2021 NBA PLAYOFFS THREAD

[Pelicanidae]

That dude is not even a good troll lol, I wish this board had a ignore button.

I'm happy for the Hawks and Young they sucked his first 2 years and people where hard on him because he was traded for Luka but dude is a beast in his own right.

Trae and Ayton will always suffer because they were picked over Luka and neither of them will ever be as good as he is already, but as you say, both of them produce tons of value in their own right and it's a shame that that obvious comparison will always hang over their heads.

[13 - 3]

Looking at the Suns after 10 years of rebuilding and the Knicks after 8

''Wow these sure were some quick 2 year rebuilds!''

New GM?s do different things.

[Pelicanidae]

New GM?s do different things.

They do! But that doesn't mean that the *team* started rebuilding at that point. The groundwork for this current GMs moves required the previous GM; they're the ones that drafted Booker and Ayton and Bridges, for example, who are all absolutely vital to the current ''rebuild''. Therefore saying that the rebuild didn't start until after they were all acquired is a very dodgy way of short changing the historical record.

[13 - 3]

Oh I know, I just think it's silly to watch a team 10 years into a rebuild making its playoff debut (Devin Booker's first playoff trip, 6 years in, for example) and praise the quick turnaround on the rebuild.

The rebuild in Phoenix didn't start when Monty arrived. Both Ayton and Booker, for example, had both already been drafted and been working there as part of that core rebuild before Monty got hired. He, and the acquisition of CP3, were not the start of rebuild; rather, they were the finishing touches.

Assuming a rebuild starts at the end is a very convenient way of trying to make it look quick, but unfortunately it just doesn't match reality.

So assuming we are in a 10 year rebuild , say goodby to Zion

One of the most insightful comments from the season-ending #Pelicans media Q&A was this answer from Zion Williamson (question from @brettmartel)

It'll be interesting to see how David Griffin upgrades the roster and how SVG uses Zion, personnel next season. pic.twitter.com/bPEdXs0C9s

— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) May 17, 2021

[13 - 3]

Zion on if the team is close to the playoffs: My step father taught me doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is kind of insane. It was very disappointing not to make the playoffs, I'm not going to sit here and say we're close.

— Shamit Dua (@FearTheBrown) May 17, 2021

[13 - 3]

10 year rebuild. Yeah Jrue Holiday didn’t have time for that nor did CP3 or Clown Davis

[Pelicanidae]

So assuming we are in a 10 year rebuild , say goodby to Zion

I didn't say we are in a 10 year rebuild. Or at least, I hope we aren't. I just said looking at a team that has been rebuilding for a decade and then pretending it's only been doing it for 2 years is just fundamentally incorrect at a very basic level.

I've said like 30 times that I think we need to be a playoff team next year. That's still my belief, or else yes, we are in danger of Zion skipping town. I don't think there's anything confusing or contradictory about that.

[13 - 3]

Memphis on the 10 year rebuild too?

[luckyman]

Trae's profile as a player will be raised after finally being able to perform in the playoffs. He'll be much closer to Luka. He was just in a situation where the things he did well were underappreciated and the things he didn't do well were magnified.

The same will happen for BI. Both their games are made for playoff basketball.

Also happy for Julius Randle. Finally made the playoffs in his 7th year in the NBA. Worked his butt off to get there.

[13 - 3]

Kevin Harlen just say Memphis youngest team in NBA. I don’t ever want to hear this 10 year nonsense again.

[Pelicanidae]

People are going to look back at the 2018 draft as historically great.

From that draft, you have:

- Luka, Trae, Ayton all in the top 5
- JJJ, Sexton, Bridges, SGA all in the top 11
- MPJ went 14th
- Donte Divincenzo, Lonnie Walker, Kevin Huerter in consecutive picks 17-19
- Wagner, Time Lord, Shamet at the close of the first round

That's 14 out of the first 30 picks being at least legit NBA roleplayers, including 4 players in the top 11 who are all likely to be multiple time allstars.

Then in the second round you had

- Jalen Brunson
- Devonte Graham
- Mitchell Robinson
- Gary Trent Jr
- Bruce Brown
- DeAnthony Melton
- Shake Milton

Who are all, again, at least solid NBA roleplayer guys: 7 of them in the second round! Compare that to the year before, for example, where there were at best 3 real NBA roleplayers (probably 2 but I'm throwing Frank Jackson a solid).

Really strong draft class.

[luckyman]

Zion has also been raised old school. If he doesn't help this team into the playoffs next year. He'll look himself in the mirror and figure out how to improve his weak points. Especially still so early in his career.

It's just dumb whiny fans (and "reporters" aka bloggers), with a serious case of hero worship, making him out to be this diva he obviously isn't.

[Pelicanidae]

Kevin Harlen just say Memphis youngest team in NBA. I don’t ever want to hear this 10 year nonsense again.

Memphis are the youngest team in the playoffs, not the NBA.

Both OKC and Minnesota are younger teams overall.

[13 - 3]

No Mitchell. This could be just what Memphis needs tonight

[Pelicanidae]

Trae's profile as a player will be raised after finally being able to perform in the playoffs. He'll be much closer to Luka. He was just in a situation where the things he did well were underappreciated and the things he didn't do well were magnified.

Obviously not quite the same level of discussion, but I view prioritising Trae over Luka as a bit like the Rockets picking Olajuwon over Jordan.

Like yeah, Jordan ended up being obviously the better player with the more iconic legacy, but it's not like picking Olajuwon was bad for Houston.

[Silverfoxx]

Im honestly happy that all of Zion peers (Barret, Morant, Hunter, etc.) are in the playoffs, passing him up and I hope the young players are pissed off and steaming on the couch while watching intense, competitive, and energetic playoffs. If this doesn't wakes up this complacent ****** team up nothing will. This team lazy, low IQ play deverses nothing great until they start giving a damn. If they don't bring in players that will. The playoffs have been so fun, great to see the young teams play with heart.

[13 - 3]

Im honestly happy that all of Zion peers (Barret, Morant, Hunter, etc.) are in the playoffs, passing him up and I hope the young players are pissed off and steaming on the couch while watching intense, competitive, and energetic playoffs. If this doesn't wakes up this complacent ****** team up nothing will. This team lazy, low IQ play deverses nothing great until they start giving a damn. If they don't bring in players that will. The playoffs have been so fun, great to see the young teams play with heart.

Agree!

[Pelicanidae]

Grizzlies having some very suspect rotations right now.

[Taker597]

Im honestly happy that all of Zion peers (Barret, Morant, Hunter, etc.) are in the playoffs, passing him up and I hope the young players are pissed off and steaming on the couch while watching intense, competitive, and energetic playoffs. If this doesn't wakes up this complacent ****** team up nothing will. This team lazy, low IQ play deverses nothing great until they start giving a damn. If they don't bring in players that will. The playoffs have been so fun, great to see the young teams play with heart.

The Rah Rah stuff doesn't work in the NBA. NBA is all about about talent and pieces to win games. We don't have either.

[luckyman]

Im honestly happy that all of Zion peers (Barret, Morant, Hunter, etc.) are in the playoffs, passing him up and I hope the young players are pissed off and steaming on the couch while watching intense, competitive, and energetic playoffs. If this doesn't wakes up this complacent ****** team up nothing will. This team lazy, low IQ play deverses nothing great until they start giving a damn. If they don't bring in players that will. The playoffs have been so fun, great to see the young teams play with heart.

You can try hard and still execute poorly. That doesn't make you lazy. You dont come back and win a game after being down by 24 if you're just lazy.

ALL these playoff teams have legit vets to lean on. Including Memphis. The Pelicans...do not.

[13 - 3]

Reggie Miller now calling Memphis a young team .

[13 - 3]

You can try hard and still execute poorly. That doesn't make you lazy. You dont come back and win a game after being down by 24 if you're just lazy.

ALL these playoff teams have legit vets to lean on. Including Memphis. The Pelicans...do not.

Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams never been to playoffs?

[13 - 3]

Memphis 2nd youngest team in league- Reggie Miller

[13 - 3]

Memphis are the youngest team in the playoffs, not the NBA.

Both OKC and Minnesota are younger teams overall.

Nice try



https://bealestreetbears.com/2021/03...st-roster-nba/

[url]https://www.google.com/search?q=2nd+youngest+team+in+nba&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client

[Pelicanidae]

Nice try



https://bealestreetbears.com/2021/03...st-roster-nba/

https://www.google.com/search?q=2nd+...&client=safari

Fair enough, didn't realise the Dieng move dropped their age so significantly.

Edit: that said, I'm still slightly sceptical because that first article says that before the Dieng move, they were referring to the Grizz as the second youngest team in the NBA and they weren't, they were 3rd. OKC and the Wolves started this season as the two youngest.

Are they referring to functional youth? Some people calculate team youth by the average age of the people getting minutes.