2022-23 Team Developments: News / Trades / Free Agents / Rumors

We haven't look outgunned or over matched against any of those teams. Our shot is just as good as anyone else’s against them. Actually better than most, none of them have been shown to have an AD or LeBron stopper or something.

 

My opinion is that if you can get to the second round you have a chance for a victory. So unless you can get something by losing you push it to the bitter end. A couple of upsets, an injury or a suspension. It's anything can happen day. Damn my optimism coming to the floor again, but I even watched that Dallas series vs the Lakers when Dallas swept us. Phil tried everything, even poking Pau.

 

We all want Slick to leave but that ain't happening either.

 

Nope

 

Here it is from Stein himself

Unrelated, but from the same Stein report, he still thinks Cam is on the move

 

Play-In destroyed the two events the NBA had over the NFL. Free agency period and trade deadline. Adam Silver needs to lose the play in BS after this year.

 

This is interesting..
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...r-hawks-to-get-1st-round-pick-in-trade-return

 

Couldn't disagree more with you. We have looked solid against those teams, should have beat the C-Bags and 76ers, we beat the Bucks, Nuggets, Nets, Sac, and we did this generally in an under-manned injured state when not having the refs lose the game for us. A lot rides on health, for sure but you operate in a manner that lets you go into the playoffs healthy and I hope we can do that. You talk like we are a play-in team and that's a joke. At full strength we are one of the best teams in the league period. a lot of media ex-players believe this too, it's not just pipe. Jalen Rose and Perk and lots of others.

 

IF this team turns itself from the 27th best in team defense, to somewhere near 10th, they could compete in a series with anyone.
It could happen, but it will take a massive turn around.

 

Remember how we started off though...#1 defensive rating. Why we went off that path is beyond me, yes we needed some offensive attention, badly, but to drop off so low is a mystery. But at least we know we can do it, put the clamps down and that will matter come the playoffs.

 

It takes all the guys on the floor actually caring about giving attention to defense for more than a couple plays a game. With AD back, the addition of Rui, hopefully Ham never playing three guard lineups, and Austin getting back, we could get there.
Darvin also needs to start sitting guys (like Phil used to do) who are consistently missing their defensive assignments. I’m not sure if he will, but he should.

 

top 3 team in the west?

 

For sure a big problem with our defensive rating was the Hobbit squads. Now with a healthy AD and Rui who is a capable defender even on smaller guys, it changes things, we have a couple of 4s (with Gabriel) that can slide to 3 on some matchups and help in that area where LBJ may not want to take the star SF on defensively. I just hope we have seen the last of Russ/Bev/Schroder lineups. Man I can't wait until Reaves is back and got his legs. I think a few doomsayers here don't realize how good we are at full strength.

 

No we don't.

And I rarely agree with him

 

disregard the anti-social contingent here, they are few and generally disregarded.

 

This does not look like any year we have gone far in the playoffs. Winning a couple of games, here and there, is not the same as winning a 7 game series against a good team. Maybe, if we got the shooters we need and they gelled immediately, but that is just so unlikely. If Lebron and Davis both peaked right in the playoffs, all our guys shot their very best and we got out team defense in order, it is a very remote possibility. I don't feel positive about it but I will continue to have hope.

 

Wino, I’m quite a bit more optimistic than you. I feel like our bubble team wasn’t that well regarded until they won. I feel like this team could be similar in that sense.

 

It doesn’t matter if we aren’t actually the 7th to 10th best team in the West when healthy, the reality is we most likely end up in the play in. We may only be 3 games back of 6th, but we’d have to outpace 6 separate teams by a 3 game margin. That just isn’t likely.

There have been 76 NBA champions, 65 of which were Top 2 seeds in their conference. Of the remaining 11, 9 were the 3rd seed. The other two are the 1969 C Bags as the 4 seed, and the 95 Rockets as the 6 seed. If you don’t have a Top 3 seed, you’re basically f***ed. Us getting through the play in and winning the title would literally be the most unlikely championship in the history of the league. Sorry to be a downer, but it’s not happening this year. The whole “seeding doesn’t matter, just get into the playoffs healthy” has not borne out in reality. We need to use this trade deadline to swap the Russ and Bev contracts for players that can help us next season.