₦airaland Forum

A40:
The Chargers would be the best choice for him. New stadium plus he's a SoCal boy so it would actually be the perfect fit.

The Chargers have a solid O-Line, a #1 receiver, a stud RB probably 2 and Ekeler is an elite pass catcher as well. It almost makes too much sense.

The Patriots defense was criminally overrated. It's why we need to put less stock on these stats. They crumbled every time they met any decent offense. Texans, Chiefs, Ravens even the Dolphins. They folded everytime

I would probably skip on Brady if I were the Vikings. Realistically I don't think Brady has more than 2 seasons of passable QB play. The Bucs make more sense because of their offensive weapons

I was thinking the colts, with that O-line, and those TEs that they have over there, add Frank Reich and the Dome TB12 might consider that if all he wants is to compete.
But if other reasons are included especially his family then LA seems the best choice. Also for the Chargers they can sign him for 2 years and draft Tua if he falls to them, then sit him for at least 1 and let him not only heal up but also learn from the best to ever do it

A40:
That fumble by Brees was where the game was lost. I knew the Saints would lose it there.

I hope he retires so they move on with Bridgewater. I am a fan of Brees but he's had too many chances since that Superbowl to get another ring. He will only get worse when it matters most

I love Teddy but unless they improve their receiving corps to the level of the Chiefs, where he will be throwing to guys who can take off the top of the defense, he is not the answer.

Eruditor:
He adjusted his game because he realized it won't do anything for him post season. In that game against the Sixers he was not begging for calls and using gimmickry so that was refreshing. He was not also forcing the game. Tbh I was thoroughly impressed. I think he is now thinking more about legacy because the window will soon completely close. I still maintain that they could have had a higher ceiling than LAL or LAC had CP3 stayed there and not Russell. Although, you are very right at Harden deferring to only Russell and that may yield results who knows.

I know I said the LAC will win it all..but I am having a second look at the Rockets and for some reason, Harden assured the fans that he will win a chip. Also, one of the owners said they have to help him win one because he is 30 now and like I said before, the window is closing. If Harden keeps up the game I saw against the Sixers then the rockets have more than a fighter's chance.

Astute observations, his window is closing really fast. If you look at the WC, with what MPJ is producing now, he might just be the bucket getting wing they need to get them over the hump, probably not this year but from next year going forward. Dallas on the other hand has 3 more years of luka on his rookie contract plus enough cap room to take on a max player by 2021 or trade for one with picks they got from the Kings (although that is less likely).
This IMHO increases the number of contending teams in the West to at least 5 from next season especially when we account for what GSW might be with the splash brothers and whatever they can get from the upcoming high draft pick and Russell if they decide to shop the pick. A player like KAT might come into play for them via trade and let's us forget that they are also a big part of the Giannis future destination (either via trade) or in the FA sweepstakes in 2021.
So from next year we have the 2 LA teams, Rockets, Denver, and one of Dallas and GSW contending in the West.

A40:
You make a good point. I have also observed how Belichick tends to struggle against his old assistants I mean everyone but the Texans coach.

Deeper than that though these Patriots were a deeply flawed team. People went on about how this was a historically great defense this year but I always felt it was criminally overrated. They were torched each time they faced any competent offense and feasted on weak schedules early in the season to rack up those numbers

Their offensive corps were also arguably the worst in the postseason besides maybe the Eagles. They had no back that could run the ball, their receivers were awful bar Edelman, no tight end and no player that could remotely give any DC sleepless nights. The Patriots would be naïve to think this loss is on Brady's age alone. That whole offense needs revamping

I absolutely agree, TB12 still got it he, just needs really skilled playmakers on offense.

A40:
Na wa oh. You want them to add all 3 to one squad?

. It is what my people will call EOD (end of discussion).
PS: Not that it will ever happen but if the Lakers are building a fantasy team, they should go all out.

birdman:
Um, no, they do. Texans have had some heartbreaker seasons, including Deshaun injuries. This is a feel good win. I hate for the Bills to lose like this (they will not be able to sleep tonight), but Texans have paid their dues. JJWatt especially

The Texans have failed to put enough pieces around Watson especially in that O-line. Still don't understand why with all the skill players they have the coach consistently refuses to spread out the game and let Watson make plays .for the Texans IMHO their passing game should be driving their running game.

steady986:
We need to do all we can to get Jae Crowder, he is key, most especially against teams like the Clippers. It's no coincidence that Kawhi has shone against us two games running. That's because he doesn't have a proper defender of a similar size and strength to guard him. LeBron is supposed to be that guy but he won't do it because he's old, so I don't blame him. Get Crowder and we win that Clippers series 4-0.

If the Lakers can pull off three additions namely Crowder, Darren Colin's and Andre then they are good to go IMHO.

A40:
Derrick Henry is a beast. One man MOPOL.

Bill Belichick made some uncharacteristic 4th down errors that probably cost the Pats the game. I think the Brady-Belichick evil empire has finally run its course. Would love to see Brady join the Chargers for one more run

Vrabel used the belichick handbook against him like every person who learnt from the feet of a master should do.
Apart from running Henry, his time wasting gimmicks were spot on and was out of the belichick playbook (belichick even said that the rule should be changed, but as long as it remains he will continue to exploit it).
yesterday vrabel else used the same rule to great success and can't wait to see them lose against the ravens.

Eruditor:
Even without the gimmicks. Harden is legit abeg.

Curry, he is really coming for your 3-pt shooting.

Harden is really suffering especially this season from history bias.
This season especially in the last 10-15 games he has reduced his usage rate and has allowed Russ to push the pace a bit more. If the rockets can play the type of great defense they've put up sometimes this season, they will definitely be dangerous come playoffs.
PS: All it took was harden playing with his friend for him to slightly adjust his game

Deshawn Watson is a god. The Texans don't deserve that guy, what a QB.

Roland17:
LMAO @ the Cowboys! They are a bunch of jokes...and to imagine they scored mores than 40 points.

I love seeing the cowgirls lose, it's somewhat exhilarating

zelgiusdigby:
KP is a stretch 4, so is Collins. KP as a center is a recipe for disaster defensively. Any advantage you can claim dallas can enjoy the portland can counter with a similar line up for their own. I dont think portland will deploy both whiteside and nurk at the same time, like i said whiteside wont probably not be on that roster. When i was making my case for portland i clearly threw in the probability of them trading whiteside for another player.

Let's see the trade first, for the record KP never plays alone for the Mavs, he is always paired with one of Kleber or Powell which makes for a flexible and dynamic front court in my opinion.

zelgiusdigby:
What? No, you were talking about recovery, i just pointed out someone that came back from a similar injury. Except you have proof PG has superhuman healing powers then i don't see your point. Plus collins will have a couple of months to get back into rhythm.

Mark me, I will look for you if the mavs get pitted against the spurs or the trailblazers. I never forget.

No problem.
I do remember people who said the Spurs would beat the Nuggets last year because of experience, hope to see any of these matchups

zelgiusdigby:
Which match ups?

Anyone apart from the LA teams, Denver I would love to see a first round series against any of the other teams

Imagine TB12 behind this Colts offensive line. With Reich as play caller that will be deadly

I do hope the Mavs climb the WC standings a bit so that any of the match ups I like will happen. I.e any team apart from d 2 LA teams and Denver, those are the match ups i will really like to see

zelgiusdigby:
Paul George was out for a similar period for a similar injury, came back firing on all cylinders. It may have been their peak, but that will still be enough to beat this mavs.

Please you are now comparing PG with Zach Collins.
Don't forget every team always reverts to the mean, that is what the blazers are facing right now

zelgiusdigby:
Doesn't matter how well you can handle pressure, doesn't matter how much better he is than the spurs or portland stars, this isnt about him, its about his team. First of all, i won't even laugh at the "big game" players you mentioned. But see they've never been in the playoffs together, the portland nucleus has and we've seen them perform. Is this portland team better than last years okc team with russell westbrook and paul george? Remember what portland did to them? If they were to meet in the playoffs and i was a betting man, my money is on dame.

Now we are getting somewhere, IMHO when I saw the the Mavs roster at the beginning of the season it reminded me of the Bucks team last year, with one generational talent and pieces that not only fit but have embraced their roles. The blazers currently as constituted is not the same team from last season due to injuries and the trade for Whiteside.
The playoffs is all about half court sets right, IMO against the blazers the Mavs will have easy driving lanes with KP taking away Whiteside/Nurkic from the paint because you have to respect his 3, one on one luka/Tim/Brunson will be comfortable driving against Dame or CJ. On the other hand Whiteside and Nurkic when the blazers are on offense prefer staying in the post which will shrink the driving lanes for Dame and CJ(KP is a good shot blocker) meaning their only course to victory is out shooting the mavs. But wait a minute the Mavs are a better shooting team as a whole
PS: If it is the team the blazers had last season then I'll give them the edge but unless they can pull off a Love trade or someone of his caliber, I'll take the mavs any day.

zelgiusdigby:
Zach collins will be out for 4 months BTW, recovering from a shoulder surgery not a one year injury.

4 months of no upper body exercises and shooting.against a Powell, KP and co who are playing good basketball at the moment.
Like I said previously I took into cognisance that the blazers are missing their best 2 big men before making my pick as well as the fact that the Mavs are healthy. You it seems are basing it off on what they did last playoffs when we can obviously see that what we happened last playoffs might have been the blazers peak

zelgiusdigby:
What does what i said have to do with all of that? Did i call Luka a bust or ask for his career history? Dude, spare me the essay. You just went on a rant that had absolutely nothing to do with what I said. I'm guessing you had that in your chambers waiting to tell people how well you know doncic or the euro league.

First of all, i never claimed nurkic and zach will immediately back to what they were, I said some semblance of what they were which is all that the blazers need especially since they're trying to dump Whiteside for a wing.

And then your whole rant about Luka Doncic, where did i call Doncic a bust or where did i claim in didnt belong in the NBA? I'm talking about the Mavericks beating the Blazers in the playoffs and you are giving me Doncics career history. I never claimed doncic isnt good i just said i dont see him carrying dallas through the playoffs which is actually a compliment. A player can be as good as he wants during the regular season but as we've seen with other players even MVPs in recent times the playoff is a whole different ball game. When a teams whole strategy is centered around taking away everything you do right, and your game isnt as effective, thats where you have to rely on your supporting cast, Plus doncic himself hasnt been through something like this, remember the clippers game? thats every single game in the playoffs. Who does he have that you think will step up? the corpse of porzingis who has never been to the playoffs or Tim hardaway who is one of the most inconsistent players in the league? . Will i take that against playoff tested players like Dame and CJ and even Melo? LOL!

No one said doncic isnt good and no one is calling him a bust, this is about the mavericks and the trailblazers. If you can't elaborate a better argument on that match up better than i know luka doncics career history dont waste my time.

The only reason you gave for Luka not being able to carry his team is his lack of experience and I simply gave you proof that he has said experience.

zelgiusdigby:
What does what i said have to do with all of that? Did i call Luka a bust or ask for his career history? Dude, spare me the essay. You just went on a rant that had absolutely nothing to do with what I said. I'm guessing you had that in your chambers waiting to tell people how well you know doncic or the euro league.

First of all, i never claimed nurkic and zach will immediately back to what they were, I said some semblance of what they were which is all that the blazers need especially since they're trying to dump Whiteside for a wing.

And then your whole rant about Luka Doncic, where did i call Doncic a bust or where did i claim in didnt belong in the NBA? I'm talking about the Mavericks beating the Blazers in the playoffs and you are giving me Doncics career history. I never claimed doncic isnt good i just said i dont see him carrying dallas through the playoffs which is actually a compliment. A player can be as good as he wants during the regular season but as we've seen with other players even MVPs in recent times the playoff is a whole different ball game. When a teams whole strategy is centered around taking away everything you do right, and your game isnt as effective, thats where you have to rely on your supporting cast, Plus doncic himself hasnt been through something like this, remember the clippers game? thats every single game in the playoffs. Who does he have that you think will step up? the corpse of porzingis who has never been to the playoffs or Tim hardaway who is one of the most inconsistent players in the league? . Will i take that against playoff tested players like Dame and CJ and even Melo? LOL!

No one said doncic isnt good and no one is calling him a bust, this is about the mavericks and the trailblazers. If you can't elaborate a better argument on that match up better than i know luka doncics career history dont waste my time.

Dude you were talking about playoffs being different and I made a case that he has been under much more pressure than first round playoffs game, so saying that the Spurs players who are way less talented than him will do better because they have played in a couple of playoff series is not taking into cognisance that Luka has also played big games, seth, Finley smith, barea, etc has all played big games. So I reiterate that the Mavs are more talented in my own opinion and I will lean towards them.
If you don't understand that this is a discussion then we can simple end it here I don't understand this your idea of calling my write up a rant

donlittle25:
congrats big G. Not in Tennessee, but anytime you enter ATL let a brother know.


@birdman I don enter ATL o. How 31st night they go now

Thanks

Did the Patriots just lose the chance to get a buy in the playoffs. I tip my hat to Flores the Dolphins coach, will love to see him with a talented roster.

zelgiusdigby:
Rick Carlisle is no Greg Popovich. The spurs best players are chokers? LOL! And what about the mavs best players who haven't even made the playoff yet like more than half their roster? Nurkic is most likely returning at the start of 2020, more than enough time to get some semblance of his game going before the playoffs. Zach collins is also returning soon. I've seen what Dame and CJ are capable of in the playoffs, I dont see Doncic carrying them over a 7 game series against them.

Gordon Hayward, Paul George to name just two, which one of these is Nurkic better than, it took both of these guys at least one year after their injury to get back to who they were. Let's not forget that Nurkic and Zach are big men, it takes them more time than usual.
With due respect to NBA fans who dont follow the Euro league and have been biased by the media's pushing the rhetoric of busts. Manu and Dragen are two good examples of players who from the the day they stepped into the league you knew they belonged. You know what luka has in common with both guys they are all Euro league MVP's before coming into the league.
What Most people don't know is that the Real madrid team that Luka led to win the Euro league was missing their penciled star player due to injury. He stepped up and led the team to Euro league title,and was MVP during that run.
Do you know that he is an EuroBasket national team champion, a member of the Euro league team of the decade all before being 21.
He has been handling pressure since he was freaking 15, the playoffs will just be another cakework for him.
PS: the NBA is a talent driven league, if you have a good enough coach (and Rick is that), talent and team fit wins every time. Just the way Denver beat the Spurs last year.

Anybody in Tennessee or its environs, justcame in for grad school school

zelgiusdigby:
Spurs also have Pop and wealth of playoff experience. So does portland, Plus most of portlands injured players will be back by then plus whoever they get after trading Whiteside, remember what they did to OKC last year?

Rick Carlisle is also a championship coach, the spurs best players are chokers on the big stage. As for experience (only patty mills has championship experience and plays like it) as we all watched against Denver last season.
For Portland history shows that after a long term injury it take at least a year before that player gets his legs under him so Nurkic will be a non factor. As for trading Whiteside let that happen then we can revisit this projection but as constituted the Mavs are slightly better and their coach is better than who the blazers have.

zelgiusdigby:
The only team thats a favorable matchup, the only team i see them beating based on the current playoff standings in the west is OKC and trust me, even that won't be easy. I honestly believe they'll lose to portland or the spurs in the playoffs.

They are not losing to the spurs, the spurs are not athlectic and truth be told do not have the talent.
Portland does not have the defense to slow the Mavs down so that series will be a shootout and Dallas will definitely out rebound them.
PS: Dame and CJ against Luka and Tim, Dallas has the better defensive back court which is saying something.

The Mav's as a team shooting 36% from 3. With a playmaker like luka and Tim Hardaway Jr in their back court, I not only see them making the playoffs but also winning at least one series if they have a favorable matchup

The Raptors have an incredible developmental program, and exceptional coaching. I keep seeing low first round and second round picks been put in good situations and are contributing solid minutes.

A40:
People swear he does a lot of stuff well. They are right, but as a #1 pick one of those things should be scoring and having some form of consistency on offense not relying on opportunistic putbacks and alley oops.

He can't shoot late in games, cannot take it to the hoop for fear of being fouled and having to make free throws. It's frustrating to see as a neutral so I can only imagine how Sixers fan must feel

Exactly, those who keep calling him a future MVP are just projecting something that might never happen. Giannis, Siakam to name a few are some of the comparables who came into the league without a jumper, but during the periods they were working on said jumper they at least took the shots rather than pass it up at every opportunity.

Ben Simmons is really holding this sixers team back. His refusal to shoot makes their offense stagnant.

Any available link, for the CFP game between Clemson and Ohio