NBA 2015 | Offseason | 🏀🎪

1. Towns: Probably not happening, but if LA lucks into the 1st overall I don't want there to be any hesitation.
2. Russell: Projected at 4th pick right now, so he's the guy I realistically hope we end up with if we don't lose our pick. He'll probably interview well, but his lack of athleticism will keep him from leap frogging Okafor or Mudiay in the draft order. If LA gets the second overall we probably select Oka over him, but I'd rather have Russ.
3. Okafor: Will only be ok with picking Oka if Russ and Towns are both off the board, not a likely scenario.
4. Winslow: Projected 5th but if Russ gets taken off the board, I'd rather roll with Winslow than Mudiay. We have a decent project PG and hopefully a starting quality PF in Randle. Winslow could be a legit wing defender and with some work a decent scorer.
5. Cauley Stein: Essentially he's Plan E or last resort if we fall one spot. He's the worst case scenario that involves LA still selecting in the top 5. He might work well at C to help cover up for Randle but who knows, could end up a role player.

I want nothing to do with Mudiay, his offense looks shakey and he's not THAT great of an athlete for me to throw my concerns aside. Hope that Clarkson's emergence has the FO feeling the same way. I don't want to run a Mudiay/Clarkson backcourt.

clarkson's a chucker and will probably settle into being a 2/combo guard--lakers will definitely give mudiay a look

and wcs @ 5 when randle plays his same position? why not hezonja?

By Red Blaster Go To Postclarkson's a chucker and will probably settle into being a 2/combo guard–lakers will definitely give mudiay a look

and wcs @ 5 when randle plays his same position? why not hezonja?

But they don't play the same position?

EDIT: Happy days for IWMTB

"@GoodmanESPN Utah makes it official that 7-foot Austrian Jakob Poeltl will return for his sophomore campaign."

:D

Top 5 pick in 2016 coming up.

Moris, you are new to this but you know you just fucked up right?

Rule One of Drafting is to never state who you don't want...because more than likely...you'll get that guy. If the Cavs didn't fuck up, Faze totally would have Bennett on his squad right now

By Red Blaster Go To Postclarkson's a chucker and will probably settle into being a 2/combo guard–lakers will definitely give mudiay a look

and wcs @ 5 when randle plays his same position? why not hezonja?

He could be a 2 guard and I'm not really opposed to that down the road but he is a pretty good PG as is, it's more about not being sold on Mudiay. I'd sooner take Hezonja.

Our roster would force any PG with a decent jumper or a quick first step to take a lot of shots, even so as a starter he has a higher assist percentage and lower usage rate than Brandon Knight, Isiah Thomas, Kemba Walker and Kyrie. And his usage is also inflated cause there were no play makers on LA and no back-up PG for a good chunk of the season, should drop a good deal with Kobe and Nick Young healthy.

WCS is a Center, an inch shorter and 4 pounds heavier than Tyson Chandler. If we can't get Russ/Oka/Towns I'd rather we got the defense first route with WCS/Winslow.

By knux-future Go To PostMoris, you are new to this but you know you just fucked up right?

Rule One of Drafting is to never state who you don't want…because more than likely…you'll get that guy. If the Cavs didn't fuck up, Faze totally would have Bennett on his squad right now

maaaan, as long as we're selecting someone in the top 5 on draft night, it's all gravy.

Poetl is going back to school (for some weird reason)

By DY_nasty Go To PostPoetl is going back to school (for some weird reason)

Maybe the skiing in Utah reminds him of home.

By DY_nasty Go To PostPoetl is going back to school (for some weird reason)

He could probably jump into the top 5 next season if he has a good sophomore campaign.

Risky barring injury, but he can always get insurance for that.

Hmm Jazz should draft Grant or Tyus Jones and get rid of Burke

By Adam ZagoriaUConn coach Kevin Ollie is being "seriously considered" for the OKC coaching job, source close to the situation tells @SNYtv

Second rumor we've heard in a couple weeks, but this one's from the candidate perspective.

Still doubt anything happens, but a guy can dream.

Firing Brooks before KD reups seems like a potentially bad move. Ollie might negate that but still.

By knux-future Go To PostFiring Brooks before KD reups seems like a potentially bad move. Ollie might negate that but still.

KD loves Ollie.

I actually agree with Bomani Jones when he says that it's better to move on this season than after next season. You want to give the new coach a chance to establish a rapport with the team and get comfortable. If you fire Brooks or don't renew his contract after next season... yeah. Things could get dicey on the KD extension front then.

Ollie would be a decent choice as long as he brings in strong assistants like Kerr did.

I'm failing to see how Ollie can be a good candidate for the job.

By RBK Go To PostI'm failing to see how Ollie can be a good candidate for the job.

He's done pretty good at UConn and he's weirdly beloved by like everybody that played with him in the NBA.

By RBK Go To PostI'm failing to see how Ollie can be a good candidate for the job.

He won 20 games with a program under sanctions his first year at UConn then won a national title the following year?

Plus he's been publicly credited by KD and others as hugely influential during his time in OKC.

There's some risk involved, but he's among the least risky of all the potential candidates.

Brooks shoulda been gone.

The risk only exists cause FO took so long to make the obvious move, like with Perkins. Waited too long for the obvious to play out.

I don't see Presti being about that life. He isn't getting rid of Presti until the next time he fails in the post season without an injury excuse.

There might be something to these rumors, actually.

Woj doesn't post stuff like that article last week without solid intel, and apparently the guy reporting from Ollie's side is reputable.

In spite of the injury excuse, we exhibited some of the same coaching issues that have held us back in the past.

Y'all realize that Thibodeau is available this off-season, right?

And you going after Kevin Ollie smh.

By rodeoclown Go To PostHe's done pretty good at UConn and he's weirdly beloved by like everybody that played with him in the NBA.

Dude played for every team in the league damn near lol..he played for us 4 different times. He must have brought something to the table.

By HasphatsAnts Go To PostY'all realize that Thibodeau is available this off-season, right?

And you going after Kevin Ollie smh.

People don't want their favorite players to die

By HasphatsAnts Go To PostY'all realize that Thibodeau is available this off-season, right?

And you going after Kevin Ollie smh.

OKC already have player load issues.

And it seems like Thibs is going to Orlando anyway. Last i heard. But there are plenty of teams that will throw money at him i'm sure.

By DY_nasty Go To PostPeople don't want their favorite players to die

Who cares about the next 10 years when Durant might bolt after this one? You get the best coach available as a matter of course.

By HasphatsAnts Go To PostWho cares about the next 10 years when Durant might bolt after this one? You get the best coach available as a matter of course.

OKC has been running off of "who cares" philosophy for years and all its done is reinforce the complete lack of synergy between their best two players, shorten their careers, and helped them become the greatest treadmill team of all time.

I don't think you know what a treadmill team is because 3 WCF berths out of the last 4 seasons isn't it.

By DY_nasty Go To PostOKC has been running off of "who cares" philosophy for years and all its done is reinforce the complete lack of synergy between their best two players, shorten their careers, and helped them become the greatest treadmill team of all time.

The only "win now" moves they've made so far are the Kanter/Waiters trades this season though. So that's kind of an apples to oranges comparison.

All I'm saying is, if next season is championship or bust cuz Durant might leave, you do what's necessary and grab the guy most equipped to get you there. Kevin Ollie is not that guy.

By RBK Go To PostI don't think you know what a treadmill team is because 3 WCF berths out of the last 4 seasons isn't it.

Treadmill means going nowhere and that's all that OKC has done since amassing all that talent. They've done nothing with more talent longer than any team I can think of. GOAT treadmill team.

By HasphatsAnts Go To PostY'all realize that Thibodeau is available this off-season, right?

And you going after Kevin Ollie smh.

Westbrook's knees would last a season.

By RBK Go To PostI don't think you know what a treadmill team is because 3 WCF berths out of the last 4 seasons isn't it.

The mid 2000's Pistons made 5 consecutive ECF. They made the finals the first two years, then kept losing. Finally dismantled the team when Boston and Cleveland took over as the superpowers.

It's clear that GS is the superpower of the future. If there's one more team that builds something that respectable and feared, OKC will have no choice but to break up the core.

(And no, that second team isn't Houston).

I like Ollie for OKC rumor, he's a good coach and he would likely connect with the teams best players. Also Bomani is right you make the move for a new coach now under the belief the new coach will get your team farther than the old and right now that would be making the Thunder contender status again.

And its about time the thunder FO was honest with themselves about Brooks. The fact that the thunder haven't performed nearly as good as they did when he had 4 all star level players on his roster because they are down to 3 all star players says a shit ton about brooks coaching ability.

I mean yeah Brooks might be great as a player development coach (and should be on Orlando's short list for that reason if he is fired) but the Thunder roster needs to move beyond that stage. Durant and Russ are in their prime. I don't think its win or bust next season, but the Thunder need to be legit competitive like a top 3 seed in the west at the minimum. Especially when you consider the fact holding their core together is likely going to absorb the majority of the cap bounce money.

The Pistons weren't a treadmill team. Using the same logic, so were the 2008-2013 Celtics.

The only team that can that the logical next step is the Pelicans, but the roster needs a massive overhaul and some players are locked up for 2-3 more years.

Rockets don't have to be feared, but it's not farfetched to say they'll be considered contenders(top 3-4 seed) if Dallas/Spurs don't retool and Thunder blow it all up.

I think the rockets are going to sit pat with FA until 2016. Unless some crazy FA thing pops up the rockets would have legit 3rd star money that year, fuck they could even get in the Durant sweepstakes.

By Zeus Ex Machina Go To PostI think the rockets are going to sit pat with FA until 2016. Unless some crazy FA thing pops up the rockets would have legit 3rd star money that year, fuck they could even get in the Durant sweepstakes.

By RBK Go To PostThe Pistons weren't a treadmill team. Using the same logic, so were the 2008-2013 Celtics.

The only team that can that the logical next step is the Pelicans, but the roster needs a massive overhaul and some players are locked up for 2-3 more years.

Rockets don't have to be feared, but it's not farfetched to say they'll be considered contenders(top 3-4 seed) if Dallas/Spurs don't retool and Thunder blow it all up.

Once the Celtics won, they did nothing but go backwards. So yeah, after the year after they won - treadmill.

Then you don't know what a treadmill team is...again.

To me, a treadmill team was always like a 4-10 seed team that didn't really move up or down for years. Either they were good enough to just miss the playoffs or just get in or maybe they were good enough to be in the playoffs comfortably but no one thought of them as contenders. The Joe Johnson Hawks come to mind.

The Celtics led in the 4th quarter of game 7 of the NBA Finals 2 years after they won. That's not treadmill, to me. I mean, you're basically saying there are only 4 types of teams by that kind of logic. Up and comers, title winners, and treadmills, and losers. Too narrow for me.

Should the Clippers not get past the 1st round or do anything of note in the 2nd, they'd be a clear treadmill team. 4 years running and losing in the 1st or second round would be a great example of a good treamill team (yes I know they're a 3 seed this year, it's why i said "like" earlier).

Treadmill = Stagnation without any way out but down. Even if technically the stagnation at a high level of success.

The only teams that currently fall under the term would be the Suns and Nets.

Mavericks would fall under it if they lose to Houston as well.

By knux-future Go To PostTreadmill = Stagnation without any way out but down. Even if technically the stagnation at a high level of success.

Technically, you're right. But the label isn't meant for a top 4 seed year after year. Heck i think OKC have been top 2 most years out west.

Thats not a treadmill team, thats a contender. Vastly different situations.

The mavs as currently constructed are what a treadmill team really is. Suns possibly, but they've sort of blown it up already.

Some treadmills aren't always a death sentence. The 00's Sixers were the worst kind of treadmill. No way out. OKC isn't really a treadmill yet but they are trending that way as since making the finals they have taken steps backward. Its not fair since most of them are due to injury (and general incompetence at points) rather than just being mediocre so if Durant comes back GDLK next year they could have that breakthrough. But their current trend is worrying because they were the chosen ones and have been passed up by the Warriors in a sense.

More than likely its just injuries but the trend is something worth noting.

By Mamba Go To PostTo me, a treadmill team was always like a 4-10 seed team that didn't really move up or down for years. Either they were good enough to just miss the playoffs or just get in or maybe they were good enough to be in the playoffs comfortably but no one thought of them as contenders. The Joe Johnson Hawks come to mind.

The Celtics led in the 4th quarter of game 7 of the NBA Finals 2 years after they won. That's not treadmill, to me. I mean, you're basically saying there are only 4 types of teams by that kind of logic. Up and comers, title winners, and treadmills, and losers. Too narrow for me.

Should the Clippers not get past the 1st round or do anything of note in the 2nd, they'd be a clear treadmill team. 4 years running and losing in the 1st or second round would be a great example of a good treamill team (yes I know they're a 3 seed this year, it's why i said "like" earlier).

I just have a different definition. Teams aren't going anywhere = treadmill. Clippers are a damned good treadmill too.

By knux-future Go To PostTreadmill = Stagnation without any way out but down. Even if technically the stagnation at a high level of success.

That's basically what I'm saying.

In OKC's case, no team has ever had as much young, amazing talent as they have had in the modern era. All their wounds are self-inflicted too. Its crazy to even think that they'd be upon a "their window is shut" situation but the writing is very clearly on the wall. They need to make their next move their best move or they'll actually have to blow it up.

GOAT treadmill team.

So what about the Nash led Suns or Cavs after the 2007 Finals berth? You want to tell me these teams weren't considered contenders before they fizzled out in the playoffs?

It's your "definition", but it's not what it means at all.

By RBK Go To PostSo what about the Nash led Suns or Cavs after the 2007 Finals berth? You want to tell me these teams weren't considered contenders before they fizzled out in the playoffs?

It's your "definition", but it's not what it means at all.

Those Suns teams got better until they finally blew it up. Cavs were making their improvements too until LBJ Decision'd them.

Honestly the thing working against the thunder the most is timing. The fact that okc's core of Durant, Ibaka, and Russ are coming off the books just in time to get those massive pay bumps (even if it is the same % of OKC cap) is going to make it even more difficult for a few seasons when other teams start to use that extra money to make upgrades around their own cores or cheap youth.

By knux-future Go To PostSome treadmills aren't always a death sentence. The 00's Sixers were the worst kind of treadmill. No way out. OKC isn't really a treadmill yet but they are trending that way as since making the finals they have taken steps backward. Its not fair since most of them are due to injury (and general incompetence at points) rather than just being mediocre so if Durant comes back GDLK next year they could have that breakthrough. But their current trend is worrying because they were the chosen ones and have been passed up by the Warriors in a sense.

More than likely its just injuries but the trend is something worth noting.

By DY_nasty Go To PostThat's basically what I'm saying.

In OKC's case, no team has ever had as much young, amazing talent as they have had in the modern era. All their wounds are self-inflicted too. Its crazy to even think that they'd be upon a "their window is shut" situation but the writing is very clearly on the wall. They need to make their next move their best move or they'll actually have to blow it up.

GOAT treadmill team.

I think you're confusing a team that is treadmilling, with a treadmill team. That's the difference.

By giririsss Go To PostI think you're confusing a team that is treadmilling, with a treadmill team. That's the difference.

bingo.

a team that is treadmilling isn't a treadmill team?

OKC may as well be Atlanta with Smith, Joe, and Horford. They're stuck at a different point, but they still hit every checkbox on the treadmill sheet. Their amazing talent level just makes them shine is all.

By DY_nasty Go To Posta team that is treadmilling isn't a treadmill team?

OKC may as well be Atlanta with Smith, Joe, and Horford. They're stuck at a different point, but they still hit every checkbox on the treadmill sheet. Their amazing talent level just makes them shine is all.

They're treadmilling, but they're actually a contender. Not a treadmill team.

Mavs aren't contenders. Nor are they frauds. They ARE a treadmill team. Just enough talent to stay good, and a FO that is determined to keep them "just good enough", but the parts they're putting together aren't really contending. They're just fucking around and wasting time.