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Cake day: October 19th, 2023

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  • That is truly an insane number.

    His attitude has been very poor this season but that alone is not the reason for his struggles. He and Tyus don’t compliment each other too well as backcourt mates because neither really put pressure on the rim.

    Neither offer much defensively. Tyus was 8th percentile on defense last season and he’s 3rd percentile this season whereas Poole is 0th. Their games don’t really mesh. Poole is at his best with the ball in his hands but is playing predominantly off ball with the Wizards with Tyus and Kuz soaking up most of the ballhandling load. I don’t think it’s a situation he’s going to be at his best, but the question also is whether a team is willing to really hand the keys over to Poole.

    Been a rough learning curve for Poole this season and he doesn’t appear to have the mentality to dig himself out of the hole.




  • The top two: Haliburton has always been efficient but upping the volume to the level he has and remaining as efficient as he has been, being even more efficient as a scorer, has taken him from All Star to Superstar.

    Fox is shooting at career best numbers across the board. If that sustains, he took will have taken the true Superstar leap.

    Obviously these two get compared with one another a lot but they’re both in amazing situations that enhance and compliment their strengths. They’re better apart than they’d ever be together and the trade has unlocked both players individually and each of their teams. And they’re both so fun to watch!


  • Be it for any of us to criticise KG’s outlook and opinion on a player. This is a little hyperbolic though.

    Poole’s first crack at a full time starting job and the 1b/Robin role to Kuz’ Batman in Washington. He’s had his moments with the Warriors with/without Steph but their system and the talent around him plus the fact he’s not nightly at the top of scouting reports, made that a much easier transition for him than this is in DC.

    I don’t think Poole is ever truly gonna be an elite starting SG and may be destined to be a 6th man, but too early to make the final conclusion. Decent chance the Wizards look to trade him soon as it is.




  • So much on my mind with how the season’s played out:

    Thunder are a stellar team. Their experience together, while being young, as a unit has really shone through. Their chemistry as a unit. Chet has unlocked Shai in a monstrous way and Chet is a monster himself. Having the length they do 1-5, multiple ballhandlers, and finally having the rim protector in Chet they do takes OKC to a totally different level. They’re in an awesome position as a team.

    Very disappointed in the Jazz but Keyonte George has indeed shown a lot of great things as u/East_Bed1194 said. Expected more out of Utah but too many turnovers and the defense hasn’t been good enough, with or without Kessler. It’s been even worse without Kessler, but Kessler and Collins and their chemistry together was off. Collins just isn’t a 5, even though some have said that’s where he’d be at his best…the strengths of his game are neutralized as a 5. He does have his 3 ball back and I believe he and Kessler can be a good fit together in time. Jazz guard/wing play hasn’t been good enough. I don’t know if they have their future SG or SF on the roster currently.

    Bulls at 5-11 may be able to rally and sneak a play-in spot but this team is done realistically. Just not enough shooting, they play too slow, they’re getting essentially nothing out of the PF spot, PWill looks broken, and they’re getting little out of Coby as the starting PG on either end of the floor. Team lacks chemistry and lacks an identity and LaVine is clearly disenchanted. Vucevic has taken a real step back this season, shooting as badly as ever from 3, his all around efficiency has been very poor for his standards, shooting less 3’s, and bad body language. I think Donovan deserves the ability to play with the assuredly new roster that’ll be coming in after the deadline and a fresh start but he may not want to do so.

    The impact Porzingis has made on the Celtics defense is something I expected to see going into the year and has borne out that way. Celtics are a team that can switch 1-4 and cause havoc on the perimeter while having an excellent rim protector and for a C, a solid shower/switcher on the perimeter in KP. Not to mention the versatility of his offensive skill set and how that compares to what the Celtics have had at the position the last few years. Celtics are a monster.

    Suns undefeated since Booker has come back, their injuries of course is what has stood out the most because that was the biggest concern with them. The competition hasn’t been elite but the Suns with Book and KD are just so explosive offensively. Now we can only imagine how they’ll play with Beal and having some measure of table setting ability out there on the floor with them. They could use that, which has been obvious early on.

    Pacers are Pretenders in my book. Their lack of size, rebounding, and very poor perimeter defense is gonna catch up to them as the season goes along…I don’t see them as anything more than a play-in team. I’m not that impressed with what I’ve seen because we already knew what they could be offensively. Bruce Brown isn’t a great SF defender but been forced into that role. Generally he’s the one defending the opponents’ best wing. He’s too small to do it. He can be beaten off the dribble by quick guards. He’s overrated defensively. Haliburton is incredible though and proven he can be almost as dynamic as a scorer as he is a playmaker which was something some questioned.







  • The Hawks would be a second-tier contender and finally really make that leap as a team from somewhat of an also-ran status to a real dark horse but I don’t think they’re in a position currently as a team to make an all-in trade of that nature. They’re still in a bit of a reset, developmental process as a team at the moment.

    In all seriousness, though, AD isn’t a self-creator. That’s not his game, so the idea he’s someone you can really built out an offense through is just not realistic. He does need to be more aggressive on a game to game basis, he does need to hold himself more accountable for his performances on a game to game basis, he does need to be more vocal, but that’s not something he’s ever going to be. That doesn’t mean he isn’t someone who doesn’t play hard, because he does. I think we need to delineate between those two things a bit.

    He plays hard and he absolutely has passion for the game of basketball. He’s just not a natural leader and that isn’t an indictment necessarily. Just not in his nature. Bron has to be this team’s #1 because they don’t have much in the way of shot creation or playmaking around him. That’s where the fingers need to point. This roster is a solid one but they aren’t loaded with firepower offensively and thus Bron has to take up that slack.


  • Was thinking and gonna tweet exactly what u/BBallHunter did. It’s a little difficult, particularly with LaVine and DeRozan, to envision exactly what the best fit and best situation would be for both team and player. I do think Miami would get the most out of DeMar but then you have to factor in the fact his game and Butler’s game are pretty duplicative.

    I think LaVine would be productive in Philly but Maxey+LaVine on paper is a bit of a peculiar fit as neither are true playmakers and are at their best on the ball. I can imagine DeMar being pretty good in Minnesota in a KAT swap but the Bulls would surely be looking at a different option if they do decide to pull the plug on their core.

    Not easy to pin down the best fit for either. DeMar I think would fit in Dallas pretty well and LaVine in New Orleans. However, Caruso is a guy who fits anywhere. Coby White is the kind of guy who has a malleable skill set too. Torrey Craig is a guy who many teams would love to pick up. Vooch’s skill set is also pretty malleable but the question with him is how much of an upgrade would he be to the centers already on board when you look up and down at playoff rosters throughout the league.


  • Maxey has another step he must take as a playmaker to be someone you can truly build around going forward. He’s not quite there yet but he is definitely improving. He’s more an awesome second option scorer at this time. What was great was seeing he playing well off Embiid last night as their chemistry has been slightly ragged at times.

    He had 8 assists last night but if you watched the game you’d recognize the reads weren’t the most advanced. He’s not a high leverage playmaker at this time yet. I think it’s important to the Sixers success this season he continues to grow in that department and especially going forward when Harden isn’t in the picture.