AROUND the NBA:

[myconsumerclub]

https://www.nba.com/standings we are officially tied for first place in the west right now today

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

The Mavs' early schedule is BRUTAL. I'm not looking forward to the atmosphere around here between tomorrow night and mid-November.

Hoping to just enjoy the NBA this year. 

Not excited about the Mavs. I expect them to be bad and it's not good for my mental health. Maybe some trade talk around the deadline will be exciting.

[dirkfansince1998]

Observations...

- I guess sometimes Brunson hero ball isn't the solution but the Knicks should be fine. 76ers look legit but I would put the over/under for games played with their best five at 15-20.
- Spurs ice cold from the perimeter and with their new four guards + Wemby lineup they can get bullied in the paint. OKC the same team that we saw last season. If you cannot punish them for playing off a designated guy on the perimeter you are in trouble. And they still have more depth than any other team in the league.

[JamesConway816]

Hoping to just enjoy the NBA this year. 

Not excited about the Mavs. I expect them to be bad and it's not good for my mental health. Maybe some trade talk around the deadline will be exciting.

Well the good thing is it will be a lot less frustrating than what they did last season where they were terrible but not terrible enough to get a better pick despite the whole mess of literally not having control over the draft for half a decade going forward.

The old leadership messed that up but the damage is done and this season it is out of their hands so every ounce of positive play actually does not hurt the future of the team anymore.

Also the roster has gotten a lot younger. There is a solid chance the season ends and they hopefully will have found and developed a few guys who will be here for more than just a short stint.

It can literally only get better from a roster building point. What they did last year was just illogical on so many levels. Watching them chase the #9 pick trophy was like watching an addict not being able to withstand the urge again and again. My god I still hate Kidd, Riccardi, Finley, Middleton, Tyus, Bagley for that. 

Also every game going by means we are inching closer to Luka‘s return in 2028 so it will all work out anyway.

[CooPerFan]

Normal suckage game from wemby. Cooper might be a better player than him starting next season

[dirkfansince1998]

https://x.com/NBA/status/2112751701669093696

Drafted to do exactly that...

[hakeemfaan]

He might never be able to play 40 mins a game , but during the mins he plays, Mara is going to be a problem for other teams.

Blocking Wemby at the rim when he was already rolling and right at the rim? Wow.

[hakeemfaan]

https://x.com/NBA/status/2112751701669093696

Drafted to do exactly that...

I was extremely high on him and posts are preserved here for posterity.  However he was also one with the highest bust potential.  

Unfortunately the Mavs due to their paucity of picks could not afford to take the risk.  By the time the draft came I was in that boat too.  I don’t regret chickening out, but this guy has already shown through a few pre season games and now that he is definitely not a bust. Darn OKC.

[CooPerFan]

Normal suckage game from wemby. Cooper might be a better player than him starting next season

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Normal suckage game from wemby. Cooper might be a better player than him starting next season

Hyperbole much?  First game of the year. He had a bad one. Happens to the best of them. I still think he'll have a better year than Flagg, whom I like a lot. Wemby is generational; Flagg is not.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Wemby is still missing a go to offensive game, so he'll have his off nights shooting. Almost reminds of me when Avery Johnson forced Dirk to get in the post and learn some moves. Obviously Wemby can still be the best player in the league without having that go to offensive repertoire, but he'll have to develop that eventually to be an all time great.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Tatum and Embiid both looked rough last night athletically. Just one game. Probably the fact that no one takes camp and preseason seriously anymore.

[cow]

Hyperbole much?  First game of the year. He had a bad one. Happens to the best of them. I still think he'll have a better year than Flagg, whom I like a lot. Wemby is generational; Flagg is not.

Spurs sports hate is real.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

No hate from me. I actually like Wemby vs the dumbass American superstars like Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards.

[KillerLeft]

Man, watching those opening night games (I saw one of them and watched the highlights from the others) really drew focus to what the Mavs are/aren't. All six teams clearly spent the summer secure in the knowledge they'd be playoff teams and had these opening night games (most against specifically relevant opponents) circled. Physical, intense play, emotional moments, even fights.

It's so easy to lose your sense of where things actually are around the league when your team (the one that draws 98% of your attention) isn't part of the inner group of competitive teams. This has gotten worse recently, I think, because if you're looking for it you can find a ton of content centered around any team, regardless of where that team is in the hierarchy of the current moment. For example, there might be more "the league isn't ready" or "how'd the NBA let them get away with this" content out there about the Charlotte Hornets than there was about the entire NBA going into the 1990 season. Depending on your algorithm, it's almost impossible to have any true perspective on what actually matters and which teams have a chance.

I just hope this transitional era of the Mavs goes by quickly and we have relevant basketball to cheer for soon, as in by the end of Flagg's rookie deal, ideally. Sooner would be great, obviously.

[Chicagojk]

Fun games last night.  I saw a part of all three.   

Great to see Detroit come back.  Seeing Boston lose is always fun.    

I loved how Lebron played last night.  He really is a savant.     Time will tell how they look in 30-35 games and if they can stay healthy.  Both teams look like legit contenders.    

OKC looked good.  I thought they were easiest the best team last year with the exception when they played the Spurs.    Spurs looked a tad off.  We will see if any of it matters against OKC if Wemby is putting up 30 points.  That feels like the cheat code.    That looks to be a rivalry for a long time.

[cow]

No hate from me.  I actually like Wemby vs the dumbass American superstars like Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards.

My bad, I meant to quote Hoosier about why the hyperbole occurred. I updated my post.

[DanSchwartzgan]

V. J Edgecomb's agent is already complaining about his client's role.  

I've looked around and I might argue that Edgecomb and Dylan Harper are the two best possible outcomes in terms of a player to pair with Flagg the next 15 years.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Fun games last night.  I saw a part of all three.   

Great to see Detroit come back.  Seeing Boston lose is always fun.    

I loved how Lebron played last night.  He really is a savant.     Time will tell how they look in 30-35 games and if they can stay healthy.  Both teams look like legit contenders.    

OKC looked good.  I thought they were easiest the best team last year with the exception when they played the Spurs.    Spurs looked a tad off.  We will see if any of it matters against OKC if Wemby is putting up 30 points.  That feels like the cheat code.    That looks to be a rivalry for a long time.

I'm sure a level of respect is there, but both teams truly despise each other. That's how it use to be.