Spring Break My Heart posted:

He'd make sense on there, tho

Harlock posted:

Not counting pick swaps, but pure picks, Gobert seems kind of funny in the context of this list I hastily looked up and put together

Players Traded for Multiple 1st Rounders

Two First Rounders
James Harden (BKN to PHI)
James Harden (OKC to HOU)
Malcolm Brogdon (MIL to IND)
Tobias Harris (LAC to PHI)
Russell Westbrook (OKC to HOU)

Three First Rounders
Anthony Davis (NO to LAL)
James Harden (HOU to BKN)
Jrue Holiday (NO to MIL)
Donovan Mitchell (UTA to CLE)

Four First Rounders
Rudy Gobert (UTA to MIN)
Kevin Durant (BKN to PHX)

Five First Rounders
Paul George (OKC to LAC)

(Also I just wanted to list James Harden multiple times)

pentyne posted:

I love that the dude breaking his hand punching a wall is the least covered part of the Timberwolves situation right now

pentyne posted:

I love that the dude breaking his hand punching a wall is the least covered part of the Timberwolves situation right now

Lockback posted:

Gobert had 3+1 years under contract. … which increases the value considerably,

Metapod posted:

the timberwolves understood that anderson called gobert a "bitch" repeatedly

DJ_Mindboggler posted:

I'll admit it, my biggest prediction whiff of the season was thinking the Gobert trade would be amazing for the Wolves. KAT being out for so long certainly hasn't helped things, but he (Gobert) doesn't seem to be raising their defense nearly as much as I assumed he would.

maruhkati posted:

Part of it is that KAT actually wasn't particularly bad on defense last year. They moved him out of drop coverage and had him playing a high wall, which particularly worked for the more aggressive ballhawking scheme they ran.

The thing they needed was a point guard. They realized this WAY too late and had to settle for Conley.

Even despite all that's happening, though, I'm predicting the Lakers blow this play-in game in hilarious fashion.

predicto posted:

I will not stand for this Kevon Looney erasure.

He plays 20 minutes a game but grabbed more offensive rebounds than anyone in the league this year. He sets great screens, and is one of the best big men at switching and sticking with guards on the perimeter and not falling for pump fakes.

Most people don't know that he was Lebron-lite in high school, a 6'9" point forward with handles who dished 7 assists a game, before he went to UCLA and they broke his body into little pieces. He has salvaged an NBA career by totally remaking his game within his new physical limitations.

More importantly, he is a beautiful human being, one of the least arrogant, most likeable players in the entire league. Even people who loathe the Warriors like Kevon Looney.

Blind Pineapple posted:

Kobe gets a lot of poo poo here because he has a lot of extremely annoying fans that make ridiculous claims like he's easily better than LeBron or equal to Jordan, but he was pretty much a perfect guard for 2000s basketball. When you compare him to other guards that got a lot of hype from that time frame like AI, T-Mac, or Vince, you can see why one might view Kobe has head and shoulders above. There is definitely something to be said for his consistency over a high volume of minutes year after year, even if his efficiency isn't impressive by modern standards. Volume scoring was a highly-valued trait back then, and he was the best at it. I have no doubt that if Kobe started playing in the last 5 years, he would've learned to shoot 3s better, driven more, been more selective with his mid-range, and still be a top 5 player.

As for Jaylen Brown, I had him as my most overrated in the preseason poll but after watching him play more this year, I was definitely in the wrong. I actually think he could have a James Harden like career arc if he went to a team where he was the clear #1.

R.D. Mangles posted:

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1645483372326658055?s=20

Dying at how this tweet is written

the Timberwolves understood that Kyle Anderson called him a bitch repeatedly, lmao

The Glumslinger posted:

I expect the Lakers to win, but their perimeter defense has been pretty bad the last few games. I dont know if it just Last-Day-of-School-Itis or injuries or what, but they've been giving up a lot of easy layups and drives recently. Its probably made worse by how small they are the moment AD sits since Wenyen has a rough time when he cant be used as an energy switcher and has to actually try to defend the paint

The Maestro posted:

@MagicJohnson: Kyle Anderson had 8 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 2 blocks in a must win victory against the Pelicans. Cookie and I understand he called Gobert a “bitch” repeatedly.

Redeye Flight posted:

Have you ever met Rudy Gobert
He's the biggest bitch in the whole wide world
He's a mean little bitch
If there ever was a bitch
He's a bitch to all the ~boys and girls~

[Shut your loving mouth, Kyle!]

On the street he's a bitch
In the press he's a bitch
In the locker room and warm-ups he's a bitch
Then on game night
Just to be different
He's a super King Kamehameha beeyotch!

Lockback posted:

The line moved from -1.5 to -7.5 when they announced Gobert is out.

I think that's a dramatic move but it definitely hurts them. I am debating if I want to change my prediction pick before tipoff.

xbilkis posted:

The use of the word "repeatedly" in that Woj tweet deserves a Pulitzer

Vox Nihili posted:

Yeah, the Lakers are exactly the sort of team that you want to have Gobert against. Making them shoot from the perimeter is the key to beating them. Otherwise AD and Bron will notch 70 paint points and that will be that.

Lockback posted:

Right, especially with McDaniels out to slow down their perimeter guys. Wolves defense is still ok, but it's a real problem.

Lockback posted:

one of the reasons why is because Gobert had 3+1 years under contract. All the guys with 4 or 5 FRP had long contracts, which increases the value considerably, especially for a team like MN who is a long way from guaranteeing someone will re-sign.

Gonz posted:

Gonz posted:

Blind Pineapple posted:

Kobe gets a lot of poo poo here because he has a lot of extremely annoying fans that make ridiculous claims like he's easily better than LeBron or equal to Jordan, but he was pretty much a perfect guard for 2000s basketball. When you compare him to other guards that got a lot of hype from that time frame like AI, T-Mac, or Vince, you can see why one might view Kobe has head and shoulders above. There is definitely something to be said for his consistency over a high volume of minutes year after year, even if his efficiency isn't impressive by modern standards. Volume scoring was a highly-valued trait back then, and he was the best at it. I have no doubt that if Kobe started playing in the last 5 years, he would've learned to shoot 3s better, driven more, been more selective with his mid-range, and still be a top 5 player.

As for Jaylen Brown, I had him as my most overrated in the preseason poll but after watching him play more this year, I was definitely in the wrong. I actually think he could have a James Harden like career arc if he went to a team where he was the clear #1.

predicto posted:

Sure, Kobe is a legit hall of famer from a time when volume scoring was more significant. He stayed healthy forever, played great defense early in his career, and had many great highlight moments. Plus rings, Ernuh. He's a top 20 player all time.

However, fact remains that Kobe won scoring titles by taking more shots than anyone else year after year at league average efficiency, and he missed over 1000 more shots than any player in history. If you sent Jaylen Brown back in time and gave him Kobe's green light to dominate the ball and the Laker hype machine, I'm not convinced there would be that significant of a difference in his career (if he could stay healthy like Kobe did).

Paracaidas posted:

Definitely makes the NAW acquisition huge.

Yup. This gets underrated by most of the discourse.

ETA:
https://twitter.com/JonKrawczynski/status/1645524574304436249

Vox Nihili posted:

TY.

predicto posted:

Sure, Kobe is a legit hall of famer from a time when volume scoring was more significant. He stayed healthy forever, played great defense early in his career, and had many great highlight moments. Plus rings, Ernuh. He's a top 20 player all time.

However, fact remains that Kobe won scoring titles by taking more shots than anyone else year after year at league average efficiency, and he missed over 1000 more shots than any player in history. If you sent Jaylen Brown back in time and gave him Kobe's green light to dominate the ball and the Laker hype machine, I'm not convinced there would be that significant of a difference in his career (if he could stay healthy like Kobe did).

predicto posted:

Sure, Kobe is a legit hall of famer from a time when volume scoring was more significant. He stayed healthy forever, played great defense early in his career, and had many great highlight moments. Plus rings, Ernuh. He's a top 20 player all time.

However, fact remains that Kobe won scoring titles by taking more shots than anyone else year after year at league average efficiency, and he missed over 1000 more shots than any player in history. If you sent Jaylen Brown back in time and gave him Kobe's green light to dominate the ball and the Laker hype machine, I'm not convinced there would be that significant of a difference in his career (if he could stay healthy like Kobe did).

predicto posted:

Sure, Kobe is a legit hall of famer from a time when volume scoring was more significant. He stayed healthy forever, played great defense early in his career, and had many great highlight moments. Plus rings, Ernuh. He's a top 20 player all time.

However, fact remains that Kobe won scoring titles by taking more shots than anyone else year after year at league average efficiency, and he missed over 1000 more shots than any player in history. If you sent Jaylen Brown back in time and gave him Kobe's green light to dominate the ball and the Laker hype machine, I'm not convinced there would be that significant of a difference in his career (if he could stay healthy like Kobe did).

WhyteRyce posted:

water wet
https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1645453800818323459