Podcast 202: First Round of the Off Season
2019-04-25Apologies for how quiet it’s been around here… but, there’s not a whole lot happening in the Cavalier universe. Sure, the team is still casting lines out to try and catch themselves a new coach… though it’s a slow and methodical process. It’s also still a few weeks until we have a better idea which draft picks might be jumping in the boat for next season.
Because they generally have nothing better to do on a Thursday night in late April… Nate and EG hung out in the podcast booth tonight to catch up. We spend some time touching on the NFL Draft (which the Browns aren’t expected to participate in until tomorrow), recapping the first round matchups (that neither of us watched all that much of), keeping tabs on the Cavs’ coaching search, and projecting where the league is headed with an increase of lawyer ball, 37 foot daggers, social media beefs and decreased viewer ratings. It’s a remarkably short (for us anyway) podcast, but we promise more to come in the next few weeks.
Check out all the good stuff below, on Anchor.fm, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Tunein, and Spotify.
TIM LEGLER REALLY BROKE DOWN CELTICS DEFENSE —DID A GREAT JOB —–AND WHAT GIANNIS / BUCKS MUST DO / CHANGE / ADJUST TO—-SEE IF THEY ARE CAPABLE OF DOING SO
Bummed I missed the games today. Had endgame tix for a month and they were right in the middle. WTF happened to the Bucks?
Celtics were basically creating a wall for Giannis any time he had the ball at the top of the key. He did a lot of driving into a mass of humanity, but not much converting, and he wasn’t getting any whistles (not that I think he should have gotten them)…lot of wild drives ending in missed shots and turnovers. Aside from that, Bucks shot poorly (~35% to 54% from Celtics). Bud will have to find a way to get better shots for Giannis, and Giannis is going to need to play a little more in control. I doubt the Celtics… Read more »
Thanks Mike, I missed it too.
JUST SAW CELTICS/ BUCKS SCORE—–BARF !!!!!!!!!!!!
Whatever you think of the call, the Warriors got away with a ton of landing in the shooter’s landing space calls. I remember 6 or 7, probably more than that. Klay had three uncalled in the first half alone. Dub fans scream bloody murder when their players don’t get that call.
Houston got screwed by the refs. Klay landed on Harden’s feet all the time. It doesn’t help that Harden is trying to sell that call on every three he takes but a foul is a foul. Also, KD fouled CP3 at the end of the third quarter on a three with both the hands and the body and the red that was standing 2 feet from them missed it and gave techs to Paul and D’Antoni instead. 5 point swing right there on a 4 point game.
KD and the KD-aires…
Man, these teams are dumb. Curry has 5, and they go Gordon iso vs Durant.
I think Toronto/Boston winner takes it all.
Hate to say it, but Rockets getting kind of screwed by the refs here at end of 3rd…
Lots of missed/poor calls all over the place.
Hou got a couple their way in the 4th.
Rockets/Dubs is ugly. Lots of bricks (mostly Rockets) & TOs (mostly Dubs).
Bucks miss Brogdon more then Celtics miss Smart.
Horford is outplaying Giannis.
Lowe with a good breakdown of the Bucks Celtics which was the series I have been looking forward to most.
I don;t understand why they didn’t foul down four with 27 seconds left.
I mean that was unreal. A team wide collapse. That was worse than JR’s brainfart (albeit on a much smaller stage) because everyone on the team fell asleep.
On a side note, I had the Nuggets -4.5 points. As you can assume, that hurt…
Apparently some players couldn’t hear the demand to foul, but these are pros, they should have fouled immediately after the Derozan missed layup. Spurs had some killer plays….the missed Gay dunk, Derozan not converting the dunk over Jokic where he was fouled (not necessarily easy), Derozan missing that contested layup…have to convert those plays in a game like that. Spurs win that game if not for a disastrous start.
Blazers series could be weird…Jokic might go wild, but if Lillard continues as he’s been going, he may score 40+ a game…too bad Nurkic is out…
Stupidity.
Modern players are just not that bright. I mean. Down 4 with 27 seconds left. Have to foul. Pop’s excuse (they couldn’t hear) presupposes none of them could think for themselves.
Unlike JRs, however, I doubt this made much difference. Would have needed two splits & two triples to tie.
WTF are you talking about? The modern game is infinitely more complex than it was in the past. The washiness is strong on this blog.
Wow. How is San Antonio doing this?
Gay and DeRozan balling out
Spurs are playing HARD. This is actually a great game despite the low score. Really competitive.
Would you trade for Simmons if you were the Cavs? Simmons and Sexton wouldn’t be the worst backcourt and Simmons can play with four other shooters.
Trade for him with what? I assume Zion if they got the first pick? I personally wouldn’t…he’s a potential HoFer, if he improves his game a lot, but he’s kind of an entitled douche and currently a flawed player, and I’m pretty sure he’d be gonzo at first opportunity.
No not for Zion, but anyone else.
My view on Simmons is if you put four shooters around him right now he would dominate. Until then or until he gets a jump shot he is just a good player. Not great. Without space or until he gets a j his impact can be minimized. He is sort of like Giannis, but Giannis is like two inches taller, longer, and sort of is willing to shoot beyond 15 feet. Also Giannis does have four shooters around him now. That said if you bank on him ever getting a j you probably have to because he would be damn… Read more »
You are so unfair to Giannis if you think these are the only differences between them. First of all, Giannis has superstar mentality and doesn’t take no for an answer, whereas you can forget Simmons is even in the game for quarters at a time. Giannis is a vastly better finisher at the rim and he is a vastly superior free throw shooter. On defense, while Simmons is pretty good himself Giannis might be the most versatile defender ever. And these are off the top of my head.
Yeah obviously Giannis is far superior as an overall player. I didn’t really mean to compare them as far as value/impact. I meant stylistically. You have certain ways that you have to play with them. Giannis is less limited, but still needs a lot of space. Simmons does too. I wasn’t even getting into defense clearly.
Agree 100%. His personality & work-ethic are sub-par in my view (from afar). Hard No.
Simmons is a very good player who would look exponentially better if surrounded with shooters or even just without a back to the basket center like Embiid who occupies the same spots that Simmons needs. That said, it is extremely hard to build a workable roster around a player who doesn’t shoot. It limits your options so much. You would then need to find players who don’t need the ball in their hands, are good secondary playmakers and good defenders. Ask Sam Presti how easy that is. And he had Durant. And he has George. So not that there is… Read more »
BTW that is what I said above. Simmons would destroy with four shooters. The bucks did it, but they needed Brook Lopez (not too many guys like that) to unlock the spacing. Giannis might shoot a three every now and then, but essentially he is a non shooter as far as what defenses would want to give him.
The thing is I don’t think he would destroy. He would look better for sure, much better, but it is not in his DNA to destroy. Antetokounmpo will try to go through, around, over or under the defense, dunk on them and mean-mug. Simmons wilts under the tiniest of adversity and gets lost far too much in games. He also is a complete non factor in the clutch due to his complete lack of shooting and his fear of shooting free throws. To me his most accurate comparison is early career Rajon Rondo. Excellent player to have in the right… Read more »
The mentality and free throw thing is fair. However, I think Simmons has always been/will always be more of a super supersized true pass first point guard than scorer. I think having four shooters would help him immensely because he could pick apart the defense with his passing if given space to get into the lane. He might not be looking to score first. While I think the way you build around Simmons (at this point) is similar to Giannis, I think how Simmons becomes more effective would be a little different than Giannis. That said I don’t think he… Read more »
I think that it is very difficult to build a true contender around a player who cannot shoot at all in today’s NBA. In the playoffs these kinds of weaknesses get overexposed, as the Celtics are demonstrating right as we speak with Giannis.
He could lead a very good regular season team though.
Oof. Yeah. I wasn’t expecting today’s blowout. I thought the Bucks might be challenged and that it might go seven. I didn’t expect them to get blown out in any of their home games. Still Boston is a tough matchup for them.
And yeah you’re right about building around a non-shooter. That was why I am so excited to watch the bucks this series. Basically I want to know if Giannis good enough as the single superstar surrounded by complimentary pieces to make it to the finals and be competitive. I think we are going to find out a lot against Boston one way or another. They gotta regroup now.
I mean, giving up what?
Our pick? No. Love? No.
And I doubt Philly does it for Love, plus the salaries are WAY off.
Not a huge fan of PGs who cannot shoot. At all. From any range. At least Andre Miller could make a FT.
I probably wouldn’t either as getting another true number one scoring option who is a great shooter would be tough. And I am not sure Simmons will ever learn to shoot. If a team somehow could pair him with a guy like Kawhi, plus 3 other shooters, that would be a pretty good team. Not that that will ever happen for anyone. But someone like Kawhi would be the perfect superstar teammate for a guy like Simmons. Much better than Embiid/Butler as far as complimentary skillets. Kawhi being a true number one who doesn’t necessarily need the ball and is… Read more »
I wouldn’t trade Love for Simmons, even if it somehow worked. Besides the fact that i think Simmons is kinda a tool, he’s also not worth it. Simmons is probably going to get a lot of allstar selections, but his style of play makes his teams have to build around him like he’s a superstar. His talent set will make his teams look good, but never great. Building a team around a non shooter requires that he does EVERYTHING else at superstar level. He’s good, but not Giannis good. Love on the otherhand requires absolutely nothing. He has proven without… Read more »
Philly just doesn’t have enough shooting. Oh, and Dudley was right.
Yes, he was.
I grew up a 76er fan (Doc). But I find this group hard to like.
It’s just an oddly assembled team. And the Raptors are perfectly assembled, and a freaking powerhouse. I expect them to play the Bucks, and that series is going to be nuts. Giannis will need to play like an MVP.
Embiid 5-18 for 16 pts & 8 boards. Tremendous job by Gasol/Ibaka. Who also shut down Vucevic in round 1.
With Nurkic out & Kanter with a separated shoulder, the Den/SA winner has to feel favored to reach the WCF.
Kawhi is ridiculous. Think how different things would be if he did not get Zsa Zsa’d in 2017.
Kawhi is a machine. Siakam is everywhere. Lowry is excellent as a third/fourth option. Gasol is tailor made to guard Embiid. Raptors in 5.
I agree. Raps in 5. Maybe 4.
These playoffs are to Siakam what those 2014 finals were to Kawhi. We are witnessing the ascendence of a guy who is going to be a top ten player.
Totally agree about Gasol. Was just having a conversation about that the other day. Gasol is basically a smarter and craftier version of Embiid that is essentially perfect for neutralizing him.
Raptors were so lucky to get Siakam where they did…the sky is the limit with that dude…
MANY PEOPLE SAYING BROWNS GOT THE “STEAL ” OF THE DRAFT WITH GREEDY WILLIAMS ——LET’S HOPE SO —-ALSO LIKE THE LINEBACKER FROM BYU THAT THEY DRAFTED
Report out that if Lue gets the Laker job he’ll try to bring in Thibs as an assistant…an improvement on Longo, but it would be hilarious seeing Lebron deal with Thibs…
I don’t think that would work unless Thibs tempers himself. Anyone think LBJ would put up with Thibs style intensity in practice? I don’t.
What are people’s thoughts on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? I didn’t think much of him in the regular season, but he seems better than I imagined. A nice pick at #11 in the draft?
Ultimately probably a better pick than Sexton, but he’s also not being asked to do too much. Sexton had a lot more pressure.
You are probably right on both counts, but I didn’t really pay any attention to Shai during the season.
Yep. Still a starter on a PO team. Much better defender.
He’s someone who totally fits in the template of a good team. Sexton is kind of a weird player, if he continues to improve all aspects of his game, he could be a primary scorer on a good team, or if he doesn’t, he could be a bench guy. SGA looks like the better bet right now, but time will tell.
I had SGA > Sexton before the draft last year. He’s a good passer, good defender, good shooter… the biggest thing he’s missing is aggressiveness… he disappears in the game too much for his abilities.
The fact that SGA publicly said he didn’t want to be drafted by Cleveland BEFORE the draft is a huge character red flag for me. Any kid, especially one not even going in the top 5 that is “too good” for ANY NBA team seems like a fool to me. Hell, Lonzo Ball was a number 2 pick and his whole “only the Lakers” thing was absurd too. SGA has shown a lot of good basketball skills already and probably looks like a better bet than Sexton right now, but I’ll still take Sexton’s character everytime. Sexton’s massive improvement throughout… Read more »
The thing about GSW is 1-2 of their big guns can have an off night (usually Dray/Klay) & they can still win easily. Teams always fear Curry’s shooting, and Klay’s to a lesser extent. So there is always space and almost no double teams. If KD is on, there is nothing you can do. And he is virtually unguardable anyway.
If Draymond plays well offensively, it is game over.
It is basically down to those 4. But what a four.
When Durant can almost literally not miss a three, they probably aren’t losing, even if everyone else is stinking…
Clippers still hanging, though…big game for Gallo…
I mean they still have by far the most top end talent. But if they take the Rockets as casually they did the clippers they could lose. Last year they were sloppy for most of their losses against Houston with 15+ turnovers in most of those games. I don’t know if they can get away with that again if CP3 stays healthy. I think in some ways GS are their own worst enemies. Since their bench is weaker I think they have less of a margin for carelessness or nonchalance.
Also, if the Sixers had gotten Beverley in that ridiculous Tobias Harris trade, they would be the favorites in the East.
They should have gotten Bev in that trade…they bought high on Harris, as high as you can buy…
Any playable PG who can shoot 3s & defend would be huge for Philly.
Durant with 38 at the half. He is just unconscious right now. The most glaring stat for me though is 23 minutes at the half for Durant, 20 for Thompson and Green and 19 for Curry who got injured a bit too. They have no bench whatsoever. As the playoffs drag that has to play a role.
Warriors have looked more like KD and the KD-aires than anything else in this Clipper series…
Thanks for the pod guys, it’s pretty much the only podcast I listen to these days so your effort during the offseason is appreciated.
Hey, safe driving with your son EG and hope you have a blast.
I’m gonna say no to him…I’m sure he knows his stuff, but he has a rep as a yeller, not sure that’s what I want with this particular team…
Z’s best friend.
OK EVIL WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON -“AVENGERS ;ENDGAME “—-IS IT GOING TO BREAK BOX OFFICE RECORDS —-LOCAL CINEMARK WAS SOLD OUT FOR ALL WEEKEND SHOWINGS !!——–STILL BELIEVE THE DUBS WILL BE IN THE NBA FINALS / WHEN THEIR BACKS ARE UP AGAINST THE WALL –THEY WILL PERFORM– ALBEIT THEIR BENCH IS NOWHERE NEAR WHERE THEIR CHAMPIONSHIP BENCHES WERE —–GO BUCKS (LOVE THE SOUND TO THAT ) SEND “KYRIE -CELTICS ” HOME !!!
People gotta stop supporting this awful superhero porn…they are the the “Kraft American Singles” of film. A mass produced packaged formula to tap into your senses that is somewhat satisfying in the moment. Afterwards while wiping your oily fingers on your pants, you still feel empty inside. And for the record…Black Panther was whack, the only redeeming qualities were the costumes and set design. But that would be better captured in photography. Excited for second round, rooting for Portland Milwaukee finals.
Can’t wait to go see the new Marvel photographs!
they’d be fire
Most people enjoy it though, otherwise they wouldn’t… if you want quality, I’d suggest the small screen for your viewing consumption…
I haven’t seen much of anything besides Guardians 1 (not a fan), the original Spiderman (interesting because it was the first of the new era), Dark Knight (great), Ironman (not a fan), Deadpool (entertaining, but visibly trying really really really hard at the comedy), Kickass (interesting because it was so different at the time), the original incredible Hulk (awful), and 1989 Batman (still the best, because Nicholson is both campy but incredibly dark, and Keaton is by far the best batman). The Joker will probably be the first comic book movie I probably will go see in a movie theater… Read more »
It’s a cost/benefit ratio and simple economics for the modern film industry… studios and financiers have to ask themselves who exactly they are making movies for in a landscape of fewer filmgoers than ever who are willing to leave the comfort of their couches to foray into the multiplexes on a weekend night. These movies may not be for you, but they are for the masses who will ostensibly pay to put the costly product on the screen in the first place. There is no sense in undertaking the expense of producing and releasing films that aren’t going to be… Read more »
Yeah I get the economic reasons. I am one of those people who doesn’t go to the movies as much as I used to. Less because of me not wanting to leave the house to go see movies and more due to there being fewer movies I have wanted to see at the theatre. I saw Star Wars (watched the first new one of my own volition, and got dragged to the last jedi), Jurassic world (got dragged to), Fury, The Martian, First Man, Inception, Blade Runner, Interstellar, and Mad Max Fury Road (twice) to name most of the epic… Read more »
Also I am really using Marvel as a proxy for franchises in general. Obviously Mad Max and Blade Runner are franchises. But I wouldn’t really want anymore of either if they suffered any in quality. In fact I think there shouldn’t be anymore of either of those even though I loved them. Stop on a high note. I am sort of done with franchises. I want new IP. But of course the economics favor franchises/reboots due to built in fan bases and name recognition so I get endless franchises are likely going to be like 95% or more of big… Read more »
People watch movies and TV for different reasons. Escapism is a big deal for a lot of people. There are plenty of times that I come home from work or dealing with my family that I don’t want to put on something that makes me think. The spectacle that is Marvel has plenty of value. Comparing it to “Kraft American Singles” does a disservice to the products that Marvel puts out. There is more to those films than the depth of the plot. A lot of art goes into them regardless of your opinion of the value of that art.… Read more »
I do wonder how much marketing and market saturation played into the ever increasing popularity of them. Like Avatar, which was just an ok movie, but an amazing theater experience, was huge on its own as an original IP. How popular would these franchise movies be without massive marketing and over saturation? Was it a self-fulfilling prophecy? Did the explosion of marketing, name recognition, and saturation of the franchises exponentially increase fandom? I sort of feel like the marketing/franchising caused an exponential increase in popularity which in turn caused even more marketing saturation and continual release cycle which has turned… Read more »
This is a salient argument. And I certainly can understand how that would be a concern. To me, and I don’t have data to back this up (maybe EG could better provide information) but it seems like the market is increasing so while the percentage of budget may skew more towards franchises than in previous decades, “the pie” as they say, is much bigger than it used to be in terms of sheer content produced.
I can’t watch any superhero movie, I think the last one I saw was Spiderman 2. They are incredibly predictable and tedious and loud, but as long as studios print money by making them, they will keep making them.
Music was good in BP.
Yes, it will be the biggest opening of all time both domestically and globally…
I can’t believe we didn’t discuss this.
We discussed the Lakers enough for a lifetime last pod, lol…
Last several. It was in our wheelhouse.
lol… EG, same thing happened to me with Game of Thrones… saw one episode, I thought it was lame, never watched another episode… didn’t have the patience to dedicate time to get into it.
GOT is way better than superhero movies.
My first NBA game was at Richfield Coliseum!