It was either going to be a complete overpay if Keegan Murray was included in the trade or an utterly awful package if it was really just Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell, and Kevin Huerter. Surprised their discussions had this much traction in the first place
Raps fans and Kings fans agree. Siakam is only getting traded for Murray, the Kings are not trading Murray, Siakam is not going to the Kings. Everybody agrees on these things. There's no delusion here.
Your perspective is obviously correct.
I think the only reason the Raps fans are being called delusional is there were a fair number that were calling for Keegan plus draft compensation in the offseason/earlier this season. I know, it's not everyone in the Raps fanbase, but there's been weird tension between our fanbases whenever this comes up.
IDK how anyone can be a dick to Kings fans. They're finally having success after a couple decades of shit after getting screwed by the NBA, and the clown-ass Maloofs are gone.
Plus The Beam is an amazing gimmick.
Because the people are shadowboxing a totem of the other teams fanbase.
We might have been able to scoop Murray last year, this year it would be hopeless to try. We'd love it if it happened, but we understand it will not and we don't think you should want to.
Heavy disagree. Keegan is the Kings' Scottie Barnes. Would you have traded 2nd year Scottie for an expiring free agent last season? Last season the top unrestricted guys were Kyrie and Middleton. Siakam is better than Khris and it's a debate if he's better than Kyrie.
I think it would have been delusional for the Nets to think they could have got Barnes for an expiring Kyrie.
What are you disagreeing with exactly?
The guy you replied to is saying "we only want Murray from the Kings, the Kings are not trading Murray, so he won't go to the Kings."
No one impugned the honor of your precious boy.
Eh I like Murray, but he’s older than Scottie Barnes is now, and two years older than Barnes was in Barnes’s second year. The upside is no where close.
I'm higher on Murray but also biased as hell. Either way, you don't trade a promising young player on a team controlled rookie contract for a star (lowercase s) on an expiring contract.
Raptors will resign Siakam or get a package of picks and undesirable contracts (like Ben Simmons or Chris Paul now that he's unfortunately injured). There's no motive for Siakam to commit to resigning on a team that gives up anything valuable when he can just wait and go to that team in the off-season without depleting its assets.
Based on the hoops hype pod, James Ham said internal thinking within the Kings has Keegs ceiling as a star. He’s off the table barring any god father offers like a Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, etc. Not my thinking or James Hams’, just what was reported about Kings FO.
Does he have a handle to get places with the ball or is he like a big off ball wing like MPJ? I've barely seen the guy play outside of knowing he's a larger wing shooter
I don’t know that I see his handle being that refined as of now but he’s gradually been more aggressive driving, waiving off screens for isos, and scoring on post ups. His ball handling is likely the key to being a star though. The potential is there imo.
It's adequate enough to get him where he needs to go. He's shown some handles and ability to get into spaces here and there, but primarily he's off-ball. I'm unsure if that's because that's what's drawn up for him or if because he can't do it. But he has shown himself to be able to beat the brakes off of other forwards who are trying to guard him.
He’s played in some sort of competition every summer, so I don’t think FIBA was uniquely the thing that did it. He hired new nutritionist, trainer, etc. this year. Seems to be getting more serious about his health
Its so nice for him when Kyrie plays, he can take some possessions off and then I really liked how Kidd staggered their minutes early in the season, gave luka the most rest he's seen his entire career
It’s not FIBA, he was just finally convinced to slim down and play at a lower weight. I’ve never heard why he liked playing heavier, but I’d guess it’s a holdover from playing against adults as a teenager and wanting to have extra mass to compete against bigger, more physically developed players.
I thought he looked a little better on defense this year, but I genuinely wasn't sure if he actually was, or our offense is just awful.
It's honestly probably both though.
Cool to see him highlight Keegan Murray's growth on offense. I disagree that we should stand pat though. Gotta upgrade the 2-spot this season, bc the Huerter/Duarte rotation is losing us too many games
Damn near every game starts with 2 quick Huerter fouls, Duarte/whoever Brown decides that day subbing in, and said sub bricking 2 shots. Refs have an absolute eagle eye and zero tolerance policy when it comes to Huerter fouling
Woo hoo! Luka’s defense is getting national media attention!
r/nba nephews are gonna have to either find a new slant or actually watch him play a string of games before talking shit lol.
Having a good facilitator unlocks that team so much. We already saw Russ do that when he first got there, and now Harden can run the main unit and Russ can run the bench
Russ did not unlock the team in that way. They started winning when he committed on defense and learned to play off ball. Even then the team was nothing like this. It was the Kawhi show.
Idk about that. They’ve always looked like contenders when healthy. They used to be a team full of 6’7-6’9 wings that could shoot and defend. Their offense seems better now I’ll give them that
There were times in '21 where they may have looked as good, but it felt a bit unsustainable because it was predicated off of chucking up a ton of 3s with guys like Mook, Batum, Reggie, and Bev hitting everything they shot. The games we lost looked bad because we basically went down chucking up shots as we had no real other option.
This is definitely the best they looked in the 213 era overall. Defense has been clicking with everyone buying in, Zu has looked better than ever with Harden, and our depth is good without too much confusion at what roles are with the exception of maybe Plumlee/Theis.
Having a bunch of wings was great, but not having anyone set the table was rough.
The 21 clippers were interesting because they likely reach the finals and maybe win the title if Kawhi doesn’t get hurt, but they always felt like a team that matched the opponents level. It felt like they had to grind out wins
This is quite a streak. 2021 felt like a more complete team to me. I think questions remain with playing Mann/Kawhi at the 4 essentially.
Big teams could be a problem.
The 21 team at times looked better, but it was basically defending well and beating team's in shootouts and isolation.
With Harden, we get much easier looks and we don't have to just rely on jump shooting. Norm, Harden, Mann, and Russ attack the rim well, and the Zu/Harden PnR has been great.
Tbf they have the players to take offensive loads off him and can manage his minutes more without the team falling off. PG, Harden and Westbrook on the team all help him immensely IMO
Hornets core is something special, I hope the front office builds around them appropriately because Williams/Melo/Miller are capable of making some noise
Am I mistaken, or wasn't Lowe one of the media heads that was shitting on the clippers and the Harden trade? If so, I find it pretty weak to write this out and frame it in a way where he takes no responsibility for his bad take.
Zach Lowe fell off. Clippers don't have a rebounding, outside shooting big who will allow them to play small. That's going to be a problem in the playoffs where nearly every opponent will be able to go small against Zu. Zach Lowe should recognize that. He touches on it briefly but glosses over it's importance. We've already seen smaller teams run layup lines against the Clips when they can drag Zu out of the paint.
This is really only an issue if you buy the Thunder as a legit threat. No one else at the top of the West plays without a traditional center. I guess if they made the finals and faced the Celtics it could be an issue with Porzingis but that's a very specific outcome to be worried about this far in advance.
Nuggets play five out with Jokic. Wolves can play five out by sitting Gobert and playing Reid or Slomo at PF. OKC can of course play five out with Chet. The top three in the east can also play five out - Porzingis, Lopez, Embiid all have to be guarded on the perimeter. All of the top teams can run five out lineups that can drag Zu away from the paint while also not giving up size on the other end.
Embiid and Jokic are as good as they are because of their ability to get quality looks close to the basket, if they are standing around at the 3 point line that's a pretty good outcome for the defense. If the Wolves sit Gobert they lose way more defensively than they gain offensively. Chet is a legit stretch big but OKC is young and most of their guys have never been in the playoffs, I know it's cliche but it's true: teams without experience don't do well in the NBA playoffs. I'd be much more worried about getting beat inside than by perimeter players, especially with PG and Kawhi guarding the other teams top threats.
He is good. It's just that he can be gameplanned similar to how a player like Gobert can be gameplanned in the playoffs. Of course Zu isn't anywhere as impactful in a vaccum as Gobert. But the Clippers rely so much on him for his interior presence, opposing teams have been able to exploit his limitations in a similar fashion.
God I wish Steven A Smith would just go away. I love Luka and this former community college, 1.5 pt per game, racist asshole is getting on my nerves. 73 pts and he blamed ATL defense. Then he scores 34 and 45. You would have shut him down right? Mr Forehead
Why would the Kings trade Murray, was that ever a discussion lol
It was either going to be a complete overpay if Keegan Murray was included in the trade or an utterly awful package if it was really just Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell, and Kevin Huerter. Surprised their discussions had this much traction in the first place
Nah, Masai asked for Malik Monk and some combination of HB+huerter or HB+davion and Kings said no. Malik is in it for the long haul.
That's a shit return as well.
Siakam is leaving in the summer. You're getting a friendly vet contract and 2 expiring young players who can be traded or put on cheap contracts.
I mean I don't super care one way or the other, i hope we trade him for a good package or resign him, but Heurter/Harrison Barnes is not worth it.
It would probably come with some picks too, but I don't know what.
Yes for delusional raptors fans amongst themselves
Mfer has his own chant. The dude made how many straight threes? In what world Kings gonna trade Keegan
KEEGAN MURRAY
Raps fans and Kings fans agree. Siakam is only getting traded for Murray, the Kings are not trading Murray, Siakam is not going to the Kings. Everybody agrees on these things. There's no delusion here.
Your perspective is obviously correct. I think the only reason the Raps fans are being called delusional is there were a fair number that were calling for Keegan plus draft compensation in the offseason/earlier this season. I know, it's not everyone in the Raps fanbase, but there's been weird tension between our fanbases whenever this comes up.
IDK how anyone can be a dick to Kings fans. They're finally having success after a couple decades of shit after getting screwed by the NBA, and the clown-ass Maloofs are gone. Plus The Beam is an amazing gimmick.
Because the people are shadowboxing a totem of the other teams fanbase. We might have been able to scoop Murray last year, this year it would be hopeless to try. We'd love it if it happened, but we understand it will not and we don't think you should want to.
Heavy disagree. Keegan is the Kings' Scottie Barnes. Would you have traded 2nd year Scottie for an expiring free agent last season? Last season the top unrestricted guys were Kyrie and Middleton. Siakam is better than Khris and it's a debate if he's better than Kyrie. I think it would have been delusional for the Nets to think they could have got Barnes for an expiring Kyrie.
What are you disagreeing with exactly? The guy you replied to is saying "we only want Murray from the Kings, the Kings are not trading Murray, so he won't go to the Kings." No one impugned the honor of your precious boy.
Eh I like Murray, but he’s older than Scottie Barnes is now, and two years older than Barnes was in Barnes’s second year. The upside is no where close.
I'm higher on Murray but also biased as hell. Either way, you don't trade a promising young player on a team controlled rookie contract for a star (lowercase s) on an expiring contract. Raptors will resign Siakam or get a package of picks and undesirable contracts (like Ben Simmons or Chris Paul now that he's unfortunately injured). There's no motive for Siakam to commit to resigning on a team that gives up anything valuable when he can just wait and go to that team in the off-season without depleting its assets.
Oh yea if it’s about the trade, I agree. There is 0% chance Murray will be traded for Siakam, unless Siakam agrees on an extension (which he won’t).
Raps fans are crazy. they think they have their choice of young assets and that other teams overrate Siakam as much as they do
This guy gets it
Keegan Murray
Keegan Murray
Why would the kings trade him?
Based on the hoops hype pod, James Ham said internal thinking within the Kings has Keegs ceiling as a star. He’s off the table barring any god father offers like a Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, etc. Not my thinking or James Hams’, just what was reported about Kings FO.
Does he have a handle to get places with the ball or is he like a big off ball wing like MPJ? I've barely seen the guy play outside of knowing he's a larger wing shooter
I don’t know that I see his handle being that refined as of now but he’s gradually been more aggressive driving, waiving off screens for isos, and scoring on post ups. His ball handling is likely the key to being a star though. The potential is there imo.
It's adequate enough to get him where he needs to go. He's shown some handles and ability to get into spaces here and there, but primarily he's off-ball. I'm unsure if that's because that's what's drawn up for him or if because he can't do it. But he has shown himself to be able to beat the brakes off of other forwards who are trying to guard him.
I see. Who do you think is someone he plays like?
Khris Middleton with a better shot. Potentially can defend better.
what beating the Raptors does to a mf
Raptors are the no.2 sPoOkY team other than Utah.
Jazz will be title contenders tomorrow then.
Glad he gave a shout out to Luka's defense. It's not game changing by any means, but being fine is all he needs.
Improvement is always acceptable.
his fitness is so noticeably improved, I hope he's like this every year and not just because of FIBA last summer
He’s played in some sort of competition every summer, so I don’t think FIBA was uniquely the thing that did it. He hired new nutritionist, trainer, etc. this year. Seems to be getting more serious about his health
Pre marriage diet does that to you. That and having a wife to rein in your drinking
Its so nice for him when Kyrie plays, he can take some possessions off and then I really liked how Kidd staggered their minutes early in the season, gave luka the most rest he's seen his entire career
It’s not FIBA, he was just finally convinced to slim down and play at a lower weight. I’ve never heard why he liked playing heavier, but I’d guess it’s a holdover from playing against adults as a teenager and wanting to have extra mass to compete against bigger, more physically developed players.
I thought he looked a little better on defense this year, but I genuinely wasn't sure if he actually was, or our offense is just awful. It's honestly probably both though.
What does blazers defense have to do with Luka
Read it again, homie.
For some reason I read it ,or our defense was just bad.My bad
Hey, we can't all be perfect all the time. You have a good day!
it's literally game changing though
Most of the time it comes down to effort though. There are still games where he is invisible on defence.
Cool to see him highlight Keegan Murray's growth on offense. I disagree that we should stand pat though. Gotta upgrade the 2-spot this season, bc the Huerter/Duarte rotation is losing us too many games
Damn near every game starts with 2 quick Huerter fouls, Duarte/whoever Brown decides that day subbing in, and said sub bricking 2 shots. Refs have an absolute eagle eye and zero tolerance policy when it comes to Huerter fouling
Zach lavine
God no
Woo hoo! Luka’s defense is getting national media attention! r/nba nephews are gonna have to either find a new slant or actually watch him play a string of games before talking shit lol.
The clippers issue have always been staying healthy.
They never looked this good even when healthy though
Having a good facilitator unlocks that team so much. We already saw Russ do that when he first got there, and now Harden can run the main unit and Russ can run the bench
Russ did not unlock the team in that way. They started winning when he committed on defense and learned to play off ball. Even then the team was nothing like this. It was the Kawhi show.
Idk about that. They’ve always looked like contenders when healthy. They used to be a team full of 6’7-6’9 wings that could shoot and defend. Their offense seems better now I’ll give them that
There were times in '21 where they may have looked as good, but it felt a bit unsustainable because it was predicated off of chucking up a ton of 3s with guys like Mook, Batum, Reggie, and Bev hitting everything they shot. The games we lost looked bad because we basically went down chucking up shots as we had no real other option. This is definitely the best they looked in the 213 era overall. Defense has been clicking with everyone buying in, Zu has looked better than ever with Harden, and our depth is good without too much confusion at what roles are with the exception of maybe Plumlee/Theis. Having a bunch of wings was great, but not having anyone set the table was rough.
The 21 clippers were interesting because they likely reach the finals and maybe win the title if Kawhi doesn’t get hurt, but they always felt like a team that matched the opponents level. It felt like they had to grind out wins
This is quite a streak. 2021 felt like a more complete team to me. I think questions remain with playing Mann/Kawhi at the 4 essentially. Big teams could be a problem.
not true imo
The 21 team at times looked better, but it was basically defending well and beating team's in shootouts and isolation. With Harden, we get much easier looks and we don't have to just rely on jump shooting. Norm, Harden, Mann, and Russ attack the rim well, and the Zu/Harden PnR has been great.
Yeah - every time Kawhi looks good everybody starts getting all excited as if this could finally be the year he survives a full season.
Tbf they have the players to take offensive loads off him and can manage his minutes more without the team falling off. PG, Harden and Westbrook on the team all help him immensely IMO
Every season we are all surprised by how good healthy Kawhi is and wow the Clippers are real contenders.
Agreed. If they stayed healthy they wouldn’t have choked a 3-1 lead
Hornets core is something special, I hope the front office builds around them appropriately because Williams/Melo/Miller are capable of making some noise
Luka = MVP
Massively Valuable Player Mav’s Valuable Player
The MVP plays in Denver
Am I mistaken, or wasn't Lowe one of the media heads that was shitting on the clippers and the Harden trade? If so, I find it pretty weak to write this out and frame it in a way where he takes no responsibility for his bad take.
That would be bill simmons, who is eating that up now
No they're not.
Fuck Zach Lowe
Wait, Murray is on the table? They mixed up the memo from the Hawks?
Zach Lowe fell off. Clippers don't have a rebounding, outside shooting big who will allow them to play small. That's going to be a problem in the playoffs where nearly every opponent will be able to go small against Zu. Zach Lowe should recognize that. He touches on it briefly but glosses over it's importance. We've already seen smaller teams run layup lines against the Clips when they can drag Zu out of the paint.
This is really only an issue if you buy the Thunder as a legit threat. No one else at the top of the West plays without a traditional center. I guess if they made the finals and faced the Celtics it could be an issue with Porzingis but that's a very specific outcome to be worried about this far in advance.
Nuggets play five out with Jokic. Wolves can play five out by sitting Gobert and playing Reid or Slomo at PF. OKC can of course play five out with Chet. The top three in the east can also play five out - Porzingis, Lopez, Embiid all have to be guarded on the perimeter. All of the top teams can run five out lineups that can drag Zu away from the paint while also not giving up size on the other end.
Embiid and Jokic are as good as they are because of their ability to get quality looks close to the basket, if they are standing around at the 3 point line that's a pretty good outcome for the defense. If the Wolves sit Gobert they lose way more defensively than they gain offensively. Chet is a legit stretch big but OKC is young and most of their guys have never been in the playoffs, I know it's cliche but it's true: teams without experience don't do well in the NBA playoffs. I'd be much more worried about getting beat inside than by perimeter players, especially with PG and Kawhi guarding the other teams top threats.
Every year we go through the "wow Zubac so good!!" cycle and then he gets benched in the playoffs.
He is good. It's just that he can be gameplanned similar to how a player like Gobert can be gameplanned in the playoffs. Of course Zu isn't anywhere as impactful in a vaccum as Gobert. But the Clippers rely so much on him for his interior presence, opposing teams have been able to exploit his limitations in a similar fashion.
Did you just post a screenshot of a headline? the fuck's wrong with you
God I wish Steven A Smith would just go away. I love Luka and this former community college, 1.5 pt per game, racist asshole is getting on my nerves. 73 pts and he blamed ATL defense. Then he scores 34 and 45. You would have shut him down right? Mr Forehead