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Aqua Buddha

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Posts posted by Aqua Buddha

  1. 3 hours ago, Leamas said:

    It started when Presti poached Chip Engelland from Popovich. By reputation, he's the best shooting coach and one of the best backroom staff members to have, and pretty much turned around their shooting overnight. I've been following the Thunder since day 1 and only their 2013 team was an elite shooting team. They have usually lagged behind the other elite teams in this area and it would cost them.

    It's also remarkable the Thunder are elite (by SRS and MOV, two reliable predictors of postseason success BTW) despite being the worst rebounding team in the league. For around three-fourths of the regular season, they were either the worst or second-worst ORB and DRB team. They focused on it and became a little better after the All-Star break, but it is an obvious inherent disadvantage. If they make it to the Finals, they would be the worst team ever at a fundamental area of the game to do it. The other handicap is experience even though people don't like to talk about it and think talent overcomes inexperience. But experience isn't a problem until it is.

    That was a key move but they also just have better shooters now than they did then.  Worst shooters for them now are Giddey and Dory and they're not terrible, whereas those teams in the past would have 2-3 guys at a time on the court who lacked basic offensive skills.  (The Presti archetype was a shooting guard who couldn't shoot.)  

  2. 2 hours ago, Leamas said:

    It is partly because they were the best three-point shooting team in the regular season. They had ten players shoot 39% or better on 3pt. Giddey is a poor shooter, but all their other players can shoot. I think the days of OKC running out Perkins and Roberson while their stars get fatigued from trying to out-hero ball double teams appear to be over.

    Yeah, I've watched them a lot the past few years and that's spot on.  Presti was always obsessed with position less basketball and he got that on defense back then but he had guys with literally zero offensive skills, which lead to KD and Russ having to play hero ball.

    With this group, they've got 10 guys who can get up and down the floor, move, and they can all shoot.  With the exception of Chet, they're completely interchangeable on offense and even Chet can handle and shoot.  They're still good on defense, though.

  3. 15 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

    This zone is really gumming up the okc offense. As much as they lean on SGA and Williams creating off the dribble, I’m surprised we don’t see more teams use it against them. Especially when Giddey is out there who isn’t a shooting threat. 

    They have 63 at the half.  They're shooting 59% and 55% from 3.

  4. 1 hour ago, aggie08 said:

    Kinda where I'm at. What are the chances he ends up back in OKC in the next year or two? At least 40% yeah?

    It's the perfect solution for both.  He's not winning anything in Phoenix, he'd fit in perfect in OKC, they're the only ones with assets, and it's a great story.

    Also, if it matters, Chet has KD's shoe.  (That may not matter at all.)

  5. 3 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

    @ztejas I'm not sure how you can say the depth doesn't look that bad when they just played Drew fucking Eubanks 17 non-garbage time minutes in a playoff game.

    The Beal trade wasn't bad, all things considered. Since Phoenix had already given up all their future picks and swaps for Durant, the only thing they had left to trade were some second rounders and swaps on swaps. Meaning, they essentially gave Washington rights to the worse end of a swap that somebody else could potentially exercise. Sloppy seconds swaps, as it were. Based on the Bullets storied history and their current plan of tearing the franchise down to the studs, what are the odds that they get anything out of that? And Washington had no other option because of the idiotic no trade clause Beal had.

    But all that goes to the larger point that Phoenix has hardly any options to improve that roster. It took the Knicks almost 15 years to recover from Isiah Thomas gutting their future and putting them in cap hell, and that was before the luxury tax was even marginally punitive. Phoenix will end up keeping their own pick this year, but otherwise don't have control of their own first round pick until 2031. Other than getting ring chasing vets on the minimum or trying to unearth some hidden gems from the g-league or Europe who also would play for the minimum, there aren't many opportunities to improve that roster.

    They have a very rapidly closing window that wasn't very wide to begin with, and once it's shut they are going to have to fire sale whatever they can get for Booker and the ghost of Kevin Durant. They are going to look a lot like what Brooklyn does about now sooner rather than later.

    Watch OKC offer some package of firsts and players (not the big 3) and nab him after next season.  Suns then restart with that and Booker or trade Booker and restart with all of that.

  6. 20 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

    Apologies, forgot that Allen and Jordan did actually play together during Durant's injury year. But the writing was in the wall that they weren't going to re-sign Allen when they brought in Jordan for 4 years at KD's behest. Allen was getting traded in 2020 with or without Harden. They obviously weren't going to commit $30M to centers in 2021.

     

    Beal cost them any and all reasonable mechanisms to acquire quality depth now and in the future. Not exactly a controversial take. Which would be fine if a core of KD/Booker/Beal could be legit championship contenders. But they're not. They gave up a haul and destroyed their cap flexibility for a C-tier star.

    Yeah, Beal is guaranteed $57M in 2027 for God's sake and he played 53 games this year, which is the most since 2020.

  7. 5 hours ago, aggie08 said:

    I mean, you're not wrong: he has to wear some of this. As much shit as LeBron gets for his movements and GM skills, KD has been much worse. Hitched his wagon to Kyrie by following him to Brooklyn, brought in his friend washed DeAndre Jordan at the expense of Jared Allen, told the Nets to go get Harden, demanded a trade unless Nash (his guy from Golden State) was fired, rescinded that trade request, demanded another trade request after Nash was ultimately fired, then signed off on going all in on Bradley fucking Beal and his redundant skillset at the expense of any and all depth.

    You forgot the veiled trade request earlier this year but that about covers it.  In all fairness to LeBron, though, he won titles with three different teams.  Durant won with GS, who won before he got there and after he left. 

    As far as pure basketball talent, Durant might be on Mt Rushmore.  If it's just one on one scoring ability, I'd take him over anyone today.  Might be the best pure scorer in NBA history.  However, his self awareness and leadership are subpar.  You can take a pass on the leadership but the self awareness is the thing.  No one besides him thought the Phoenix thing would work and now he's stuck there.  He's like a rich guy in a bad marriage with no prenup.  He just needs to make it work somehow.

  8. Durant gonna ask for another trade.  

    Maybe he'll go to a team with 2-3 of his friends.  They'll all be wing players.  No depth.  He'll wonder why he can't win there and then go somewhere else.

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  9. 45 minutes ago, Walser said:

    Witnessed in South Austin (but not in his mom) this morning:

    image.thumb.jpeg.fae8fcdec2d1c75d765b583af3c1d649.jpeg

    Person driving big luxury SUV complaining about gas prices. (left decal) I was right behind and after parking he proceeded to go into the AAA office. (why is that a brick and mortar thing?)

    Also, apparently MAGA has levels.

    I was wondering that, too, until we went to Italy and my wife insisted on going by the AAA office to get some paperwork for temporary drivers licenses and whatnot.  Seemed like a blast of a place to work.  You'd get to talk to people all day about where they're going and why they're going there.  A couple in there with us was a very Americanized Iranian couple, prolly in their mid 30's.  He was going back to Iran to visit his grandmother for the first time in 20+ years.

    Might have found my retirement job if they're still around.

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  10. 40 minutes ago, HRSchenker said:

    Do yall have any recommendations for morning protein shakes? Do you recommend eating breakfast at all? My sleep doctor recommended intermittent fasting but it turns out I already do that. From 7pm to noon the next day I don't eat or drink anything besides water. So far it hasn't done much to bring me back into the 220s. 

    I eat 1-2 pieces of lean skirt steak and 3 eggs.  Lots of protein, no carbs.

    May need to shake up your workout if you want to get into that range.

  11. Had my six month labs today for testosterone shots.

    6'0" tall here and at the beginning, I was 219.  Down to 215 now.  (Had a bit of a fat weekend, though.)  However, body fat % went from 24% to 16% in that span.  Skeletal muscle mass went from 95 lbs to 105 lbs.  Both significant changes and improvements.

    Also made changes to diet and fitness but these testosterone shots are cheat codes.

  12. 59 minutes ago, ztejas said:

    Scorching hot analysis here.

    Screenshot_20240422_104536_ESPN.thumb.jpg.39bb34b697d00781adb57d63d635c4b6.jpg

    I thought more so than the matchup issues the lack of experience is what kept it tight in the 4Q. SGA especially fucked up a ton of possessions the last 5 or 6 minutes. Against a better team that's going to get them beat - we'll see how quickly they can learn and adjust. 

    The D was good all game and really came in clutch - especially thar block by Chet.

    Yeah, despite being thin and light and some positions, OKC is good on defense.  (They're long.)  On NO's last possession, OKC had SGA, Dort, Cason Wallace, and Chet on the floor.  Good luck with that.  (Jalen Williams isn't terrible, either.)

  13. OKC will win the series but it'll be ugly as all of their games with NO are.  NO is just long, big, and physical, with or without Zion and that's a bad matchup for OKC but they just have the better players.  The Clippers are actually a better matchup.  They might have an easier time with them.  They'd lose in like 5 games to Denver is my guess.

  14. 2 hours ago, tbone_ said:

    wtf with his injuries

    Also, he's out for weeks/months with basic injuries.  What this hammy means is he's out for the playoffs if they win tomorrow night.

  15. 1 minute ago, ztejas said:

    I don't know what to expect from OKC given the youth but that HCA is going to be very real after not being relevant for almost a decade. The talent gap will be large between either 8 seed as well - I think there's a chance OKC whips some ass in R1.

    Agree all around.  They don't match up as well with the size of Denver or Minny but they're both on the other side.  That's also a huge score.

  16. 3 hours ago, ztejas said:

    OKC were huge winners last night. They get LA and DEN to beat each other up and get to play the NO/SAC winner. 

    PHO also made out like bandits. Avoided the play in and they get a MIN team that can be had that they match up well with. 

    I think every series is gonna be fun except maybe the 1/8.

    Yeah, that was huge for OKC after the Spurs beating the Nuggets over the weekend and who knows what's going on with Ingram and Zion?  The Kings would win a few games against them and give them some problems but the Lakers would be 50/50 to beat them if not more.

  17. 2 hours ago, NoName said:

    the fact that they nixed the midgate and kept the bed so small is example eleventybillion of why it's dumb as hell

    side note, the upcoming Silverado EV has a midgate

    https://www.motortrend.com/features/2024-chevrolet-silverado-ev-multiflex-midgate-avalanche/

    2024-Chevrolet-Silverado-EV-63.jpg

     

    Yeah, finally saw one in person.  Surprised how small the bed was.  Basically like a Honda Ridgeline.

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