2022/3 season thread

ButtersSuki

Would absolutely love if the Lakers signed Kyrie.

Look at their postseason objectively: they scraped in against an under-strength Minnesota, played the self-imploding Memphis 💩 show at exactly the right time, had a win against GSW on the back of Davis, and then got swept. Yet to read boards you’d think they won the Finals and are going to repeat next year!

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120629921#Comment_120629921

How do you come to the conclusion that it sounds like the Lakers won everything?

We have a LeBron fan here, it's not an oddity, who goes overboard about him.

I don't agree that he's all that anymore but everybody has their own beliefs on things.

The same guy is heaping praise on the Nuggets.

I agree with you and others about LeBron with his flops, he was at it last night, and his ego.

He's not the greatest ever, he's in the conversation for next best with Kareem, Magic and Bill Russell imo.

Anyway he's just a fanboy of James and everybody's entitled to be a fan of a player.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120629964#Comment_120629964

Well thanks for finally admitting he goes overboard! A few weeks ago you were telling me how he was going to embarrass me with his command of the English language, which I'm still waiting for btw.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120629964#Comment_120629964

His posts are ridiculously OTT and pro-LeBron. RIDICULOUSLY SO. You know it. I know it. Those of you (you know who you are and there's more than one) who have PM'ed me about it know it.

And yet you still defend him with his absolutely outrageous nonsense. I'm all for debate and difference of opinions, but sometimes someone need to call bullsh!t.

LuckyLloyd

You’re just a hater Butters. Year in, year out. I can confidently say you have posted way more about LeBron than I have since I started posting here in 2016. I’m sorry LeBron is still competing at an elite level 20 years in and this bothers you. It is what it is.

Maybe LeBron will retire and give you a break.

As for you EE, you’re right we are all entitled to our own beliefs. But very few out there still believe LeBron is in the same tier as Kareem, Russel, etc. This conversation is only getting started too, LeBron has his own documentaries, etc to come.

LuckyLloyd

But look, Denver found myriad ways to win each of the four games. They are an awesome team and Jokic is clearly to me the best player in the league. Nobody will be discussing LeBron come June 1st. Jokic v Jimmy is mouth watering. We can all agree there

MyPeopleDrankTheSoup

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120629870#Comment_120629870

then you followed it up with 4 posts in a row about LeBron, across 45 minutes!

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120630394#Comment_120630394

If you really don't understand the difference in the posting style then there's no hope for you.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120630026#Comment_120630026

I'm not a hater, not at all. I've repeatedly said how great he is. If I was the hater you claim I am, I'd never praise him.

As recently as post 1688 I said the following and I put it in bold for emphasis - Again, it's incredible what he's doing. AND AGAIN - I'm not in any way suggesting he's not good/great. HE ABSOLUTELY IS.

Sounds like a hater alright doesn't it? 🙄

I'm not however - unlike you - immune to calling out his crap, his flopping, his travels, his terrible shot selection at times, his ego, his tendency to blame everyone but himself when they lose, the "injuries", etc. etc.. HE IS NOT PERFECT, despite what you seem to think.

irishguitarlad

I see where Sasha Vezenkov is more than likely joining the kings, would he be good enough to have an important role there? Or will he just ride the bench for a year or two, collect his money and return to euroleague?

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631057#Comment_120631057

With all of these guys, it really depends on the system they play. I think he’s good enough to be an impact player, he’s certainly smart enough and has the body to be. He’s not going to be an All Star but it’s rarely about the money (you’ll make more money in Europe as a star than you will as role player in the NBA). Plus you play a lot less games in Europe too.

I like his game, I’d like to see him succeed in the NBA.

ButtersSuki

Chris Vernon with an epic troll of Mark Jackson on today’s Mismatch.worth listening for that alone.

eagle eye

I've no clue about European basketball outside of Ireland. I've caught a couple of games but it doesn't really interest me. So I have no clue about any player playing in Europe. If I hear about a guy heading to the NBA I'll watch a game or two but it's very hard to gauge how good he'll be because the standard in Europe is in my opinion a long way below the NBA.

eagle eye

Impressive showing by the Celtics, 116-99. Tatum was seriously impressive.

LuckyLloyd

Celtics ran hot from 3, not sure they have anything figured out. Vincent rolling his ankle not ideal though.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633052#Comment_120633052

There’s many - many - guys playing in Europe who would start or be 6th men in the NBA. For a variety of reasons they choose to stay in Europe, be that money, no. of games, family, etc.

The gap and standard isn’t what you think, but the fakes are different - particularly from an athletic perspective. Put crudely, the NBA is more athletic and individual, and Euroleague is much more fundamentals, defence and team-oriented.

Look at how international teams in recent years compete with and beat the US teams. If the gap was huge, that simply wouldn’t happen. Look at Luka saying it’s easier to score in the NBA than Euroleague - he’s not lying. I know it goes against intuition but if you watch the games you’ll understand. Euroleague is like chess, the NBA is like a 100m sprint.

One thing I will say the Eurloeague are much better at than the NBA is in game atmosphere. Euroleague games are insanely passionate, like nothing you’ve ever seen before. I’ve been to hundreds of NBA games at this stage. I’ve been to dozens of Euroleague Games and 4 Final Fours. The worst Euroleague atmosphere is 10 times better than the best NBA game.

I would say to anyone who likes basketball to give Euroleague a chance.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120634517#Comment_120634517

Isn't there a bunch of Americans playing in the top tier in Europe that aren't good enough for the NBA? I hear or read things about them being the top scorers etc.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120634582#Comment_120634582

There’s some ex NBA players in Europe yes, but they’re never the top scorers. They tend to be point of shooting guards, but there’s forwards too. The best players in the Euroleague are European.

irishguitarlad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120634517#Comment_120634517

Yeah Jokic and Giannis said the same thing. Another thing as well is the rules and the reffing, they are great.

Osmosis Jones

I still can't believe everyone associated in any way with European basketball knew Luka was a sure thing and he still had 3 teams choose not to take him in the draft.

Carcharodon

LeBron contemplating retirement in the offseason…. Lol, no chance in hell, he just couldn’t let Denver and Jokic have their moment. I can nearly guarantee that his last season will be a farewell tour to end all farewell tours

LuckyLloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120636804#Comment_120636804

Nonsense. He gave Denver huge props in his interview. They aren’t his problem, and if journalists ask him that question - as a 38 year old who just played himself into dust on a bad foot in a losing effort - the honest answer probably is that he’ll have to think about it.

I could buy a calculated aspect of it being putting the front office under pressure. But it was nothing to do with taking away from Denver. They are in the Finals and everyone is lauding how great a team they are, their props are coming and rightly so.

The angles people stretch for to find criticism of LeBron, smh.

johnnyk29

I have to defend Lebron here, he did say as well that Denver are the best team he and AD have faced in their four years together

Another interesting thing from the Denver/Lakers series is that Michael Malone is the son of Brendan Malone who was assistant to Chuck Daly during the bad boy piston era

If you see the last play in game 4 the way Denver defended LeBron reminded me so much of the way Detroit defended Jordan with Gordon being Rodman in this play and Murray being a Dumars/Thomas type

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120636833#Comment_120636833

The angles people find to defend him. SMH.

He’s been widely criticized for it. Tim MacMahon called him “The Drama King” on today’s Hoop Collective. Simmons and Kevin O’Connor laughed mockingly about it, Rusillio the same. All of the podcasts I’ve listened to since Game 4 have criticized it and so have all of the tv snippets I’ve watched.

But once again you’re right and anyone who criticizes your hero is wrong. 🙄

You probably think his last two plays in the game (hitting the side of the backboard going left and then dribbling into a wall) were great plays too. Honestly, it’s so tiresome.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120637346#Comment_120637346

The point is he couldn’t leave it at that, he then had to drop the “I might retire” crap knowing it would be a huge story. There’s not a chance in hell he’ll retire after spending years saying he wants to play with his son. Nothing he says isn’t calculated, it was no accident. It was nothing personal against Denver, he’d have done it no matter who the opposition was.

As predicted - half-jokingly - on here, he was bound to do something to make it about him, that’s what he does and he has a long history of doing it. It was going to be this, or come in on crutches saying he can barely walk.

🙄

Carcharodon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120636833#Comment_120636833

Well it’s not nonsense to be fair, Iam not saying he hasn’t given Denver any props, of course he has, it would be insane not to, it’s pretty clear the difference in levels between those teams.

My point is that he knows damn well that he isn’t going to retire but he just had to let it linger out there, maybe Iam being too cynical and LeBron honestly doesn’t know but I think I live here on planet earth and I know he ain’t retiring. The lengths people go to avoid any criticism of LeBron is more baffling to me.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120635140#Comment_120635140

There were reasons he was taken 3rd. I don’t agree with them but I understand some of them.

1. Sarver wanted the local college star from u of Arizona. And we were still in the age where a lot of people thought that if there’s a 7 footer available at 1 you build around him. Plus they had Booker at shooting guard.
2. Divac “allegedly” didn’t want to take Luka because of the whole Balkan geo-political thing.
3. A lot of Americans still - to this day - think European/foreign players just aren’t as good as American players. This is ignoring the fact that the last 5 MVP winners are not American but there you go.
4. There’s this thing where European players are seen as soft. Again daft but it’s there.
5. A lot of Americans still didn’t rate European basketball, despite the fact that club teams were gearing NBA teams in friendlies and National Teams were beating the US. Plain and simple arrogance,
6. There were many pundits in the US and Europe who said Luka should be 1 and thought it was madness he wasn’t. Luka was 18, was MVP of the Euroleague and Eurobasket playing against ex-NBA players and grown men, It’s utter madness he wasn’t picked 1.

I said as much at the time (you can read back).

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120637581#Comment_120637581

Any criticism of LeBron is nonsense according to LL. You should know this by now.

ButtersSuki

Just seeing Woj reporting Phoenix are about to hire Doc Rivers as coach. Well forget about winning a championship then. Crazy move.

LuckyLloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120637463#Comment_120637463

Well I listened to Rusilo and he very specifically said he didn’t buy into any complaining about LeBron answering the question in this way to deny Denver their props, like Carcharadon suggested above.

He was hugely complimentary of LeBron’s effort, etc and called out Van Gundy’s commentary asking for LeBron to post up through the second half. He was clearly just exhausted, and people sitting in their armchair have unreasonable expectations of these moments, about what is possible. LeBron being able to do it for all 48 five year’s ago sets those unreasonable expectations, of course.

Dunc’d on Prime also effusive of LeBron’s effort, particularly his defense again. So I don’t know what you’re listening to (or hearing, in the case of your Rusilo reference). I mean if LeBron’s last two plays and him considering retirement are the things you want to pluck out of that magnificent performance it’s just sad. Talking heads on ESPN focusing on those things are doing it for engagement, but I doubt they hold the opinions seriously.

I dunno lads, seems to me ye are desperate to see the negative the whole time. Year after year on here, what little negative can you find about LeBron. It must be exhausting.

The thing ye should be asking yourself is ‘why do I default to focusing on the negatives?’ I mean you hate LeBron, but why? Is it the Decision, a thing that happened 13 years ago? Is it because he beat up on your Celtics for years? Or just that he has been under massive scrutiny since he was 16 and has grown up infront of our eyes and not had the same tools a decade plus ago? So a lack of empathy? Or is it because he’s the one player who threatens your sense of who the greatest player was, and thus invalidates something personally about your own youth or something?

Because it’s not hard lads to know why you’d be rooting for this guy. 20 years of absolutely insane basketball, the greatest comeback in finals history, an athlete with the highest expectations and most scrutiny ever who EXCEEDED all the unreasonable expectations. And did it with virtually no personal missteps or scandal. A family man with his missus through it all, etc.

I’ll never get the hate, that’s the long and the short of it.