AROUND the NBA:

[mvossman]

Doesn’t this also depend significantly on the type of offense being run?

In an offense with lots of ball movement, shots and creation get distributed more equally than in a heliocentric one.

Not that much.  The Warriors have a ton of ball movement but they have an elite creator in Curry who has similar usage to the rest of those guys.

[dirkfansince1998]

Not that much.  The Warriors have a ton of ball movement but they have an elite creator in Curry who has similar usage to the rest of those guys.

Usage and onball time/creation aren't the same thing though. Can have a high usage without dominating the ball (mostly bigs). Can have a relatively low usage and control the ball. Our very own Nembhard is the poster child for high on ball percentage with a relatively low usage.

https://x.com/bjpf_/status/2044495656820347067

[mvossman]

Usage and onball time/creation aren't the same thing though. Can have a high usage without dominating the ball (mostly bigs). Can have a relatively low usage and control the ball. Our very own Nembhard is the poster child for high on ball percentage with a relatively low usage.

https://x.com/bjpf_/status/2044495656820347067

This is getting a little into the weeds as it does not have a lot to do with my original point, but agreed that usage is not the same thing as creation.  Maybe something like FGA + AST + TOV per 36 would be a better estimate.  Most of the guys mentioned would be in the same neighborhood (roughly 30) including Curry.

[Smitty]

@TheSteinLine
Boston's Brad Stevens has been named NBA Executive of the Year for the second time ... adding to his EOY triumph in 2023-24.

[F Gump]

"I would add that playing Coop at the point provided him a unique perspective on the game, increasing his understanding and effectiveness with more exposure."

Thanks for all the feedback. FWIW I wasn't trying to get a precise definition of what a creator is, but rather an assessment of who we think CF is being molded to become.

It's easy to see yr 1 as them playing him out of position (intentionally) in relation to what they want him to become, so that he will add some skills. That certainly happened.

Now they move him back to his natural role, and he takes those skills with him and is a better F because of it. Right?

Or do they? Personally, I think the Mavs might be aiming for him to be quite a bit more PG-ish than the off-ball sometimes creators we see around the league. Maybe even more than Giannis, Kawhi, Lebron sorts. His handle would have to get way better, and he needs work on his shooting efficiency. But how valuable is a Luka-like player who also is a superior defender?

Is that a step too far? Just a wild fantasy?

[michaeltex]

Wondering how Kleiman even got one vote for GMing the Memphis train wreck.

[michaeltex]

"I would add that playing Coop at the point provided him a unique perspective on the game, increasing his understanding and effectiveness with more exposure."

Thanks for all the feedback. FWIW I wasn't trying to get a precise definition of what a creator is, but rather an assessment of who we think CF is being molded to become.

It's easy to see yr 1 as them playing him out of position (intentionally) in relation to what they want him to become, so that he will add some skills. That certainly happened.

Now they move him back to his natural role, and he takes those skills with him and is a better F because of it. Right?

Or do they? Personally, I think the Mavs might be aiming for him to be quite a bit more PG-ish than the off-ball sometimes creators we see around the league. Maybe even more than Giannis, Kawhi, Lebron sorts. His handle would have to get way better, and he needs work on his shooting efficiency. But how valuable is a Luka-like player who also is a superior defender?

Is that a step too far? Just a wild fantasy?

I don't think that's a fantasy, but how achievable is that goal over an 82+ game season at 36+ minutes a night? My uncalibrated observation is that there is a finite amount of energy each player has to expend, that may vary night to night, so where do you spend it? If Coop is going to be a defensive stopper, then is it too much to ask that he initiate offense at the other end? I think we all agree that a stronger backcourt (Kyrie + FRP?) will help share the offensive burden, so maybe Coop's effectiveness can be maximized on both ends.

IMO, the team has to get better in half court offense to make any real impact. They seem to be able to run with most teams, but the better teams stop penetration and force the ball to stay on the perimeter, where DAL seems to stagnate a lot. Coop improving his outside shooting will help that, as will the addition of other shooters like Kyrie. I have a hope that DLive's return will help as well, since Gaff didn't seem as effective last season. I'm kind of wanting to see MB3 play with a healthy team, but we'll see what happens this summer.

[KillerLeft]

@TheSteinLine
Boston's Brad Stevens has been named NBA Executive of the Year for the second time ... adding to his EOY triumph in 2023-24.

I'm not a troll, usually, but in this, specific case, it's probably best I don't get to vote on things like this. I'd have been SO tempted to log a single vote for Nico Harrison just to watch the internet burn down for a week. High comedy, imho.

[Jmaciscool]

I'm not a troll, usually, but in this, specific case, it's probably best I don't get to vote on things like this. I'd have been SO tempted to log a single vote for Nico Harrison just to watch the internet burn down for a week. High comedy, imho.

Honestly he was a pretty good GM for the Lakers and probably earned a vote or two.

[dirkfansince1998]

Playoffs can really change the narrative when it comes to awards like this. Decision not to pick up another ballhandler at the deadline is looking worse with every game the Pistons and Rockets play. Denver could be on a Bucks-like trajectory. Injuries are a big factor but some of the contracts they handed out in the last few years are in the conversation for worst contract in the league (Braun). Is Kleinman getting votes for outtanking the Mavs?
Suprised to see Pelinka this low. In the what have you done for me lately world he looks like a genius after signing Smart and Kennard for cheap.

[DallasMaverick]

Playoffs can really change the narrative when it comes to awards like this. Decision not to pick up another ballhandler at the deadline is looking worse with every game the Pistons and Rockets play. Denver could be on a Bucks-like trajectory. Injuries are a big factor but some of the contracts they handed out in the last few years are in the conversation for worst contract in the league (Braun). Is Kleinman getting votes for outtanking the Mavs?
Suprised to see Pelinka this low. In the what have you done for me lately world he looks like a genius after signing Smart and Kennard for cheap.

Maybe Luka isn’t viewed as the prize that some think, particularly with their success without him.
Also, it wasn’t exactly a well-fitting team.

[mvossman]

Maybe Luka isn’t viewed as the prize that some think, particularly with their success without him.

Yeah, Mavs have been great without him.  Just imagine how silly this comment would look like if the Mavs don't luck into Flagg.

[KillerLeft]

Yeah, Mavs have been great without him.  Just imagine how silly this comment would look like if the Mavs don't luck into Flagg.

You're forgetting rule #1 of reading that dude's stuff.

[Smitty]

The NBA has disclosed to its 30 GMs a singular new anti-tanking reform that expands the draft lottery to 16 teams, flattens odds, and have a relegation zone where the bottom 3 teams are penalized with fewer lottery balls for the No. 1 pick.

ESPN details:
 https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4861...rer=scribe


NBA Proposes New Lottery System to Crack Down on Tanking:

• Lottery expands from 14 → 16 teams
Relegation zone (bottom 3 teams) gets fewer odds for No. 1 pick

• Teams outside bottom 3 get better lottery odds (3 balls vs 2)

• Play-in teams also receive lottery balls (varies by seed)

• No team can win No. 1 pick in back-to-back years

• No team can get 3 straight top-5 picks
Picks 12–15 can no longer be protected

• NBA can punish tanking by reducing odds or moving picks

• System would run through 2029 (trial period)

(Via @ShamsCharania )

[JBB]

The NBA has disclosed to its 30 GMs a singular new anti-tanking reform that expands the draft lottery to 16 teams, flattens odds, and have a relegation zone where the bottom 3 teams are penalized with fewer lottery balls for the No. 1 pick.

ESPN details:
 https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4861...rer=scribe


NBA Proposes New Lottery System to Crack Down on Tanking:

• Lottery expands from 14 → 16 teams
Relegation zone (bottom 3 teams) gets fewer odds for No. 1 pick

• Teams outside bottom 3 get better lottery odds (3 balls vs 2)

• Play-in teams also receive lottery balls (varies by seed)

• No team can win No. 1 pick in back-to-back years

• No team can get 3 straight top-5 picks
Picks 12–15 can no longer be protected

• NBA can punish tanking by reducing odds or moving picks

• System would run through 2029 (trial period)

(Via @ShamsCharania )

One of the main unintended consequence of this structure is bubble teams may prefer making the play-in rather than simply qualifying, because it gives them a chance a the lottery pick.

[dirkfansince1998]

• NBA can punish tanking by reducing odds or moving picks

How are they going to prove that a team is tanking? They tried something similar to prevent load management and it isn't working at all because they cannot enforce the rule. Teams can still place a player on the injury report and there is little the NBA can do about it.

[KillerLeft]

How are they going to prove that a team is tanking? They tried something similar to prevent load management and it isn't working at all because they cannot enforce the rule. Teams can still place a player on the injury report and there is little the NBA can do about it.

It's probably a pretty hard thing to define, as a whole, though we all know it when we see it. 

Still, it should be relatively simple to identify a few, specific "don'ts" that could be clearly policed. Will that actually make a noticeable impact on what the league perceives to be "the problem?" No idea, but probably not.

[cow]

That proposal is interesting, but it punishes truly bad teams. It reminds me of software DRM harming legitimate customers in the hopes of combating piracy. No back-to-back #1 picks, and to a lesser extent ,not being able to get 3x top five picks assumes the quality of any given draft is the same which is hardly the case. I wish they'd come up with progressive penalties to revenue sharing instead. I'm not a fan of expanding the lottery and kind of think it should go in the opposite direction. I do like punishing blatant tanking and proving it should be as simple as the "I know it when I see it" pornography litmus test. With the trial running through 2029, I wonder if that means we'll not see expansion teams prior to that timeline. I'd hate to be an expansion team with some of those rules in place.

[Chicagojk]

With the Blazers losing, they have an interesting but challenging future.   How do they elevate to the level of the West monsters?   They get Dame back next year and their hopes are probably similar to what we are hoping for Kryie (although Dame is coming off a more difficult injury).   Deni is really good.  I just don't think he is a #1 on a contender.  How does this impact his game if he is not an #1.   He plays like a #1 if that makes sense.  

Portland has some potential good pick assets in the future.   They have a new owner, but there are some questions how much he will spend.  It sounds like they will have a new coach.  

Scoot had a great game 3, but sort of fizzled out after.  He is still young and only played 30 games this year.    My biggest question is Shaedon Sharp.   He is  only 22.   From afar, I have always liked him.   Maybe I only see his good games and I know some are not as high on him.    He did average over 20 points for the season, but here was his minutes per game in the playoffs:  6, 13,14,13,22.    So my important question for Portland is what is Scoot and Shaedon.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/TimBontemps/status/2049301242636050442
https://x.com/TimBontemps/status/2049301888047165583

Philly starves off elimination with a 113-97 win in Boston. The second time in this series, they have won there.
Boston missed 16 straight FG attempts.