Topic: 2019 NBA Pre-Season - page 1141. (Read 920495 times)

He is one of the guards that was hit hard by the rule change regarding the fouls. Others were Trae and Steph.
He cannot do that hook style anymore for the defender to commit a foul and then other kinds of stuff which are mostly outside shots after a bump.
Yes, he had a hard time adjusting but I do believe he is not yet at the age to be out of his prime, the speed may not be the same but he had the experience to patch it up.
Doc Rivers will make him a playmaker and Maxie will be the runner if they need a fastbreak but most of their offense will surely come from Embiid and who will be best to make the assist, Harden it is.

I cannot really say that he's been out of his prime because he is still at the right age to do the same performance, it's just that he's now unable to do what he used to because NBA changed the rules because of the way he plays. For me, it was quite unfair to change it because NBA is not about all talent and sometimes it requires more IQ to outsmart the talented ones.
But yea, the rule has already changed. Harden needs to move on and do all the things he can improve because he is now on a team that could bring him his first ever championship ring that he wanted since then. Let's just give the man a chance before we conclude that he was already out of his prime.

Lacob criticizes 'unfair' luxury tax that penalizes Warriors

I understand what Lacob is trying to point out.
Their three guys Steph, Klay, and Draymond where not really superstars to begin with. All of them did massive work to obtain wherever they are right now.
I guess we could say the system is not perfect and perhaps the NBA should also look into this.
Same case with Dirk Nowitzki who was built by the Mavs until he became a champion thru hard work.
But if the NBA change some rule about the luxury tax it may became another flaw and other teams will take advantage of it.

It seems to me that the Suns management doesn't need to sign a contract with another superstar after they signed Ayton. At the same time, there is no doubt that the Suns definitely need to change something up and improve their current roster a bit, especially the bench. The problem is that the Suns have dominated the regular season for two years in a row, but they still have no success in the playoffs.

He was forced to change his style because he was the face why the rule has changed last off season and this is not the first time that the NBA was forced to change a rule because there is a player who is smart enough to override the said rule. Now, he's having a hard time because he's playing that since he emerged in NBA but hopefully he can overcome that and adopt a new style that will help him acquire a ring.

I have read an article online, and you might want to read it if you have time. Here is the link: LINK
On that article, there is one tweet saying:
I think this is the reason why Durant isn't being traded until now. Many teams believe that Durant can't carry a team, and I believe too that he can't. He tried in OKC, and he failed, he also tried in Brooklyn, and he failed. He only won a championship when he went with the Warriors with Steph.

With this, there might be a chance that both Kyrie and KD might stay with the Nets because there are no traction or news regarding them being traded.

Bring a ring? Well, that's an ultimate success but I don't think that's possible with the current roster.

The big 3 are not enough to win a championship, they were the favorite last season but they messed up when they get upset by the Dallas Mavericks.
I don't know if what they can improve but I believe they need another superstar to increase their chances.

Yes, probably it was a good ploy by his agent that time, allow Pacers to offer them that huge money. And if Phoenix doesn't counter then good, he can sign with the Pacers with that huge money. But if the Suns management find Ayton and willing to give him his money for his performance then good as well, so it's a win-win situation for DA. Now it's time for him to show the management that he is really worth that much. Bring a ring with CP3 and Booker, sort of their big 3.

That is actually a good angle. I think no one thought of that here since most are focused on the intention of the suns to make Ayton a trading piece for Durant. That is quite a good move for the Suns management to think that far.

They benched him though in the third quarter of Game 7. It is an important game and you bench your best center, that  means something. Hopefully, they sort this out next season.

It will depend on his performance this season. But if I am Ayton, I would perform well and try to get a championship. Getting a ring will prove that he is valuable. And he can use that in the future to make a better deal when he goes free agency.

They have not gotten a ring yet. Until that, he has a lot to prove and he needs to improve more to help the team get that.

Yes, but the Phoenix is not yet sold right? that's why he wasn't offered a big payday 2 years ago.

And we are just confused because we all know that he has proven his worth with the Suns average almost 20 points and 10 rebounds if I'm mistaken. And as others have said, it takes an offer from Pacers to realized how big Ayton is for them and in NBA in general as the Pacers are willing to give him that big amount of money.

Even before this big contract, Ayton had already proven his worth to the team, so I guess there's nothing to prove more, he just have to continue playing hard and must be healthy so he could help his team all the time.

Time to prove that he  worth that contract, for sure the demand coming from the fans force the management to keep him.

I mean the negotiations regarding to trades are all over the internet and most around social media channels, fans are the big

influencer as sales of merchandize and the ticket  will be affected if the management will not listen to them, and yes it's a business

Ayton and his camp just take the advantage of the situation to maximize his value.

It all makes sense to me. Don't put it on the team why Ayton's performance declined. Blame it on the player since  he was still under contract and he's expected to perform. He's become unprofessional if what you're saying is true.

Suns still finds him valuable for now but I won't be surprised if he becomes another trading piece in the next offseason.

He appreciates the new contract in his interview after the signing. He now understands that NBA is also a business.

As long as he stays with the team, he needs to fix that relationship if there's already a problem. He has to be professional and give the expectation of the management, he is still young, there's still a bright future ahead of him, so who knows maybe he get max when he renew.

Yeah, but still it doesn't make sense. I mean we could clearly see that it has affected Ayton's performance last year to the point that he has to be bench in the decisive game 7. And just one year ago, you can see that he really made it almost to the top if not for his inexperience playing against the athletic and freak Giannis. So $133 m is a lot of money and he has to thank the Pacers for that offer, because now the Suns know that Ayton is worth keeping for and hopefully his relationship is not tainted with the managements and the coaching staff.

I think the agent just wants that opportunity of a lifetime or Ayton and to part ways isn't that bad all the time on both parties. Good thing that they got him, maybe Ayton love already the vibes on the Sun and he's been with them for years already so a $40 millions lower isn't huge for him compare to what he learnt throughout the organization.

It's all part of negotiations in business. I read that Ayton was eligible for a $179 million contract and it's safe to say his agent pushed for that figure. The Suns were patient enough and explored other options until the $133 Million offer from Pacers. Ayton and his agent probably realized they couldn't squeeze more so they just settled with that amount. Suns management played their card well and got him at a cheaper price.

Joel Embiid is a great cut for James Harden offensive on the paint for Embiid while James Harden will carry on with the ball handling, outside shots, and capitalizing with assists, and with good teammates on the defensive side I think the Philadelphia 76ers will manage to come up with an incredible play utilizing Harden's Aggressiveness,


I think he is desperate right now to cut his salary, to be shared with the other players I think he has a plan and really wants to win this, maybe this season we will see a fit James Harden for a change, but this is me on my wishful thinking on what can happen, but who knows, I know Harden can cut all of his fats in just a couple of months, and even though Joel Embiid doesn't like him, we need to wait and see if he transformed himself up to be ready next season or not,


he can sure rely on his teammates now, in getting on the ball, right now I think Joel Embiid is a likely good partner for him and if the Philadelphia 76ers can get a player that has potential and is likely to fill out the chemistry of the team, then I think Philadelphia 76ers will become a brand new team, yes Harden has a rough time during the last season, but I have seen even though it is not consistent he likely to score more than 30 plus points, I think he can get back in his usual scoring but not in his usual play, he can surely play smartly just like Luka Doncic but not as slick like Luka because Harden is not really like him,

Totally disappointed with Harris performance though, if there is one Sixers that I think that should need to go, it will be him. But in any case, everything now is on Harden's shoulder for the next season. He did sacrifice a lot of money to get some of his former team mates from the Houston to help him out. So it should be good as there will be no adjustments to be made from him as Tucker can play any position in defense. Remember the days with Mike D'Antoni wherein Tucker playing against legitimate centers because they choose to go small that time.

https://sports.yahoo.com/golden-state-warriors-andrew-wiggins-after-winning-nba-title-wishes-he-didnt-get-vaccinated-for-covid19-coronavirus-222129079.html
Oh, c'mon Wiggins. You won a ring because you got vaccinated. Just take it, no regrets.
He is more known now because of that decision and he better just embrace it.
There are other things to talk about, why should it be about the vaccine that he took which made him a big star again. Look at Kyrie, if only he took the vaccine then the Nets might have been in a better position last season and these trade rumors won't even happen.