2024 NBA Season

[ChiBitCTy]

Just in… Giannis is getting himself some help. Woj is reporting that the Portland Trailblazers have agreed to trade Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks!!! I’m a bit shocked at this. Giannis made some waves hinting he was leaving and the Bucks stepped up. This is the best news of the offseason so far!!!

DAME to the Bucks!

Phoenix lost Ayton and got stuck with Grayson Allen… That hurts… Not sure why the Suns did this.

I got a notification alert on my phone yesterday from Fantasy Pros saying that Damian Lillard had been traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and came here to post about it but you had beaten me by like 30 seconds.

Yeah you're right, I think the front office heard those words from Giannis and figured in order to keep him a Buck, they better start spending some bucks (pun-intended) and getting some legit players.  So they went out and got one of the best shooters ever.  Will be a lot of fun to watch now as Championship favorites.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

They also signed Usman Garuba as well, not sure if he is the replacement for Dwight Howard or not.

Still young compared to Howard, the Warriors can still develop this player. He may not be very offensive, but in terms of defense, I think he can help. He averaged 4.1 rebounds per game last season with 12 minutes of playing time, which I believe is okay for a backup center. For me, I would just trust the Warriors in their decision. I wouldn't speculate too much. What's important is that they made a good move by trading Poole, which was basically one of the major reasons why they failed in the last playoffs.

Yes, this could be the value of getting a young player like Usman, tall at 2.03, who can play positions at power forward and center for the Warriors. And he can still be developed by the Warriors, although they don't have a history of having a good center in the past. But at least he could learn as compare to Dwight who already is veteran has a lot of mileage in his and could not be used for extending minutes.

For the news about the Bucks, yes, still everyone is talking about it in the social media, others compare it now to Shaq-Kobe of the Lakers during their prime years. But I don't see the comparison though. However, we can give them the benefits of the doubt for now and see how blend and make the Bucks great again for this season.

[CryptoBuds]

It's a jackpot deal for the Bucks, and I think no one expected this outcome of the Lillard drama. Lillard is probably more than happy with this deal because he will play for a team that can really contend for the title. By the way, it's also worth noting that the Bucks not only got Lillard but also potentially retained Giannis, who earlier said that he might leave the Bucks.
As for Middleton's role, he will most likely be SG in the starting lineup. There is no need for the Bucks to put him on the bench.

Now the Bucks should prove their domination in the early stage of the season because they are now most likely the number one team who will dominate the Eastern Conference. Well, that was a real blockbuster trade, I felt bad for Jrue Holiday but that's just the way it is. he just needs to make sure that he will give his best in playing with another team right now to make them realize they let go of the key player who can truly help them to get back to compete for the NBA championship, he should not let this event bring him down, after all he still got the money.

^ Well, sometimes these types of interactions/happenings can actually cause a lot of mental distress for a lot of players to be honest. But I hope something like that does not happen to him. Yes he did get the money. So I don't think he should be actually sad about anything. Of course, he should be giving his best performance to the team that he goes to. And I believe he is going to do exactly that. I definitely think they are going to be a great team from now on. The other teams in the Eastern Conference should be careful.

[blockman]

Dame to bucks is both good and also not good at the same time. Dame wanted to go to Heat, and he was traded to Bucks, and unlike in world of football, players can't really reject these type of offers which means that if you are traded than you are traded that's it.

In football world, if a team sells a player, the other team still has to convince the player to come, and in examples like Eden Hazard, even if Madrid wanted to sell him, he was injured, but he was getting paid a lot so he could reject any offer that was lower than his salary there, so Madrid was stuck with him until his contract was up. Same doesn't happen here, Dame went to a team he didn't want to, still a good team, but not Heat which was what he wanted.

They're bound to their contracts and that's why they can't do really much. But Heat did try to negotiate with him but his management didn't just agree to what was offered. There's been a lot of noise during that time when the trade idea was given.
That's how really it is in this league unlike what you've said about in Football. They can't do anything even if they don't want to get traded to the team that's gonna be their new home. There have been some players that are even being traded during their game and I think there's a need for amendments on this one in respect to the player. Well, there's always the clause on their contract that terms can change at the management's discretion

[Reid]

The Damian Lillard news is hot. I am more interested in the reaction of the players and I found this article in NBA.com.
https://www.nba.com/news/nba-reacts-damian-lillard-trade-bucks

Just woke up and saw the news.

NBA = The Greatest Show On Earth.
@VicOladipo

https://x.com/VicOladipo/status/1707113910342467608?s=20

Christmas at my house @Dame_Lillard
@joshhart

https://x.com/joshhart/status/1707105058712629260?s=20

Losing Jrue is Big. That’s all imma say
@patbev21

https://x.com/patbev21/status/1707100478247436373?s=20

A Dame/ GA pick and roll is only supposed to happen in All Star Games
@Johnhenson31

https://x.com/Johnhenson31/status/1707102757537153034?s=20

Some hilarious and some serious.
With all of that, I only agree with Patrick Beverley. As a defensive player fan, I am always keen to those who plays hard on defense. Jrue Holiday is one of the defensive masters either defending a guard or a big man, it doesn't matter to him. Bucks has their offensive player on Giannis, what they need is a wingman for him and it's not Jrue that should've taken out. It should be Middleton! Ever since he became an All-Star, the fire on him is almost gone.
I can say he dodged a bullet here because Trail Blazers may have not liked him, and the Bucks was forced to trade Jrue.

[Yogee]

[....]
With all of that, I only agree with Patrick Beverley. As a defensive player fan, I am always keen to those who plays hard on defense. Jrue Holiday is one of the defensive masters either defending a guard or a big man, it doesn't matter to him. Bucks has their offensive player on Giannis, what they need is a wingman for him and it's not Jrue that should've taken out. It should be Middleton! Ever since he became an All-Star, the fire on him is almost gone.
I can say he dodged a bullet here because Trail Blazers may have not liked him, and the Bucks was forced to trade Jrue.

Trade is a two-way street. Maybe Middleton was offered initially but the Blazers didn't want him probably due to his injuries and recent performance as well. Let's remember that Giannis is also asking questions on how serious the Bucks management are in winning another championship so the pressure is there to make moves that will likely make their franchise player happy and not leave as a free agent. Now is it the best trade for them? Probably not but let's see.

[LogitechMouse]

[....]
With all of that, I only agree with Patrick Beverley. As a defensive player fan, I am always keen to those who plays hard on defense. Jrue Holiday is one of the defensive masters either defending a guard or a big man, it doesn't matter to him. Bucks has their offensive player on Giannis, what they need is a wingman for him and it's not Jrue that should've taken out. It should be Middleton! Ever since he became an All-Star, the fire on him is almost gone.
I can say he dodged a bullet here because Trail Blazers may have not liked him, and the Bucks was forced to trade Jrue.

Trade is a two-way street. Maybe Middleton was offered initially but the Blazers didn't want him probably due to his injuries and recent performance as well. Let's remember that Giannis is also asking questions on how serious the Bucks management are in winning another championship so the pressure is there to make moves that will likely make their franchise player happy and not leave as a free agent. Now is it the best trade for them? Probably not but let's see.

And that pressure that he made really helped the whole Bucks management to make some decisions like this one, and not just some decisions, but great decisions like this one. They don't want to lose Giannis for nothing, and his statements in the past really helped the Bucks. Sacrificing Holiday just to get Dame time is really a good decision coming from them. I mean they're now the top picks in winning the NBA title just because of that trade.

As for Middleton, it's good that he stayed because he's also a good 3-pt shooter. Injuries? He might've injured for most of the time last season, but he has this upcoming season to redeem himself, and be the 3rd option of the team. Is it the best trade for them? Yes for me, and the expectations are very high for the Bucks this season. I just hope that the chemistry will be built as early as possible. They also have a new coach with a defensive mind like Coach Vogel. One thing's for sure though, the Bucks won this trade big time.

[gagux123]

It's a jackpot deal for the Bucks, and I think no one expected this outcome of the Lillard drama. Lillard is probably more than happy with this deal because he will play for a team that can really contend for the title. By the way, it's also worth noting that the Bucks not only got Lillard but also potentially retained Giannis, who earlier said that he might leave the Bucks.
As for Middleton's role, he will most likely be SG in the starting lineup. There is no need for the Bucks to put him on the bench.

This proves once again... basketball is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get
This was also a big surprise for me and this proves that the East is coming with everything it needs to be champions of this NBA season

I'm looking forward to watch the Celtics in this season, but I confess that now I'm curious and eager to watch the Bucks as well.

Lillard, Middleton, Portis, Giannis and Lopez, could this be a potential Bucks starting lineup?

[Questat]

Lillard, Middleton, Portis, Giannis and Lopez, could this be a potential Bucks starting lineup?

Portis might sit out because they'd become too big if he were included in the starting lineup, which would slow the team down. Additionally, Portis is a great player, so it would be nice to see him in the second unit. You can check out this article that discusses the potential lineup.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/bucks-starting-lineup-damian-lillard-trade-giannis-brook-lopez

POINT GUARD: Damian Lillard
SHOOTING GUARD: Khris Middleton
SMALL FORWARD: Jae Crowder
POWER FORWARD: Giannis Antetokounmpo
CENTER: Brook Lopez

[Oasisman]

Lillard, Middleton, Portis, Giannis and Lopez, could this be a potential Bucks starting lineup?

Portis might sit out because they'd become too big if he were included in the starting lineup, which would slow the team down. Additionally, Portis is a great player, so it would be nice to see him in the second unit. You can check out this article that discusses the potential lineup.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/bucks-starting-lineup-damian-lillard-trade-giannis-brook-lopez

POINT GUARD: Damian Lillard
SHOOTING GUARD: Khris Middleton
SMALL FORWARD: Jae Crowder
POWER FORWARD: Giannis Antetokounmpo
CENTER: Brook Lopez

I'd take Pat Connaughton  over Jae Crowder. Potential line could be :
PG - Damian Lillard
SG - Pat Connaughton
SF - Khris Middleton
PF - Giannis Antetokounmpo
C - Brook Lopez
Pat could be a  good back court duo with Lillard as he can shoot 3s and can score more than Jae. This could also give Giannis a lot more options to pass the ball outside when he try to penetrate and get caught with double or triple team. Lillard, Pat, and Middleton are all good 3pt and perimeter shooter, so this is going to be interesting. But we never know what would be the coach's strategy here and who's going to fill that 1 spot, we all know it's going to be Lillard, Khris, Giannis, and Lopez who's most definitely the best guys to be in the starting lineup.

[Kelvinid]

Pat could be a  good back court duo with Lillard as he can shoot 3s and can score more than Jae.

That's just probably your personal opinion, but statistics don't lie as Jae Crowder shoots better than Pat Connaughton.

Please refer their respective stats.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/connapa01.html
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/crowdja01.html

Jae is 43.6% while Pat is 33.9%, that's their last season's average, and if you look closely on the stats, Jae's percentage has improve significantly, which is opposite to what happen with Pat.

[dwyane36]

Lillard, Middleton, Portis, Giannis and Lopez, could this be a potential Bucks starting lineup?

Portis might sit out because they'd become too big if he were included in the starting lineup, which would slow the team down. Additionally, Portis is a great player, so it would be nice to see him in the second unit. You can check out this article that discusses the potential lineup.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/bucks-starting-lineup-damian-lillard-trade-giannis-brook-lopez

POINT GUARD: Damian Lillard
SHOOTING GUARD: Khris Middleton
SMALL FORWARD: Jae Crowder
POWER FORWARD: Giannis Antetokounmpo
CENTER: Brook Lopez

Yeah, you're right. Portis is too big a guy, and he clearly won't play as a small forward, as his performance would be ineffective in that position. In any case, I think the Bucks will experiment with the starting lineup at the beginning of the season, and they will likely find the best fit by rotating players at the SG and SF positions.

[Kasabus]

Pat could be a  good back court duo with Lillard as he can shoot 3s and can score more than Jae.

That's just probably your personal opinion, but statistics don't lie as Jae Crowder shoots better than Pat Connaughton.

Please refer their respective stats.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/connapa01.html
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/crowdja01.html

Jae is 43.6% while Pat is 33.9%, that's their last season's average, and if you look closely on the stats, Jae's percentage has improve significantly, which is opposite to what happen with Pat.

While the stats may say that Crawdor has a better 3-point shooting percentage, what matters more is the chemistry within the team. Pat has been with the team for 5 seasons, while Crowder has only played 1 season, not even the full season. So, I'm sure they will not only base the decision on shooting percentage; the team will evaluate which of the two players is more deserving to be in the starting lineup.

[ultrloa]

It's a jackpot deal for the Bucks, and I think no one expected this outcome of the Lillard drama. Lillard is probably more than happy with this deal because he will play for a team that can really contend for the title. By the way, it's also worth noting that the Bucks not only got Lillard but also potentially retained Giannis, who earlier said that he might leave the Bucks.
As for Middleton's role, he will most likely be SG in the starting lineup. There is no need for the Bucks to put him on the bench.

This proves once again... basketball is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get
This was also a big surprise for me and this proves that the East is coming with everything it needs to be champions of this NBA season

I'm looking forward to watch the Celtics in this season, but I confess that now I'm curious and eager to watch the Bucks as well.

Lillard, Middleton, Portis, Giannis and Lopez, could this be a potential Bucks starting lineup?

This is really a big surprise since who would think that Lillard would go to Bucks, The discussion is always goes to Miami that's why many people expect that he will really land there especially that Butler is also showing some good interest to put Lillard on their team.

But guess everything not goes with them and Portland surprised so many fans arounds the world. But still they win on that trade since they get a quality guys on their roster and for sure they will not get hurt for the departure of their superstar.

All eyes are now in Bucks next season since the addition of Lillard adds additional fire power in the offense of there team. The only question there if there defense is still good for letting their defensive guys go to other team.

[danherbias07]

After acquiring Damian Lillard, the pressure is on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks to win another NBA title
https://sports.yahoo.com/after-acquiring-damian-lillard-the-pressure-is-on-giannis-antetokounmpo-and-bucks-to-win-another-nba-title-232122048.html

Milwaukee Bucks gave him the recipe for another ring, he might as well play harder this year and take the crown again because this ain't a cheap trade.
I still believe Jrue Holiday has the best value when it comes to being a playmaker and a defensive elite. Heck, for me if he ain't in the Bucks in the Finals, they won't even win that year, or worse, they won't be in the Finals.
Health is no problem for him. He plays like every day is the Finals and doesn't play lazy.
But, this will be a new environment for Giannis, he is the face of the Bucks and now someone will come in that may change that. Chemistry will not be easy but I think Dame is not that unhappy about what happened. I guess he can just breath better now that he is out of the Blazers management.

[arwin100]

After acquiring Damian Lillard, the pressure is on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks to win another NBA title
https://sports.yahoo.com/after-acquiring-damian-lillard-the-pressure-is-on-giannis-antetokounmpo-and-bucks-to-win-another-nba-title-232122048.html

Milwaukee Bucks gave him the recipe for another ring, he might as well play harder this year and take the crown again because this ain't a cheap trade.
I still believe Jrue Holiday has the best value when it comes to being a playmaker and a defensive elite. Heck, for me if he ain't in the Bucks in the Finals, they won't even win that year, or worse, they won't be in the Finals.
Health is no problem for him. He plays like every day is the Finals and doesn't play lazy.
But, this will be a new environment for Giannis, he is the face of the Bucks and now someone will come in that may change that. Chemistry will not be easy but I think Dame is not that unhappy about what happened. I guess he can just breath better now that he is out of the Blazers management.

Now that Giannis has been heard by Bucks for sure there's no reason for him to create some noise to their team and now they need to focus on their practices so that they can create good chemistry with their new added star on their roster. Jrue holiday is heck one of the best player they have and I think its a huge loss for them to move him away on their team but guess they want to try their new duo and gamble with Lillard for a chance to win a championship next season. Lets just see if they will not get an huge first round upset on next season since if that case happen to them then provably this maybe another failed experiment to them. We know Lillard is so good but now he need to develop good chemistry with his new teammates.

[püsür]

The Damian Lillard news is hot. I am more interested in the reaction of the players and I found this article in NBA.com.
https://www.nba.com/news/nba-reacts-damian-lillard-trade-bucks

Just woke up and saw the news.

NBA = The Greatest Show On Earth.
@VicOladipo

https://x.com/VicOladipo/status/1707113910342467608?s=20

Christmas at my house @Dame_Lillard
@joshhart

https://x.com/joshhart/status/1707105058712629260?s=20

Losing Jrue is Big. That’s all imma say
@patbev21

https://x.com/patbev21/status/1707100478247436373?s=20

A Dame/ GA pick and roll is only supposed to happen in All Star Games
@Johnhenson31

https://x.com/Johnhenson31/status/1707102757537153034?s=20

Some hilarious and some serious.
With all of that, I only agree with Patrick Beverley. As a defensive player fan, I am always keen to those who plays hard on defense. Jrue Holiday is one of the defensive masters either defending a guard or a big man, it doesn't matter to him. Bucks has their offensive player on Giannis, what they need is a wingman for him and it's not Jrue that should've taken out. It should be Middleton! Ever since he became an All-Star, the fire on him is almost gone.
I can say he dodged a bullet here because Trail Blazers may have not liked him, and the Bucks was forced to trade Jrue.

I laughed out loud at the Giannis pick and roll comment. This trade is indeed big. But I saw a news that Lillard was prepared to join his team before the trade happened, I mean he was not expecting trade to go through. But Trail Blazers GM has said that there is no turning back at this point. On the paper, this trade seems to be beneficial to everyone, all of the three teams. But we might think differently after couple of months. There is indeed a huge pressure on the Bucks to win the title but it will most certainly not be easy. Usually, too many allstars are not good in one team. And we can never predict the chemistry. Although I like the 'frenchise player' thing, this trade has surely made the league more exciting.

[inthelongrun]

Pat could be a  good back court duo with Lillard as he can shoot 3s and can score more than Jae.

That's just probably your personal opinion, but statistics don't lie as Jae Crowder shoots better than Pat Connaughton.

Please refer their respective stats.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/connapa01.html
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/crowdja01.html

Jae is 43.6% while Pat is 33.9%, that's their last season's average, and if you look closely on the stats, Jae's percentage has improve significantly, which is opposite to what happen with Pat.

While the stats may say that Crawdor has a better 3-point shooting percentage, what matters more is the chemistry within the team. Pat has been with the team for 5 seasons, while Crowder has only played 1 season, not even the full season. So, I'm sure they will not only base the decision on shooting percentage; the team will evaluate which of the two players is more deserving to be in the starting lineup.

I also believe that Pat will be the starting SG due to his long years of experience playing with Giannis and the Bucks. Jae is a proven veteran but he is definitely more fit at SF and PF. Khris is also an SF and I doubt he can play as a regular SG too. Anyways, the coach can change the starting lineups any time of the season though depending on how the team performs.

I wonder what the odds look like now, especially in the east. More like Boston and Milwaukee are at 50/50 now, although Kristap is more prone to injury.

[TravelMug]

They also signed Usman Garuba as well, not sure if he is the replacement for Dwight Howard or not.

Still young compared to Howard, the Warriors can still develop this player. He may not be very offensive, but in terms of defense, I think he can help. He averaged 4.1 rebounds per game last season with 12 minutes of playing time, which I believe is okay for a backup center. For me, I would just trust the Warriors in their decision. I wouldn't speculate too much. What's important is that they made a good move by trading Poole, which was basically one of the major reasons why they failed in the last playoffs.

Yes, that's what I also thought of the Warriors getting the Spaniard as he is young, so there is a big upside on him, lots of potential if properly developed by the Warriors program, just like what they have done to Kuminga so far.

As compare to Dwight who has a lot of experience under his belt and could be some issues down the line as we all know that Dwight sometimes make so many antics inside and outside of the court that might distract the Warriors or they might not get what Dwight wanted to.

[Yaunfitda]

[....]
With all of that, I only agree with Patrick Beverley. As a defensive player fan, I am always keen to those who plays hard on defense. Jrue Holiday is one of the defensive masters either defending a guard or a big man, it doesn't matter to him. Bucks has their offensive player on Giannis, what they need is a wingman for him and it's not Jrue that should've taken out. It should be Middleton! Ever since he became an All-Star, the fire on him is almost gone.
I can say he dodged a bullet here because Trail Blazers may have not liked him, and the Bucks was forced to trade Jrue.

Trade is a two-way street. Maybe Middleton was offered initially but the Blazers didn't want him probably due to his injuries and recent performance as well. Let's remember that Giannis is also asking questions on how serious the Bucks management are in winning another championship so the pressure is there to make moves that will likely make their franchise player happy and not leave as a free agent. Now is it the best trade for them? Probably not but let's see.

But there are news though that Jrue will be traded as well or the Blazers are going to used him as a trade bait to get young players or maybe future picks as they have to start their rebuilding as Dame is no longer their franchise players.

I do agree though, it's a two way street, maybe Jrue is a good defending and a offensive player, but Dame offer so much depth to the Bucks and with Giannis, they could be pose to be one of the most dominant duo next season. So for me, it's a win-win situation for both teams.