2024 NBA Season

[danherbias07]

One more Coach down.
Suns fire head coach Monty Williams after NBA playoffs elimination
https://sports.yahoo.com/suns-fire-head-coach-monty-williams-after-nba-playoffs-elimination-013546547.html

The Suns fired Williams on Saturday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, two days after their elimination by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. That disappointing exit left the Suns with some uncomfortable questions, one of which has now been answered.

I said this to my friends after Game 6 ended on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. Coach Monty will be fired. No questions. And it did happen.
It's too obvious because the team sacrificed two good players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson in exchange for Kevin Durant and TJ Warren, so they will be expecting a better ending than being eliminated in the semis. They want a ring, a championship but Coach Monty cannot provide so he will be gone.

But rumors tell this might not be the end for him.
Milwaukee Bucks needs a new Coach and he might be one of the candidates with Kenny Atkinson, and Nick Nurse. Although I would like to see if the Bucks will try to make history and hire Becky Hammon and earn the first woman to coach an NBA team.

This is what? The 4th coach down? Correct me if I am wrong.

[TravelMug]

^^ Yes, same here, usually it is the coach head that is going to roll first if the team didn't do well in this playoffs. And so as much as Monty is really good at motivating his players, he was or at least the team choke in the playoffs. In the finals against the Bucks they have a good lead. And then last year, Luka just blew them away, and now even if they have KD, they still fall short, this time against the Nuggets.

Maybe he can find another home team in the NBA as coach or assistant coach. Nevertheless, it was just sad to hear when coaches as axe like every playoffs.

[Distinctin]

One more Coach down.
Suns fire head coach Monty Williams after NBA playoffs elimination
https://sports.yahoo.com/suns-fire-head-coach-monty-williams-after-nba-playoffs-elimination-013546547.html

The Suns fired Williams on Saturday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, two days after their elimination by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. That disappointing exit left the Suns with some uncomfortable questions, one of which has now been answered.

I said this to my friends after Game 6 ended on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. Coach Monty will be fired. No questions. And it did happen.
It's too obvious because the team sacrificed two good players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson in exchange for Kevin Durant and TJ Warren, so they will be expecting a better ending than being eliminated in the semis. They want a ring, a championship but Coach Monty cannot provide so he will be gone.

That's not the only basis for the decision, but it certainly adds to the dissatisfaction of the management. The Suns' consecutive playoff exits with significant point differentials reflect poorly on the coach, and it's not surprising that he was fired. It's possible that he may find another coaching job with a different team, but the current scenario in the NBA sees many coaches being fired due to teams' playoff failures. We'll have to wait and see how the coaching landscape evolves with the available positions.

Bucks will try to make history and hire Becky Hammon and earn the first woman to coach an NBA team.

I would love to see that too. A change in coaching can often bring new energy and strategies to a team. If she were to join the Bucks, she might have the opportunity to lead a talented roster and potentially guide them to a championship. It would certainly be an exciting prospect for both the team and fans.

[btc_angela]

People are underestimating Lakers a lot, we may see them go to finals. Remember the time Lebron lead a series in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks all at the same time? I am not saying he will do that, but we all know what he can do if he has to carry and not like he lost a series before, he did, and he may lose this one too, Denver is amazing and all and Jokic is unmatched and can't be guarded but Lakers is Lakers and Lebron is Lebron.

I think if given enough chances then we could end up with a good series. I do not see any clear winner here, I think it will be a close series that may end in 6 or 7 at least. That means even though it might be won by Denver, at least it will be close enough, or maybe Lakers will shock you all and win the series.

TBH, I'm one of them that are underestimating the Lakers, but after this series against the Warriors, I still don't see them winning the Western Conference, and going into the NBA Finals. I have respect for Lebron though because he's one of the greatest basketball player in the NBA history.

Right, but one thing I noticed though is that there are a lot of basketball analyst who predicts the Lakers in 6. Not sure if they really hated the Warriors because for me the Warriors have a good chance on that series. But when they lost their home court advantage, it start to dawn on me that those who says Lakers are going to win might be saying the truth and no hate for the Warriors.

The Lakers with AD and Lebron healthy plus good role players makes them one of the formidable teams right now. They're also the best defensive teams after trade deadline last February. They also became number 1 in free throw attempts after trade deadline. However, the Nuggets are at the top of the Western Conference for many reasons. They have good bench players who can step up if needed. They also have Jokic who might not that good in defense, but his all-around skills are just out of this world. I will not be surprised if Jokic will focus more on passing rather than shooting because he will be guarded by Davis most of the time.

They have a good bench scoring, with D'Lo, Reaves, Hachimura, Dennis and others. So in the guard position, the Lakers are in a advantage, maybe we can see Thompson matching against Jokic, who knows. Coach Ham should come up with some strategy to offset Jokic's game performance. He should not let Jokic play the way he did against the Suns. They need to put some body on his to distract and not feel comfortable in the paint.

Nuggets in 6. That's my prediction. What the Nuggets need is to defend their home court in the first 2 games because that's the key for the Lakers in winning their last 2 series. They stole Game 1, defended their home, and got the victory.

Best of luck to your prediction mate, I haven't put mine though, probably just game to game basis.

[Ziskinberg]

Nuggets in 6. That's my prediction. What the Nuggets need is to defend their home court in the first 2 games because that's the key for the Lakers in winning their last 2 series. They stole Game 1, defended their home, and got the victory.

Best of luck to your prediction mate, I haven't put mine though, probably just game to game basis.

Nuggets in 4, I guess? LOL. Honestly, I'd like to see the Nuggets sweep the Lakers as I believe the Lakers are currently overrated. The Nuggets have the best center in the league, so the paint will not be dominated as it was against the Warriors. Additionally, the Nuggets have great 3-point shooters who possess height and defensive abilities. Therefore, I'm confident that the Lakers won't be able to fulfill their dream of winning another championship.

Their regular season head to head record is 2-2.

Jan 9, 2023   DEN 122 - LAL 109      
Dec 16, 2022   LAL 126 - DEN 108      
Oct 30, 2022   LAL 121 - DEN 110      
Oct 26, 2022   DEN 110 - LAL 99

[Japinat]

^ No game 6 Klay, I thought he will be the one helping Steph in this game, but it was Donte DiVincenzo. Bad time for the Warriors to really caught up with their bad shooting.

On the other hand, the Lakers doesn't want to go to game 6, Bron and AD, Austin Reaves and D'Lo wanted to finished the series.

You really have to give it to their new coach for the adjustments here. And Pat Beverly and Russell Westbrook chance to get a ring is still alive with the Lakers eventhough they are no longer with them as far as I know.

Hard to expect that because beforehand, Klay Thompson didn't have any significant contribution that helped the team and despite the franchise's trust that he could explode in Game 6, that didn't happen at all and that his recent stats in post season will probably reflect on their perspective towards Klay Thompson's contract. And then there's Jordan Poole who's been shooting bricks after having a humungous $100+ Million contract extension.

Lakers on the other hand is now enjoying their victory for overcoming the 2nd round against the defending champs but it's not over yet because they will be tested again by the Denver Nuggets which by the way is a silent killer in the league right now.

[yahoo62278]

One more Coach down.
Suns fire head coach Monty Williams after NBA playoffs elimination
https://sports.yahoo.com/suns-fire-head-coach-monty-williams-after-nba-playoffs-elimination-013546547.html

The Suns fired Williams on Saturday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, two days after their elimination by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. That disappointing exit left the Suns with some uncomfortable questions, one of which has now been answered.

I said this to my friends after Game 6 ended on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. Coach Monty will be fired. No questions. And it did happen.
It's too obvious because the team sacrificed two good players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson in exchange for Kevin Durant and TJ Warren, so they will be expecting a better ending than being eliminated in the semis. They want a ring, a championship but Coach Monty cannot provide so he will be gone.

But rumors tell this might not be the end for him.
Milwaukee Bucks needs a new Coach and he might be one of the candidates with Kenny Atkinson, and Nick Nurse. Although I would like to see if the Bucks will try to make history and hire Becky Hammon and earn the first woman to coach an NBA team.

This is what? The 4th coach down? Correct me if I am wrong.

New owners typically want results. Unfortunately, the Suns had injuries at the wrong time. Monty will find another job pretty quick, but he should have never been let go.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

One more Coach down.
Suns fire head coach Monty Williams after NBA playoffs elimination
https://sports.yahoo.com/suns-fire-head-coach-monty-williams-after-nba-playoffs-elimination-013546547.html

The Suns fired Williams on Saturday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, two days after their elimination by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. That disappointing exit left the Suns with some uncomfortable questions, one of which has now been answered.

I said this to my friends after Game 6 ended on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. Coach Monty will be fired. No questions. And it did happen.
It's too obvious because the team sacrificed two good players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson in exchange for Kevin Durant and TJ Warren, so they will be expecting a better ending than being eliminated in the semis. They want a ring, a championship but Coach Monty cannot provide so he will be gone.

But rumors tell this might not be the end for him.
Milwaukee Bucks needs a new Coach and he might be one of the candidates with Kenny Atkinson, and Nick Nurse. Although I would like to see if the Bucks will try to make history and hire Becky Hammon and earn the first woman to coach an NBA team.

This is what? The 4th coach down? Correct me if I am wrong.

New owners typically want results. Unfortunately, the Suns had injuries at the wrong time. Monty will find another job pretty quick, but he should have never been let go.

This has been what the 3rd time already, first one they got to the finals and blew 2-0 lead against the Bucks if my memory serves me right.
Second one, 60+ games win season, but Luka was their daddy on that series playoffs.
Now, the last straw for the owners, they give up some of their good role players, but they were not able to adjust to the Nuggets, although Ayton got injured and it seems Jokic took his soul already.
Sooner or later Owners will have to make the delicate decision and usually it's the coach that are getting the brunt of the franchise not the players.

[tusandii]

-snip-

-snip-

There’s an overwhelming difference between Nuggets and Warriors when facing Lakers. Warriors has a weak paint points capability because they are lacking players that can overcome Davis inside. Warriors main weapon is their accurate 3points which is not working against Lakers that’s why they are beaten badly. Nuggets on the other hand have Joker and Gordon that can break the defense of Lakers even with Davis.

Nuggets have a better roster than Warriors so Lakers will have a hard time beating the top seed because it’s very balance team with Joker as a wildcard. I doubt Davis can still show same performance on Warriors against Nuggets since he already have his match.

I will go for Nuggets too if I will gonna bet on this game 1. They beat Suns 4-2 despite KD, Booker and Ayton combo which is very strong already.

That's why the Nuggets can definitely play well and win the game later because even though the Lakers have players who can be surprising, the Nuggets have Joker and Gordon who can be relied on to still have a good defense.
The Lakers must have a mature strategy filled with the best players if they want to win easily against the Nuggets.
But even though the Lakers are playing with their best players I still believe that the Nuggets are still tough to beat.
By looking at just a few lineups, we can determine which team is superior for the Nuggets vs Lakers match.

[Coin_trader]

This has been what the 3rd time already, first one they got to the finals and blew 2-0 lead against the Bucks if my memory serves me right.
Second one, 60+ games win season, but Luka was their daddy on that series playoffs.
Now, the last straw for the owners, they give up some of their good role players, but they were not able to adjust to the Nuggets, although Ayton got injured and it seems Jokic took his soul already.

Owner wants a good result with their investment. All that you mention failures needs someone to be blame. The roster has been shuffling many times and they already have a very good caliber players with balance role. I’m sure high class coach like Steve Kerr, Greg Pop or Erik Spoelstra can give a much better result than the Phoenix record as of now.

At first, I really thought that it’s about players but with KD addition and still no effect then it means something wrong on coaching to this team. They are very easy to read. Just give the ball to Booker and we are good. A team with a single player continuously scoring that huge score surely has problem on team work and strategy which why Suns is easy to counter on playoffs when they are facing same team multiple times.

Sooner or later Owners will have to make the delicate decision and usually it's the coach that are getting the brunt of the franchise not the players.

They can’t afford to lose more players because they already invested on it. At least on Suns they still give a coach a try for many years before they started kicking asses.

[yahoo62278]

One more Coach down.
Suns fire head coach Monty Williams after NBA playoffs elimination
https://sports.yahoo.com/suns-fire-head-coach-monty-williams-after-nba-playoffs-elimination-013546547.html

The Suns fired Williams on Saturday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, two days after their elimination by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. That disappointing exit left the Suns with some uncomfortable questions, one of which has now been answered.

I said this to my friends after Game 6 ended on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. Coach Monty will be fired. No questions. And it did happen.
It's too obvious because the team sacrificed two good players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson in exchange for Kevin Durant and TJ Warren, so they will be expecting a better ending than being eliminated in the semis. They want a ring, a championship but Coach Monty cannot provide so he will be gone.

But rumors tell this might not be the end for him.
Milwaukee Bucks needs a new Coach and he might be one of the candidates with Kenny Atkinson, and Nick Nurse. Although I would like to see if the Bucks will try to make history and hire Becky Hammon and earn the first woman to coach an NBA team.

This is what? The 4th coach down? Correct me if I am wrong.

New owners typically want results. Unfortunately, the Suns had injuries at the wrong time. Monty will find another job pretty quick, but he should have never been let go.

This has been what the 3rd time already, first one they got to the finals and blew 2-0 lead against the Bucks if my memory serves me right.
Second one, 60+ games win season, but Luka was their daddy on that series playoffs.
Now, the last straw for the owners, they give up some of their good role players, but they were not able to adjust to the Nuggets, although Ayton got injured and it seems Jokic took his soul already.
Sooner or later Owners will have to make the delicate decision and usually it's the coach that are getting the brunt of the franchise not the players.

This was a new owner as of Feb 2023. The other owner was forced to sell the team due to racist and sexual misconduct. The Suns new owner Mat Ishbia took over operations after paying 4 billion dollars for the franchise.



https://www.npr.org/2022/09/21/1124337037/phoenix-suns-owner-selling-nba-team-racist-conduct-robert-sarver
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35292815/sources-mat-ishbia-finalizing-suns-purchase-4-billion

[Harkorede]

One more Coach down.
Suns fire head coach Monty Williams after NBA playoffs elimination
https://sports.yahoo.com/suns-fire-head-coach-monty-williams-after-nba-playoffs-elimination-013546547.html

The Suns fired Williams on Saturday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, two days after their elimination by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. That disappointing exit left the Suns with some uncomfortable questions, one of which has now been answered.

I said this to my friends after Game 6 ended on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. Coach Monty will be fired. No questions. And it did happen.
It's too obvious because the team sacrificed two good players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson in exchange for Kevin Durant and TJ Warren, so they will be expecting a better ending than being eliminated in the semis. They want a ring, a championship but Coach Monty cannot provide so he will be gone.

But rumors tell this might not be the end for him.
Milwaukee Bucks needs a new Coach and he might be one of the candidates with Kenny Atkinson, and Nick Nurse. Although I would like to see if the Bucks will try to make history and hire Becky Hammon and earn the first woman to coach an NBA team.

This is what? The 4th coach down? Correct me if I am wrong.

New owners typically want results. Unfortunately, the Suns had injuries at the wrong time. Monty will find another job pretty quick, but he should have never been let go.

NBA is rapidly becoming the new football, I really don't understand how they could have considered their season a failure, and let Monty hang for it, when it was indeed the general manager who traded all the depth they had and could have in the future for a supposedly instance shot at a championship, quite a joke imo, and they had nothing to fall back on during the playoffs whenever KD and Booker went to the bench, they were lucky it was 6 games series, it easy could or should have been a sweep, their best card could have been keep Monty for the upcoming season and look for other role players depth to pitch around them, and a De Andre Ayton trade would surely earn them more than what they'd need for such season, but they'd rather get a new coach, I really can't wait to see how many sort issues they'll find themselves in up next, time, for sure would tell!

[Reid]

Hello, SGA.

https://www.nba.com/news/2022-23-all-nba-teams-announced

SGA had always been one of the underrated offensive guards in the NBA and it is the sad truth. Without anyone to help him out running the OKC Thunder, he was not seen by most NBA fans to hype his name. They are still talking about Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Ja Morant, no disrespect just stating the truth. But next season it might be different.
SGA had some help during this season but it's not that consistent yet. Josh Giddey who I believe can average a triple-double per game might be the key for SGA to shine more. Then, Chet Holmgren.

With the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season over following a play-in loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Holmgren said his recovery process is going well and he should be ready to return ahead of next season.

https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/2023/04/16/chet-holmgren-provides-injury-update/
The future of OKC Thunder may be brighter next season if this set of people will be healthy on the next run. Playoffs will not be that hard to reach anymore with their young roster being complete.

[Jating]

One more Coach down.
Suns fire head coach Monty Williams after NBA playoffs elimination
https://sports.yahoo.com/suns-fire-head-coach-monty-williams-after-nba-playoffs-elimination-013546547.html

The Suns fired Williams on Saturday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, two days after their elimination by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. That disappointing exit left the Suns with some uncomfortable questions, one of which has now been answered.

I said this to my friends after Game 6 ended on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. Coach Monty will be fired. No questions. And it did happen.
It's too obvious because the team sacrificed two good players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson in exchange for Kevin Durant and TJ Warren, so they will be expecting a better ending than being eliminated in the semis. They want a ring, a championship but Coach Monty cannot provide so he will be gone.

But rumors tell this might not be the end for him.
Milwaukee Bucks needs a new Coach and he might be one of the candidates with Kenny Atkinson, and Nick Nurse. Although I would like to see if the Bucks will try to make history and hire Becky Hammon and earn the first woman to coach an NBA team.

This is what? The 4th coach down? Correct me if I am wrong.

New owners typically want results. Unfortunately, the Suns had injuries at the wrong time. Monty will find another job pretty quick, but he should have never been let go.

NBA is rapidly becoming the new football, I really don't understand how they could have considered their season a failure, and let Monty hang for it, when it was indeed the general manager who traded all the depth they had and could have in the future for a supposedly instance shot at a championship, quite a joke imo, and they had nothing to fall back on during the playoffs whenever KD and Booker went to the bench, they were lucky it was 6 games series, it easy could or should have been a sweep, their best card could have been keep Monty for the upcoming season and look for other role players depth to pitch around them, and a De Andre Ayton trade would surely earn them more than what they'd need for such season, but they'd rather get a new coach, I really can't wait to see how many sort issues they'll find themselves in up next, time, for sure would tell!

Maybe they are expecting more as they traded and got KD. But Monty did try his best, but I think him and Ayton has issues, I still remember last season wherein he and Ayton has somewhat not understanding each other.

But as what we have seen, Ayton got injured and that's it, the chances of the Suns to overcome Jokic went out of the window. I think Ayton will be traded, I have a feeling that with the way he show again this playoff, the Suns management might have seen the last straw and probably get a new set of center for the Suns.

[rarkjames]

Many of my buddies made a mint betting the Lakers to beat the Warriors. Are most people here betting the Lakers to beat Denver in 6 as well? The Lakers are gelling at the right time.

I think AD can neutralize Jokic better than any of the remaining centers and it will be a replay of the results of the bubble series.

[danherbias07]

I would love to see that too. A change in coaching can often bring new energy and strategies to a team. If she were to join the Bucks, she might have the opportunity to lead a talented roster and potentially guide them to a championship. It would certainly be an exciting prospect for both the team and fans.

Las Vegas Aces did great coached by her, I think the Bucks will be in good hands if they choose her. It's just the players that I am worried about, I hope the respect will be the same as the men's coaches. It will be a new type of environment for them.

This was a new owner as of Feb 2023. The other owner was forced to sell the team due to racist and sexual misconduct. The Suns new owner Mat Ishbia took over operations after paying 4 billion dollars for the franchise.

That is what got me confused. It's a new owner so it should be like a reset of point of view about Coach Monty, I guess someone on the management made the decision and just passed it to him. Perhaps Daryl Morey (76ers president of basketball operations) or Elton Brand (GM). Well, there's nothing that could be done so I guess Coach Monty should just try applying for the other teams.

Maybe they are expecting more as they traded and got KD. But Monty did try his best, but I think him and Ayton has issues, I still remember last season wherein he and Ayton has somewhat not understanding each other.

But as what we have seen, Ayton got injured and that's it, the chances of the Suns to overcome Jokic went out of the window. I think Ayton will be traded, I have a feeling that with the way he show again this playoff, the Suns management might have seen the last straw and probably get a new set of center for the Suns.

Well, that's not a problem anymore because Coach Monty is gone. I don't think the Suns should pursue trading him because it's hard to find a big man as agile as him and who can now shoot perimeter shots. All the Suns needed is to secure strong chemistry with their newly added player Kevin Durant. Because I didn't see any good ball rotation when they are playing with him, everything is isolation plays.

[Road21Bitcoin]

Just a few hours and we will witness the Eastern Conference Semifinals - Game 7 between the Boston Celtics vs the Philadelphia 76ers! Which team do you think will step up their game? 

Breaking News: Ja Morant is now trending on Twitter again because he was seen flexing a gun on his Instragram Live.

Ja Morant is trying to be a rapper rather than a NBA player. Shannon Sharpe was right in his claim that Ja was "hustling backwards."

[wheelz1200]

Many of my buddies made a mint betting the Lakers to beat the Warriors. Are most people here betting the Lakers to beat Denver in 6 as well? The Lakers are gelling at the right time.

I think AD can neutralize Jokic better than any of the remaining centers and it will be a replay of the results of the bubble series.

I mean anything is possible but I've yet to see anyone neutralize jokic.  Dude is bounds ahead of anyone in the game even embid I think.  The x factor in this series will be the guard play.  Can anyone stop Murray?  Jokic is gonna get his every night no matter what it's the other players.  Can Porter show up huge.  How dies Gordon slide in.  I threw in on Denver this series think they take it in 5 just too strong.

[rarkjames]

Many of my buddies made a mint betting the Lakers to beat the Warriors. Are most people here betting the Lakers to beat Denver in 6 as well? The Lakers are gelling at the right time.

I think AD can neutralize Jokic better than any of the remaining centers and it will be a replay of the results of the bubble series.

I mean anything is possible but I've yet to see anyone neutralize jokic.  Dude is bounds ahead of anyone in the game even embid I think.  The x factor in this series will be the guard play.  Can anyone stop Murray?  Jokic is gonna get his every night no matter what it's the other players.  Can Porter show up huge.  How dies Gordon slide in.  I threw in on Denver this series think they take it in 5 just too strong.

Jokic has been great offensively in this playoffs, but he struggles sometimes against length and athleticism which AD has in spades. He also will be playing against a dominant offensive center for the first time this post season, and his defense leaves a lot to be desired. The Lakers have a few strong defenders to throw at Murray (Dennis, Lonnie Walker, Vanderbilt) it will be interesting to see how he responds to multiple defenders with length and athleticism being thrown at him.

[Pamadar]

Maybe they are expecting more as they traded and got KD. But Monty did try his best, but I think him and Ayton has issues, I still remember last season wherein he and Ayton has somewhat not understanding each other.

But as what we have seen, Ayton got injured and that's it, the chances of the Suns to overcome Jokic went out of the window. I think Ayton will be traded, I have a feeling that with the way he show again this playoff, the Suns management might have seen the last straw and probably get a new set of center for the Suns.

If they will keep Booker, KD and CP3, they needed to have a good strong and reliable center.

Ayton way back when they reached the finals was really expected to bring that position filled but with how he played for the past two years I'm also on that same thoughts that the Suns management will trade him and will aim a reliable big man to help the trio of KD, Booker and CP3, still have a good chance next season if they will start working it out with the new head coach that they'll going to work with.