Around the NBA:2025-6

[Q-is-here]

The coaching thread on Finch got me thinking about an adjustment Mike Brown made halfway through the Atlanta series with the Knicks offense. He put KAT at the top of the floor as a primary facilitator, using his gravity to open up space for cutters. We know KAT likes to operate up there, but it's usually more as a driver or taking a quick 3 (although not often enough given his deft shooting touch). But he's dealing out 6, 7, 10 assists per night lately and they have carried this approach into the Sixers series as well.

What gives? Why wasn't he used this way before? It seems odd that a coach just now suddenly discovered they could use him this way. He's been in the league for 10 years and came in at a high skill level right away as we all know!

[FNG]

The coaching thread on Finch got me thinking about an adjustment Mike Brown made halfway through the Atlanta series with the Knicks offense. He put KAT at the top of the floor as a primary facilitator, using his gravity to open up space for cutters. We know KAT likes to operate up there, but it's usually more as a driver or taking a quick 3 (although not often enough given his deft shooting touch). But he's dealing out 6, 7, 10 assists per night lately and they have carried this approach into the Sixers series as well.

What gives? Why wasn't he used this way before? It seems odd that a coach just now suddenly discovered they could use him this way. He's been in the league for 10 years and came in at a high skill level right away as we all know!

Great adjustment by Brown and KAT has been terrific! Bad topic for me though because it highlights one of my terrible takes. I ripped the Knicks for firing Thibs and replacing him with Brown...I said there was no way they would win as many games as last year or get to the eastern conference finals. Oops...

[Q-is-here]

The coaching thread on Finch got me thinking about an adjustment Mike Brown made halfway through the Atlanta series with the Knicks offense. He put KAT at the top of the floor as a primary facilitator, using his gravity to open up space for cutters. We know KAT likes to operate up there, but it's usually more as a driver or taking a quick 3 (although not often enough given his deft shooting touch). But he's dealing out 6, 7, 10 assists per night lately and they have carried this approach into the Sixers series as well.

What gives? Why wasn't he used this way before? It seems odd that a coach just now suddenly discovered they could use him this way. He's been in the league for 10 years and came in at a high skill level right away as we all know!

Great adjustment by Brown and KAT has been terrific! Bad topic for me though because it highlights one of my terrible takes. I ripped the Knicks for firing Thibs and replacing him with Brown...I said there was no way they would win as many games as last year or get to the eastern conference finals. Oops...

That does take us back to the Finch coaching thread. Sometimes firing a coach isn't about them deserving to be fired. Often it's just to get a fresh set of ideas injected into the team. I was worried that Finch was running out of ideas this past regular season. He's well on his way to vanquishing that notion so far in the playoffs.

[kekgeek]

Thunder do not move up in the draft. Pacers lose their pick (clippers get pick 5 for Zubac)

Jazz get #2, grizzlies #3.

[Phenom]

Thunder do not move up in the draft. Pacers lose their pick (clippers get pick 5 for Zubac)

Jazz get #2, grizzlies #3.

Good, the 2nd 3rd and 5th players in a loaded draft are headed west

[Phenom]

Lakers need to man up and win tomorrow

[Monster]

Lakers need to man up and win tomorrow

I saw a video of Ayton just standing around then giving up bad fouls and Reddick on the bench frustrated. Ayton is such a weird player.

[Q-is-here]

Lakers need to man up and win tomorrow

The Lakers are actually playing pretty well and giving it their best shot (well, Ayton is kinda finicky as Monster mentions, but that's sort of baked in).

The problem is OKC is just so damn good. Jalen Williams out? No problem! We have former 2nd round pick Ajay Mitchell come in and basically provide as good or even better production! And he's a great defender like all the rest of them to boot!

Ajay Mitchell is making $3M per year and he's giving OKC $30M+ level of play right now. Seriously, he'd probably be our second best player. I'd certainly take him over Randle.

While I'm sure winning all the time is fun, generational financial security will ultimately win the day with some of these guys. Ajay could go somewhere else and ultimately be a #1 or #2 option. Cason Wallace should probably make close to Caruso/Dort level money ($18-20M), but he's at $6M right now.

At some point these guys are going to go elsewhere. We just have to hope Presti hits a dry spell in the draft and their talent pipeline weakens. He's easily built the best player selection/development/culture machine since Pop and RC Buford were running the Spurs in their heyday.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Towns in the sweep vs. Philadelphia (and his old nemesis, Joel Embiid):

15.5 ppg
8.0 reb
7.5 apg
62 / 55 / 82 shooting splits

Oh, and he only averaged 23 minutes.

The Knicks are just destroying teams right now. They've outscored opponents by and average of 26 points in this 7-game winning streak.

I don't think they can beat OKC (or SAS), but damn... they're great right now. And Towns deserves some of that love.

For the playoffs, Towns is a 22/13/8 guy on 59/48/90 shooting per 36 minutes.

[BloopOracle]

Our own Robbie Hummel is pretty damn good at as a color commentator, I've heard him a few times now on Peacock