Around the League 2022-23

[kekgeek]

Pretty meh night for the wolves in the west. Pelicans, Jazz, warriors, blazers all win. I guess the teams on the outside of the play in, in the Lakers and Thunder lost and of corse the Mavs lost so they hold the tiebreaker

[60WinTim]

Pretty meh night for the wolves in the west. Pelicans, Jazz, warriors, blazers all win. I guess the teams on the outside of the play in, in the Lakers and Thunder lost and of corse the Mavs lost so they hold the tiebreaker

I'm afraid there will be a lot of meh nights as all these teams are playing each other, so somebody is going to win...

The Pels win over the Thunder was a klunker for the Thunder, but an anti-klunker for the Pels. The Wolves had an anti-klunker, too, which was a klunker for the Mavs. Everyone else did what they were supposed to do.

We have the same kind of story tonight: Suns should beat the Kings, and the Clippers should beat the Warriors. And I expect the Blazers to beat the Wizards.

[Phenom]

Pretty meh night for the wolves in the west. Pelicans, Jazz, warriors, blazers all win. I guess the teams on the outside of the play in, in the Lakers and Thunder lost and of corse the Mavs lost so they hold the tiebreaker

I'm afraid there will be a lot of meh nights as all these teams are playing each other, so somebody is going to win...

The Pels win over the Thunder was a klunker for the Thunder, but an anti-klunker for the Pels. The Wolves had an anti-klunker, too, which was a klunker for the Mavs. Everyone else did what they were supposed to do.

We have the same kind of story tonight: Suns should beat the Kings, and the Clippers should beat the Warriors. And I expect the Blazers to beat the Wizards.

This is why the Wolves will have a good shot at top 6. It will be tough for any team to pull away when they keep playing their competition for a playoff spot. The Grizzlies have 3 more matchups with both Dallas and the Clippers. The Kings have 3 more matchups with Phx and Dallas. OKC and the Suns haven't even met up yet and have 4 games against each other still.

[Lipoli390]

Pretty meh night for the wolves in the west. Pelicans, Jazz, warriors, blazers all win. I guess the teams on the outside of the play in, in the Lakers and Thunder lost and of corse the Mavs lost so they hold the tiebreaker

I'm afraid there will be a lot of meh nights as all these teams are playing each other, so somebody is going to win...

The Pels win over the Thunder was a klunker for the Thunder, but an anti-klunker for the Pels. The Wolves had an anti-klunker, too, which was a klunker for the Mavs. Everyone else did what they were supposed to do.

We have the same kind of story tonight: Suns should beat the Kings, and the Clippers should beat the Warriors. And I expect the Blazers to beat the Wizards.

This is why the Wolves will have a good shot at top 6. It will be tough for any team to pull away when they keep playing their competition for a playoff spot. The Grizzlies have 3 more matchups with both Dallas and the Clippers. The Kings have 3 more matchups with Phx and Dallas. OKC and the Suns haven't even met up yet and have 4 games against each other still.

Good points, Phenom. I still see the Wolves chances of a 6th seed hinging on answers to the following questions:

1. When will KAT come back, how long will he take to get his game back, and how well will be mesh with Rudy?

2. When will Steph Curry come back?

3. When will Zion come back?

4. Will Kevin Durant be healthy and on the court the remainder of the season?

[Phenom]

Pretty meh night for the wolves in the west. Pelicans, Jazz, warriors, blazers all win. I guess the teams on the outside of the play in, in the Lakers and Thunder lost and of corse the Mavs lost so they hold the tiebreaker

I'm afraid there will be a lot of meh nights as all these teams are playing each other, so somebody is going to win...

The Pels win over the Thunder was a klunker for the Thunder, but an anti-klunker for the Pels. The Wolves had an anti-klunker, too, which was a klunker for the Mavs. Everyone else did what they were supposed to do.

We have the same kind of story tonight: Suns should beat the Kings, and the Clippers should beat the Warriors. And I expect the Blazers to beat the Wizards.

This is why the Wolves will have a good shot at top 6. It will be tough for any team to pull away when they keep playing their competition for a playoff spot. The Grizzlies have 3 more matchups with both Dallas and the Clippers. The Kings have 3 more matchups with Phx and Dallas. OKC and the Suns haven't even met up yet and have 4 games against each other still.

Good points, Phenom. I still see the Wolves chances of a 6th seed hinging on answers to the following questions:

1. When will KAT come back, how long will he take to get his game back, and how well will be mesh with Rudy?

2. When will Steph Curry come back?

3. When will Zion come back?

4. Will Kevin Durant be healthy and on the court the remainder of the season?

Agree Lip, these are the biggest variables. We also need KAT to be shooting the ball better than the beginning of the year.

[Lipoli390]

Pretty meh night for the wolves in the west. Pelicans, Jazz, warriors, blazers all win. I guess the teams on the outside of the play in, in the Lakers and Thunder lost and of corse the Mavs lost so they hold the tiebreaker

I'm afraid there will be a lot of meh nights as all these teams are playing each other, so somebody is going to win...

The Pels win over the Thunder was a klunker for the Thunder, but an anti-klunker for the Pels. The Wolves had an anti-klunker, too, which was a klunker for the Mavs. Everyone else did what they were supposed to do.

We have the same kind of story tonight: Suns should beat the Kings, and the Clippers should beat the Warriors. And I expect the Blazers to beat the Wizards.

This is why the Wolves will have a good shot at top 6. It will be tough for any team to pull away when they keep playing their competition for a playoff spot. The Grizzlies have 3 more matchups with both Dallas and the Clippers. The Kings have 3 more matchups with Phx and Dallas. OKC and the Suns haven't even met up yet and have 4 games against each other still.

Good points, Phenom. I still see the Wolves chances of a 6th seed hinging on answers to the following questions:

1. When will KAT come back, how long will he take to get his game back, and how well will be mesh with Rudy?

2. When will Steph Curry come back?

3. When will Zion come back?

4. Will Kevin Durant be healthy and on the court the remainder of the season?

Agree Lip, these are the biggest variables. We also need KAT to be shooting the ball better than the beginning of the year.

Agree with you on KAT's shooting. I honestly think the problem with KAT's shooting was his obsession with facilitating Rudy on offense. He was having a hard time figuring out his new role in this twin-towers offense. That's understandable for any player in his position but particularly problematic for KAT because of his tendency to become lost in his own thoughts and lose touch with the moment.

I was watching "The Last Dance" again the other night and was struck by the following comment about MJ: "Most people live in fear because they project the past into the future. Michael's gift was that he was completely present and that was the separator." KAT's problem is that he's too often NOT living in the moment. He's constantly caught up in the drama of the last call, how he's being perceived, or as we saw earlier this season, what he could do to make sure he's helping Rudy integrate into the offense. The most important thing the Wolves coaching staff can do when KAT comes back is to drill into his head emphatically that he needs to come out and play the way he played last season as if Rudy isn't even there. Rudy will have to find his own fit into the offense and I believe he will. I'll never question Rudy's unselfishness or professionalism. The Wolves coaching staff and players need to trust those things as well and realize that Rudy will find a way to fit in without his teammates obsessing over it.

[Monster]

Pretty meh night for the wolves in the west. Pelicans, Jazz, warriors, blazers all win. I guess the teams on the outside of the play in, in the Lakers and Thunder lost and of corse the Mavs lost so they hold the tiebreaker

I'm afraid there will be a lot of meh nights as all these teams are playing each other, so somebody is going to win...

The Pels win over the Thunder was a klunker for the Thunder, but an anti-klunker for the Pels. The Wolves had an anti-klunker, too, which was a klunker for the Mavs. Everyone else did what they were supposed to do.

We have the same kind of story tonight: Suns should beat the Kings, and the Clippers should beat the Warriors. And I expect the Blazers to beat the Wizards.

This is why the Wolves will have a good shot at top 6. It will be tough for any team to pull away when they keep playing their competition for a playoff spot. The Grizzlies have 3 more matchups with both Dallas and the Clippers. The Kings have 3 more matchups with Phx and Dallas. OKC and the Suns haven't even met up yet and have 4 games against each other still.

Good points, Phenom. I still see the Wolves chances of a 6th seed hinging on answers to the following questions:

1. When will KAT come back, how long will he take to get his game back, and how well will be mesh with Rudy?

2. When will Steph Curry come back?

3. When will Zion come back?

4. Will Kevin Durant be healthy and on the court the remainder of the season?

Agree Lip, these are the biggest variables. We also need KAT to be shooting the ball better than the beginning of the year.

Agree with you on KAT's shooting. I honestly think the problem with KAT's shooting was his obsession with facilitating Rudy on offense. He was having a hard time figuring out his new role in this twin-towers offense. That's understandable for any player in his position but particularly problematic for KAT because of his tendency to become lost in his own thoughts and lose touch with the moment.

I was watching "The Last Dance" again the other night and was struck by the following comment about MJ: "Most people live in fear because they project the past into the future. Michael's gift was that he was completely present and that was the separator." KAT's problem is that he's too often NOT living in the moment. He's constantly caught up in the drama of the last call, how he's being perceived, or as we saw earlier this season, what he could do to make sure he's helping Rudy integrate into the offense. The most important thing the Wolves coaching staff can do when KAT comes back is to drill into his head emphatically that he needs to come out and play the way he played last season as if Rudy isn't even there. Rudy will have to find his own fit into the offense and I believe he will. I'll never question Rudy's unselfishness or professionalism. The Wolves coaching staff and players need to trust those things as well and realize that Rudy will find a way to fit in without his teammates obsessing over it.

You mentioning the Last Dance and MJ reminded me of an article I posted after the trade. Connelly clearly brought NAW here to mentor Towns. :)

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/12/15/secret-nickeil-alexander-walkers/

Asked how he's undertaken the process of accomplishing more by trying to do less, he not only cites prayer, but rattles off the names of roughly a dozen people -- trainer, agent, coaches, teammates, confidants -- he has consulted, then concludes with the disclosure that he has been watching documentaries on Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to glean insights into the source of their mental fortitude.

"You almost see a common denominator, which is they have peace with whatever happens in the outcome," Alexander-Walker explained. "... When guys have fun, guys enjoy it, guys are in the flow state, there's less tension and force; like the laws of attraction -- the harder you try, the more it sometimes presses away from you. So I've just learned to let things take their course and be patient."

[FNG]

Pretty meh night for the wolves in the west. Pelicans, Jazz, warriors, blazers all win. I guess the teams on the outside of the play in, in the Lakers and Thunder lost and of corse the Mavs lost so they hold the tiebreaker

I'm afraid there will be a lot of meh nights as all these teams are playing each other, so somebody is going to win...

The Pels win over the Thunder was a klunker for the Thunder, but an anti-klunker for the Pels. The Wolves had an anti-klunker, too, which was a klunker for the Mavs. Everyone else did what they were supposed to do.

We have the same kind of story tonight: Suns should beat the Kings, and the Clippers should beat the Warriors. And I expect the Blazers to beat the Wizards.

This is why the Wolves will have a good shot at top 6. It will be tough for any team to pull away when they keep playing their competition for a playoff spot. The Grizzlies have 3 more matchups with both Dallas and the Clippers. The Kings have 3 more matchups with Phx and Dallas. OKC and the Suns haven't even met up yet and have 4 games against each other still.

Good points, Phenom. I still see the Wolves chances of a 6th seed hinging on answers to the following questions:

1. When will KAT come back, how long will he take to get his game back, and how well will be mesh with Rudy?

2. When will Steph Curry come back?

3. When will Zion come back?

4. Will Kevin Durant be healthy and on the court the remainder of the season?

Agree Lip, these are the biggest variables. We also need KAT to be shooting the ball better than the beginning of the year.

Agree with you on KAT's shooting. I honestly think the problem with KAT's shooting was his obsession with facilitating Rudy on offense. He was having a hard time figuring out his new role in this twin-towers offense. That's understandable for any player in his position but particularly problematic for KAT because of his tendency to become lost in his own thoughts and lose touch with the moment.

I was watching "The Last Dance" again the other night and was struck by the following comment about MJ: "Most people live in fear because they project the past into the future. Michael's gift was that he was completely present and that was the separator." KAT's problem is that he's too often NOT living in the moment. He's constantly caught up in the drama of the last call, how he's being perceived, or as we saw earlier this season, what he could do to make sure he's helping Rudy integrate into the offense. The most important thing the Wolves coaching staff can do when KAT comes back is to drill into his head emphatically that he needs to come out and play the way he played last season as if Rudy isn't even there. Rudy will have to find his own fit into the offense and I believe he will. I'll never question Rudy's unselfishness or professionalism. The Wolves coaching staff and players need to trust those things as well and realize that Rudy will find a way to fit in without his teammates obsessing over it.

I think your theory about KAT's poor shooting at the start of the season is as likely as any other. He seemed obsessed with making the pass over the top of the defense as 1/2 of a Twin Towers lineup. To be fair, he was successful in getting the ball to Rudy a few times. But several other times he either threw it away or Rudy fumbled it. I hope when KAT returns, the coaches tell him his first order of business is scoring...if you're open beyond the arc, shoot it!

But 2-man lineup data on nba.com tells me that KAT and Rudy playing together was not a big problem...they were not as dominant as we wanted them to be, but their net rating was close to breakeven. The problem was Russell and KAT playing together, because they had a poor net rating of -4.8 in their minutes together. There is a big reason for optimism though: Mike Conley's PG style is closer to JMac's than DLo's, and KAT's net rating next to JMac was +21.2 this season and +8.5 last. LFG!

[Lipoli390]

Pretty meh night for the wolves in the west. Pelicans, Jazz, warriors, blazers all win. I guess the teams on the outside of the play in, in the Lakers and Thunder lost and of corse the Mavs lost so they hold the tiebreaker

I'm afraid there will be a lot of meh nights as all these teams are playing each other, so somebody is going to win...

The Pels win over the Thunder was a klunker for the Thunder, but an anti-klunker for the Pels. The Wolves had an anti-klunker, too, which was a klunker for the Mavs. Everyone else did what they were supposed to do.

We have the same kind of story tonight: Suns should beat the Kings, and the Clippers should beat the Warriors. And I expect the Blazers to beat the Wizards.

This is why the Wolves will have a good shot at top 6. It will be tough for any team to pull away when they keep playing their competition for a playoff spot. The Grizzlies have 3 more matchups with both Dallas and the Clippers. The Kings have 3 more matchups with Phx and Dallas. OKC and the Suns haven't even met up yet and have 4 games against each other still.

Good points, Phenom. I still see the Wolves chances of a 6th seed hinging on answers to the following questions:

1. When will KAT come back, how long will he take to get his game back, and how well will be mesh with Rudy?

2. When will Steph Curry come back?

3. When will Zion come back?

4. Will Kevin Durant be healthy and on the court the remainder of the season?

Agree Lip, these are the biggest variables. We also need KAT to be shooting the ball better than the beginning of the year.

Agree with you on KAT's shooting. I honestly think the problem with KAT's shooting was his obsession with facilitating Rudy on offense. He was having a hard time figuring out his new role in this twin-towers offense. That's understandable for any player in his position but particularly problematic for KAT because of his tendency to become lost in his own thoughts and lose touch with the moment.

I was watching "The Last Dance" again the other night and was struck by the following comment about MJ: "Most people live in fear because they project the past into the future. Michael's gift was that he was completely present and that was the separator." KAT's problem is that he's too often NOT living in the moment. He's constantly caught up in the drama of the last call, how he's being perceived, or as we saw earlier this season, what he could do to make sure he's helping Rudy integrate into the offense. The most important thing the Wolves coaching staff can do when KAT comes back is to drill into his head emphatically that he needs to come out and play the way he played last season as if Rudy isn't even there. Rudy will have to find his own fit into the offense and I believe he will. I'll never question Rudy's unselfishness or professionalism. The Wolves coaching staff and players need to trust those things as well and realize that Rudy will find a way to fit in without his teammates obsessing over it.

I think your theory about KAT's poor shooting at the start of the season is as likely as any other. He seemed obsessed with making the pass over the top of the defense as 1/2 of a Twin Towers lineup. To be fair, he was successful in getting the ball to Rudy a few times. But several other times he either threw it away or Rudy fumbled it. I hope when KAT returns, the coaches tell him his first order of business is scoring...if you're open beyond the arc, shoot it!

But 2-man lineup data on nba.com tells me that KAT and Rudy playing together was not a big problem...they were not as dominant as we wanted them to be, but their net rating was close to breakeven. The problem was Russell and KAT playing together, because they had a poor net rating of -4.8 in their minutes together. There is a big reason for optimism though: Mike Conley's PG style is closer to JMac's than DLo's, and KAT's net rating next to JMac was +21.2 this season and +8.5 last. LFG!

That's a good analysis, FNG, and I agree that Conley probably fits better than DLO. However, I think the Rudy/KAT pairing was a problem as illustrated by KAT's poor production. A break even net rating when pairing two max player, one of them your best player, is a big problem. I think Rudy's more comfortable now. So I think the key with KAT is pounding into his head that he needs to do what he does best and allow Rudy to figure it out. Conley's style of play and decision-making will help. But ultimately, it's all about what's going on between KAT's ears - assuming he's physically healthy.

[Monster]

Who needs Mikel Bridges, Cam Johnson or Kevin Durant when you have Josh Okogie who is averaging over 20ppg the last 3. I always said he would put it all together.