don't know when injuries will hit them, especially for Lebron who is getting older. The Lakers should try not to expect too much from him and do what they can to also lead the team.
Austin Reaves for example, he may not be putting much in the score sheet but we can see his presence on the court.
Offensive rebounds, steals, and defense, he is everywhere and will be a pest to every offensive player that he will face.
Davis though will be a big help if healthy for the whole year.

If Lakers management will be able to maintain a healthy Lebron and Davis, what I mean if the coach will be able to bring good
player management, it might lessen the chance of possible injuries.

More on the players though but the minutes of their stay inside the court can be limit if there's a good rotation for them just
a good jive of players.

At the end of the day, the chance of winning should be on everyone's shoulders and not just for the main stars.

[arwin100]

Fun game by the New Orleans Pelicans versus the Chicago Bulls.
The bench players' performance in the last quarter of the game made it look like it was a regular season. 
NOP 129 - Bulls 125

The Pelicans look great, and Zion looks good (I can't tell if some weight was lost). They are a solid team and their bench looks promising too with Willy Hernangomez who won the Fiba Eurobasket MVP.
If healthy, I think they have a great chance to make a top seed. They will probably be one of the favorites this season.

I don't usually watch pre-season games because they aren't serious games. But I'm also excited at how the healthy Pelicans will end up this season. Their line-up is already good so all they need now is to perform well. I heard that Zion is on a seafood diet. Hopefully, it's not a giant octopus or tuna per meal.

Yes, Zion losing weight is one of the biggest story this season. I think he listens to Barkley's criticism that he needs to lose up that belly, and in the end it will really benefit him and his team. They have a solid line up right now that is playoff bound with him and CJ in the side.

Not only with Barkley's criticism, but he listened to everyone's suggestion that he should lose some weight to unlock his full potential. Some people might have been starting to hate the kid for becoming so fragile after reaching the NBA, but I still believe he's not a bust and he'll eventually live up to the hype he once have after the draft night.
Hoping for him to bounce back and be as durable as LeBron.

Yes, as others mentioned he is not considered a bust, he is the future as we al know him to be since his college days. He was touted to be the next Shaq or Barkley in terms of size, but his body though, can't hold that weight and so he losses base on his contract and what a better way and then earn money isn't it? I guess there is no more hype around him, I mean he has proven himself that he can go and play in the big league, just a matter of protecting himself from injuries.

He's still young and his current team trust him also we can see a huge development happen to him in terms of shaping up his body this season so provably what he do when season ends can help him out to perform well this coming opening season. For sure he's a big help for their team especially if he's consistent to make his self healthy and away from those injuries which actually disturb his career for past couple of years.

[Sanitough]

It's true, but for me this is a good chance to see how the player chemistry is, and of course if they are going to win their new team mates. I remember last year with the Lakers line up, highly anticipated and we say that it is not that important, as the impression on them is just like half baked. But look at how the team turns out to be in the regular season, but we can argue that it was due to injuries to their franchise like AD and Lebron that really contributed to their downfall.

They may face the same situation this season. I mean, we don't know when injuries will hit them, especially for Lebron who is getting older. The Lakers should try not to expect too much from him and do what they can to also lead the team.
Austin Reaves for example, he may not be putting much in the score sheet but we can see his presence on the court.
Offensive rebounds, steals, and defense, he is everywhere and will be a pest to every offensive player that he will face.
Davis though will be a big help if healthy for the whole year.

If Lakers management will be able to maintain a healthy Lebron and Davis, what I mean if the coach will be able to bring good
player management, it might lessen the chance of possible injuries.

More on the players though but the minutes of their stay inside the court can be limit if there's a good rotation for them just
a good jive of players.

At the end of the day, the chance of winning should be on everyone's shoulders and not just for the main stars.

That's not the case for the Lakers because they cannot win without one of their star players.

Lebron or Davis' injury will drastically affect their chance of winning, just like the Clippers when Leonard and Paul George was injured, although they were still competitive but they are not the same without their star players.

[Reid]

That's not the case for the Lakers because they cannot win without one of their star players.

Lebron or Davis' injury will drastically affect their chance of winning, just like the Clippers when Leonard and Paul George was injured, although they were still competitive but they are not the same without their star players.

It's true. But Paul George did something great when Kawhi was out.
About the Lakers, it's not like its a one man team now or two man team which only rely on Lebron and AD.
They have PatBev and Westbrook which I think will be a big impact for the team if their coach would let it.

Ham is different than Vogel. It's not like he have focus for defense only. I have seen Westbrook play this preseason and there is a difference than what he was last year. We cannot tell it just yet.

[jakelyson]

Darvin Ham's situation is quite similar to the temporary coach of the Boston Celtics, but the latter is much more difficult because he need to duplicate Ime Udoka's performance or better than that while Darvin Ham's situation is how to get these team full of point guard to work as one while thinking not to overload AD's shoulder so that he could play much longer. There's a chance but coach Ham need to find that key.

I view it the other way around. I see Ham has the more difficult job against Joe Mazzulla. The Celtics is already established and there is not much of changes. He was with them for 3 years thus the players and asst coaches know him. He is already familiar with the plays of Udoka as well. Unless he wants to change and move away from the plays of Udoka, he will have a very comfortable job.

On the other hand, the Laker's seems still to find what direction they are going to. They are amassing PG's as you said but no reliable role players coming from the bench. They will be solely relying on their stars AD and Lebron, and WB (if he can put his game together). Darvin Ham has his work cut out for him.

He's still young and his current team trust him also we can see a huge development happen to him in terms of shaping up his body this season so provably what he do when season ends can help him out to perform well this coming opening season. For sure he's a big help for their team especially if he's consistent to make his self healthy and away from those injuries which actually disturb his career for past couple of years.

The moves of the pelicans are impeccable lately. They forced Zion to lose weight to keep him healthy. They also provided him the needed veteran leadership through CJ McCollum. CJ can guide Zion like how CP3 is guiding Devin Booker.

[wheelz1200]

Lebron came out on espn and said he wants a Crack at owning a club in Vegas if Adam silver puts one there.  Am I the only one who thinks the NBA shouldn't expand?  I think the talent level will only get diluted even more with more teams.  Some of these teams at the bottom are terrible to watch on a nightly basis.  If anything I wish they could elinate some of these franchises lol.

[Smack That Ace]

We all know that no one actually cares about pre-season games. But this game was close. Something amazed me and that is Vucevic got 11 rebounds and scored 15 points. This was a great effort from him even though it was just a pre-season match. 

But it can be a good measurement to see how teams are, specially those who have upgraded their roster.

The pelicans are in really good shape. They have shown that in this match. I believe when the season finally starts their performance is going to be much better.

See, we all get excited to watch a new version of Pelicans or Zion, he clearly losses a lot of weight and move very different and so we want to see him more and hopefully the team will be different with him and Ingram.

Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond are going to be important for the success of the Bulls. These are two good players that they brought in. Drummond has shown good performance in this match as well.

They need to be consistent and again, we just hope that they will be healthy and no more injuries to their star players. At least he had a god back up in Drummond and a experience point guard in Dragic.

Yes, I agree with you. As a general rule, the teams that have upgraded their rosters generally experiment with the new players to see how well they are able to adjust to the other players on the roster.

As a result of the redesigned Pelicans squad, I think we will be able to see some improvements in the upcoming season.
It has been a good pre-season match for them, and I hope that they will be able to continue the good work going forward as they continue to play well.

Injuries have been a problem for a lot of teams recently. I also hope that the players don't get injured so that the improvement that we are expecting from the Pelicans, can actually happen.
They will be able to go a long way if the players are healthy.


Duke Khan

[dwyane36]

If Lakers management will be able to maintain a healthy Lebron and Davis, what I mean if the coach will be able to bring good
player management, it might lessen the chance of possible injuries.

More on the players though but the minutes of their stay inside the court can be limit if there's a good rotation for them just
a good jive of players.

At the end of the day, the chance of winning should be on everyone's shoulders and not just for the main stars.

That's not the case for the Lakers because they cannot win without one of their star players.

Lebron or Davis' injury will drastically affect their chance of winning, just like the Clippers when Leonard and Paul George was injured, although they were still competitive but they are not the same without their star players.

You're right, Leonard and George's injuries really weakened the Clippers last season, but they still performed much better than the Lakers without LeBron and Davis. As for Davis and his injury-prone nature, it seems to me that neither the Lakers' management nor the coach can completely safeguard him from another injury, even if they significantly reduce his playing time on the court.

[OgNasty]

Definitely some trouble brewing in the Warriors training camp.  Draymond Green and Jordan Poole had a fight yesterday because Jordan Poole scored on Draymond in a scrimmage and then called him a "triple single."  Meaning he doesn't get double digits in any stats during a game.  An interview with Klay Thompson after winning a 3 point contest (against Steph and Poole) had him saying the best part of the win was to "humble Jordan Poole."  When Jordan Poole then interrupted the interview with his own microphone, Klay said that Poole was coming for the reporters' jobs too.  I think it's pretty clear the Warriors are getting frustrated with the young guys wanting a piece of the pie.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors signed Poole to an extension just to make him a more valuable trading piece.

[kro55]

It's true, but for me this is a good chance to see how the player chemistry is, and of course if they are going to win their new team mates. I remember last year with the Lakers line up, highly anticipated and we say that it is not that important, as the impression on them is just like half baked. But look at how the team turns out to be in the regular season, but we can argue that it was due to injuries to their franchise like AD and Lebron that really contributed to their downfall.

They may face the same situation this season. I mean, we don't know when injuries will hit them, especially for Lebron who is getting older. The Lakers should try not to expect too much from him and do what they can to also lead the team.
Austin Reaves for example, he may not be putting much in the score sheet but we can see his presence on the court.
Offensive rebounds, steals, and defense, he is everywhere and will be a pest to every offensive player that he will face.
Davis though will be a big help if healthy for the whole year.

If Lakers management will be able to maintain a healthy Lebron and Davis, what I mean if the coach will be able to bring good
player management, it might lessen the chance of possible injuries.

More on the players though but the minutes of their stay inside the court can be limit if there's a good rotation for them just
a good jive of players.

At the end of the day, the chance of winning should be on everyone's shoulders and not just for the main stars.

I think the problem with being the main man in the team is that a lot of people depend on his performance. If anyone else makes mistakes, it might be overlooked, but the mistake of a star player is always going to be Nitpicked. It is for this reason that they have added pressure to perform well. Another thing is the fact that they have set high standards for themselves based on the plays that they have shown in the past that they are capable of, so they know that they will have to play well in the future.

In addition, there is always the question of how much time the star players are going to be given on the court in order to maximize their performance.

Because I feel like if they are not given enough time on the court they will be complaining. And if they are given too much time on the court there will also be complaints, and worse, they might get injured.

I agree that winning should be on everyone's shoulders. However, there is a problem in the fact that everyone is not capable of performing the same tasks.

[el kaka22]

To be honest, Embiid didn't played much in his first three seasons neither, and was considered bust by many people because of his injuries, compared him to Oden a lot, but then he recovered and didn't get injured all that much and he became an MVP candidate level of player.

This is why I believe that Zion still has a chance to recover from this and become a good worthy player, he hasn't missed all that much yet, sure he had a bad start at his career, but he could still play another 15+ seasons and if he odes that with minimal injury, then he will be considered a great player by the time he retires. Al depends on how the future looks, can't say anything for now.

[wheelz1200]

Definitely some trouble brewing in the Warriors training camp.  Draymond Green and Jordan Poole had a fight yesterday because Jordan Poole scored on Draymond in a scrimmage and then called him a "triple single."  Meaning he doesn't get double digits in any stats during a game.  An interview with Klay Thompson after winning a 3 point contest (against Steph and Poole) had him saying the best part of the win was to "humble Jordan Poole."  When Jordan Poole then interrupted the interview with his own microphone, Klay said that Poole was coming for the reporters' jobs too.  I think it's pretty clear the Warriors are getting frustrated with the young guys wanting a piece of the pie.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors signed Poole to an extension just to make him a more valuable trading piece.

He better be careful, Warriors know what makes them the money.  The original 3 are the golden goose for that team both in games in in theor profit margin.  Even if the kid is getting good its almost addition by subtraction sometimes.  Ypu want to make sure those 3 are going into the season with a clear head.

[Baofeng]

Definitely some trouble brewing in the Warriors training camp.  Draymond Green and Jordan Poole had a fight yesterday because Jordan Poole scored on Draymond in a scrimmage and then called him a "triple single."  Meaning he doesn't get double digits in any stats during a game.  An interview with Klay Thompson after winning a 3 point contest (against Steph and Poole) had him saying the best part of the win was to "humble Jordan Poole."  When Jordan Poole then interrupted the interview with his own microphone, Klay said that Poole was coming for the reporters' jobs too.  I think it's pretty clear the Warriors are getting frustrated with the young guys wanting a piece of the pie.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors signed Poole to an extension just to make him a more valuable trading piece.

He better be careful, Warriors know what makes them the money.  The original 3 are the golden goose for that team both in games in in theor profit margin.  Even if the kid is getting good its almost addition by subtraction sometimes.  Ypu want to make sure those 3 are going into the season with a clear head.

It's just weird though that Jordan Poole will be acting like this in scrimmage and disrespect the veteran Green. We have seen this in the past, when Durant and Green had some arguments in the game and then Green talking to the media.

So yeah, we should keep an eye on Poole, perhaps his performance last year made him feeling 'great' now as part of the big 5 in the Warriors. But we all know that it's Curry, Thompson and Green that is still the core and not same young guy.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

To be honest, Embiid didn't played much in his first three seasons neither, and was considered bust by many people because of his injuries, compared him to Oden a lot, but then he recovered and didn't get injured all that much and he became an MVP candidate level of player.

I wasn't aware that he was compared to Greg Oden of the Trailblazers. But in any case, Joel has already proven himself to be MVP caliber, but somehow Jokic beat him last season. If he could just stay healthy throughout and not missed important games, maybe he could be the MVP.

This is why I believe that Zion still has a chance to recover from this and become a good worthy player, he hasn't missed all that much yet, sure he had a bad start at his career, but he could still play another 15+ seasons and if he odes that with minimal injury, then he will be considered a great player by the time he retires. Al depends on how the future looks, can't say anything for now.

Zion is still very young and can bounce back and show how he is worth and not a bust like any highly touted college players. Again, injury will hit anyone, but they can comeback for sure.

[rhomelmabini]

Definitely some trouble brewing in the Warriors training camp.  Draymond Green and Jordan Poole had a fight yesterday because Jordan Poole scored on Draymond in a scrimmage and then called him a "triple single."  Meaning he doesn't get double digits in any stats during a game.  An interview with Klay Thompson after winning a 3 point contest (against Steph and Poole) had him saying the best part of the win was to "humble Jordan Poole."  When Jordan Poole then interrupted the interview with his own microphone, Klay said that Poole was coming for the reporters' jobs too.  I think it's pretty clear the Warriors are getting frustrated with the young guys wanting a piece of the pie.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors signed Poole to an extension just to make him a more valuable trading piece.

What's with Poole lately? I think he's becoming boastful just because he's been reliable on his career last season? I think he should not be full of himself, he's just been used after all when Klay was still on his rehabilitation mode and now that he's fine, that definitely make more sense if a trade is at hand.

[Yogee]

....

It's just weird though that Jordan Poole will be acting like this in scrimmage and disrespect the veteran Green.

I mean Green had it coming. He had his share of being disrespectful and arrogant in his early years so it's just coming back to him.

.....

Sounds weird but I kinda like what young guys like Poole are doing in the Warriors. I hope others would follow him and keeps the veterans on edge because it builds a healthy competition within the team if none of them would take it personally. It also gives the coach and the organization some good headache hehe.

[passwordnow]

Definitely some trouble brewing in the Warriors training camp.  Draymond Green and Jordan Poole had a fight yesterday because Jordan Poole scored on Draymond in a scrimmage and then called him a "triple single."  Meaning he doesn't get double digits in any stats during a game.  An interview with Klay Thompson after winning a 3 point contest (against Steph and Poole) had him saying the best part of the win was to "humble Jordan Poole."  When Jordan Poole then interrupted the interview with his own microphone, Klay said that Poole was coming for the reporters' jobs too.  I think it's pretty clear the Warriors are getting frustrated with the young guys wanting a piece of the pie.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors signed Poole to an extension just to make him a more valuable trading piece.

What's with Poole lately? I think he's becoming boastful just because he's been reliable on his career last season? I think he should not be full of himself, he's just been used after all when Klay was still on his rehabilitation mode and now that he's fine, that definitely make more sense if a trade is at hand.

Woah, this is something new and I thought that there won't be any issue like this as it seems they have good chemistry in the team. Well, this isn't a good sign for the Warriors if one of them is acting like he's full of himself.
It's possible that they'll trade him later but with a better value since he's shown good performance during the finals. We'll see how they'll mend this ruckus that Poole has made.

[chaser15]

Definitely some trouble brewing in the Warriors training camp.  Draymond Green and Jordan Poole had a fight yesterday because Jordan Poole scored on Draymond in a scrimmage and then called him a "triple single."  Meaning he doesn't get double digits in any stats during a game.  An interview with Klay Thompson after winning a 3 point contest (against Steph and Poole) had him saying the best part of the win was to "humble Jordan Poole."  When Jordan Poole then interrupted the interview with his own microphone, Klay said that Poole was coming for the reporters' jobs too.  I think it's pretty clear the Warriors are getting frustrated with the young guys wanting a piece of the pie.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors signed Poole to an extension just to make him a more valuable trading piece.

Jordan Poole is not playing for the team but for just himself.

Draymond Green won't do that irresponsible act if he's not seeing Poole in such selfish behavior for a long time. Green's loyalty to the Warriors is on the highest level.

Those young players like Jordan Poole act like they are tough just because they are part of the championship.

[hashrateproducts]

Woah, this is something new and I thought that there won't be any issue like this as it seems they have good chemistry in the team. Well, this isn't a good sign for the Warriors if one of them is acting like he's full of himself.
It's possible that they'll trade him later but with a better value since he's shown good performance during the finals. We'll see how they'll mend this ruckus that Poole has made.

The warriors team players have a little misunderstanding but all will be sorted out. Jordan Poole who thinks he's bigger than some players, no doubt he's good on the court but he needs to be mute interms of dealing with his teammates, not getting into argument with them will ease the smooth flow of the team and a good working communication. These young players wants to gain big position in the warriors team and targeting at their earnings to top up.