2016-17 NBA Season

[Tim]

...and speaking of returns, what happens in Philly when Nerlens Noel comes back? They already have two dynamic bigs in Embiid (who I love) and Okafor (who I like a lot), and I can't see how Noel fits into the rotation. Teams don't really play a big-heavy lineup these days, and teams that skew that way don't always do very well. Do they flip Noel to a team that needs rim protecion for a shooter or for a draft pick? I can't see Embiid/Okafor/Noel being sustainable in the same lineup.

Okafor has to be dealt, right?

[thrill]

Rockets v Thunder tonight is going to be like two lions facing off for dominance in the pride but with less defense.

[themiddle54]

Why hasn't picking at the very top of the draft for so many years worked for the 76ers?

For one, bad luck. Embiid hasn't been healthy for two years and is a rookie now 2.5 years after being drafted.

For another, they're on the cusp. It would be like asking in 2014 why the Cubs master plan hadn't come together yet. That's probably a strong comp, but I think if they'd not been short-sighted and fired their GM (the NBA will tolerate sucking, not sucking on purpose and taking advantage of the system) we would see the Process come into play next year.

[themiddle54]

Rockets v Thunder tonight is going to be like two lions facing off for dominance in the pride but with less defense.

Gut prediction: Harden runs [expletive] in this game. 35/15/8 or something like that. He and D'Antoni have been a match made in high-pace heaven, and while Russ is awesome there's no sign of a rhyme or reason to OKC basketball right now and that's why they're a middling 6-5. Outside Russ, Kanter has their highest usage at 26%, then it's Oladipo at 21.6% and everyone else is under 20, most of them well under it. Westbrook, who was so frustratingly reluctant to pass the ball to an open KD, has even less regard, to the point of almost none, for guys like Sabonis, who rocks a respectable .543 TS%.

[MrCrowesGarden]

Jrue Holliday is back Friday. Wonder what the Pelicans roster move will be. Frazier has been good, but Holliday should give them a much-needed boost, they're like 26th in offensive efficiency this year even with AD having a super-high usage rate while being one of the most offensively efficient players in the league.

I'm guessing Archie Goodwin gets the old heave-ho.

Then again, we're never healthy anyways, so I'm sure it'll sort itself out.

[Farewell Friends]

In the end, Andre Roberson was too much for James Harden to overcome.

[Tim]

Nice win for the Pels tonight.

[themiddle54]

Yeah, nice to see Jrue Holiday come back and up their game. Didn't expect such a burst from him right out of his leave.

I've never been a huge Blake Griffin fan, but he's on a tear lately. Averaging 23.9/9.1/4.6 his last 7 games. Between that and CP3 having a monster start it's no surprise the Clips have been so good.

[Farewell Friends]

Also a great defense. There was an article a week or two ago about how punchless the bench is with the exception of Crawford, but fantastic on defense. I can't wait to see them match up against Golden State, especially in the conference finals. They have the type of players who can get in Draymond Green's head and incite him into doing something stupid.

[themiddle54]

They have the type of players who can get in Draymond Green's head and incite him into doing something stupid.

Or do they have the type of players who Draymond Green can play like a fiddle? As good as Blake has been performance-wise recently, he's still the biggest whiner on a team that's infamous for being huge whiners.