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HookEm

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Posts posted by HookEm

  1. Fair enough on all comments, but Chris Paul isn’t a wing.

    Is there no 3rd team that would want Kemba? Orlando badly needs a PG.

    What about:
    Boston sends Kemba to Orlando, Langford, Grant Williams and 2 1sts to Houston

    Orlando sends Aaron Gordon and Mo Bamba to Houston. Or perhaps Jonathan Isaac.

    Houston sends Harden to Boston

    Orlando would have a solid team then with: Kemba, Fultz, Fournier, Isaac, Vucevic

  2. I have a hard time judging Harden because that roster was so strangely constructed.  Who is the best wing player that he has played with in Houston?  Chandler Parsons? Trevor Ariza? Eric Gordon? PJ Tucker?  The answer is probably Robert Covington who averaged a whopping 11 points per game.  He existed fine alongside Durant when they were in OKC.  The guys he has been playing with since then have been stiffs. 

    If I were Boston, I would offer up:

    • Kemba - Gets you an all-NBA player in return
    • Romeo Langford (2019 #14 pick)
    • Grant Williams (2019 #22 pick)
    • Robert Williams (2018 #27 pick)
    • A couple of future their future 1sts
    • A few of their acquired 2nds. 

    If I'm Houston, I might like that better than what Philly can offer.  Basically gives them an all-star and the equivalent of five 1st round picks.  And the salaries match up decently.  If you don't like Kemba, then flip him later for something you do like if Wall comes back healthy.

    And then if you are Boston, you can let Harden play PG with the two stud wings in Tatum and Brown.  And you keep Marcus Smart coming off the bench who can sub for any of them.  

    I obviously have no idea whether this trade is even possible, but I don't love the idea of pairing up Kemba and Harden.  But maybe you don't have to.

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  3. The lack of home court advantage made it a lot harder than normal on the better teams. Usually they would have the psychological lift of playing at home. Not to mention the favorable reffing at home.

    Plus the small gyms and lack of crowds gave more advantage to the younger teams. You saw a lot better shooting in general. The Miami they played was a lot different team than what they would have faced outside the bubble with their young shooters.

    The end result was it was much harder on the good teams than normal, which is why we saw more upsets.

    Additionally, the Finals teams stayed a lot longer in the bubble than the bulk of the other teams. I can see it being very mentally challenging as they advanced in the playoffs. Harder than normal to fight through adversity because you just want to go home. It was also challenging from a team dynamic as the players were with each other 24x7 with no real social break. The dysfunctional teams all seemed to bow out early and I think this played a role.

    I have no problem with anyone saying this was the toughest title of all time.

  4. I think Houston has two main realistic options: Brooklyn or Philly.  Philly will try and include Simmons plus additional assets, while Brooklyn doesn't have a true centerpiece player, but will include a lot of their current roster.  If I was Houston, I think I would try and get Brooklyn to get a third team involved to get an enticing but unproven prospect like Porter Jr. on the Nuggets.  Maybe Houston can get some combo of Porter Jr and 2-3 of the Nets more promising players with multiple picks and pick swaps in an overall three way package.  Force Gordon and Tucker out (Tucker will be valued as an asset as it is by most teams) as part of the package.  Denver is unlikely to trade Porter Jr, but their team is very close to being a legitimate championship team, and they might be persuaded if the right immediate pieces are included.  I don't like Harden on the Nets that much if Kyrie is still there, but you can understand Brooklyn taking that chance. 

    Somebody has been listening to Bill Simmons.


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  5. On 12/3/2020 at 4:55 PM, Snacks said:

    Wall is a better shooter, but that's it. Westbrook is a better player.

    Let me preface by saying who knows what Wall will be as a player going forward, but that said, I disagree with your statement above.

    John Wall is a better defender than Westbrook and actually made an all-defensive team earlier in his career.  And don't let the assist numbers fool you, Wall is a better passer than Westbrook. He is also more careful with the ball, averaging 3.8 vs. 4.5 TOs per game. Wall's usage has dropped over the years corresponding with Beal's rise, down to 28% recently.  have no doubt he will be able to co-exist well with Harden.  

    Wall is also 2 years younger than Westbrook and his game isn't QUITE as reliant on his explosiveness.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if Wall has a better next 3 years than Westbrook. But I also wouldn't be surprised if he is never more than a fringe starter again in his career.

    Both players have 3 years left on their contracts.  Both players are owed ~$133M, so no big advantage there either way.

  6. Greg Brown shot 38% from 3 on 228 attempts in high school. He can shoot and will eventually find his rhythm. It takes a while to get used to playing in the big arenas. Most of his looks that I have seen are wide open. It isn't like he is taking a ton of bad contested jumpers from 3.

    And... once he figures out his 3 pt shot, the sky is the limit. It will force the defense to play out on him. Then you are going to see more windmill dunks as he blows by bigger, slower defenders.  

  7. Interesting post. Anyone who watches the games can see that the team is better when Brock is on the court. He improves everyone's game with his defense, unselfishness and contagious hustle. I've said he reminds me a little of Ginobli, but now I'm thinking that mixed with Eduardo Najara. He is a straight up winner and needs more minutes.

    Plus, he will almost certainly be a 4-year player and is only going to get better.  He is the perfect player to have in addition to the 5-star one and done types as he will make them better and also do the dirty work. Hamm may also be in this category. 

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  8. I looked up how the season turned out for the last 25 Maui Invitational champs. Generally, if you win that tourney you go on to have an excellent year. Only once in the last 25 years did the winner fail to make the tourney (Notre Dame in 2017 and at one point they were ranked #5 in the AP).

     

    In 25 years, the winner achieved:

    - 4 NCAA Champs

    - 6 Final Fours or better

    - 11 Elite Eights or better

    - 14 Sweet 16s or better

    - 20 Round of 32 or better

    - 13 top-5 final AP rankings

     

    Last year Kansas won and was ranked #1 to end the year so that could have been another title.

     

    2019 - Kansas - #1 AP

    2018 - Gonzaga - #4 AP, Elite 8

    2017 - Notre Dame - NIT

    2017 - UNC - NCAA Champs

    2015 - Kansas - #1 AP, Elite 8

    2014 - Arizona - #5 AP, Elite 8

    2013 - Syracuse - #14 AP, Round of 32

    2012 - Illinois - Round of 32

    2011 - Duke - #8 AP, 1st Round upset

    2010 - UCONN - NCAA Champs

    2009 - Gonzaga - #22 AP, Round of 32

    2008 - UNC - NCAA Champs

    2007 - Duke - #9 AP, Round of 32

    2006 - UCLA - #7 AP, Final Four

    2005 - UCONN - #2 AP, Elite 8

    2004 - UNC - NCAA Champs

    2003 - Dayton - NCAA 1st Round

    2002 - Indiana - Round of 32

    2001 - Duke - #1 AP, Sweet 16

    2000 - Arizona - #5 AP, NCAA Runner up

    1999 - UNC - Round of 32

    1998 - Syracuse - Sweet 16

    1997 - Duke - #3 AP, Elite 8

    1996 - Kansas - #1 AP, Sweet 16

    1995 - Villanova - Round of 32

     

    So buckle up, it is likely to be a great year.

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  9. The conference is very tough, no doubt. But we don’t have that many skins on the wall. Since 1990, the Big 12 has only 1 title, Kansas in 2008. Hard to claim you are the best conference when you don’t produce champions.

    I would definitely say we are the most difficult conference though. There is not a single easy win on the schedule. Ever.

  10. I would like to see the below lineup on the court together.  I would prefer to keep two of Greg Brown, Kai Jones, Sims and Hamm on the court at any given time.  Let Brock essentially eat into Ramey's minutes by sliding Andrew Jones down to SG.

    • PG - Coleman
    • SG - Andrew Jones
    • SF - Brock Cunningham
    • PF - Greg Brown
    • C - Kai Jones

    I have also seen enough of Greg Brown to try a big lineup where he plays some small forward.  He can certainly handle the ball. Something like this:

    • PG - Coleman
    • SG - Andrew Jones
    • SF - Greg Brown
    • PF - Jericho Sims
    • C - Kai Jones

     

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