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

[Mav]

Originally Posted by -King-

Rust is right. Pretty sure LeBron has no pull in what goes on with the Cavs.

No pull? They just signed Mike Miller and james Jones. He has sway.

[RustShack]

Cavs are discussing contract with Wiggins. Once he signs it he can't be traded for 30 days. They've been putting it off so they can get other players signed then go over the cap signing Wiggins.

[BWillie]

another 5-18 shooting performance by Shabazz Napier

Moar plz

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by -King-

People are overstating Wiggins' defense. You'd really take a rookie's defense over elite scoring and elite rebounding? Even if he's the greatest rookie ever on defense, I'd still easily rather have Kevin Love.

It wouldn't be such a big deal if lebrons supporting cast wasn't god awful on defense. We just watched lebron exhaust the shit out of himself last year. He's 29 and now has a lot of mileage. You really think lebron can keep playing 40 minutes a night?

You trade wiggins and now anytime you pull lebron, that defense is a complete nightmare. You keep wiggins and you can pull lebron from games and put him on the playmaker. And no, I don't think wiggins' defense is overstated. I do think loves offense is overstated. Oh yeah, did I mention that now you have no choice but to start waiters and kyrie? There's that too, even though the two probably won't ever get along.

The difference is that wiggins has upside to be a complete player. Love will never be good at defense. And now, you basically have lebron plus three 3 point shooters. Lebron prefers not to play in the post but with the supporting cast of love, waiters, kyrie he's going to have to.

I would rather keep wiggins and sign and trade for a center even if that means waiting until next year. Next year, they will have a ten million dollar trade exception. People keep saying love is a perfect complement to the team. Except that he is awful in the post and awful on defense, two things the cavs are lacking right now.

[KC_Connection]

With an offense as good as LeBron/Love/Irving projects to be, Cleveland isn't going to need much defense at all to win the conference with ease.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/w...nd-kevin-love/

This would be a much better opportunity for James than anything likely in Miami, which finished with a 54-28 record last year and which would probably have about the same record if the Heat brought back James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. A 54-win team has less than a 5 percent chance of winning an NBA title; a 63-win team has about a 40 percent chance.

The Cavs could be better than this still — perhaps in the range of 65 to 67 wins — if they managed to acquire Love without giving up Varejao.

[KC_Connection]

If I were them, I'd consider adding somebody like Okafor on the minimum whether they get Love or not, though.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Mavericks Ace

No pull? They just signed Mike Miller and james Jones. He has sway.

Not only does he have sway. What Lebron says goes. Think it's clear the Cavs will make an offer and that they'll have to overpay. A 2 year contract gives you that leverage.

And that completely sucks. Lebron is a great player but he's not a personnel guy. It's well known that a lot of the awful decisions the Cavs made his first time around was because of Lebron's advice. Secondly and much more importantly, if he is indeed talking to Love, he destroyed all leverage. That is, unless Love goes to the media or even privately and directly says "the only team I will go to is Cleveland." If that happens, the shell game becomes interesting because now both teams HAVE to make this deal and both teams know it.

[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

Originally Posted by BWillie

another 5-18 shooting performance by Shabazz Napier

Moar plz

I was laughing my ass off looking back in the NBA draft thread last night. Napier = LeBron lock.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

If I were them, I'd consider adding somebody like Okafor on the minimum whether they get Love or not, though.

That's a great idea.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

If I were them, I'd consider adding somebody like Okafor on the minimum whether they get Love or not, though.

Phoenix has the best medical staff and they want nothing to do with Okafor. Major red flag there.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by -King-

People are overstating Wiggins' defense. You'd really take a rookie's defense over elite scoring and elite rebounding? Even if he's the greatest rookie ever on defense, I'd still easily rather have Kevin Love.

Deal this likely underachiver for Love and don't think twice.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

It wouldn't be such a big deal if lebrons supporting cast wasn't god awful on defense. We just watched lebron exhaust the shit out of himself last year. He's 29 and now has a lot of mileage. You really think lebron can keep playing 40 minutes a night?

You trade wiggins and now anytime you pull lebron, that defense is a complete nightmare. You keep wiggins and you can pull lebron from games and put him on the playmaker. And no, I don't think wiggins' defense is overstated. I do think loves offense is overstated. Oh yeah, did I mention that now you have no choice but to start waiters and kyrie? There's that too, even though the two probably won't ever get along.

The difference is that wiggins has upside to be a complete player. Love will never be good at defense. And now, you basically have lebron plus three 3 point shooters. Lebron prefers not to play in the post but with the supporting cast of love, waiters, kyrie he's going to have to.

I would rather keep wiggins and sign and trade for a center even if that means waiting until next year. Next year, they will have a ten million dollar trade exception. People keep saying love is a perfect complement to the team. Except that he is awful in the post and awful on defense, two things the cavs are lacking right now.

You're understating Love's offense by saying Love's offense is overstated.

And he's not bad in the post. Christ, do you think all of his points come from 3-point shots? Do you think every rebound he collects is a gift from God that magically just falls where he happens to be on the court? That just because he's been putting up good numbers on a losing team means he would suck on a winning team because he just wouldn't know what the **** to do with himself?

Wiggins isn't this magical defense remedy for Lebron, either. I don't know where people are getting this "OMG DEFENTH!" thing for Wiggins. I saw him play at KU. He wasn't exactly the best defensive player on the court at times. Yeah, college is college and this is the pros, and he'll definitely grow into himself as a player. I'm not saying Wiggins is terrible at defense, either, or even that he's just okay. He's probably pretty good. But right now you are absolutely overstating his importance to the Cavs based on saving Lebron's minutes with a guy who can play defense.

Yes, it would be really nice to have a Tim Duncan/David Robinson situation with Lebron and Wiggins. Lebron apparently doesn't care about that and wants to build a team that can win a couple championships right now. And the best hope of doing that is with Kevin Love and NOT Andrew Wiggins as a first, second, or even third year player.

The point is that if the Cavs can't find a small forward to play defense off the bench, they're pretty damn stupid. Those guys don't exactly grow on trees, but they're not that ****ing hard to find.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

Deal this likely underachiver for Love and don't think twice.

This, although Im not saying he will be an underachiever... Wiggins has a LOT to learn about defense in the NBA, just like all rookies. He got owned against Caanon yesterday, especially at crunch time, and its just summer league play. He might be something some day, but Love is something now and he's in his prime. If the Wolves wanted Wiggins as part of a Love trade, Id do it in a second. Just saying...

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

If I were them, I'd consider adding somebody like Okafor on the minimum whether they get Love or not, though.

Ah I remember when the big debate was whether to draft Dwight Howard or Emeka Okafor. I guess the right choice was made...

[RealSNR]

Do you want some asshole who can play defense, chiefzilla?

The Timberwolves will throw in Luc Mbah a Moute's overrated ass with a Love trade.

Yeah, we were told that by giving up early on Derrick Williams, we'd be getting DEFENTH! in return.

Well, there's your defense. Get him off the bench to spell Lebron. Let Kyrie and Love run the offense when Lebron is resting.

Problem solved.