2014-2015 NBA regular season thread.

[Al Bundy]

I will update this when the schedule is announced in a couple of weeks, but I will open with the new uniforms for the Charlotte Hornets below.

Introducing the brand new Charlotte #HornetsUnis! http://t.co/MgHy2DcOTX pic.twitter.com/w59MlUvRgd

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) June 19, 2014

[RustShack]

Originally Posted by KevB

You keep blaming the coaching for Waiters and Bennett. That may be 5% of Waiters issue and 0% of Bennett's issue. "They will care with better coaching"? C'mon, you can't actually believe that's a material factor? They should care because they're getting paid, and they would like to be paid more in the future.

You're right. Bennett's issue was more being hurt and being out of shape. All though Mike Brown being notorious for not playing rookies didn't do him any favors.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

I cannot believe how much hype Waiters and Bennett get on this forum lol

Who is hyping Bennett besides RustShack?

I think it's equally stupid to think his first year automatically makes him a bust. I am still going with "we have no idea what we have in him."

And I don't understand the comment that Waiters is a dog turd. He scored 16 PPG in a shitty Mike Brown offense as a 6th man. He's not a star, but he's a good player and he's 22.

[Hootie]

The Bulls frontcourt is absolutely insane. Noah + Gasol + Gibson + Mirotic? I mean, if Rose is even 80% of MVP Rose, they have got to be considered favorites, no?

And good for LeBron for going back to Cleveland. I have always liked LeBron always felt the Miami thing was so fake. LeBron should be hated by nobody. He's the ultimate role model / best basketball player in the world. The flak he gets is just absolutely hilarious.

[mcaj22]

Originally Posted by RustShack

Teams have tried trading for Waiters. I'll trust GM's over you. They know he's young and talented Cleveland's players have just been misused and somewhat disgruntled.

oh yea David Blatt wiill save them. He will bring his CSKW Moscow talents and like he taught Trajan Langdon in Russia he will teach Dion Waiters! All star!

[RustShack]

I'm just saying Cleveland is going to show a lot more of that potential now. Everyone is buying in now and will show up to play. Winning changes the atmosphere big time for the better and the wins are going to be back.

[mcaj22]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

Who is hyping Bennett besides RustShack?

I think it's equally stupid to think his first year automatically makes him a bust. I am still going with "we have no idea what we have in him."

And I don't understand the comment that Waiters is a dog turd. He scored 16 PPG in a shitty Mike Brown offense as a 6th man. He's not a star, but he's a good player and he's 22.

You are also hyping him. You are trying to polish him up as being better than GSW offer. That is hyping him.

I am not saying you're wrong. I am just saying it's crazy to me to call one teams (GSW) offer shittier than the Cavs just because you can polish the Cavs "potential"

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by RustShack

Bennett and Waiters are going to break out this year. With teams focusing on James and Irving it will be easy for them to break loose. They will care now that they have coaches they can buy into. The Cavs are a lot like the Chiefs were, loaded with talent just in a bad atmosphere. Adding James changes the tone a lot more too. I've never seen Irving and Waiters so happy.

Just stop with the excuses. Bennett wasn't a fat sack of **** due to any coach.

[Hootie]

I think Cleveland is absolutely nuts if they don't trade Wiggins to get Love. I watched Wiggins in college and I realize he's a 19 year old kid but GOOD LORD. I saw no heart from the guy and he is incredibly raw. LeBron is 30 years old. Who knows when this guy will start breaking down a little bit. We know what Love is. He's a top 15 player and would mesh incredibly well with LeBron. Trade for him. Yesterday.

[RustShack]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

oh yea David Blatt wiill save them. He will bring his CSKW Moscow talents and like he taught Trajan Langdon in Russia he will teach Dion Waiters! All star!

I mean if you want to call four #1 and two #4 picks Moscow talents, be my guest. But that's one of the if not the most talented teams in the league.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

You are also hyping him. You are trying to polish him up as being better than GSW offer. That is hyping him.

What Cleveland is absolutely better than Golden State's offer.

Again, David Lee is 31 and making $15M for the next 2 years. Dion Waiters is 22 and making $5M and is a decent enough player. I would easily take youth and cap difference there.

Harrison Barnes is a turd and looks to stay that way. Bennett was an even worse turd but at least has upside to at least be better than Barnes, which was above turd-verage. That's not a high bar.

I really don't understand anyone who would rather take Golden State's deal over Cleveland's.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by RustShack

I mean if you want to call four #1 and two #4 picks Moscow talents, be my guest. But that's one of the if not the most talented teams in the league.

You really can't be bothered to even try being sane and rational, can you?

[mcaj22]

lebron has no time for anthony bennett just like kobe had no time for smush parker.

let's not kid ourselves here.

[KevB]

Originally Posted by SNR

Flip already said he doesn't want to go the draft pick route that the team took when they traded Garnett to Boston. Personally, I think that's stupid to totally discount the draft picks just because the team was run by that enormous reerun David Kahn and picked Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn over Steph Curry.

And then later in that same draft, took Ty Lawson at 18 and traded him to Denver. So, you could have taken Curry over Rubio and/or Flynn, then you take Lawson and trade him away. Just a complete disaster of a draft. Kahn was killed for it at the time, and it looks even worse today. Flynn totally flamed out and Rubio is a historically bad shooter. Steph is a top 10 player and Lawson is an excellent PG.

[RealSNR]

And yes, being a Wolves fan ****ing sucks. We could have been a home-grown contender in the Western Conference, maybe not on the level of OKC, but in that same vein. David Kahn had the chance to make us that team in 2009 and gave us absolute shit. He ****ed up again with the Wesley Johnson pick in 2010. And in 2011 we couldn't even get the #1 overall pick when we had the best shot at it, leaving Cleveland with Kyrie Irving and the Wolves with Derrick ****ing Williams.

I'm not saying he has to hit on every pick. 2009 aside, when everybody knew he ****ed up as soon as the picks were sent in, the Wolves probably did what they could. But geez... you gotta hit on SOMETHING in that 3 year stretch. Kyrie Irving with last year's team gives us a good shot to make the playoffs. DeMarcus Cousins or Gordon Hayward in 2010 makes us a playoff team this year. Steph Curry and potentially Demar DeRozan in 2009 added to what we have now makes us a vibrant basketball organization like OKC that looks to win a playoff series or possibly two every year.

Instead, we got NOTHING in that span. And other teams look at us and say, "Here's Dion Waiters. He's pretty good. You could do worse."

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Just stop with the excuses. Bennett wasn't a fat sack of **** due to any coach.

Again, not making excuses for Bennett. Clearly going with the "we don't know what we have yet." But I think it'd be silly to judge Bennett's future on his first year conditioning. He actually has some good excuse for being overweight (and some of that was inexcusable, for sure).