The 2020-21 NBA Thread: Raptors in 7

echelonNYK · October 18, 2017, 11:32pm

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/920516103872360453

dn0s · October 18, 2017, 11:50pm

That would be great if we could stop having players even remotely pretend to care about college. Watching Ben Simmons at LSU was painful. It was clear he didn’t care about being there and the school was benefiting from his presence more than he was from playing there.

Psychoblue · October 18, 2017, 11:53pm

On the flipside you get a ton of kids coming out of high school with none of the maturity and leadership that going there and actually giving a shit about studying will give you. I don’t want any more All-Stars trying to sell me on the notion that the Earth is flat and if I believe otherwise I need to get woke.

So many megastars from the 80s and 90s got out of college at their junior and senior year and then made immediate profound impacts on their team not only as players but as leaders. That’s because they developed into men before being given the keys to whatever castle they were going to set up shop in.

po_pimpus · October 19, 2017, 12:28am

That’s what the summer leagues are there for.

A dumbass like Kyrie went to college and is still a dumbass that thinks the Earth is flat… Yet KG came straight from High School and is one of the most respected minds in the game

College can’t save a talented idiot.

jae_hoon · October 19, 2017, 12:31am

I know Duncan has said college is the reason he was as good as he was because he practiced fundamentals the entire time instead of highlight reel stuff.

Psychoblue · October 19, 2017, 1:18am

KG went to college on his own time after he got settled into Minnesota upon being drafted, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he blossomed into a general not long after he did that.

jae_hoon · October 19, 2017, 1:20am

Even when he played in Boston and Jersey he lived in Minnesota. The Twolves themselves had to go to KG to convince him to be traded as he wanted to stay.

Psychoblue · October 19, 2017, 1:22am

It’s a shame such loyalty is a rare commodity today.

locoghoul · October 19, 2017, 1:52am

I hope the NBA has the money ready then cause these kids will start asking for max contracts at the age of 22 lol

MarcOfTheBeast · October 19, 2017, 2:17am

Portis on the Bulls knocked out Mirotic in practice and now he’s suspended 8 games. The report also said that Mirotic has facial fractures and a concussion (Portis put that boy went to sleep). And he’s out 4-6 weeks. The bulls are a shit show, they are turning into the New York Knicks right before our eyes. And Portis should probably start thinking about another career like-boxing.

The funny thing is that bull fans right now are talking about when Jordan punched Kerr and how they how won the championship that year. Therefore, this team will win the cup lol. I can’t make this shit up-it’s far beyond delusion.

SF09ers · October 19, 2017, 4:08am

Heres the video of that fake Klay from last night tricking retarded ass warriors fans.

Gravity · October 19, 2017, 4:27am

Only the dumbs ones are saying that. Most of the Bulls fans on realgm wanted him cut or traded.

Some backstory on why the scuffle happened.

[details=Spoiler]

**According to multiple Bulls players, and a fact that that Paxson acknowledged himself, the Portis-Mirotic conflict has been brewing for a few seasons, as the two forwards had a handful of shouting and shoving matches in practice going back to the 2015-16 campaign.
**
Those flames were only stoked over the summer and into this season’s training camp.

As one player told the Sun-Times, while Portis’ punch was unacceptable, it was also understood throughout the locker room, especially with the mixed messages coming from coaches and general manager Gar Forman.

Portis, as well as young players like Jerian Grant, Denzel Valentine and Cristiano Felicio were all told by Forman in their May exit meetings that the organization expected them to all be working at the Advocate Center throughout the summer.

It was presented as hard work in this new culture would be noticed and rewarded.
**
One player absent from those workouts throughout the offseason? Mirotic. Yes, Mirotic was lifting in the weight room, but as far as playing basketball with his teammates, well, he was basically a no-show. Not that he didn’t have his reasons, as Mirotic was a restricted free agent awaiting a contract from elsewhere or the Bulls.

But his distance rubbed teammates the wrong way, and made him come across as entitled, as one teammate put it.

Mirotic ended up signing a two-year deal with the Bulls on media day, and within two weeks was all but named a starter over Portis.

Not only was Portis bothered by all the work he put in this summer seemingly being overlooked, but didn’t feel like there was proper communication in the decision to make him a bench player. Not the first time this has been alleged under coach Fred Hoiberg.
**
Joakim Noah and Rajon Rondo each had issues with the way Hoiberg relays messages.

That, however, pulls the curtain back on a bigger issue.

Hoiberg – right or wrong – is from the coaching school of delegation. **Assistant head coach Jim Boylen handles a lot of the “bad cop’’ duties, which is why Rondo threw a towel in Boylen’s face last season and was suspended a game for his actions.

The problem is many players have felt that Boylen was simply an extension of Forman, and played the role of “fake tough guy’’ – as one player deemed it – to impress Forman in case they do make a change at head coach.

A source said it was Boylen that charged at Portis on Tuesday after he punched Mirotic, and there were immediate concerns that Portis might take a second punch, this time at Boylen.**

All of this mistrust and lack of communication, however, falls on one lap – Forman’s. This is the culture he has helped permeate throughout the building, using threats and spies to completely cloud the chain of command.

According to one source, however, Forman’s web is starting to be pulled apart. Doug Collins, who was hired this offseason as a special advisor, was visibly upset that Portis and Mirotic had been allowed to go out it as long as they have, and is beginning to question the entire chain of leadership – starting with Forman.

[/spoiler

kimterran · October 19, 2017, 4:59am

Duncan would’ve been successful even if he declared after 1 year in college. Dude is that good

locoghoul · October 19, 2017, 5:13am

Whiteside is so good he is shooting 3s now

Glad to have that nigga on my fantasy team

GeoG2 · October 19, 2017, 5:23am

He really wants to be an allstar this year. GMs said he wasn’t a top 5 center, he took it personal.

DukeC · October 19, 2017, 5:52am

Tell your man James Johnson to stop fouling. Ya’ll ain’t gonna win when your best playmaker is in foul trouble.

GeoG2 · October 19, 2017, 8:18am

R.I.P. Suns. Whole team got murdered.

MarcOfTheBeast · October 19, 2017, 9:03am

I know I was hopeful for the Suns this year.

Ben Simmons looked absolutely like a star tonight. That guy is big but can move.

kimterran · October 19, 2017, 10:22am

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/920865055729766400

Psychoblue · October 19, 2017, 5:11pm

I don’t know how we lost that badly when we were supposed to be much better than last year, but man that was brutal.

Someone’s gonna get fired if that keeps up by Christmas time. After a loss like that I’m already ready to give up the Timeline. It certainly doesn’t help that this is the Suns 50th year and they had that video montage showing off the 76 Finals team, the 93 Finals team, and 7 Seconds or Less, only for reality to set in and fans to realize just how far the franchise has fallen since that time.