The real story if I had to guess ... C Bags top brass realized Ainge and Stevens had failed up to this point and wanted them both gone. They didn't want to fire Ainge due to their relationships so allowed him to "step down". They didn't want to fire Stevens because they just signed him to a long term contract, and they weren't going to pay him to sit at home. Meanwhile Stevens was getting burned out on coaching and lost the locker room, but wasn't going to step down and forfeit all that money. Compromise: let Stevens continue working in a more hands-off FO position with less travel so the C Bags still get some bang for their buck. Good question, IMO Luka was always going to be Luka, and Trae was always going to be Trae. I do think Dallas had a better culture and coaching staff around Luka from the get go, but Luka is so special that I can't envision him having been any less special in Atlanta.
i agree that luka probably thrives anywhere, as it's easy to build around him. i wonder if it wasn't better for trae to end up in atlanta, where they seemed willing to immediately construct a roster that catered to his strengths. i'm not sure carlisle would have been as eager to hand the reins over to trae as he was to luka. so, i think trae might not have been as successful in dallas, but luka would be similarly successful in atlanta. can't imagine being phx, memphis, and sac, though. i suppose ayton's good, but he's nowhere hear as valuabe as those two, and bagley and jackson won't ever be close.
I think Luka would be the same player both places because he holds himself accountable and is very hard on himself. So his discipline comes from within. I do think Carlie is a harder coach to play for because he likes to call all the plays instead of having a more free flowing offense. I’m not sure Trae would like playing for him. I still think Trae would be good but maybe not quite as developed as he is in Atlanta because he was given the keys.
Here's today's Yahoo Sports' take on it https://www.yahoo.com/sports/brad-s...-raise-eyebrows-around-the-nba-164943698.html
conley's got a hamstring strain. man, the clippers are lucking out if they don't shoot themselves in the foot per usual. same with the nets. embiid's injury is a red carpet, and they have to be giddy thinking the lakers might be out as soon as tonight.
I will never understand the reasoning behind choosing a 6'1 midget as talented as he can be over a 6'7 phenomenon You have skills AND size , the game is over. European though
to me, it was that luka had had success playing against grown men in europe, and he'd been scouted to death. that phx passed on him when their coach knew him and sac passed on him with vlade supposedly being well-connected in europe...just can't fathom it. and i said this before the draft. he had to be the #1 pick, imo. and it's obviously clear now that he should have been. the hawks' mistake wasn't nearly as bad as those two teams just passing on him for lesser talents. at least the hawks got an allstar and another high-ish pick out of it.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...alized-food-truck-just-no-room-racist-attacks our boy's all grownz up. really glad to see him succeeding on the court, too, and i hope he gets a ring this year.
Yeah don’t look now but the NBA is about to get the western conference finals of their nightmares but we as fans I think will have some wonderful basketball to watch with Utah and Phoenix. Am rooting like H for that to happen and I will 100% root for either of them against whoever comes out of the east, especially the Nets.
still think the clippers can can recover. and you can bet the league is...keenly interested in that outcome. again: utah better blow them out twice if they want to advance.
whoa. he's been there forever. and i'm not sure their problems are his fault, tbh. but i guess cuban can't fire himself.
yeah, he's back to assistant-ville. i wonder if donnie will go back to coaching internationally or something. maybe just go grow weed with dad in hawaii.
Just wanted to add that Trae Young is a disgrace to the sport. If he ever ends up on the Lakers, I’m done. He’s taken the mantle from Harden in terms of insulting the game. Every player flops or milks a call here and there, but I can’t stand guys where that’s their go to move. rant\
yeah, i didn't notice how bad it was until this year, but it's pretty disgusting. why the league has decided to prop those two up is beyond me, too. young's maybe a bit more fun than harden to watch, but neither is really providing the kind of entertainment that might warrant the league taking an interest in their success. i try not to keep banging the drum, but there has to be a way to ensure that guys are making honest attempts to play basketball and not the officials.
I think you mentioned it in an LD thread, but even teams like Utah that move the ball are just passing around the perimeter looking for the 3. I think the way the game is officiated is a big reason for this. Teams are so scared of guys jumping sideways that players can’t close out effectively. In the off chance they do, the offensive player takes one dribble and passes it to the next guy to take the 3. Offenses pass up open 5 footers because analytics tell them to kick it back out. I’m really not interested in watching who the best 3 point shooting team is every night. I understand why the league would have initially wanted more offense, but the product is mostly trash and I think the ratings might support that, though I could be wrong.
76ers with two straight game meltdowns... Tobias Harris mug should be on milk carton. Costly turnover, got his shot rejected up close and touched a ball going out of bounds. Been MIA.
