₦airaland Forum

Skrrrrrrr:
No be agenda bro. You are already cooking up excuses for your guy in anticipation for his failure as usual. And we won't have it.... On paper, you guys easily have one of the best rosters in the entire NBA. It's up to Lebron and Luka to make it work. People have won titles with less...
And this is what @A40 always says about you guys, always claiming to be underdogs so you could have an excuse in handy when Lebron fails as usual....
Pathetic....

How is a 41 year old supposed to be a factor in an NBA playoffs game. The same way yall accuse Bronistans, your side is not sensible either. As of 2 years ago, he was gassing out in playoff games. What makes you think his cardio is now better, 2 years later. Its a wrap, for those who dont know. MJ found out the hard way, couldnt even make the playoffs in the east. It will not be different here.

40 year old body is not a 30 year old body, no matter how you condition and eat, as you all will soon find out . I still find it remarkable that he can play at such a high level with few injuries. But should he get injured, or tweak something, it will likely spell the end. The way I stretch before working out now, because I cant afford downtime. Even when I can lift the weight, I still think about it, and be like, nahhh....

Lets all just appreciate greatness. Hating on someones career for 22 years cant be good for your health!

And I hope he writes a book, lets us know what his protocol is. The amount of poisons masquerading as foods today is insane.

Im not understanding this format. You mean some all stars are going to have to play 2 games in one night? lol. Can we just go back to east vs west and leave it at that

Fraudgers out Unfortunately took out some good coaches before being exposed.

I keep remembering how peak CP3 almost paired with Kobe and NBA vetoed it. An injustice that will not be remedies in this lifetime

greypencils:
The spurs are 2-3 good pieces and a good coach away from winning a title. They already have a phenomenal player. Building around him is easy if they are intentional about it. No one foresaw the rockets flexing this season. But here we are. Their core, Sengun, Green, Thompson, a few agreeable pieces and a good coach. Fox and Wemby are better than everyone on that Rockets roster. A few pieces and a good coach I say. Watch!

if you say 2-3 pieces away, there are like 2 other teams in the same division as spurs with the same description. Not conference o, division. In fact in the same state.

SmooshCHN:
Not Rob Pelinka thanking Mavs GM for the trade. He couldn't resist the urge to laugh at such foolishness. This trade aside, the NBA has become a joke and it happened way too fast.

Is it not ok to be polite again? why you sound pained

Roland17:
I will keep saying it, the Cavs don’t scare me in a 7 game series.

Saving this post...

steady986:
LeBron is on his way out definitely. Just not this season, or the next

Lol. E wan retire a Laker be dat . What is really astounding is how good a player he still is! People keep saying hes stat padding, but, you have to even be healthy first to be able to ball long enough to get these stats.

I havent really followed news recently, but I hear the trade surprised him as well. I know AD was his buddy

A40:
You don't get it. Luka is the franchise. Kyrie is a #2 a great #2 to have but a #2 nonetheless. AD has the skill of a #1 but the mentality of a #2.

Its yall that dont get it bro. You are franchise only if the owners say you are franchise. The mavs have decided he is not, none of us are in the front office to know the real reason. But my reason is more plausible than yours. The idea that a fan on the street has done more homework that the front office of team that has made smart moves up until now is unlikely.

And if you listen to players current and former, no one is calling the Lakers an outright winner in this trade or even projecting playoffs success..That tells you something, no?

I think its for the very reason that Luka has some gaping defensive issues that negates his all star offense. Franchise player must at least play like franchise player on both ends na. And its not that he cant play defense. Ho just chooses not to sometimes.

A40:
Did we watch same Finals? You mean the series Kyrie was seeing ghosts in Boston?

Luka was not the problem Kyrie was.

Harrison is probably betting on a future Lakers job. That's the only sense I can make of this transaction. Otherwise he's set black GMs back another 25 years.

Think about it, the only thing that can make this trade a success is if the Mavericks won a championship. That's it. Otherwise it's a huge embarrassing failure

You basically traded the franchise player for a decade for AD and a first rounder? That's malfeasance

GM cant make this type of decision by himself. This has to originate from the owner/owners.

As I said in another post, Luka does not hold his end on the defensive end. Kyrie will at least try to play some defense. Its not elite, but its better than the half-hearted defense Luka plays. Hence an NBA championship was won on the back on threes. It was too easy for the guards.

I could also see Luka requesting this trade, because of his personal relationship with Mark Cuban. Maybe he is not comfortable with the new owners? Cuban coddled him a lot imo

etidy:
How is Luka getting the blame for the loss against the Celtics. This was after the first two games compared to the heroics of Steph against the Celtics 3 years ago.

Point taken, but I meant his refusal to playdefense more than anything else. And you right, Kyrie was an even bigger culprit. As long as Luka's defense is terrible, his playoff teams will always be doomed, unless someone else can step up and cover for him.

kendrick9:
This trade isn't just for this season or next.
Yes maybe the Mavs might perform better this season with AD & rest but the Lakers over the long run wins this trade.
Lebron soon to be retired, they now have a 25yr old Luka, a global superstar who they can build around over the next decade.
As for Mavs AD is 32, Kyrie soon 33, Klay 35.... this is a team that needs to win now cause there's no future with this team.
And they got just one 1st FRP for Luka In 2029😆

Definitely for the future, Pierce is saying the same thing. And I agree with Pierce that if you bring in Luka, Lebron should be on his way out.

https://nesn.com/2025/02/ex-celtic-paul-pierce-calls-out-lakers-after-trade-for-luka-doncic/

A40:
Sell high with just 1 first rounder is crazy.

Nico Harrison is betting on his credibility as a basketball administrator for the rest of his career

Anything short of a championship and he ought to be barred from all basketball facilities in North America.

If you owned a team would you accept 1 first rounder for a 25-26 year old perennial All NBA first teamer who just got the Finals?

How did he do in said finals? anyhow, we will find out by end of this season one way or the other

etidy:
Baba you Dy cap.

He's taken the mavs to a conference finals and the NBA finals in the last three seasons.
He was injured last playoffs, yet he was the mavs best player by a mile. Kyrie only showed up for one series.

Not only that Luka has a consistent record of raising his game in the playoffs. Apart from the conference and NBA finals, his other playoff losses were to a stacked Clippers team whom he utter decimated.
If we they cry, make we Dy see.
There is nothing that's over hyped about Luka. He will clock 26yrs this season and his Injury record is nowhere as sketchy as Anthony Davis who is turning 32 yrs soon.
Unless Luka's knees is totally busted which there is no sign of such, this trade is ass for the MAVs , they should have gotten AD and at least two unprotected first round picks.

Meh, Luka is destined to frustrate in playoffs every year. No matter how good he plays, he will let you down eventually, because he is lazy. AD has more fire, this was a bad trade for the Lakers, and the record by the end of the season will show it. Watch.

Roland17:
The puzzling part for me is what the Mavs are getting in return and not the trade itself. Something had to give. He may not be Embiid but he has had recurring injuries and issues with his weight and conditioning.

The fact that the Mavs shopped him, were willing to let him go for almost nothing tells me they were done with him. I mean how do you explain that M. Bridges hauled 1st round picks and Luka was worth just 1?

Make dem investigate that Mavs GM.

Mark Cuban is smart. This feels like a sell high move.

steady986:
I like this trade, but If the Lakers don't add a legit big man that can anchor the defense, then this reason is over. This is a trade for the future, whether or not LeBron is a part of it.

But by and large, LA would be LA, and we'll always be able to attract the biggest superstars. Never forget that.

This feels like a post Lebron Laker move, a superstar for the future. I felt like Lakers should be going big, not small

Thanos:
Ladies and gents. I'm done. At this point, I'm just gonna focus on going outside, touching grass, strengthening relationship with God and living myself more. No more NBA. No more sports. This is it. It was all fun while it lasted. Cheers!

After destroying half the nba universe? We gon find you first, and retire you. You dont get to retire yourself

Roland17:
I am hearing the Mavs were the ones that even offered him to the Lakers. Luka’s poor conditioning, something I have been harping about for a long while now has come to bite him because it was central to why the Mavs moved on from him. With another Supermax in the horizon, the Mavs were not going to make the same mistake the Sixers made with Embiid.

I actually dont like Luka, for the fact that he will always underperform. I think Mavs could have gotten more, but Luka is mostly hype imo. If you wont discipline yourself to play, all that talent is a waste of time.

greypencils:
I can't agree more to your observations. I have watched time and again how Jimmy carried this rag tag group of Heat players to 3ECFs and two finals with no other all star than a fair Bam. Bam isn't GREAT! Neither is Herro. Butler & Spo have done a great job putting Heat out there on the map only for Riley to shit on their efforts. Jimmy fit ghost you for regular season. But everyone knows he will turn up in the playoffs if healthy. Riley should take several seats. Butler was their chance for a title. Now that he is gone, Heat can go back to the oblivion they deserve for all I care.

Isnt that what they are paying him for? They honor the contract, then put in your time. Why we acting like they owe him another contract. Just do your job. I dont like how Riley talks down to players, but on this he is right.

Roland17:
Yea, you should really be thanking me. The Celtics did Udoka a massive favor by not caving in to the pressure of firing and canceling him. They gave him a good chance to continue his career as a head-coach. My only only disappointment is that Harden did not make it to Houston before Udoka arrived.

My God will cure you of that wickedness that lurks in your heart. Har ginni?

A40:
Udoka revenge game

Roland boys don jam 3pt spamming wey pass their power

I want to thank roland17 and celtic nation. We have not had this much joy in a season in a long time

A40:
I don't know that they can form the core of a title winning team anymore.

Draymond is already been washed like 4 seasons. Steph washed process also seems to have begun in earnest. He's approaching 37. Decline should not be surprising

That Draymond extension was foolish. Should have let him go take a dump on the Lakers.

steady986:
You have to understand that marketing the NBA doesn't end on the court. It's in the lifestyle too. The paparazzi. The merchandise. NBA players are the most popular athletes out of America. They have the loudest voice and largest following. All these things are why companies are putting their money into the game

This has nothing to do with the commissioner. The players, by branching into social media are keeping NBA alive in popular culture. It wasnt the commisioners idea.

As for the money you are talking about, that is easy to explain. One local fortune 100 company can buy season tickets to cover price of every other seat in the arena. So you have the revenue, yeah, but lost viewership. The corporate execs dont even like the game like that, they use the tickets to woo investors and keep up company morale when needed. Those seats will be empty sometimes sef.

I will say again, nobody cares about midseason tournament or whatever. Who won last year? If not that you are a laker fan, you will struggle to remember. At best, Silver is a game manager, nothing visionary about him.

steady986:
In-season tournament, Play-in tournament, coaches challenge, new CBA, 67 games minimum to qualify for awards, on-court rule changes like take foul, etc

All these changes mentioned have improved the NBA in one way or the other. The NBA' s revenue has tripled during Silver's 10 year tenure, and teams values have increased 8 folds

Reread what I wrote baba. Almost everything you just listed is exactly what I was talking about. In the middle of triple or quadruple revenue, the core fan base is not able to watch as many games, and they are complaining about 3pt spamming, etc.

As I said earlier, the commissioner is marketing the NBA as a safe product for corporations with deep money. But the grassroots appeal has taken a hit. Oga commissioner even tried to take off the iconic NBA on TNT, in other words, dollars over culture. These things you listed, 90% of them are not bold moves, just revenue making opportunities. Who cares about in season tournament? If they stopped doing play-ins today, nobody will cry.

They cant even market the new superstars properly, because they have to consider if it is safe for corporate eyes. You chase money long enough, you get a watered down product, and then the money eventually dries up.

steady986:
Bro, there have been literally more large-scale changes in Silver's era than Stern's.

Name them, lets see what you mean by large scale. Large scale for who? is another way to summarize what I said

kendrick9:
So viewership is declining because of SGA🤡🤡🤡.
The NBA are doing a poor job of promoting it new stars most likely guess what they aren't Americans.

The current commissioner was a safe pick when the old one (RIP) retired. The NBA finally had the same rep with corporate america like NFL and MLB, leaving NHL behind . They had weeded out the Allen Iversons, Jailblazers etc. Adam Silver was the right man to keep that ship in the right direction, dont rock the boat and lose billions in sponsorships.

Unfortunately, his strength is also his weakness. He is not the big bold ideas kind of guy like David Stern was. A liitle adjustment here, a tiny rule change there, thats what he is comfortable with. Even when he goes big, its corporate big, playing games in London and the likes. I am yet to see him do something that the basic, regular NBA fan is really enthusisatic about.

Beal must be feeling mighty low right now. He is about to become bait for Butler. All these players that keep trying to choose where they will land and it doesnt pan out. It worked for Lebron doesnt mean it will work for you. And it almost didnt work for Lebron either. The extraordinary work ethic and hunger that saved him is absent with these cats, they think they will just enter team and ride to finals shooting pretty jumpshots with no defense.

Roland17:
Butler is a hustler and tries to play the game the right way which many find appealing in comparison to spamming 3s. However, he is naturally disruptive in the locker room. He becomes a divisive personality that ultimately becomes a cancer in the locker room. His best fit would have been the Sixers but those ones are perennially cursed. Also, at 35, I don’t know who gives him that long term contract he is looking for, particularly a contender.


As for Boston, harden not your heart, search deep and you will find the love for the greatest team in NBA history!

Butler is delusional. No one is going to pay 100milli for a 35 year old just past his prime. Eye don clear

Roland17:
Butler is a hustler and tries to play the game the right way which many find appealing in comparison to spamming 3s. However, he is naturally disruptive in the locker room. He becomes a divisive personality that ultimately becomes a cancer in the locker room. His best fit would have been the Sixers but those ones are perennially cursed. Also, at 35, I don’t know who gives him that long term contract he is looking for, particularly a contender.


As for Boston, harden not your heart, search deep and you will find the love for the greatest team in NBA history!

As in James Harden?

Skrrrrrrr:
It's draining when you are foul baiting bro. It disrupts the flow of the game, plus when a quarter of all your points come from FTs, that does not particularly make you a good scorer. It just makes you extremely boring to watch. Curry's MVP season, he didn't shoot half the free throws shai shoot, infact he never shoots enough free throws. I'd rather watch dillon brooks chuck up 10 threes a night, for the sheer ridiculousness of it than watch shai shoot FTs. That's as boring ad watching a paint dry.....

Actually, this is traditional basketball. The point of a game is fighting through opposition, not just draining 3s. There are far better shooters with 100% FG in an empty gym. But we dont pay to watch those people. I agree with you that too many foul calls makes the game drab and unwatchable, but it cant be like NBA JAM either. The main difference between NBA and college hoops or other leagues in the world, is this is a grown man's game. You cant be 6'6, 240 lbs and be avoiding contact and playing like a ballet dancer

steady986:
Any objections?

Lebron, leave dis thing for the young kids na. Even Curry and Durant don comot. Haba, this is some Mugabe type runs

steady986:
With VanVleet that can go 2/15 without blinking

One bad game, you dropped the guy with vexation. Sometimes you have to forgive and forget