₦airaland Forum

Roland17:
Do you remember the handle @Decale?

Havent seen that guy in a minute. It was bluemann I was thinking off. Any small win e go dey boast for here

who is our resident bulls fan again sef. Come an collect your bulls abeg. Dem jus lay down like doormat

Roland17:
To imagine Desmond Bane was a Celtic pick (30th) that was traded the Grizzlies for a future pick.

KAT finally with a good game. Series tied 2-2

Very interesting point. This is something no front office has been able to figure out - they will pay gold if they could.

Even now, if you look at the mechanics of Bane's game, there is nothing that tells you he is going to be so effective above other shooters in the league. I think some of it is attitude, which is hard to measure. Just like how can you tell Morant will be hard worker and Zion will be a slob on draft night? So I wouldnt blame celtics too much for this. Your arch enemy Tom Brady is another example.

The other half of Bane's success is the grizzlies coaching. Not just x/os, but this team is mentally mature. They play with the poise of 10 year veterans. And its not just Bane, its the whole team.

steady986:
Ah shiit, I made this guy angry again. Like he isn't already angry enough. Our resident angry man Lemme leave him be biko.

Meanwhile, the way Scottie Barnes scooped the ROTY award ahead of Evan Mobley though. Perhaps playoff qualification was the deciding factor. Cade Cunningham had no shot because of how abysmal his team was.

Lebron is not in the playoffs, and yet they talk about him more than all the games combined. If that is not GOAT worthiness, I dont know what is

Khanben:
Staggered screens and KD should not be bringing up the ball at. Move the ball and find players who are wide open. They've got so many role players who can hit open shots and they are not making use of them. The whole iso stuff does not work with modern defenses especially those that switch 1 through 5 with players who have length.

I agree. That is rock solid team, with Patty Mills and Seth Curry as well. The team is underperforming

Khanben:
Lebron and KD are not in the same category. If you replace even 37 year old Lebron with KD in this current Nets team, they will beat the Celtics.
Did you observe that the few times the Nets just moved the ball they got very good looks, and their role players shot a very good percentage.

Indeed. Under pressure, Lebron can revert to athleticism and strength. Durant is a different breed, a pure shooter. Under pressure, there isnt much else to do other than play defense. Which is why its on Nash to run however many screen you need to let him see some daylight.

DeeMain:
KD brought Nash to the Nets.

You believe that? Yeah, he may have OK'd it, but what options did they give KD to choose from? Front office was just trying to cover their tracks. Like Lebron in LA. Billionaires are not consulting millionaires on who to give long term contracts.Forget all the paddyship on TV, its a business

DeeMain:
Both KD and Kyrie, this L is on them. Most offensive skilled, most offensive skilled, that one is on paper. They just didn't show up when it was time for the do.

Please, going forward, no one should bring up KD's name on the same sentence with Lebron on this thread.

There are many hype masters trying to gain air time, and jumping on Durant and Kyries bandwagon was a good way to look smart. From jump, I have had reservations with this team. Even when Kyrie was dropping 45, they were 50/50. To me, that was trouble.

donlittle25:
Man, Kevin Durant.

Reminds me of that year at OKc he faced the Grizzles, He was bailed out in that series by Reggie Jackson and Westbrick.

How much does this has to do with coaching though?
I think a lot.

A lot of it is on Nash to get Durant open looks. When people were complaining that Nash jumped queue ahead of more experienced black coaches, it looked like envy. Now we know the guy just paddied his way into the job. There is no way Nash could have have been the best coach interviewed by the Brooklyn Nets.

Still, it is very instructive to see the people that were praising Durant like a god, suddenly about face.

benji93:
Common. Do you really believe this?

papa benji, you have come again

donlittle25:
The second option i definitely heard about. But this is the thing though, i don't agree with vogel has some blame, If an Organization decides to bring in someone they will pay 40 Million dollars plus, and he decides not to listen to the coach, a coach who doesn't have the GM/Owners 100 percent backing, What can he do?

Only option vogel had was to resign, and to be honest, who wan drop money?

Granted it was hard for Vogel to have benched a player that cost so much. But he knew he was going to get fired, so he should have made some noise on his way out. Let it be known what was what

A40:
Come on bro. If Lebron said let's run it back they would have run it back. Suggesting the Lakers would have gotten Russ without Lebron's approval is fallacy

Based on the beef with Pelinka, this appears not to be how it went down. Lebron just played along as usual Mr nice guy. Lebron likely also though he could incorporate westbrook, and it would all work out, like you said. oops

Roland17:
The Jazz need to blow this whole thing up, this has been my stance for nearly 2 seasons now. Trade Donovan to the Knicks, the signs are everywhere..

Anytime Jazz get rid of a superstar, said star becomes useless on other teams. I cant explain it. Make Donovan dey where e dey

Khanben:
Looking at what the Celtics are doing to KD and Kyrie, this would not be happening to Lebron or even Luka. This idea that they will play pick up basketball in the playoffs without ball and player movement is laughable. Yesterday KD did not set one screen even though the Celtics made sure to contest every single entry pass made to him.

That was more on Nash. Like I said earlier, he will be exposed. I just didnt expect it to be this soon. This league is too talented even in the coaching cadre for Nash to wing it with superstar power. I saw no adjustment at key points in the game yesterday.Nash just left them out there to figure it out.

I cant remember any set plays to get Kyrie going. Or Durant. Nothing.

A40:
Exactly. What was their allure to Westbrook? Maybe they thought he would realize the window for a title was closing and he would humble himself, turns out he is dangerously delusional and the more the season wore on the more it became clear he was not about that winning life

There was no allure. It was a boneheaded move by front office, and they tried to rope Lebron and AD in by spreading rumors that they wwere in on it. Same front office tried to spread rumors again that Lebron and AD were OK with not making a trade. That time around, Lebron kukuma raise voice because it was obvious Pelinka was trying to sneakily use Lebron as cover for his moves.

To me, the fact that Lebron never sat WB down and set him straight means Lebron was just going with the flow, trying not to offend.

KAT, playoff virgin, welcome.

The way the grizz exited the playins last year, it took all the fear of the bright lights out of them. These guys are a problem!

DeeMain:
Vogel was not faultless. The report is that Vogel's flaws showed up once this team came together. There were reports of him saying A and some people insisting on C.

An early example was, Vogel wanted to implement a policy of whoever rebounds the ball should bring the ball up the floor, but Russ insisted it was his job and would not budge no matter what and eventually had his way.

He could not handle the egos of the multiple galacticos. Cracks developed, feelings festered and he lost the authority and the dressing room not too long after.

When did this happen? If so, then its worse than I thought

A40:
The problem was not stacking stars. It was not doing the work to build an identity and thinking the league would just roll over and fold because Lakers, they had this arrogance and assuming energy. You listened to their press conferences from LeNomad to AD to Westbrook. They took the warning signs for granted right from preseason where they lost every single game. That should have rung alarm bells but they stayed snoozing. I said it here that teams seemed to be intentionally raising their game just to humiliate the Lakers. This was kinda what Shaq was talking about. Though in a slightly different context, nobody was scared of this team

I don't know that anyone expected them to fail this badly. It's hard to convince me that you believed a team with AD, Lebron and Westbrook would not finish top 10 in the conference. Not even the most doomday scenario could have seen this happening. Vogel has already proven himself as an elite defensive coach when he had the personnel. The problem is the ingredients Pelinka handed him did not give the man a fighting chance

Lebron was caught up in proving he was still that guy and stopped defending, the man was launching 8 3's a game. Assist numbers dropped and this whole myth of how he makes others better was further rubbished this season. His usual passive aggressive vibe instead of being the bad guy with his chest like Kobe or the GOAT would do caused further issues. You recruited a guy you couldn't tame and get to buy in to what you were trying to achieve. It remains to be seen who gets Westbrook cause I wouldn't give away a tuber of yam for Westbrook

I cant disagree with anything here, except I think Westbrook is worth like 3 tubers of yam. On good days, 10 tubers.

Khanben:
He is what I call a low end number 2. The gap between his floor and his ceiling is just too wide.

He can stroke that mid range jump shot, a rarity in today's league. Thats about it.

A40:
My own is in a conference with 12 teams competing for the playoffs a LeNomad led team somehow managed to finish outside the top 10. There are no rational excuses for this type of failure. Not even injuries. A team with 3 all star caliber players?

Lakers got sloppy. The days of stacking superstars to get far in the playoffs are over. The league is sufficiently skilled, even role players like Maxey and Poole will light you up. And this generation of coaches are much better, they dont lean too much on defensive or offensive identities like the JVG, Larry Brown (defense) vs Don Nelson, Adelman (offense). They are very balanced, coach stingy and technical defense and their offensive playbooks start to look like football. For that same reason, Nash will be on the hot seat soon. All the Kyrie and Harden issues have covered his faults for now.

Lakers entered this season believing they could ignore all this, just put 4 big names on the roster hoping it would all work out. I already told you at the beginning of the season that it wouldnt work - Westbrook cannot fit anywhere in today's league. Its hard to blame Vogel given all the injuries, but the rotation never really made sense. I guess he was trying to please players. I would have loved to see Fizdale imprint a defensive identity on the team. Maybe you cant keep up with the young legs, but you can slow things down and play some ugly.

And Lebron actually put in work last offseason. His offensive skill is as good as its ever been. But I think he was too nice guyish at the beginning and refused to address issues that were obvious to everyone watching. Me I learned lesson from it o, your skill is not enough if you cant make others follow your lead.

Roland17:
Once again, this thread will never forget the disrespect Tatum suffered.. Led by @Birdman, I will never let this go.. Come and submit your routine apologies!!!!

Lol! I sensed this attack was coming yesterday, so I boycotted this thread. I checked this morning hoping bro Roland17 go don calm down. Meanwhile d guy man dey wait me with shotgun.

On one hand, I am happy to see Tatum deliver for his team in such dramatic fashion. Its been a long time coming. On the other hand, I hate the fact that they have to play the Nets in round 1. With KD and Kyrie, anything can happen. And after this, they play Bucks next!

Anyhow, I will reserve tendering a full apology until round 1 concludes

mattfeuter:
Na wa oh

In the words of my brother @A40, the next CBA meeting go OVERHOT!!

What kinda sh$t is this

Man can do a 360 dunk but can’t play. . .

so what was the point of the 360 dunk? I guess the rumors are true then, he wants to be traded to the Knicks

A40:
A team with AD/ Westbrook for 40 games and Lebron/Westbrook for 56 games should be able to finish top 10 in what was essentially a 12 team conference. You Bronsexuals should have some shame

I usually disagree with you on LeKing. On this matter, I smell no lies. There is no perfume that can cover of the dudu of this season. If westbrook was the issue, the coach or Lebron should have manned up and laid down the rules. Whichever way you look at it, leadership was missing.

etidy:
Facts. They made cj look like a cripple just to big up Lillard and slander steph.

Name them

steady986:
Lol. Killrhymz the regular season champ.

Yee! Yeeeee! Kick a man while he is down lol

Special shoutout to steady986. I was worried for a minute that I had invited an untamable monster into the league. The way e dey para

KNIGHTBlaed:
High hopes for Steady ke? Person wey I don dey wait for make I welcome am to our league. But sincerely Steady na Goat Rookie for fantasy.

Congrats to the new and reigning nairaleague champ! Very well deserved, I could not believe how you demolished Killrhymz. Scarily technical.

Props to killrhymz tho. He killed it all season, I was sure he was going to repeat as champ. I know he is already blaming me for blocking the Lillard-Fox trade

steady986:
The one Denver did to my team a few days ago. I just felt weak on my bed. How do you even guard such a play? Jokic had the ball on top of the key and Barton came to set a screen for him. As Barton was rolling away to the 3pt line Jokic set a screen for him. The result was an open 3. Golden State also does so many variation of that set to perfection. Guy, the tactical plays of this era is just unmatched. Coaches and players have a more indepth knowledge of the game.

Yup. Old timers who are bluntly honest say the same thing. Thats why I like Isaiah Thomas, says the truth even if it diminishes his generation a bit. The kinds of things Tim Duncan did, we are seeing 3 or 4, maybe 5 big men in the league do it on a nightly basis. Granted we dont have all the WWF fouls and thugs like Oakley, but this is a very skilled and professional league. The CBA just needs to adjust to weed out the softies.

Yeah Rockets are competing for last place and LeKing don turn to papa smurf, but man, I cant wait to watch these playoffs. Waaaaay too many stars to watch.

Roland17:
Frank Vogel has been dismissed as the head coach of the LA Lakers.

lol, even vogel saw this coming. I hope they give fizdale a chance!

aliondo:
It's the offensive prowess of the Nets that's scary....

the rim gets tighter come playoffs.

DeeMain:
Like Muhammad Ali? Like Cristiano Ronaldo who keeps saying it and thrusting himself into the goat conversation?

I am sure many of you crucifying Lebron here for hyping himself are big fans of these two 'braggarts'.

Abegi, let me dance to R. Kelly's The World's Greatest.

How do you dance to that song
We all know Ronaldo na stat padder, come and beat me if you disagree
Ali's career didnt end well. The mouth no work in the last part of his career

Lebron needs tough love right now, not excuses. Guy man was waxing poems about playing with his son while Lakers was burning.That is a lack of focus and situational awareness. This is not what we want from GOAT

steady986:
Lol. In other words you're saying the blame should go to LeBron because he talked too much. Perhaps he would receive less blame if he didn't talk too much. LeBron is LeBron, what he said is irrelevant. Everything should be analysed from a basketball point of view. When you pay three people over 80% of the team's salary, you know the rest of the team would be trash. The only scenario where this team would have functioned properly is if the three of them were healthy and playing. As fas as I'm concerned LeBron has an excuse. And people should realise this isn't 2016. This is 2022. LeBron is 37 years old and in his 19th season. We've seen LeBron carry worse teams to the playoffs before. The receipts are there. Everybody knows it. But that was in his physical prime. He played 56 games this season, not because of choice but because of injuries here and there. I dare say that if AD was playing and the team was doing OK, LeBron would have sat out more games. I don't get how people cannot understand that the end is near for LeBron.

Don't be surprised that during the off season, people like Stephen A would tip LeBron as the player with the most to prove going into the new season. A 38 year old man in his 20th season would have the most to prove going into the season. I'll be here to remind you when that happens. Bros, the real analysts out there are blaming everything but LeBron. The only thing they blame LeBron for is putting the team together. It's the Jordan fanboys that are blaming LeBron because of their insecurity.

*PS, if you watched NBA countdown a couple of days back, the same Stephen A had an entirely different view about the Lakers' failure this season. That man just loves to have notorious takes on his own show.

I dont disagree with anything you said. Just saying LBJ did not handle this situation with the appropriate level of tact. If we are talking technical reasons for Lakers failure, here are my top 3:

Injuries: Im not just talking about AD. Im looking more at Kendrick Nunn. This was the sleeper trade that I knew the team needed. Young legs, can get his own shot and would have greatly complemented Lebron even when AD was not playing. Btw I hear he is opting in to return to the Lakers next year, so this is some good news.

Westbrick: From jump, I knew this would be a minus. People (including you!) kept looking at his stats, and ignoring how it weakens every one else's game and destroys offensive sets. Magic is saying they are keeping him for next season. I hope not, because this guy is a camouflaged locker room cancer.

No Fizdale effect: Getting Fizdale as an assistant coach was another sleeper move I was sure would take Lakers to the Finals. But I saw none of his trademark defense being implemented this season. If Vogel leaves, I would hope they let Fizdale run things for a season. This will put Westbrick in the doghouse btw, because their bball philosophies will not mesh.