2019 NBA offseason thread

Those are fair comparisons. LeBron without the passing is still a pretty potent force.

 

Isn't LeBron without the passing skill just Giannis?

 

I'm not trying to be snarky here, but the "just" in your post covers some ground. Just the equivalent of the MVP?

 

Read his original post, he talks about body type and breaking down. Large body who’s quick. That’s why I said Barkley. If you ever watched him play he was round yet quick.

 

Yes. LeBron without the passing game is the MVP, not the second-greatest player of all time.

 

... which pretty much still would make him an automatic #1 pick.

 

Zion will never shoot as well as James. James was never as quick as Zion.

Zion is a freak much like Charles was, but we really have not seen anything like Zion before.

Barkley is close, but Chuck lived inside. Chuck was a nasty, mean, vicious player who would get 25 rebounds a game in today’s NBA.

Zion is a nice kid who plays outside in. Chuck was inside out.

Anyone who says one of Zion’s Duke teammates will be a better pro than Zion is, well, in a small minority of thinkers.

 

I can't search to find the old 30 for 30 thread, orrrr, the podcasts thread, so this one will have to do - ESPN has a new podcast series about the rise and fall of Donald Sterling. I've finished three episodes, and have two or three more to go, and the use of audio is really good. Really sickening, but good. Among the stuff featured is Olden Polynice talking about Sterling referring to him as a "big black buck" in front of people, and recordings from a deposition where Sterling claims his ex-mistress couldn't help herself and wanting to "suck him" off constantly.

 

The one thing that gives me pause about Zion is he plays off of ability more than skill right now. If he hurts a knee or ankle and goes back to average NBA ability, then he will be out of the league quickly unless his skill improves. His skill improved greatly last year, and there is no reason to think that won’t continue in the NBA.

Dominique came to mind as I was typing that as well. Nique kept his pure ability for a long time.

 

Quick when he played. The game is entirely different. Guarding Malone isn't the same as guarding Embiid or Antetokounmpo.

 

Zion has never really been coached to learn the skills that aren’t part of his core ability and existing physical strengths. His college coach didn’t do anything but play to Zion’s offensive ability to dominate physically less capable players. That may be an inherent problem with one and done. St Mike had him for 4 months and the goal at Duke is to win not develop the skills of players who won’t be in uniform next year. One and done players are short term rental cars. When you rent a Porsche or Lamborghini for a short time you push that car. You bought the insurance so you can drive that car in a way you wouldn’t if you were leasing it for 3 years.

Maybe he can get the coaching he needs to develop the skills he needs to be great.

 

Who didn't see something like this coming?