Topic: 2019 NBA Pre-Season - page 459. (Read 920538 times)

I don't doubt that young man, he is a walking bucket.
All he needs is more experience and maturity and I think he is on his way to that. The injury on his hand did stop him from showcasing his skills in the Finals and now it is revenge time for him, time to show his monster side and be the wingman that Butler needed so he can also get some rest time.

That's true he ain't Lillard but it's also their fault for not offering a sweet deal for the Trail Blazers. They are ready to let him go and they even accepted an Ayton trade for it. Ayton ain't Lillard too.

I can see another problem that might transpire when this time comes. It will be Butler who will give up. He had been going back and forth in the Finals and yet he cannot achieve the sweet championship yet. Butler will also be 35 years old next year. Not in his prime anymore but still got 2 years before his player option.

The point guard position is their problem. Coby White will be forced to get more minutes because of it and they are not moving yet with the given $10m space given by the NBA from their request. I don't think their management is even trying.

"I've read some articles about his status, and he is very positive and confident that he can come back in the 2024–25 season. However, I don't think he can do it by that time, but he probably will. It was a big loss for the Bulls and for Ball himself; just when he had found his rhythm, this happened. How unfortunate for him. He was too young if this was the end of his career.

I watched a little bit of the NBA basketball preseason in between watching the Monday Night Football game last night.  I can't believe that we are already at the pre-season mark for the NBA as well as the NHL having already starting.

I can't wait to see how the Chicago Bulls do coming out of the gate.  No Ball is still quite depressing and I hope he starts to make progress but I feel he may be done for good.

They'll have to try again, and the Heat is still a championship contender despite their poor performance against the Nuggets. Actually, the two times they went to the finals, they lost easily, meaning they weren't competitive enough. Something is really lacking with this team, which is why they pursued Lillard, but it didn't work out as he went to another team.

I'm not sure if the Heat can still make it, but if they do, the finals might be boring again?

I know Herro will play harder and prove himself more, especially as he was already on the trading block, which means they need someone better than him. So this whole season is about proving his worth to the team. If they can win a championship, I think there will be no more changes made.

I think he has the potential to be a star in the league, unfortunately, he got injured in the playoff, causing him to missed some games. And he could be a very important factor last season in the finals if he is healthy.

But now that he is back, obviously he wants to continue what he has left behind. Although his name pop up in the trading block for a potential Dame Lillard joining Heat early, it didn't push through. So time for him to proved himself once again that he is indeed can compliment Butler specially in the offensive load since some of the players from last year has departed already.

For sure Giannis Antetokounmpo is not the only one who has a superstar caliber in the Milwaukee Bucks when Giannis Antetokounmpo was out because of his injuries sure Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and even Malik Beasley on the Milwaukee Bucks for sure Damian Lillard will have a great time with this team for sure,


For sure Giannis Antetokounmpo is not the only one who has a superstar caliber in the Milwaukee Bucks when Giannis Antetokounmpo was out because of his injuries Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and even Malik Beasley the Milwaukee Bucks for sure Damian Lillard will have a great time with this team for sure,

And Damian Lillard for sure has to think twice before getting into the Milwaukee team he can surely go with the Miami Heat with Jimmy Butler but instead he has gone with the Milwaukee Bucks instead,

Herro is already quite good; he had a strong output last season. He was just unfortunate to have been injured, but despite that, the Heat still managed to reach the Finals. I believe it's the coach who really helped him. Without the coach's trust, he wouldn't have been given a starting lineup role, and he didn't disappoint Coach Spoelstra in that regard, as he consistently produced.

In the preseason, it's like a warm-up for him for the upcoming regular season, and as we have seen, he hasn't changed. He is still the same player who makes a significant contribution to the team.
....

Personally, I don't know him, but based on the name itself, I presume that he is the son of the Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, who won multiple championships with the Chicago Bulls during the era of Michael Jordan. Well, the NBA is not about politics; it's about talent. Maybe he's given a little special treatment because he carries his father's name, but he won't last if he doesn't produce.

Honestly, I'm also quite worried not only about this but also about when LeBron's son enters the NBA. Will he meet the expectations of the fans? His father is one of the best, so he shouldn't disappoint.

I see the same. Heat wanted Dame, as he can produce numbers while Jimmy is resting and if both him and Bam were inside, they can create that trio combination that will really put something in their offensive attacks.

If that struggle takes place, maybe Heat's interest will be affected in acquiring Dame, just saying, though that's really far as the season still
not starting yet, and all those performances during this preseason don't have any bearing aside from creating chemistries.

The real competition will be seen and we will know which trade will be benefit from one another.

Tyler Herro seems to have improved a lot from what I'm seeing in the preseason so maybe he could be that consistent back up for Jimmy. I can see shades of Wade in him to be honest.

....

This may not be of interest besides the name but Scottie Pippen Jr. has been waived by the Lakers. He wasn't able to make most of the opportunity given to him and I think the preseason game against the Bucks had a big role in the management's decision since he played quite poorly. 

Jrue Holiday isn't Damian Lillard; he's not the star that the team needs to complement Jimmy. Jimmy Butler is carrying the team, and they're looking for a superstar who can perform at the same level as Jimmy. I don't think Holiday is on the same level as Jimmy; he even struggled depending Jimmy during the playoffs. The Heat saw his weaknesses and decided not to pursue him I believe.

The Heat were unlucky not to get Lillard, despite his interest in playing for them. But maybe if Lillard doesn't work out with the Bucks, the team might let him go, and Giannis could leave, creating an opportunity for the Heat to get Lillard. For that to happen, we hope the Bucks will struggle this season.

Here's a good article.
https://www.nba.com/news/2023-24-storylines-no-9-jimmy-butler-heat
Why Jimmy Butler is the NBA star in need of the most help
They focused too much on grabbing Damian Lillard, it could've been better if they joined the 3-way team trade and got Jrue Holiday in the process. But I don't think their offer is sweet enough and that is why they are not part of it.
Jimmy Butler is a great player, all he needs is that guard that will keep the team working while he is benched for a rest.
And that's because of this.
Yes, he does. It happened during the finals against the Lakers and then now against the Denver Nuggets.
Whenever he is on the floor, he likes to do it all from offense to defense which I think is not a good way to preserve stamina. There should be someone to back him up in case it happens again.
The Finals in the bubble are still fresh in my memory, I saw him being competitive against Lebron but in the final quarters of the series, he is always running out of gas. I think it's normal because he is trying to stop Lebron and then attacking against him on the other side, it's truly exhausting going head-to-head with one of the best players in the league.
Tyler Herro cannot be injured this season anymore if they are still aiming for the Finals because it will be a lot of trouble for them after they let go of a lot of their undrafted players who did great in the playoffs.

22 minutes is already quite a lot of time, enough to see if the player is playing comfortably. However, in the case of Lillard, he seemed off with his 3-point shooting, which is uncharacteristic of him. It's still preseason, so it might not be the right time to conclude if he can blend well with the team. What I do know is that Lillard is a superstar, and he has a significant responsibility to make this team better. This way, Giannis's decision to leave the team after his contract may not come to fruition.

If others were playing well, why did Lillard struggle?

It could be due to chemistry issues.

He ain't taking it seriously and I he didn't really play lots of minutes so there's no time to get hot. I guess he just throwed all those three pointers expecting them to sink.
I am glad Cam Payne found a new home. That guy had been trying so hard to get a good contract since he is really eager to play in the NBA and how I wish the Bucks will keep him. The multiple injuries that he suffered is what made him a less valuable player and then he was waived, tried 10-day contracts, played outside the league, tried G League, until the Suns took him in.
Indeed, it was a sad story but here he is now trying to make a name for himself. He actually did during his Suns' stint and all he need is to continue what he started.

Honestly, I believe that the ball was distributed like that because its a preseason game and no star wants to go all out on a preseason game, they do just a bit, but then the rest. Hell just the other day Lebron was already clothed and eating by second half, think about how much they must be caring about it. Most of them do not even care about the regular season all that much, I mean sure they care enough that they want a good playoff position, but not enough to beat everyone at every game and be first seed unless they are that good, they just play so that the ycan get to playoffs when it matters, but preseason is even worse. I think when the season starts, we are going to see both of them at 25+ pgg, and then the resto f the team all will be under 15, maaaybe Middleton could get some shots in, but nobody else is having 5+ fga at this rate, definitely nothing more than 15 at all, the ball will not be shared that much.

It's one game he isn't going to shoot 70% every game we know that.  And on top of it pre season is about getting rotations down and seeing who your end of the bench contributors are.  You can find every year players who average 20-30 points a game and don't even see a minute of floor time during the season.  Point is don't take stock in pre season bad performances.

Indeed,  still in preseason so we are just witnessing performance same like a exhibition game, the real potential of the team will be witnessed in the regular season, knowing Dame his contributions will be more compared  with how he comes out from that game against the Lakers,  there's always  room for improvement.

For sure he will find that rhythm and with the help of Giannis and the rest of the Bucks squad they will be able to find ways winning every game if possible.

I would say that the performance from Damian Lillard was very decent, to be honest. And it looks like he will be able to perform well enough with the team. But obviously, there is a thing we should understand that it is preseason right now. If he will be able to continue his performance consistently throughout the season is something we will have to watch later on. I think he still has the capability of performing well in the actual competitive matches, but overall the Bucks team does look to be good right now. They have a lot of potential. Let's see if they can perform up to the expectations.

The KD and Steph duo prove that they can win a championship so its no question that for that comparison they are better since they satisfy the fans thru the performance they provide each games they play. To early to tell that Giannis and Lillard would blend together since we don't see them play on regular season yet or maybe even on playoffs so this is what we need to see if they can really share the ball and will not create any trouble on who will be the main guy on Bucks.

If Bucks could win a championship this season then provably all doubts will be erased out and they fans can say that trading their defensive guys really worth because they get another championship on Lillard's addition to their team.

I know almost everyone realizes this but it is only a pre-season performance. As you have pointed out, the ball movement is more important sign for them. Obviously Giannis and Lillard will shoot the most positions but if they can get good performance from the rest of the team, then they might have a real chance. But we cannot expect Lillard to join the team and bam! 25-30 points, especially on a pre-season game. I am actually quite excited about the league this year, after the recent developments, like Wemby and this new Bucks team.

It could happen, but in comparison to Steph and KD, I believe Lillard and Giannis are one step below, but that's just my personal opinion. These two are probably still in their prime, with Giannis having already proven himself when he won his first championship, while Lillard still has a lot to prove, despite being seen as one of the popular superstars in the NBA now.