Around the League - '23-24 Season

[Coolbreeze44]

Fantastic draft pick by the Heat in Jaquez Jr. He's a young Kyle Anderson with more upside.

[Lipoli390]

I’m watching the Sixers-Heat game. It’s a really good one and I recommend tuning in for the 4th quarter if you’re not already watching. Embiid is out and Maxey’s shot isn’t falling. Butler and Martin are out for the Heat. Both teams are fighting hard and are tied at 82-82 near the end of the 3rd quarter.

Maxey’s not shooting well, but he’s a rising star. When I think of Maxey I think back to the 2020 draft, which was clearly the best draft in Wolves history. After drafting Edwards at #1, Rosas traded our #17 and 33 picks essentially in exchange for picks 23 and 28. Rosas used the #23 pick to take Bolmaro and #28 for Jaden McDaniels. What if Rosas had taken Bane at #23 instead? In the alternative, what if Rosas had included another minor asset to acquire the #21 pick from the Sixers instead of the #23 pick from the Knicks and taken Maxey? We’re leading the Western Conference, so I’m not complaining. But it’s intriguing to think of how close Rosas came to taking a stellar draft to yet another level.

[Lipoli390]

Fantastic draft pick by the Heat in Jaquez Jr. He's a young Kyle Anderson with more upside.

Agree completely, but a better perimeter shooter than Anderson. Love the way he plays. The Heat are such a smart organization when it comes to drafting and trades.

[Coolbreeze44]

I watched him play a lot at UCLA and really wasn't sure what kind of pro he would make. But the Heat knew.

[Lipoli390]

I wonder if TC thought he was signing Melton when he signed Milton. .

[Monster]

I watched him play a lot at UCLA and really wasn't sure what kind of pro he would make. But the Heat knew.

I really liked him a lot when I saw him play in college.. I thought he would be one of those guys that would have some sort of NBA success because he just knows how to play and has versatile set of skills. Kyle Anderson is a good comp because of his versatility but I also remember thinking he reminded me a bit of combo forward version of Kevin Love.

[Monster]

I wonder if TC thought he was signing Melton when he signed Milton. .

I bet Kevin Durant wishes that The Suns hadn’t traded him away. Lol

[AbeVigodaLive]

Yesterday was a lost opportunity for the NBA...

Kerr came out against Jokic foul-baiting (14 FTA in the 2nd half)... but it would have felt less whiny if Embiid had also played and done his usual antics and also drew attention to the gimmick style of play that is becoming the norm among the league's top players.

We haven't even hit the zenith on this style yet. It's going to get worse before it gets better.

Don't worry though... the NBA will make it a "point of emphasis" for 4 games next season, fine somebody like A. Sengun, claim it's resolved... and then the best players can go back to foul hunting/stat padding.



[Note: Towns tries. He already does the Embiid fall down on every drive whether he's touched or not trick. But he's simply not as good at tricking officials as Embiid. He doesn't have that "skill." Maybe he can keep improving and then become the poster boy next year when the NBA cracks down on it for those 4 games for a little ironic comeuppance.]

[Coolbreeze44]

What gets me are the guys that do the foul baiting are the same guys who whine and complain all game long. Embiid, Luka, and Lebron to name a few.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

What gets me are the guys that do the foul baiting are the same guys who whine and complain all game long. Embiid, Luka, and Lebron to name a few.

Yeah, that annoys me. At the same time, KAT and Ant do that too.

I wonder about the history of complaining to the refs, both from players and from fans. Do they complain more? Do we? Or was there just as much complaining in the past and we just didn't notice it? I don't know.

I do think it may potentially seem worse today because we just see it more often. Think of the information we have access to while watching these games--all those cameras, those big HD TVs, those mics on the floor. We catch so much on-court player behaviour now that fans in the past never had access to, as well as more access to info about the behavior of fans in the stands and at home.

But it does feel like everybody, fans included, really are quicker to complain than in the past. Players and fans have always complained, but it DOES feel like it happens more lately. Honestly, that also feels true outside the sport. It does feel like everybody's got a complaint these days. Whether that's new or old, whether it's happening more or we're just seeing it more, that's a shame.