2015-16 NBA Regular Season

[Billie]

So anyone can offer a convincing argument as to why Steph Curry is not the best player in the world right now that doesn’t revolve around a reputation Lebron acquired years ago? In fairness, it’s a deserved reputation, but over the past 12 months, Steph Curry is playing the highest level of Basketball out of any player in the league.

Well I think people are mesmerized with Steph because of his shooting, really.  I haven't followed this season, but he was never high on assists,  rebounds or steals (things that guards are judged upon).  But when he is in the zone shooting, it can be electric.  Perhaps people look at overall skills.   I think that system is really great and all pieces are very well put together and they compliment each other.  We'll see how they do this season.  It is not going to be easy repeating and frankly they'll think it a failure if they don't win the championship again this year.

I am still watching basketball infrequently so I appreciate anything I read from you guys.  Until football is over and after the All Star Break, then I usually follow it more intensely.

 

[DarthFed]

Curry has become a tremendous all around player.  Watching him has been quite an evolution; first time I saw him play was in college and he was obviously an already impressive shooter but I figured he's still too small to be a big time player.  Then as a rookie he was already pretty darn good but I figured he will just be a very good shooter and above average player.  Then watching him at the start of last year I thought, "wow this guy is one of the best shooters ever, has great handles and is damn near impossible to stop."  Fast forward to today and my opinion is he is by FAR the best shooter of all time and is just a flat out great player who now has a chip on his shoulder to prove that last year was no fluke individually or as a team.  It truly is amazing to watch, insanely quick release and he can drill it from anywhere on the court with hands in his face.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Annnnnnd Durant is out for 6-8 weeks. Jesus.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Broken_shoelace wrote:
So anyone can offer a convincing argument as to why Steph Curry is not the best player in the world right now that doesn’t revolve around a reputation Lebron acquired years ago? In fairness, it’s a deserved reputation, but over the past 12 months, Steph Curry is playing the highest level of Basketball out of any player in the league.

Well I think people are mesmerized with Steph because of his shooting, really. I haven’t followed this season, but he was never high on assists, rebounds or steals (things that guards are judged upon). But when he is in the zone shooting, it can be electric. Perhaps people look at overall skills. I think that system is really great and all pieces are very well put together and they compliment each other. We’ll see how they do this season. It is not going to be easy repeating and frankly they’ll think it a failure if they don’t win the championship again this year. I am still watching basketball infrequently so I appreciate anything I read from you guys. Until football is over and after the All Star Break, then I usually follow it more intensely.

Steph led the league in steals last season, and was 5th (maybe 6th) in assists, so he's really come a long way since being the guy who just drops 3's.  Offensively, I think he's the best player in the NBA right now, with only Durant giving him a run for his money on that front (which won't happen for 6-8 weeks now). Defensively he's still suspect though.

 

[DarthFed]

Annnnnnd Durant is out for 6-8 weeks. Jesus.

Damn I saw he exited the game with a strained hamstring. I didn't think that'd be a 6-8 week injury.

 

[Billie]

Guys I think that Steph is electrifying as a shooter, but frankly that team is stacked with good players and that is the reason they are so good.  It is funny but last year in November I watched only 2 of their games and I was impressed with them and thought they might do well.    Frankly Thompson, Green, Iguodala and Barnes had some timely shots or defensive plays.  For my money Iguodala was the defensive man of the team during the season and especially during the playoffs last year.  Klay Thompson can light it up as well as anybody.  But they complement one another so well and it is not easy to accomplish it.

Even though they have 2 better players than any of GS (in my opinion), the reason OKC haven't done better is that they don't have those other, complementary, players like GSW has.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Broken_shoelace wrote:
Annnnnnd Durant is out for 6-8 weeks. Jesus.

Damn I saw he exited the game with a strained hamstring. I didn’t think that’d be a 6-8 week injury.

Thankfully, turns out that estimate was a bit off and after MRI's on Wednesday, they say it's between 7-10 days and not as bad as initially feared. I still think it'll be at least 2 weeks since they won't rush him back but still, that's definitely good news.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Guys I think that Steph is electrifying as a shooter, but frankly that team is stacked with good players and that is the reason they are so good. It is funny but last year in November I watched only 2 of their games and I was impressed with them and thought they might do well. Frankly Thompson, Green, Iguodala and Barnes had some timely shots or defensive plays. For my money Iguodala was the defensive man of the team during the season and especially during the playoffs last year. Klay Thompson can light it up as well as anybody. But they complement one another so well and it is not easy to accomplish it. Even though they have 2 better players than any of GS (in my opinion), the reason OKC haven’t done better is that they don’t have those other, complementary, players like GSW has.

I agree with this. The one main thing that you omit however, is coaching. Mark Jackson is a good coach and did an admirable job with the Warriors, but their offense still largely relied on Curry working his magic. When Steve Kerr came along, he really took them to the next level, and that's why players like Harrisson Barnes, Draymond Green and others flourished. It also allowed Curry to work his magic even more, since their motion offense was so good, and their off the ball movement is fantastic. OKC didn't have that, so they just had to rely on Durant and Westbrook ISO's. This year, they've got a really good team that, on paper, is every bit as talented as the Warriors if not better (Ibaka and Kanter are legit). Their role players might not be quite as good but when you have Kanter coming off the bench, and even the flaky Dion Waiters and a sharpshooter like Morrow, that's nothing to sneeze at. It's down to Donovan to actually make it all click. So far, it's been a mixed bag.

 

[DarthFed]

Guys I think that Steph is electrifying as a shooter, but frankly that team is stacked with good players and that is the reason they are so good. It is funny but last year in November I watched only 2 of their games and I was impressed with them and thought they might do well. Frankly Thompson, Green, Iguodala and Barnes had some timely shots or defensive plays. For my money Iguodala was the defensive man of the team during the season and especially during the playoffs last year. Klay Thompson can light it up as well as anybody. But they complement one another so well and it is not easy to accomplish it. Even though they have 2 better players than any of GS (in my opinion), the reason OKC haven’t done better is that they don’t have those other, complementary, players like GSW has.

There is some truth in that but I think you're underrating Curry here. His true FG% is out of this world. As BS mentioned the only one you can argue is a better scorer is Durant at this point. For Golden State what separates them from everyone else is their bench. The starting 5 is tough enough to deal with but they have probably the best bench in the league backing them up.

 

[Billie]

Billie wrote:
Guys I think that Steph is electrifying as a shooter, but frankly that team is stacked with good players and that is the reason they are so good. It is funny but last year in November I watched only 2 of their games and I was impressed with them and thought they might do well. Frankly Thompson, Green, Iguodala and Barnes had some timely shots or defensive plays. For my money Iguodala was the defensive man of the team during the season and especially during the playoffs last year. Klay Thompson can light it up as well as anybody. But they complement one another so well and it is not easy to accomplish it. Even though they have 2 better players than any of GS (in my opinion), the reason OKC haven’t done better is that they don’t have those other, complementary, players like GSW has.

I agree with this. The one main thing that you omit however, is coaching. Mark Jackson is a good coach and did an admirable job with the Warriors, but their offense still largely relied on Curry working his magic. When Steve Kerr came along, he really took them to the next level, and that’s why players like Harrisson Barnes, Draymond Green and others flourished. It also allowed Curry to work his magic even more, since their motion offense was so good, and their off the ball movement is fantastic. OKC didn’t have that, so they just had to rely on Durant and Westbrook ISO’s. This year, they’ve got a really good team that, on paper, is every bit as talented as the Warriors if not better (Ibaka and Kanter are legit). Their role players might not be quite as good but when you have Kanter coming off the bench, and even the flaky Dion Waiters and a sharpshooter like Morrow, that’s nothing to sneeze at. It’s down to Donovan to actually make it all click. So far, it’s been a mixed bag.

Yeah, you are supposed to read my mind to know that I was thinking about the coaching just forgot to put it down in a post LOL. I don't really like Kerr, his way of talking I find less than genuine, but he did an amazing job last year.

I haven't watched 1 full OKC game so I'll take your word that they have good supporting players. We'll see how they progress during the season.

 

[Billie]

Billie wrote:
Guys I think that Steph is electrifying as a shooter, but frankly that team is stacked with good players and that is the reason they are so good. It is funny but last year in November I watched only 2 of their games and I was impressed with them and thought they might do well. Frankly Thompson, Green, Iguodala and Barnes had some timely shots or defensive plays. For my money Iguodala was the defensive man of the team during the season and especially during the playoffs last year. Klay Thompson can light it up as well as anybody. But they complement one another so well and it is not easy to accomplish it. Even though they have 2 better players than any of GS (in my opinion), the reason OKC haven’t done better is that they don’t have those other, complementary, players like GSW has.

There is some truth in that but I think you’re underrating Curry here. His true FG% is out of this world. As BS mentioned the only one you can argue is a better scorer is Durant at this point. For Golden State what separates them from everyone else is their bench. The starting 5 is tough enough to deal with but they have probably the best bench in the league backing them up.

No, I am not underrating him. He is one of the most electric shooters that I've seen and I've always had a soft spot for them. But the guy is getting better and better in other aspects of the game, that is important. He seems to play within himself and doesn't get injured. Those are all extremely good qualities to have.

It is understood that for any championship team their bench has to be outstanding. Heck San Antonio's success over the years lies in their teamwork, coaching and bench. I watched their match vs Portland the other night (or was it last night?) All the old geezers are back and with a few new ones. They are the oldest team in the NBA, hardly a surprise.

 

[Billie]

So Golden State is 16:0 to start a season.  Not bad   The best start in NBA history.  I think that they can have less than 10 losses this season (barring any injuries) and thus set an all time winning record in regular season.  Just WOW.

 

[DarthFed]

Now 17-0, I think they have a legit chance at it barring injuries.  They'd have to go 56-9 the rest of the way, which is still a tall order but it's doable. To hit 70 wins they'd need 53-12 which is very manageable if not likely.

 

[britbox]

Kobe Bryant has announced he is retiring at the end of the year.

So how good was Kobe Bryant and where does he fit in among the NBA All-time greats?

 

[DarthFed]

You beat me to it.  I will mention first of all that I never was a huge fan of his.  I usually rooted against the big time teams growing up aside from Jordan's Bulls.  Putting that aside I think Bryant probably makes most people's all time top 10 list.  Some people overrate him and put him in top 5 but I just don't see it.  The 5 titles and volume stats are hugely impressive but he was not the top dog on the first 3 championship teams. Bryant played at a high level for a ton of years, just not the last few.  Things are really ugly for him right now and he knows it is time to go.  Maybe with that decision already made he can play more freely and do better as the season goes on.  I also expect he will be on the team for the 2016 Olympics next summer.

Even more than just arguing Kobe's place in history he really was big in the transition to the post-MJ NBA.  Kobe, perhaps more than anyone, helped keep the NBA afloat for the 5-10 years after Jordan's 2nd retirement in 1998.  He will be missed.

 

[Billie]

I like Black Mamba and I'll miss him.  He's had a lot of problems with his knees so I guess it is time to pack it in.  It happens to everybody eventually.

 

[Billie]

Now 17-0, I think they have a legit chance at it barring injuries. They’d have to go 56-9 the rest of the way, which is still a tall order but it’s doable. To hit 70 wins they’d need 53-12 which is very manageable if not likely.

18:0, it will be interesting to see when they lose.

 

[britbox]

I never really liked Kobe and I was always a Lakers fan even if I don't follow NBA all that much.  Magic Johnson was always the Number One Laker, and I'm not sure I'd even put Kobe above Kareem.

 

 

[DarthFed]

I never really liked Kobe and I was always a Lakers fan even if I don’t follow NBA all that much. Magic Johnson was always the Number One Laker, and I’m not sure I’d even put Kobe above Kareem.

Agreed, Kareem and Magic are 2 guys definitely ahead of Kobe on the all-time list so at best Kobe is the 3rd greatest Laker. Quite a rich history of legendary players for that franchise so it's no slight.

 

[kskate2]

Kobe to Retire

Kobe Calls It Quits

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/an-ode-to-kobe-bryant-in-two-charts/