NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

[Incandenza]

The NBA season kicks off next week, and the reigning champions are without their coach. Steve Kerr had a spinal fluid leak (YIKES) and is still out, well past the projected early October return. Luke Walton (!) is the interim head coach.

Meanwhile, Dan Gilbert trolled Twitter last night by saying one of these three would be used as a Cavs alternate jersey:



It just seemed like something that he would think would be a good idea, though.

In other joke franchise news, the Clippers have a new look:



Terrible. Some UniWatch readers came up with much better designs.

UniWatch's season preview is up. The NBA is nearing soccer in terms of the number of alternate uniforms and different designs. Some truly ugly ones in the mix, but some good ones as well.

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Also, we already have what might be the best photo of the season. The Pistons joined a weekly bike ride through Detroit, and a MLive photographer got this photo of Stan Van Gundy:

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

RIP Flip Saunders.

The season finally starts tonight. Season predictions:

Finals: Cleveland 4-2 Oklahoma City

MVP: Kevin Durant

Rookie of the Year: Emmanuel Mudiay

Defensive POY: Anthony Davis

[ursus arctos]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

It's hard for you to accept that the Clippers are better, isn't it?

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Not at all. I'm looking forward to another first or second round exit from them. I don't think anyone can say that those uniforms are good. The Clippers have the best team that they've ever had at the time that the Lakers are at one of their lowest points, and they haven't made it as far as a conference finals, they had the Sterling mess, and now they roll out these uniforms. The goal is wide open, and they keep falling down.

[ursus arctos]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

I don't mind the white ones.

The red ones are ridiculous.

I've always been of the view that both the Clips and the Nets should have jetisoned their weak ass early ABA names when they moved out of San Diego/Long Island.

And if they didn't do that, they should have doubled down on these

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

My favorite of the concepts submitted to UniWatch took those colors and sailing motif to heart:

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/451/19503478629_ce00293047_o.png

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

News broke last night that there will be advertising patches for Kia on the All-Star Game jerseys. The commish has said for a while now that sponsor advertising on regular jerseys is "inevitable," this seems like the first step in that direction.

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

The Western Conference will be interesting because not only are the teams much better than in the east, but a lot of them just dislike each other:

"Look, the Clippers are the Clippers," Cuban said while surrounded by media on the Staples Center sideline before the game. "You can change the players, you can change the owner, but the Clippers are who they've been for the last 30 years.

"I mean, I don't hate the Clippers. That's a strong word. I don't hate anybody on the Clippers. I pretty much hate anybody who doesn't have Mavericks or Dallas across their chest, but again, I just don't give a s--- about the Clippers. Maybe that explains it."
...
For his part, Rivers responded sarcastically postgame when asked about Cuban's comments, saying, "That's so hurtful."

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Steph Curry is just on another planet than everyone else:

https://amp.twimg.com/v/b14b00d7-5256-4478-9bf6-080417e3f82c

[Renart]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Yeah, I'm no basket-ball expert, but I feel like I'm on solid ground saying that Curry is really quite good at the sport.

The Warriors beat the Grizzlies 119-69? That's insane.

[ursus arctos]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Man, they got a lot of white people at the old barn now.

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Curry might break 100 when the Warriors play the Lakers.

[Vulgarian Visigoth]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

The new Sixers home jersey is quite easy on the eye. At least it stays clear of the awful post-90s school of design.

[Renart]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Incandenza wrote: Curry might break 100 when the Warriors play the Lakers.

How did the Lakers get to be so bad?

[Renart]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Gross. Abolish all sports moguls.

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Renart wrote:

Curry might break 100 when the Warriors play the Lakers.

How did the Lakers get to be so bad?

I'm going to have to answer that later. There's too much to write.

[Renart]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Ha ha, no pressure, I'm sure I can Google it. But it would be good to hear the long-time fan's perspective.

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Basically, it all went downhill with the Dwight Howard and Steve Nash deals. The Lakers didn't end up giving up that much with the Howard trade, but they knew he only had one year left on his deal, and he never fit in with the offenses that Mike Brown and then Mike D'Antoni played. I don't think they ever thought that there was a strong chance that he would leave after that season, but he did.

Nash was almost always hurt (he played in 65 games over 3 seasons), and the Lakers gave up a lot of draft picks in the deal. They would have given up this most recent first round pick to Phoenix if they didn't land in a top 5 spot in the draft, but they got #2. Now the pick belongs to the 76ers from a trade, and the Lakers will have to give up their 2016 first round pick to the 76ers, unless they pick in the top 3. Which it looks like they might just hold on to it!

Everyone knew last year was not going to be good, and then it got worse when Julius Randle, their first round pick from that season, broke his leg 14 minutes into the first game of the season. He sat out the rest of the year, and then once Kobe got hurt, they were just going through the motions.

Byron Scott came in as coach after D'Antoni was fired, and he's been a disaster. He obviously didn't have much to work with last year, so most people were giving him a chance this year.

Through 4 games, here's what he's done
--called the team soft on defense (ignoring the history that his teams have always been near the bottom of the defensive rankings)
--insulted Denver's rookie PG Emmanuel Mudiay when asked about the Lakers drafting PG D'Angelo Russell instead of Mudiay:

Scott said when Lakers worked out Mudiay he “didn’t think he was a true point guard” & “didn’t think he was a guy who made great decisions.”

Just a completely unnecessary comment.
--Oh yeah, hasn't exactly built up Russell's confidence. This story:

As Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell stood on the basketball court, Lakers coach Byron Scott stared at him with amusement and offered him a challenge. Scott issued a $150 bet that Russell could not bank on a corner 3-pointer. Moments later, Russell proved Scott wrong, though the Lakers’ coach insisted Russell did not agree to the terms before making the shot.

“You didn’t bet that,” Scott said after the Lakers’ morning shootaround on Friday in preparation for tonight’s game against Sacramento at Sleep Train Arena. Scott then turned to reporters, “That was the first in seven tries. He missed the other six.”

The Lakers are banking that Russell will shed his summer league, training camp and early-season struggles. They also became intrigued with Russell’s playmaking and confidence during pre-draft workouts. But Scott also revealed that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and executive Jim Buss partly drafted Russell because of other external circumstances.

Scott described the crop of free-agent point guards as only “okay,” including Sacramento’s Rajon Rondo and Miami’s Goran Dragic. Rondo faced question marks about his behavior after frequently clashing with Dallas coach Rick Carlisle. Although Dragic had publicly expressed interest in entertaining the Lakers’ interest, there was a sense Dragic felt more inclined to re-sign with the Heat after acquiring him in a mid-season trade from Phoenix. Scott also described the free-agent point guards as “a lot thinner at that position than at the big man position.”

“We saw in the free agent market that there were a ton of big guys,” said Scott, before alluding to missing out on the Lakers’ top target in LaMarcus Aldridge. “If we didn’t get him, there were still a number of big guys we could go after. It made it that much easier to go out in the draft and get a point guard. D’Angelo was that guy.”

I mean, what an asshole.

--His player rotations have been atrocious. He seems to stick to a strict schedule, taking out guys that are hot because they've been in for a while, and playing guys that just aren't performing.

--Today: "Byron said there was verbal altercation during the game last night, but wouldn't name names. He thinks the altercation is a good thing" He's clearly lost the team.

Failure has bred failure. Gone are the days when any free agent would want to play for the Lakers. The salary cap rises at the end of this season, so everyone will have more money, not just the Lakers (though they'll have more with Kobe's contract up at the end of the season, assuming they don't overpay for his loyalty again). They've gone two summers without signing a big free agent, that will likely continue again.

For me, the biggest near-term problem is Byron Scott. He's not just a bad coach, but he seems to have no clue how to nurture young talent...that, or he is purposefully trying to shake their confidence and belief. After the game last night, Russell looked depressed and said that he isn't playing with confidence. That comes from losing, but also because Scott has been calling him out in public and doesn't seem to trust him.

Mike Brown was fired after starting 1-5, the Lakers are 0-4 now after playing three games at home, and one on the road in Sacramento, all against teams that are just not good. They go on the road now for 16 of their next 20 games. I don't think they could bring in a new coach now to improve the team, but I want to see someone come in that would work on building up the young guys. Write off the season again, see if they can hold on to the pick next season, then bring in a coach like Thibodeau or a younger coach who believes in analytics (Scott famously doesn't) and has no connections to the team.

Sorry for the venting.

[Renart]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

Venting much appreciated. Why were they so eager to go after Nash? Was it just for "star power," or was he actually playing well at the time? Big risk at his age, though, probably no matter what.

[Incandenza]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

They weren't great at PG at the time, and a Kobe-Pau-Howard-Nash core (though when they signed him they still had Andrew Bynum) was great on paper. The Heat had just won in the Finals with their big three and the rest approach, so it didn't seem that crazy (but the Heat did have role players like Battier and a young Mario Chalmers). The season before, the Lakers had their Chris Paul trade called off for the famous "basketball reasons," so they had tried to get a marquee point guard earlier.

The Paul trade is really the start of the decline. It's still a sore subject for us.

[jason voorhees]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

It sucks now, but both the Lakers and Yankees can afford 5-10 years in the wilderness.

As much as it sucks now, there's something great when in February of 2022 they go on a 15-game win streak and the "oh no, they have a bunch of young players and are looking like a power for another decade and a half" starts getting heard.

Byron Scott seems like a Bill Parcells/Mourinho type. He did bring the Nets and NOLA Hornets to their apexes, but nothing but diminishing returns since.

In addition, from soccer to football to basketball to hockey to even baseball, we're in a stage of so much change in nutrition and training. This is the first generation of players who have essentially been professionals since the day they were born. We're in an age of Chinese acrobats being trained since age 3.

Sport is moving so fast and is so volatile, that it's a wonder that any coach can succeed like Popovich or P-Jackson.

[Renart]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

That's an interesting point. I think the ease with which information about training, along with video and analysis, travels around the world through the Internet has also made it much harder to gain an advantage through coaching style, tactics, or uncovering undiscovered players.

Like Arsène Wenger's success in the nineties, based largely on bringing foreign players, training, and tactics into an insular English league would be impossible to replicate nowadays, because every top club knows what every other club is doing and has scouts all over the world (or at least people watching video from all over the world). All the biggest leagues (and even the lesser ones, like MLS) are thoroughly internationalized.

Basketball is not quite as global as soccer, but it is certainly more so than gridiron.

[jason voorhees]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

I was wondering to start a thread, or post on MLB, but it seems to be the case in just about every sport.

Does it seem as if the pressure to win a championship is a hundredfold greater than in the past?

If so, as I believe the answer is yes, is it because of greater information and the speed of the Internet?

Growing up with the NBA, NFL, and MLB, it seemed as if teams had quite a few years to win, and not winning wasn't that much of a necessity. It was really for other teams. It was for the Cowboys or Steelers. It was for the Yankees. It was for the Lakers or Celtics. You bought your ticket to boo them or cheer them.

For instance, in the NFL, making a conference championship was a huge event in itself. The Giants could afford a few years of losing Divisional or Conference playoffs, for one Superbowl season. The Bears could coast for decades (in many ways still are) off of one magical year, the Niners could afford to lose a franchise quarterback to get one that was waiting for almost a decade, the Red----ns could lose a Superbowl here or there and be back.

These days, only the Patriots could afford that. The Spurs can afford it until Duncan retires. No one in MLB can really afford losing, the Royals and maybe the Cards being the exception.

Because so many teams are now on the radar, while in the 80s teams could afford to be minor league teams for a decade or two (Lions, Sac Kings, San Diego Padres, Saints, Tampa Bay Bucs,) with so much access to celebrations in cities and parades and clubs and players and girls bragging about banging players on Instagram because of a catch (looking at you Odell Beckham) or championship, and the weight of history weighing down on sport in an age of instant gratification....it's like I told New Orleans fans after the Saints....better enjoy this one.

At least you had this one. The Cardinals didn't. The Detroit Tigers didn't. The Eagles didn't. The Texas Rangers didn't. They are all now looking at being decades away. With 32 teams, it's a 96% chance you won't win a title every year. Decades ago, it seemed like a 50% chance you wouldn't win.

[Renart]

NBA 2015/16: LBJ the GOAT?

I can see that. And I agree it's a symptom of the larger culture in the U.S., which is very much focused on immediate results rather than planning and deliberation for the future. Businesses focus on immediate returns to boost stock prices, the election cycle is never-ending and there's never a strategy beyond the next election, etc.

It's sad, because I much prefer the way teams play who have built from the ground up. I just finished reading Raphael Honigstein's Das Reboot, about the German national team, and it shows that their triumph in the last World Cup was the product of reforms to the nation's entire soccer system, from the ground up, beginning ten years ago and more.