2025 NBA Season

[OgNasty]

Talking about stars sitting out… It’s being reported that Damian Lillard will not be reporting to training camp unless it’s with the Portland Trailblazers or the Miami Heat. I guess he’s getting worried that Portland is going to use his trade request to dump him somewhere in order to kick off their roster rebuild.

[Kasabus]

Talking about stars sitting out… It’s being reported that Damian Lillard will not be reporting to training camp unless it’s with the Portland Trailblazers or the Miami Heat. I guess he’s getting worried that Portland is going to use his trade request to dump him somewhere in order to kick off their roster rebuild.

He should be worried because specially now that the league is strong arming against the players who seeks to behave like Dame. I mean, I cannot blame him for that because the remained loyal for years with some hopes that they can give him some players that will help him achieve further but he just in a wrong place and wrong time because of the situation in the league now. Plus, his team still fails to grant his request and the Miami Heat are using this very advantage as they know that Dame only want them that is why they are just offering what they see best and not their best true offer.

[ChiBitCTy]

Talking about stars sitting out… It’s being reported that Damian Lillard will not be reporting to training camp unless it’s with the Portland Trailblazers or the Miami Heat. I guess he’s getting worried that Portland is going to use his trade request to dump him somewhere in order to kick off their roster rebuild.

I don't really understand what Damien Lillard ever resigned with the Portland Trailblazers.  I wonder if management somehow lied to him or told him they were going to do certain things but ended up not doing them.  If I were him, I'm hoping I get traded to a contender, of course, as I just think his time with Portland has come to an end. 

[CryptoBuds]

Talking about stars sitting out… It’s being reported that Damian Lillard will not be reporting to training camp unless it’s with the Portland Trailblazers or the Miami Heat. I guess he’s getting worried that Portland is going to use his trade request to dump him somewhere in order to kick off their roster rebuild.

He should be worried because specially now that the league is strong arming against the players who seeks to behave like Dame. I mean, I cannot blame him for that because the remained loyal for years with some hopes that they can give him some players that will help him achieve further but he just in a wrong place and wrong time because of the situation in the league now. Plus, his team still fails to grant his request and the Miami Heat are using this very advantage as they know that Dame only want them that is why they are just offering what they see best and not their best true offer.

^ A team is always going to take advantage of a player if they know that the player really wants to play for them. And at the same time, a player is also going to try to take advantage of the team. If he knows that the team wants him really badly. That is exactly what is happening right now. The player wants to be in the team. And that’s why they are not offering him something that he might have been offered if they did not know that he was really interested in playing for them. These are some reasons why players these days cannot show their true intentions.

[OgNasty]

Kevin Porter Jr.'s career in the NBA has got to be over. His alleged attack on his girlfriend who played in the WNBA, Kysre Gondrezic has left her with a broken neck. He’ll be lucky to avoid a lengthy prison sentence in my opinion, but even if he does I would hope that the NBA never pays him another penny after this incident.

[Oasisman]

photo credits to Basketball Forever in Facebook

Aaand it has officially started. LeBron reportedly orchestrating the 2024 upcoming Olympics for the team USA. Rumors said that he have already reached out to KD, Curry, AD, Tatum, and Draymond Green to play with him. It has been said that these superstars are ready to commit to play in Olympics, most especially Stephy Curry who has yet to play in the Olympics.
There are also additional rumors that Kyrie, Fox, Booker Lillard, and those superstars who are in the picture above have expressed their interest in playing along with LeBron.

Now, this really getting interesting as this is going to be LeBron and KD's final dance for sure and this is going to be the Redemption Team 2.0 lol!

And just like what I said, their lost in the FIBA was a sting to this NBA players who refuses or doesn't want to play for team USA. Now that they have suffered one worst lost again in their history, it's just fitting that players like Lebron will have to think about the next Olympics and represent their country to at least get back the honor they once had in the basketball arena.

Just look at who got the MVP in the FIBA, Dennis Schröder, not saying that he is not a good player, but with the level of competition, Dennis was able to rally his team to bring the Gold and won that awards that I think Lebron or any superstar mentioned can do as part of a USA team.

It's quite confusing to me because if they were really aiming to get the gold then the roster they have sent should've been more capable and not just those star players who are still young and not so experienced. On the bright side, these young players are now more experienced because of the exposure they got during their run in the FIBA but then again, they are just a hyped roster that doesn't really stand out. Also, many have speculated that maybe Germany couldn't make it if Jokic played with the Serbia.

That's because they clearly underestimated the world stage as if they could still dominate using their team B or team C unit. Look at how the brightest superstars in the NBA (USA team) retaliate now. I didn't see it was an upset, it was an excessive confidence for the USA team.
Well, the Olympics is a more bigger stage than Fiba worldcup though, so they are not gonna be lossing this one as well. Majority of these superstars will most probably play in the 2024 Olympics for sure.

[Kamasylvia]

Kevin Porter Jr.'s career in the NBA has got to be over. His alleged attack on his girlfriend who played in the WNBA, Kysre Gondrezic has left her with a broken neck. He’ll be lucky to avoid a lengthy prison sentence in my opinion, but even if he does I would hope that the NBA never pays him another penny after this incident.

Its a shame, KPJ looked really solid with other youngins on the rockets. Its gonna be bad for him since Houston will be needing him and on rebuilding phase but they still have Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and of course that dawg Dillon Brooks whos been in super saiyan mode on FIBAWC .

And also Fred Vanvleet and Jeff Green is solid addition for the rockets since they will be also need Veteran presence. The Rockets will be doing good next season

[FanEagle]

You know what the interesting thing is? I feel like if USA brings in that amazing squad, they will not be able to beat everyone with 40 points. I get that they are going to be fine, but I do not think that it will be all that simple. Lebron is older, other nations do have players who he will not be able to guard that well as well.

I think it's quite important to remember that because we are talking about a situation where it is not going to be that easy for them to score. So all in all I believe that we are not going to get that much of a good result, maybe they will get the gold medal again but not as easily as people think it will be. I feel like this is different from the redeem team period, basketball has improved.

[yahoo62278]

You know what the interesting thing is? I feel like if USA brings in that amazing squad, they will not be able to beat everyone with 40 points. I get that they are going to be fine, but I do not think that it will be all that simple. Lebron is older, other nations do have players who he will not be able to guard that well as well.

I think it's quite important to remember that because we are talking about a situation where it is not going to be that easy for them to score. So all in all I believe that we are not going to get that much of a good result, maybe they will get the gold medal again but not as easily as people think it will be. I feel like this is different from the redeem team period, basketball has improved.

Obviously the 10 players we see are or were great players in the NBA at 1 point in their careers, but like you said Lebron is older. Not only Lebron is older , but KD is getting older, dame very old, Kyrie old, and Draymond old. They are still valuable players on their respective teams, but youth is going to wear these old guys out.

[Hypnosis00]

You know what the interesting thing is? I feel like if USA brings in that amazing squad, they will not be able to beat everyone with 40 points. I get that they are going to be fine, but I do not think that it will be all that simple. Lebron is older, other nations do have players who he will not be able to guard that well as well.

I think it's quite important to remember that because we are talking about a situation where it is not going to be that easy for them to score. So all in all I believe that we are not going to get that much of a good result, maybe they will get the gold medal again but not as easily as people think it will be. I feel like this is different from the redeem team period, basketball has improved.

We will see. What we are witnessing now is the hype growing. If the team still fails to secure the gold or win the championship round, I'm sure there will be no more excuses because this time around they will be sending their best players. I believe that as the hype continues to rise, Team USA will become a heavy favorite to win. This opens up an opportunity for bettors to enjoy enticing odds on opposing teams if they don't think the USA can dominate.

[danherbias07]

Hello Kawhi Leonard.
Sources: NBA likely to pass tougher rules on resting stars
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38380166/sources-nba-likely-pass-tougher-rules-resting-stars

The NBA is expected to pass more stringent rules and punishments to limit the resting of star players for nationally televised and in-season tournament games and instances of multiple All-Stars sitting out individual regular-season games, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The NBA's competition committee recommended a plan that the league's board of governors is expected to approve Wednesday. It would ultimately give the league office authority for greater oversight over discipline for missed games and an ability to fine teams over $1 million for each instance of violating resting rules, sources said.

If ever this is approved, no more load management. He must find a good reason if ever he wants to take a rest. The same with Kyrie Irving who shouted about the back-to-back games that he doesn't want to play.
Looks like the NBA is wearing its fangs to this type of behavior. The chances of the team management as the culprit for resting there are high and I'd agree that they should be the ones who should be fined if their players are behaving unnaturally even though they are able to play. It's given that they want to protect their assets but what about the fans who are expecting to see their stars on the day they are able to watch and yet they cannot be seen anywhere?
It's bad for business, NBA business.

This is some rule I'm finding it very hard to come to terms with, what's the issue with a team resting their stars ?, probably for tougher for fixtures ahead or the so called work load management, you have some guys playing back to back, about 4 games in a week on the road sometimes, how do you expect these players to keep up for an entire season without fatigue setting in or becoming more prone to injury, I understand that this could be a move towards cubbing match fixing and making every penny some fans pay to come watch some big teams only for them to find out that it's their rotation team that's gracing the court. Despite the amount of rest these supposed stars get, you see how many games they miss being out injured, and playing the post season through one discomfort or the order, NBA might need to work on a more flexible schedule for this teams before prioritizing some supposedly resting rules for humans, not robot, nor aliens.

Yeah, but that's the problem. They don't want to cut the number of games too so this will be a rule that needs a lot of rethinking before they approve whatever the NBA is proposing because those stars in fatigue mode will be injury-prone which will lead to longer resting time which also means fewer money in the blackhole wallet of NBA.

Yes, and we really don't know how started it, maybe it has been done way before Kawhi. It's just Doc Rivers was the first one to speak about it and that's why it highlighted Kawhi with it. But I do agree that did shouldn't be done in the first place by any coach or team. I mean there are fans who paid expensive tickets and it's a disappointing that when they come to see and watch the games, the superstars are nowhere to be found? Haven't they seen Kobe, in which he broke his fingers and trainer Gary Vitti pops it back in in live TV? Damn (RIP Mamba), where are those kind of players now? All of them with huge contracts are being pampered.

Don't forget Lebron James and Westbrook. Despite playing almost every game in the season, they are not the injury-prone type of players. Always active, always there to play for the game, the love for basketball is there. And today, there's Nikola Jokic who averages 72 games played, most games played is 80 games, and did it twice in his career.
How about Kevon Looney? Two consecutive years without an absence and both of them have minutes played. They should give awards to those types of players. 
There are still players who love playing ball but there are those who like ranting on social media despite their big salaries. They cannot please everyone but the NBA must also find a way to avoid both player fatigue and not ruining the game at the same time.

[Captain Corporate]

You can't exactly ban resting, they will just list those players as injured and since the doctors are the team doctors there isn't really anything you can do about it neither. Yeah yeah I know they will definitely "do something about that too" which they say every year, but first fix the free throws and lack of defense. We complain about all-star games becoming no defense games, people just show their shooting range and all, but regular season games are not getting any better, all those amazing defenders back in the day would foul out in the first minute of the game today. Every year they they will be more careful with the fouls, and every year they give 100 fouls a game. I don't believe a thing NBA says.

[dothebeats]

You can't exactly ban resting, they will just list those players as injured and since the doctors are the team doctors there isn't really anything you can do about it neither. Yeah yeah I know they will definitely "do something about that too" which they say every year, but first fix the free throws and lack of defense. We complain about all-star games becoming no defense games, people just show their shooting range and all, but regular season games are not getting any better, all those amazing defenders back in the day would foul out in the first minute of the game today. Every year they they will be more careful with the fouls, and every year they give 100 fouls a game. I don't believe a thing NBA says.

You know as they say, the NBA has become too soft nowadays. The highlights of the game are mostly from the three-point area or long-range shooting. No one defends the inside as hard as the 90s, nor is there anyone even brave enough to play like that because of the current rules governing the game. I know that they are actively going against players that are 'flopping,' but I don't think it's enough of a change to bring back at least a semblance of basketball wherein defenders are actually trying to prevent the enemy team to shoot.

[OgNasty]

You can't exactly ban resting, they will just list those players as injured and since the doctors are the team doctors there isn't really anything you can do about it neither. Yeah yeah I know they will definitely "do something about that too" which they say every year, but first fix the free throws and lack of defense. We complain about all-star games becoming no defense games, people just show their shooting range and all, but regular season games are not getting any better, all those amazing defenders back in the day would foul out in the first minute of the game today. Every year they they will be more careful with the fouls, and every year they give 100 fouls a game. I don't believe a thing NBA says.

You know as they say, the NBA has become too soft nowadays. The highlights of the game are mostly from the three-point area or long-range shooting. No one defends the inside as hard as the 90s, nor is there anyone even brave enough to play like that because of the current rules governing the game. I know that they are actively going against players that are 'flopping,' but I don't think it's enough of a change to bring back at least a semblance of basketball wherein defenders are actually trying to prevent the enemy team to shoot.

They might as well call this rule the Kawhi rule. I also found it interesting that they had to come up with a definition for a star player, which they defined as having made an all star team the last three years. I imagine this leaves out quite a few bigtime players, but it’s a step in the right direction. The regular season needs more people caring about it.

[CryptoBuds]

You can't exactly ban resting, they will just list those players as injured and since the doctors are the team doctors there isn't really anything you can do about it neither. Yeah yeah I know they will definitely "do something about that too" which they say every year, but first fix the free throws and lack of defense. We complain about all-star games becoming no defense games, people just show their shooting range and all, but regular season games are not getting any better, all those amazing defenders back in the day would foul out in the first minute of the game today. Every year they they will be more careful with the fouls, and every year they give 100 fouls a game. I don't believe a thing NBA says.

You know as they say, the NBA has become too soft nowadays. The highlights of the game are mostly from the three-point area or long-range shooting. No one defends the inside as hard as the 90s, nor is there anyone even brave enough to play like that because of the current rules governing the game. I know that they are actively going against players that are 'flopping,' but I don't think it's enough of a change to bring back at least a semblance of basketball wherein defenders are actually trying to prevent the enemy team to shoot.

They might as well call this rule the Kawhi rule. I also found it interesting that they had to come up with a definition for a star player, which they defined as having made an all star team the last three years. I imagine this leaves out quite a few bigtime players, but it’s a step in the right direction. The regular season needs more people caring about it.

^^ In the end, it all comes down to money. As long as something is not damaging the income, it is not going to bother anyone too much. I bet if it was anything related to the flow of money in the NBA, it would have been “fixed” immediately. And I don’t think there is actually any way to ban resting players. If they say that those players are not injured even though the doctor says that he is, it is going to be a problem. Injuries are already a big problem in the NBA. And now they will be officially overlooking the health of a player if they say that. The press is going to have a field day if that actually happens.

[wheelz1200]

You can't exactly ban resting, they will just list those players as injured and since the doctors are the team doctors there isn't really anything you can do about it neither. Yeah yeah I know they will definitely "do something about that too" which they say every year, but first fix the free throws and lack of defense. We complain about all-star games becoming no defense games, people just show their shooting range and all, but regular season games are not getting any better, all those amazing defenders back in the day would foul out in the first minute of the game today. Every year they they will be more careful with the fouls, and every year they give 100 fouls a game. I don't believe a thing NBA says.

Honestly I hear this all the time and I get it, the NBA wants to protect its brand but teams are trying to win championships and if that means sitting players for stretches to keep them fresh then I'm fine with it.  I mean what's the line do they have to play X minutes a game?  It's kind of taking the coaching and strategy away from the coach if some X player HAS to play.  What about back to backs?  Lots of players get rest is that an exception?  Let teams do what they want with theor players that they see is best.  In the end nba wants a competitive playoffs which means having the stars play then so what's the big deal?

[Pamadar]

You can't exactly ban resting, they will just list those players as injured and since the doctors are the team doctors there isn't really anything you can do about it neither. Yeah yeah I know they will definitely "do something about that too" which they say every year, but first fix the free throws and lack of defense. We complain about all-star games becoming no defense games, people just show their shooting range and all, but regular season games are not getting any better, all those amazing defenders back in the day would foul out in the first minute of the game today. Every year they they will be more careful with the fouls, and every year they give 100 fouls a game. I don't believe a thing NBA says.

You know as they say, the NBA has become too soft nowadays. The highlights of the game are mostly from the three-point area or long-range shooting. No one defends the inside as hard as the 90s, nor is there anyone even brave enough to play like that because of the current rules governing the game. I know that they are actively going against players that are 'flopping,' but I don't think it's enough of a change to bring back at least a semblance of basketball wherein defenders are actually trying to prevent the enemy team to shoot.

And players itself is not the same, they are more on the safe side, more on highlights and forget about the defense. I mean, like what you said with the current rules, best defenders can be fouled out in the early minutes of the game.

More on how the league regulations to adjust and how to bring back the interest of those fans who already
left as they no longer see the entertainment due to the softness or whatever reason behind.

[Yogee]

You can't exactly ban resting,

NBA isn't banning but regulating.

they will just list those players as injured and since the doctors are the team doctors there isn't really anything you can do about it neither.

This reminds of cases in the Premier League where football players would fake their injury because they're unhappy with the manger and wants the board to kick him out. I don't know how the NBA will handle this but they can probably require teams to provide evidence such as video footages from practice sessions where he suffered the injured.

[yahoo62278]

You can't exactly ban resting, they will just list those players as injured and since the doctors are the team doctors there isn't really anything you can do about it neither. Yeah yeah I know they will definitely "do something about that too" which they say every year, but first fix the free throws and lack of defense. We complain about all-star games becoming no defense games, people just show their shooting range and all, but regular season games are not getting any better, all those amazing defenders back in the day would foul out in the first minute of the game today. Every year they they will be more careful with the fouls, and every year they give 100 fouls a game. I don't believe a thing NBA says.

Honestly I hear this all the time and I get it, the NBA wants to protect its brand but teams are trying to win championships and if that means sitting players for stretches to keep them fresh then I'm fine with it.  I mean what's the line do they have to play X minutes a game?  It's kind of taking the coaching and strategy away from the coach if some X player HAS to play.  What about back to backs?  Lots of players get rest is that an exception?  Let teams do what they want with theor players that they see is best.  In the end nba wants a competitive playoffs which means having the stars play then so what's the big deal?

The big deal is people pay $100-200 for a ticket to an NBA, parking, dinner, souvenirs, and snacks at a ball game. That's the minimum a person spends and it's per person.

Let's say I bought a ticket to Lebron play against the Warriors, AD is my fav player but he played last night so he will sit tonight. Because he's load managing I wasted my money buying my ticket to see him play. It's really a load of bullshit. These people get paid millions of dollars(paid by the fans) to play the damn game. Paid better than Doctors, Lawyers, Nurses, Teachers, and everyone else for entertaining people. They play 50% of the time. Sure, I get to see an NBA game, but I feel cheated at this point and it's not right.

Why should the owners and players be the only ones happy? IMO the fan's pay the bills in 1 way or another and those players should be there to please us, not their bank accounts for half the games.

[OgNasty]

Draymond Green came out today and said that he doesn’t see why the Warriors can’t win another 2 championships. I think that may be a little optimistic. I thought when they had Wiseman that they had a chance to win another one but I don’t think an old CP3 is going to put them over the top. I think they need a big man who can shoot.