Raptors Discussion: v89| Those are some big rings | Raptors out to defend their championship

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robertmac43

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I think the Clippers will be fine; having the defense of Bev, PG, and Kawhi is going to be absolutely insane. They will limit the amount of good looks that players get and will be able to do a lot of seamless switches along the perimeter.
 

Jozay

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Feel like thats a horrible trade for the Rockets. And pretty bad for the Thunder too, unless they can flip Paul somewhere (maybe Miami?).
 

hockeywiz542

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Heck, Raptors president Masai Ujiri all but came out and brought up Robertson during a brief media session with a few of us as the Summer League Raptors took on the New York Knicks late Tuesday night.

Ujiri was asked if he thought Leonard had been up front throughout a long free agency process that involved flights to and from Los Angeles to Toronto and a lot of waiting as Leonard worked behind the scenes to find a way to team up with another superstar, be it Kevin Durant, Paul George or perhaps somebody else (though sources say a deal with Oklahoma City for George or Russell Westbrook was never going to happen, for various reasons). Ujiri said “Kawhi was,” before smirking and pausing.

Which led to the follow-up about somebody potentially not being up front.

“Ha, either way I know what we’re dealing with here and I appreciate what the process was and I know free agency, I know how it works,” Ujiri said. “It’s not my first rodeo. You know things are going to go up and down. This was a different kind of free agency. It’s high stakes and we understood that.”

Those around the league believe Toronto did everything right, everything it could to convince Leonard that his long-term future should be as a Raptor. Sources say the team believed it was in it all the way until the start of the meeting with Leonard and his camp. At that point, sources say the thought was it was over.

And here recall the use of “high stakes” in Ujiri’s media appearance. Multiple sources here in the desert, where the entire NBA is assembled, said Uncle Dennis was asking for the moon, or something equivalent, from any pursuing franchise. Things Ujiri – and those above him – either couldn’t, or wouldn’t offer. Things beyond just straight greenbacks.

It’s here that we might point out that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is worth somewhere around $50 billion U.S. We’ll put this as delicately as possible. Free agency and tampering in the NBA continues to spin out of control and it’s all but impossible to enforce gifts or promises to family members. There’s no evidence to suggest that happened here, just that it wouldn’t shock anyone in this day and age, given the deep pockets of some owners.


That Leonard only signed for two years is also interesting. The Clippers surrendered perhaps the biggest trade package in league history (and perhaps more than that) to secure Leonard and George, yet might only have both, in a worst-case scenario, for a couple of seasons. It makes perfect sense for Leonard and his camp, as has all of this, since Leonard would be eligible in a couple more years for a bigger contract, given his 10-year playing status at that time.
 

as Pure as Evil

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let the lakers clippers warriors and rockets dismantle each other before the post season start. one of those 3 most likely will miss the playoffs unless some of the up and coming teams take a step back. the west just became a murderers row for young teams
 

leafsleafs

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Silver just announced, that because Harden and Westbrooks are playing together, the NBA is going to two basketballs on the court at the same time.

Said Silver “ We are always looking for ways to improve the game”.

The six second shot clock and four point line is also under discussion, though some of the NBA’s more conservative owners have drawn the line at 3.5.

That was fun!
 

thewave

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Jun 17, 2011
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let the lakers clippers warriors and rockets dismantle each other before the post season start. one of those 3 most likely will miss the playoffs unless some of the up and coming teams take a step back. the west just became a murderers row for young teams

Hell for the injury prone as well. Welcome to grind west
 

robertmac43

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Mar 31, 2015
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Yeah the West is an absolute bloodbath at this point. There are going to be so many fun late nights watching those games.
 

hockeywiz542

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So how many first rounds picks do the Thunder have now?!?!
OKC Thunder: Russell Westbrook gets his choice, Houston, in another massive trade - The Oklahoman
But the Thunder got Houston first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, plus the right to swap picks with the Rockets in 2021 and 2025. If you’ve got your abacus handy, you know that’s now 15 first-round picks for the Thunder in the next seven years.

The trade does two things for the Thunder: keeps OKC somewhat competitive this coming season, while also fortifying the future. If Presti can turn those 15 first-round picks into some serious talent, then the Thunder road is cool again.


All without bottoming out. Kudos to Presti and company.
Oklahoma City Thunder Future Draft Pick Status

D_PXe12VAAILqtr.jpg:large
 
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The Nemesis

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Apr 11, 2005
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The funniest thing for me in this Westbrook trade (aside from questions of how Harden/Westbrook are going to share the ball) is that when I went to The Athletic and saw the story relating to the trade, my initial thought wasn't even about the trade itself. It was about the proliferation and overuse of terrible "______ city" nicknames for teams that all reek of puffed up marketing department nonsense. Apparently Houston is known as "Clutch City" for reasons that I will never understand.
 

The Nemesis

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... is CP3 not still a better player than Russ?

Not really, no. He's a better team guy as a "real" PG, but Westbrook is a better player on the whole.

The thing that might tip the scales a bit is that Westbrook's game is very "me-first". It'll be a question of whether he can adjust his play style to coexist with a guy who dominates the ball in much the same way he does in Harden. There's only one ball to go around and it's hard to make room for two guys whose primary mode of operation is with that ball in their hands and nobody else's.
 
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