2018-19 NBA Thread

[33anda3rd]

I wonder what the Cavs will end up at this year. It's a wide range. Their depth chart is:

PG Hood - Sexton
SG JR - Clarkson
SF Hood - Osman
PF Love - Nance Jr
G Tristan - Zizic

There's not much there to like other than the potential upside of Sexton, Clarkson, Nance, Zizic. I wonder if the 2nd unit ends up better than the first unit, if the rotations start the year this way. I can't imagine why they'd start JR over Clarkson, considering Clarkson was about twice as productive on a per-minute basis for them after the trade and LeBron isn't around anymore to insist that JR (a client of his agency) plays with him.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

Butler requesting a trade cracks me up.

Minnesota is a mess.

[thrill]

J Buckets is such a drama queen.

[cardsfansince82]

I can sympathize with wanting out of Minny, but then I see he wants to go to the Clips, Nets or Knicks. That's like the Mount Rushmore of NBA misery. I guess if you're never going to get a ring you might as well make every last dollar you can.

[33anda3rd]

I can sympathize with wanting out of Minny, but then I see he wants to go to the Clips, Nets or Knicks. That's like the Mount Rushmore of NBA misery. I guess if you're never going to get a ring you might as well make every last dollar you can.

Might as well be in NYC or LA.

The TWolves are a hot mess. KAT is the softest elite player in the league. Wiggins getting supermaxed was a terrible mistake. Thibs is going out and getting the over-the-hill version of all the Bulls players who couldn't take him over the top when they were in their peaks. Such a mess.

[Gashouse]

It was fun last year to more than passively pay attention to the Wolves.

I'm less irritated that Butler wants out than to ask for it this way. The timing and publicity really handcuffs the Wolves. Fine if he doesn't like KAT or Wiggins and wants out, but don't be a dick and screw the whole franchise.

[Gashouse]

I kind of hope he goes to the Knicks and it turns into another Carmelo [expletive] show. [expletive] Butler.

[33anda3rd]

It was fun last year to more than passively pay attention to the Wolves.

I'm less irritated that Butler wants out than to ask for it this way. The timing and publicity really handcuffs the Wolves. Fine if he doesn't like KAT or Wiggins and wants out, but don't be a dick and screw the whole franchise.

Yeah for sure. I'm a big player advocate and think they should have the right to do what they want with their career, but in certain cases the player's timing and strong demands are a bit tiresome. There has to be some amount of respect given to your current contract while still looking out for your next one.

Butler's timing is terrible. Did he not know last year during the regular season, playoffs, or the brief time between playoffs and draft that he wanted out? Why not talk privately with your agent to ownership/front office and come to a resolution where the franchise has the chance to move you for a lottery pick before the draft? Why not do this at a time when free agents haven't been signed and there's cap space to make moves? Right now Sacramento is the only team with the cap space to make a real move for him without breaking their whole team apart, and I'm pretty sure Butler wants nothing to do w/ Sacramento. If he makes his demand in June and wants to to got BK, they haven't yet made trades causing them to pay Crabbe 19MM and DeMarre Carroll 15MM and they have space for Butler and can potentially make a move that pairs him with Russell and Dinwiddie. Not a bad trio, probably a playoff team in the East this year, it's a big market, and the Nets have a TON of money to supermax Jimmy in a year as the best player in the biggest city. Not bad. He could have been a Spur in a Kawhi trade. A team like POR that's in need of a refresh could have moved CJ and a pick for Butler and Dieng if the timing is right. But the timing now is awful.

I get that MIN is a bad situation. KAT is soft, Wiggins sucks and is supermaxed, Tibs plays the starters to death to the point that Butler has huge mileage and could cost himself some late career money, and even though the only way they make the playoffs is with Jimmy (a top-10 player without doubt) he has to take a back seat to Towns as the Franchise Guy. However, unless some kind of incident happened in the last couple weeks to spur this trade demand and refusal to join the team, something appropriately egregious to justify this, his move is really disrespectful to the Wolves, Tibs, his teammates and the league.

[Socnorb11]

You think Jimmy Butler is a top 10 player? By what metric? Top 20........ probably. I wouldn't put him top 10, though.

Chicago drama + Minn drama + NYC/LA team list = Diva. Heck, there's talk that he even had issues at Marquette. He'll never lead a team to anything, anywhere. If he's the best player on your team, you're probably not even going to make the playoffs. He'll get a max deal, but I wouldn't want my team to give it to him.

[Gashouse]

See I don't think Butler needed to take a backseat to KAT as the franchise guy. It was obvious to everyone that butler was the difference maker last year. he was the #1, and it was better that KAT and Wiggins dropped to 2/3. In a certain sense, Butler is the bird in the hand and the others are in the bush. They're both good/decent and could become great/very good. But it's no guarantee. I read that Wiggins is by far the most (raw) talented on the team, but he obviously doesn't put it together in games. Not a perfect analogy, but the Wolves are betting on the 2 in the bush and will continue to position themselves for the #9-11 picks in the draft for years to come.